diff --git a/.github/workflows/ort.yml b/.github/workflows/ort.yml
index 403560286d..d88f2287fd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ort.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ort.yml
@@ -158,6 +158,17 @@ jobs:
                   distribution: "temurin"
                   java-version: 11
 
+            - name: Install protoc (protobuf)
+              uses: arduino/setup-protoc@v3
+              with:
+                  version: "29.1"
+                  repo-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+            - name: Build java artifact
+              working-directory: ./java
+              run: |
+                  ./gradlew publishToMavenLocal -x buildRust -x javadoc
+
             - name: Run ORT tools for Java
               uses: ./.github/workflows/run-ort-tools
               with:
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 98a99a17aa..299180a2a7 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 * Go: Add `ZCARD` ([#2838](https://github.com/valkey-io/valkey-glide/pull/2838))
 * Java, Node, Python: Update documentation for CONFIG SET and CONFIG GET ([#2919](https://github.com/valkey-io/valkey-glide/pull/2919))
 * Go: Add `BZPopMin` ([#2849](https://github.com/valkey-io/valkey-glide/pull/2849))
+* Java: Shadow `protobuf` dependency ([#2931](https://github.com/valkey-io/valkey-glide/pull/2931))
 * Java: Add `RESP2` support ([#2383](https://github.com/valkey-io/valkey-glide/pull/2383))
 * Node: Add `IFEQ` option ([#2909](https://github.com/valkey-io/valkey-glide/pull/2909))
 
diff --git a/java/benchmarks/build.gradle b/java/benchmarks/build.gradle
index b4777ee410..f8e62ab6d7 100644
--- a/java/benchmarks/build.gradle
+++ b/java/benchmarks/build.gradle
@@ -7,16 +7,13 @@ plugins {
 repositories {
     // Use Maven Central for resolving dependencies.
     mavenCentral()
+    mavenLocal()
 }
 
 dependencies {
-    def releaseVersion = System.getenv("GLIDE_RELEASE_VERSION");
+    version = System.getenv("GLIDE_RELEASE_VERSION") ?: project.ext.defaultReleaseVersion
 
-    if (releaseVersion) {
-        implementation "io.valkey:valkey-glide:" + releaseVersion + ":${osdetector.classifier}"
-    } else {
-        implementation project(':client')
-    }
+    implementation "io.valkey:valkey-glide:${version}:${osdetector.classifier}"
 
     // This dependency is used internally, and not exposed to consumers on their own compile classpath.
     implementation 'com.google.guava:guava:32.1.1-jre'
@@ -28,7 +25,7 @@ dependencies {
     implementation group: 'com.google.code.gson', name: 'gson', version: '2.10.1'
 }
 
-run.dependsOn ':client:buildRust'
+compileJava.dependsOn ':client:publishToMavenLocal'
 
 application {
     // Define the main class for the application.
diff --git a/java/build.gradle b/java/build.gradle
index 1db21c0404..31acdb0902 100644
--- a/java/build.gradle
+++ b/java/build.gradle
@@ -41,7 +41,10 @@ subprojects {
         // finalizedBy jacocoTestReport, jacocoTestCoverageVerification
     }
 
-    ext.failedTests = []
+    ext {
+        defaultReleaseVersion = "255.255.255"
+        failedTests = []
+    }
 
     tasks.withType(Test) {
         afterTest { TestDescriptor descriptor, TestResult result ->
diff --git a/java/client/build.gradle b/java/client/build.gradle
index 7ae0d7c429..efdbd6b7f8 100644
--- a/java/client/build.gradle
+++ b/java/client/build.gradle
@@ -7,22 +7,27 @@ plugins {
     id 'io.freefair.lombok' version '8.6'
     id 'com.github.spotbugs' version '6.0.18'
     id 'com.google.osdetector' version '1.7.3'
+    id 'com.gradleup.shadow' version '8.3.5'
 }
 
 repositories {
     mavenCentral()
 }
 
+configurations {
+    testImplementation { extendsFrom shadow }
+}
+
 dependencies {
     implementation group: 'com.google.protobuf', name: 'protobuf-java', version: '4.29.1'
-    implementation group: 'org.apache.commons', name: 'commons-lang3', version: '3.13.0'
+    shadow group: 'org.apache.commons', name: 'commons-lang3', version: '3.13.0'
 
-    implementation group: 'io.netty', name: 'netty-handler', version: '4.1.115.Final'
+    shadow group: 'io.netty', name: 'netty-handler', version: '4.1.115.Final'
     // https://github.com/netty/netty/wiki/Native-transports
     // At the moment, Windows is not supported
-    implementation group: 'io.netty', name: 'netty-transport-native-epoll', version: '4.1.115.Final', classifier: 'linux-x86_64'
-    implementation group: 'io.netty', name: 'netty-transport-native-epoll', version: '4.1.115.Final', classifier: 'linux-aarch_64'
-    implementation group: 'io.netty', name: 'netty-transport-native-kqueue', version: '4.1.115.Final', classifier: 'osx-aarch_64'
+    shadow group: 'io.netty', name: 'netty-transport-native-epoll', version: '4.1.115.Final', classifier: 'linux-x86_64'
+    shadow group: 'io.netty', name: 'netty-transport-native-epoll', version: '4.1.115.Final', classifier: 'linux-aarch_64'
+    shadow group: 'io.netty', name: 'netty-transport-native-kqueue', version: '4.1.115.Final', classifier: 'osx-aarch_64'
 
     // junit
     testImplementation group: 'org.mockito', name: 'mockito-inline', version: '3.12.4'
@@ -130,8 +135,6 @@ tasks.register('copyNativeLib', Copy) {
     into sourceSets.main.output.resourcesDir
 }
 
-def defaultReleaseVersion = "255.255.255";
-
 delombok.dependsOn('compileJava')
 jar.dependsOn('copyNativeLib')
 javadoc.dependsOn('copyNativeLib')
@@ -155,13 +158,26 @@ sourceSets {
     }
 }
 
+task javadocJar(type: Jar, dependsOn: javadoc) {
+    archiveClassifier = 'javadoc'
+    from javadoc.destinationDir
+}
+
+task sourcesJar(type: Jar, dependsOn: classes) {
+    archiveClassifier = 'sources'
+    from sourceSets.main.allSource
+    exclude 'glide/models' // exclude protobuf files
+}
+
 publishing {
     publications {
         mavenJava(MavenPublication) {
-            from components.java
+            from components.shadow
+            artifact javadocJar
+            artifact sourcesJar
             groupId = 'io.valkey'
             artifactId = 'valkey-glide'
-            version = System.getenv("GLIDE_RELEASE_VERSION") ?: defaultReleaseVersion;
+            version = System.getenv("GLIDE_RELEASE_VERSION") ?: project.ext.defaultReleaseVersion
             pom {
                 name = 'valkey-glide'
                 description = 'General Language Independent Driver for the Enterprise (GLIDE) for Valkey'
@@ -193,6 +209,10 @@ publishing {
     }
 }
 
+tasks.withType(GenerateModuleMetadata) {
+    dependsOn jar, shadowJar
+}
+
 java {
     modularity.inferModulePath = true
     withSourcesJar()
@@ -223,6 +243,11 @@ jar {
     archiveClassifier = osdetector.classifier
 }
 
+shadowJar {
+    dependsOn('copyNativeLib')
+    archiveClassifier = osdetector.classifier
+}
+
 sourcesJar {
     // suppress following error
     // Entry glide/api/BaseClient.java is a duplicate but no duplicate handling strategy has been set
diff --git a/java/integTest/build.gradle b/java/integTest/build.gradle
index 8ebd7f272e..ebe42ce072 100644
--- a/java/integTest/build.gradle
+++ b/java/integTest/build.gradle
@@ -1,14 +1,16 @@
 plugins {
     id 'java-library'
+    id "com.google.osdetector" version "1.7.3"
 }
 
 repositories {
     mavenCentral()
+    mavenLocal()
 }
 
 dependencies {
     // client
-    implementation project(':client')
+    implementation group: 'io.valkey', name: 'valkey-glide', version: project.ext.defaultReleaseVersion, classifier: osdetector.classifier
 
     implementation group: 'org.apache.commons', name: 'commons-lang3', version: '3.13.0'
     implementation 'com.google.code.gson:gson:2.10.1'
@@ -129,7 +131,7 @@ clearDirs.finalizedBy 'startStandalone'
 clearDirs.finalizedBy 'startCluster'
 clearDirs.finalizedBy 'startClusterForAz'
 test.finalizedBy 'stopAllAfterTests'
-test.dependsOn ':client:buildRust'
+compileTestJava.dependsOn ':client:publishToMavenLocal'
 
 tasks.withType(Test) {
     doFirst {