diff --git a/.github/scripts/verify_helm_install.sh b/.github/scripts/verify_helm_install.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d4c8dfba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/scripts/verify_helm_install.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -e
+
+NAMESPACE="scality-object-storage"
+
+echo "Verifying Helm installation..."
+
+if ! helm status scality-cosi-driver -n $NAMESPACE; then
+  echo "Helm release scality-cosi-driver not found in namespace $NAMESPACE"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if ! kubectl wait --for=condition=Ready pod -l app.kubernetes.io/name=scality-cosi-driver -n $NAMESPACE --timeout=120s; then
+  echo "One or more pods failed to start within the expected time"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "Verifying COSI driver Pod status..."
+if ! kubectl wait --namespace $NAMESPACE --for=condition=ready pod --selector=app.kubernetes.io/name=scality-cosi-driver --timeout=30s; then
+  echo "Error: COSI driver Pod did not reach ready state."
+  kubectl get pods -n $NAMESPACE
+  exit 1
+fi
+kubectl get pods -n $NAMESPACE
+
+echo "Helm installation verified successfully."
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-build-and-unit-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/ci-build-and-unit-tests.yml
index 7bf0e8d9..70b0eb25 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci-build-and-unit-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci-build-and-unit-tests.yml
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ jobs:
           token: ${{ secrets.CODECOV_TOKEN }}
           slug: scality/cosi-driver
 
-  dev-container-build:
+  dev-container-with-docker:
     permissions:
       contents: read
       packages: write
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-e2e-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/ci-e2e-tests.yml
index 466e1b12..9fd39251 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci-e2e-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci-e2e-tests.yml
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ jobs:
       run: |
         kubectl cluster-info
         kubectl get nodes
+
     - name: "Debug: SSH to runner"
       uses: scality/actions/action-ssh-to-runner@v1
       with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-smoke-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/ci-smoke-tests.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fd3684c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci-smoke-tests.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+name: CI Smoke Tests
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - '**'
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      debug_enabled:
+        type: boolean
+        description: 'Run the build with tmate debugging enabled'
+        required: false
+        default: false
+      debug_delay_duration_minutes:
+        type: number
+        description: 'Duration to delay job completion in minutes'
+        required: false
+        default: 5
+
+jobs:
+  smoke-test-installation-with-helm:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    steps:
+    - name: Check out repository
+      uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+    - name: Set up Helm
+      uses: azure/setup-helm@v1
+      with:
+        version: v3.16.3
+
+    - name: Create Kind Cluster
+      uses: helm/kind-action@v1.10.0
+      with:
+        version: v0.21.0
+        wait: 90s
+        cluster_name: helm-test-cluster
+
+    - name: "Debug: SSH to runner"
+      uses: scality/actions/action-ssh-to-runner@v1
+      with:
+        tmate-server-host: ${{ secrets.TMATE_SERVER_HOST }}
+        tmate-server-port: ${{ secrets.TMATE_SERVER_PORT }}
+        tmate-server-rsa-fingerprint: ${{ secrets.TMATE_SERVER_RSA_FINGERPRINT }}
+        tmate-server-ed25519-fingerprint: ${{ secrets.TMATE_SERVER_ED25519_FINGERPRINT }}
+        detached: true
+      if: ${{ github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && inputs.debug_enabled }}
+      timeout-minutes: 10
+      continue-on-error: true
+
+    - name: Build COSI Driver Docker Image
+      run: |
+        make container
+
+    - name: Load Docker Image into Kind Cluster
+      run: |
+        kind load docker-image ghcr.io/scality/cosi-driver:latest --name helm-test-cluster
+
+    - name: Install Scality COSI Helm Chart
+      run: |
+        helm install scality-cosi-driver ./helm/scality-cosi-driver \
+          --namespace scality-object-storage \
+          --create-namespace \
+          --set image.tag=latest
+
+    - name: Print all resources in scality-object-storage namespace
+      run: |
+        kubectl get all -n scality-object-storage
+
+    - name: Verify Helm Installation
+      run: |
+        chmod +x .github/scripts/verify_helm_install.sh
+        .github/scripts/verify_helm_install.sh
+
+    - name: "Delay completion"
+      if: ${{ github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && inputs.debug_enabled }}
+      uses: scality/actions/action-delay-job-completion@1.11.0
+      with:
+        completion_delay_m: ${{ inputs.debug_delay_duration_minutes }}
+      continue-on-error: true
+
+    - name: Cleanup Helm Release and Namespace
+      run: |
+        helm uninstall scality-cosi-driver -n scality-object-storage
+        kubectl delete namespace scality-object-storage
+      if: always()
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index cf25f79a..d9fd840c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ on:
         default: false
 
 jobs:
-  prod-container-build:
+  prod-container-with-docker:
     permissions:
       contents: read
       packages: write
@@ -27,11 +27,19 @@ jobs:
 
   create-github-release:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    needs: [prod-container-build, package-helm-chart]
+    needs: [prod-container-with-docker, package-helm-chart]
     steps:
       - name: Check out repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
+      - name: Download all workflow run artifacts
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          path: actions-artifacts
+          github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          merge-multiple: true
+        continue-on-error: true
+
       - name: Create GitHub Release
         uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v2
         env:
@@ -41,6 +49,7 @@ jobs:
           tag_name: ${{ inputs.tag }}
           name: Release ${{ inputs.tag }}
           generate_release_notes: true
+          files: actions-artifacts/*
 
   package-helm-chart:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest