Use Gradle classes as application code?

... or indeed as testing code?

It just seems to me that there are multiple cases in a typical project and its testing arrangements which naturally involve Projects, Tasks and dependencies.

Even on a trivial level, I've sometimes found that preparing the ground between one test and the next it is necessary to clear out directories / repopulate them... and in Gradle (or Ant for that matter) there are methods that do that with little fuss...

Is there any reason NOT to contemplate using these classes in this way?