diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 0bff3f94c0..df042fa1bc 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ jobs:
     permissions:
       contents: read
       packages: write
-    needs: [build-runner, build-controller]
+    needs: [ build-runner, build-controller ]
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
@@ -109,8 +109,8 @@ jobs:
           server-password: OSSRH_PASSWORD
           gpg-passphrase: SIGN_KEY_PASS
           gpg-private-key: ${{ secrets.GPG_PRIVATE_KEY }}
-          cache: "maven"
-      - name: Publish JARs # Snapshots are published first, then the tagged release
+          cache: 'maven'
+      - name: Publish JARs to Staging # Snapshots are published first, then the tagged release is published to staging.
         run: |
           mvn -U --batch-mode clean deploy -P release
           mvn --batch-mode versions:set -DnewVersion=$(git describe --tags --abbrev=0 | cut -c2-) -DprocessAllModules -DgenerateBackupPoms=false
@@ -121,10 +121,12 @@ jobs:
           OSSRH_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.SONATYPE_USERNAME }}
           OSSRH_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.SONATYPE_PASSWORD }}
           GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+      - name: Run Staging Tests
+        run: staging-tests $(git describe --tags --abbrev=0 | cut -c2-)
   create-release:
     name: Release Go Binaries
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    needs: [release-docker, release-jars]
+    needs: [ release-docker, release-jars ]
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
@@ -144,3 +146,18 @@ jobs:
           goreleaser release
         env:
           GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+      - name: Promote JARs to Release
+        if: ${{ success() }}
+        run: |
+          mvn nexus-staging:release -DserverId=ossrh -DnexusUrl=https://s01.oss.sonatype.org
+        env:
+          OSSRH_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.SONATYPE_USERNAME }}
+          OSSRH_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.SONATYPE_PASSWORD }}
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+      - name: Rollback Staging JARs
+        if: ${{ failure() }}
+        run: |
+          mvn nexus-staging:drop -DserverId=ossrh -DnexusUrl=https://s01.oss.sonatype.org
+        env:
+          OSSRH_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.SONATYPE_USERNAME }}
+          OSSRH_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.SONATYPE_PASSWORD }}
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 674423a9b2..56268a2297 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -411,8 +411,7 @@
                             <skipNexusStagingDeployMojo>${maven.deploy.skip}</skipNexusStagingDeployMojo>
                             <serverId>ossrh</serverId>
                             <nexusUrl>https://s01.oss.sonatype.org/</nexusUrl>
-                            <autoReleaseAfterClose>true</autoReleaseAfterClose>
-                            <stagingProgressTimeoutMinutes>10</stagingProgressTimeoutMinutes>
+                            <skipStagingRepositoryClose>true</skipStagingRepositoryClose>
                         </configuration>
                     </plugin>
                 </plugins>
diff --git a/scripts/staging-tests b/scripts/staging-tests
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..82fcafe447
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/staging-tests
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -euo pipefail
+export PATH="$PWD/build/release:$PATH"
+
+info() {
+  echo -e "\033[1;32m$*\033[0m"
+}
+
+error() {
+  echo -e "\033[1;31m$*\033[0m"
+  exit 1
+}
+
+pull_staging_release() {
+  info "Pulling release JARs from Sonatype OSSRH Staging"
+  local version=$1
+
+  mvn dependency:get \
+      -DremoteRepositories=ossrh::default::https://s01.oss.sonatype.org/content/repositories/staging/ \
+      -Dartifact=xyz.block:ftl-runtime:${version}:jar -Dtransitive=false \
+      -Ddest=kotlin-runtime/ftl-runtime/target/ftl-runtime-${version}.jar
+
+  mvn dependency:get \
+      -DremoteRepositories=ossrh::default::https://s01.oss.sonatype.org/content/repositories/staging/ \
+      -Dartifact=xyz.block:ftl-generator:${version}:jar:jar-with-dependencies -Dtransitive=false \
+      -Ddest=kotlin-runtime/ftl-generator/target/ftl-generator-${version}.jar
+}
+
+wait_for() {
+  info "Waiting for $1"
+  for _ in {1..240}; do
+    if eval "$2"; then
+      info "Success!"
+      return 0
+    fi
+    sleep 1
+  done
+  error "Timed out waiting for $1"
+}
+
+stop_cluster() {
+  kill %1
+  wait
+}
+
+start_cluster() {
+  info "Starting cluster"
+  ftl serve --recreate &
+  wait_for "cluster to become ready" "ftl status"
+  trap stop_cluster EXIT INT TERM
+}
+
+deploy_echo_kotlin() (
+  info "Deploying echo-kotlin"
+  ftl deploy examples/kotlin/ftl-module-echo
+)
+
+deploy_fresh_kotlin() (
+  info "Deploying newly initialised Kotlin module"
+  IT_MODULES=build/modules
+  rm -rf "${IT_MODULES}"
+  ftl init kotlin "${IT_MODULES}" echo2
+  ftl init kotlin "${IT_MODULES}" echo3
+  cd "${IT_MODULES}"
+  ftl deploy ftl-module-echo2
+  ftl deploy ftl-module-echo3
+)
+
+deploy_time_go() (
+  info "Deploying time"
+  cd examples
+  # Pull a supported platforms from the cluster.
+  platform="$(ftl status | jq -r '(.runners // [])[].labels | "\(.os)-\(.arch)"' | sort | uniq | head -1)"
+  ftl-go --os "${platform%-*}" --arch "${platform#*-}" deploy time
+)
+
+wait_for_deploys() {
+  wait_for "deployments to come up" 'ftl status | jq -r "(.routes // [])[].module" | sort | paste -sd " " - | grep -q "echo echo2 echo3 time"'
+}
+
+pull_staging_release $1
+start_cluster
+
+# Cluster is up, start interacting with it.
+deploy_time_go
+deploy_echo_kotlin
+deploy_fresh_kotlin
+
+wait_for_deploys
+
+info "Calling echo"
+message="$(ftl call echo.echo '{"name": "Alice"}' | jq -r .message)"
+[[ "$message" =~ "Hello, Alice! The time is " ]] || error "Unexpected response from echo: $message"
+
+message="$(ftl call echo2.echo '{"name": "Alice"}' | jq -r .message)"
+[[ "$message" =~ "Hello, Alice!" ]] || error "Unexpected response from echo2: $message"
+
+message="$(ftl call echo3.echo '{"name": "Alice"}' | jq -r .message)"
+[[ "$message" =~ "Hello, Alice!" ]] || error "Unexpected response from echo2: $message"
+
+info "Success!"