diff --git a/cli/src/commit_templater.rs b/cli/src/commit_templater.rs
index 50e28ecc8f..dbd037b51a 100644
--- a/cli/src/commit_templater.rs
+++ b/cli/src/commit_templater.rs
@@ -54,8 +54,9 @@ impl<'repo> TemplateLanguage<'repo> for CommitTemplateLanguage<'repo, '_> {
 
     template_builder::impl_core_wrap_property_fns!('repo, CommitTemplatePropertyKind::Core);
 
-    fn build_keyword(&self, name: &str, span: pest::Span) -> TemplateParseResult<Self::Property> {
-        build_commit_keyword(self, name, span)
+    fn build_self(&self) -> Self::Property {
+        // Commit object is lightweight (a few Arc + CommitId)
+        self.wrap_commit(TemplatePropertyFn(|commit: &Commit| commit.clone()))
     }
 
     fn build_method(
@@ -236,21 +237,6 @@ impl CommitKeywordCache {
     }
 }
 
-fn build_commit_keyword<'repo>(
-    language: &CommitTemplateLanguage<'repo, '_>,
-    name: &str,
-    span: pest::Span,
-) -> TemplateParseResult<CommitTemplatePropertyKind<'repo>> {
-    // Commit object is lightweight (a few Arc + CommitId), so just clone it
-    // to turn into a property type. Abstraction over "for<'a> (&'a T) -> &'a T"
-    // and "(&T) -> T" wouldn't be simple. If we want to remove Clone/Rc/Arc,
-    // maybe we can add an abstraction that takes "Fn(&Commit) -> O" and returns
-    // "TemplateProperty<Commit, Output = O>".
-    let property = TemplatePropertyFn(|commit: &Commit| commit.clone());
-    build_commit_keyword_opt(language, property, name)
-        .ok_or_else(|| TemplateParseError::no_such_keyword(name, span))
-}
-
 fn build_commit_method<'repo>(
     language: &CommitTemplateLanguage<'repo, '_>,
     _build_ctx: &BuildContext<CommitTemplatePropertyKind<'repo>>,
@@ -265,6 +251,7 @@ fn build_commit_method<'repo>(
     }
 }
 
+// TODO: merge into build_commit_method()
 fn build_commit_keyword_opt<'repo>(
     language: &CommitTemplateLanguage<'repo, '_>,
     property: impl TemplateProperty<Commit, Output = Commit> + 'repo,
diff --git a/cli/src/operation_templater.rs b/cli/src/operation_templater.rs
index fd1192aa53..0d3981cee1 100644
--- a/cli/src/operation_templater.rs
+++ b/cli/src/operation_templater.rs
@@ -42,8 +42,9 @@ impl TemplateLanguage<'static> for OperationTemplateLanguage<'_> {
 
     template_builder::impl_core_wrap_property_fns!('static, OperationTemplatePropertyKind::Core);
 
-    fn build_keyword(&self, name: &str, span: pest::Span) -> TemplateParseResult<Self::Property> {
-        build_operation_keyword(self, name, span)
+    fn build_self(&self) -> Self::Property {
+        // Operation object is lightweight (a few Arc + OperationId)
+        self.wrap_operation(TemplatePropertyFn(|op: &Operation| op.clone()))
     }
 
     fn build_method(
@@ -67,7 +68,6 @@ impl TemplateLanguage<'static> for OperationTemplateLanguage<'_> {
 }
 
 impl OperationTemplateLanguage<'_> {
-    #[allow(unused)] // TODO
     fn wrap_operation(
         &self,
         property: impl TemplateProperty<Operation, Output = Operation> + 'static,
@@ -124,18 +124,6 @@ impl IntoTemplateProperty<'static, Operation> for OperationTemplatePropertyKind
     }
 }
 
-fn build_operation_keyword(
-    language: &OperationTemplateLanguage,
-    name: &str,
-    span: pest::Span,
-) -> TemplateParseResult<OperationTemplatePropertyKind> {
-    // Operation object is lightweight (a few Arc + OperationId), so just clone
-    // it to turn into a property type.
-    let property = TemplatePropertyFn(|op: &Operation| op.clone());
-    build_operation_keyword_opt(language, property, name)
-        .ok_or_else(|| TemplateParseError::no_such_keyword(name, span))
-}
-
 fn build_operation_method(
     language: &OperationTemplateLanguage,
     _build_ctx: &BuildContext<OperationTemplatePropertyKind>,
@@ -150,6 +138,7 @@ fn build_operation_method(
     }
 }
 
+// TODO: merge into build_operation_method()
 fn build_operation_keyword_opt(
     language: &OperationTemplateLanguage,
     property: impl TemplateProperty<Operation, Output = Operation> + 'static,
diff --git a/cli/src/template_builder.rs b/cli/src/template_builder.rs
index 075a5c21dd..8bf8d46339 100644
--- a/cli/src/template_builder.rs
+++ b/cli/src/template_builder.rs
@@ -68,7 +68,10 @@ pub trait TemplateLanguage<'a> {
         template: Box<dyn ListTemplate<Self::Context> + 'a>,
     ) -> Self::Property;
 
-    fn build_keyword(&self, name: &str, span: pest::Span) -> TemplateParseResult<Self::Property>;
+    /// Creates the `self` template property, which is usually a function that
+    /// clones the `Context` object.
+    fn build_self(&self) -> Self::Property;
+
     fn build_method(
         &self,
         build_ctx: &BuildContext<Self::Property>,
@@ -272,6 +275,28 @@ pub struct BuildContext<'i, P> {
     local_variables: HashMap<&'i str, &'i (dyn Fn() -> P)>,
 }
 
+fn build_keyword<'a, L: TemplateLanguage<'a>>(
+    language: &L,
+    build_ctx: &BuildContext<L::Property>,
+    name: &str,
+    name_span: pest::Span<'_>,
+) -> TemplateParseResult<Expression<L::Property>> {
+    // Keyword is a 0-ary method on the "self" property
+    let self_property = language.build_self();
+    let function = FunctionCallNode {
+        name,
+        name_span,
+        args: vec![],
+        args_span: name_span.end_pos().span(&name_span.end_pos()),
+    };
+    let property = language
+        .build_method(build_ctx, self_property, &function)
+        // Since keyword is a 0-ary method, any argument-related errors mean
+        // there's no such keyword.
+        .map_err(|_| TemplateParseError::no_such_keyword(name, name_span))?;
+    Ok(Expression::with_label(property, name))
+}
+
 fn build_unary_operation<'a, L: TemplateLanguage<'a>>(
     language: &L,
     build_ctx: &BuildContext<L::Property>,
@@ -842,8 +867,7 @@ pub fn build_expression<'a, L: TemplateLanguage<'a>>(
                 // Don't label a local variable with its name
                 Ok(Expression::unlabeled(make()))
             } else {
-                let property = language.build_keyword(name, node.span)?;
-                Ok(Expression::with_label(property, *name))
+                build_keyword(language, build_ctx, name, node.span)
             }
         }
         ExpressionKind::Boolean(value) => {
@@ -960,15 +984,8 @@ mod tests {
 
         impl_core_wrap_property_fns!('static, TestTemplatePropertyKind::Core);
 
-        fn build_keyword(
-            &self,
-            name: &str,
-            span: pest::Span,
-        ) -> TemplateParseResult<Self::Property> {
-            self.keywords
-                .get(name)
-                .map(|f| f(self))
-                .ok_or_else(|| TemplateParseError::no_such_keyword(name, span))
+        fn build_self(&self) -> Self::Property {
+            TestTemplatePropertyKind::Unit
         }
 
         fn build_method(
@@ -995,7 +1012,6 @@ mod tests {
 
     enum TestTemplatePropertyKind {
         Core(CoreTemplatePropertyKind<'static, ()>),
-        #[allow(unused)] // TODO
         Unit,
     }