diff --git a/.buildkite/hooks/pre-command b/.buildkite/hooks/pre-command
index d5ee33e..5debc14 100755
--- a/.buildkite/hooks/pre-command
+++ b/.buildkite/hooks/pre-command
@@ -45,16 +45,23 @@ echo "--- Configure git context :git:"
 git config --global user.email "infra-root+apmmachine@elastic.co"
 git config --global user.name "apmmachine"
 
-echo "--- Install JDK17 :java:"
-JAVA_URL=https://jvm-catalog.elastic.co/jdk
-JAVA_HOME=$(pwd)/.openjdk17
-JAVA_PKG="$JAVA_URL/latest_openjdk_17_linux.tar.gz"
-curl -L --output /tmp/jdk.tar.gz "$JAVA_PKG"
-mkdir -p "$JAVA_HOME"
-tar --extract --file /tmp/jdk.tar.gz --directory "$JAVA_HOME" --strip-components 1
-
+# Configure the java version
+JAVA_VERSION=$(cat .java-version | xargs | tr -dc '[:print:]')
+JAVA_HOME="${HOME}/.java/openjdk${JAVA_VERSION}"
 export JAVA_HOME
-PATH=$JAVA_HOME/bin:$PATH
+PATH="${JAVA_HOME}/bin:${PATH}"
 export PATH
 
-java -version || true
+# Fallback to install at runtime
+if [ ! -d "${JAVA_HOME}" ] ; then
+  # This should not be the case normally untless the .java-version file has been changed
+  # and the VM Image is not yet available with the latest version.
+  echo "--- Install JDK${JAVA_VERSION} :java:"
+  JAVA_URL=https://jvm-catalog.elastic.co/jdk
+  JAVA_PKG="${JAVA_URL}/latest_openjdk_${JAVA_VERSION}_linux.tar.gz"
+  curl -L --output /tmp/jdk.tar.gz "${JAVA_PKG}"
+  mkdir -p "$JAVA_HOME"
+  tar --extract --file /tmp/jdk.tar.gz --directory "${JAVA_HOME}" --strip-components 1
+fi
+
+java -version
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.buildkite/release.yml b/.buildkite/release.yml
index 1b8638b..e486e89 100644
--- a/.buildkite/release.yml
+++ b/.buildkite/release.yml
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 agents:
   provider: "gcp"
+  #image: "family/ecs-logging-java-ubuntu-2204"
 
 steps:
   - label: "Run the release"
@@ -8,6 +9,6 @@ steps:
     artifact_paths: "release.txt"
 
 notify:
-  - slack:
-      channels:
-        - "#apm-agent-java"
+  - slack: "#apm-agent-java"
+    # skip slack messages if no failures and dry-run mode
+    if: 'build.state != "passed" && build.env("dry_run") == "false"'
diff --git a/.buildkite/snapshot.yml b/.buildkite/snapshot.yml
index c33406f..e240188 100644
--- a/.buildkite/snapshot.yml
+++ b/.buildkite/snapshot.yml
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 agents:
   provider: "gcp"
+  #image: "family/ecs-logging-java-ubuntu-2204"
 
 steps:
   - label: "Run the snapshot"
@@ -11,4 +12,5 @@ steps:
 
 notify:
   - slack: "#apm-agent-java"
-    if: 'build.state != "passed"'
+    # skip slack messages if no failures and dry-run mode
+    if: 'build.state != "passed" && build.env("dry_run") == "false"'
diff --git a/.ci/release.sh b/.ci/release.sh
index d2cf966..7e40208 100755
--- a/.ci/release.sh
+++ b/.ci/release.sh
@@ -27,9 +27,14 @@ echo $PATH
 java -version
 
 set +x
-echo "--- Release the binaries to Maven Central :maven:"
-if [[ "${dry_run}" == "true" ]] ; then
-  ./mvnw -V -s .ci/settings.xml -Pgpg clean package --batch-mode | tee release.txt
-else
-  ./mvnw -V -s .ci/settings.xml -Pgpg clean deploy --batch-mode | tee release.txt
+# Default in dry-run mode
+GOAL="package"
+DRY_RUN_MSG="(dry-run)"
+# Otherwise, a RELEASE
+if [[ "$dry_run" == "false" ]] ; then
+  GOAL="deploy"
+  DRY_RUN_MSG=""
 fi
+
+echo "--- Release the binaries to Maven Central :maven: [./mvnw ${GOAL})] ${DRY_RUN_MSG}"
+./mvnw -V -s .ci/settings.xml -Pgpg clean $GOAL -DskipTests --batch-mode | tee release.txt
diff --git a/.ci/snapshot.sh b/.ci/snapshot.sh
index 98996c9..80e4614 100755
--- a/.ci/snapshot.sh
+++ b/.ci/snapshot.sh
@@ -24,9 +24,14 @@ echo $PATH
 java -version
 
 set +x
-echo "--- Deploy the snapshot :package:"
-if [[ "$dry_run" == "true" ]] ; then
-  ./mvnw -V -s .ci/settings.xml -Pgpg clean package --batch-mode | tee snapshot.txt
-else
-  ./mvnw -V -s .ci/settings.xml -Pgpg clean deploy --batch-mode | tee snapshot.txt
+# Default in dry-run mode
+GOAL="package"
+DRY_RUN_MSG="(dry-run)"
+# Otherwise, a RELEASE
+if [[ "$dry_run" == "false" ]] ; then
+  GOAL="deploy"
+  DRY_RUN_MSG=""
 fi
+
+echo "--- Deploy the snapshot :package: [./mvnw ${GOAL})] ${DRY_RUN_MSG}"
+./mvnw -V -s .ci/settings.xml -Pgpg clean ${GOAL} -DskipTests --batch-mode | tee snapshot.txt
diff --git a/.github/workflows/maven-goal/action.yml b/.github/workflows/maven-goal/action.yml
index 4a2468a..7b8dbb9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/maven-goal/action.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/maven-goal/action.yml
@@ -4,10 +4,6 @@ name: maven-goal
 description: Install specific JDK and run a command
 
 inputs:
-  version:
-    description: 'Java version'
-    required: true
-    default: '17'
   distribution:
     description: 'Java distribution'
     required: true
@@ -26,7 +22,7 @@ runs:
     - name: Set up JDK
       uses: actions/setup-java@v4
       with:
-        java-version: ${{ inputs.version }}
+        java-version-file: .java-version
         distribution: ${{ inputs.distribution }}
         cache: 'maven'
     - run: ${{ inputs.command }}
diff --git a/.java-version b/.java-version
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8e2afd3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.java-version
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+17
\ No newline at end of file