diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 71a7c65d..cf3386de 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -8,6 +8,11 @@ on:
         required: true
         type: boolean
         default: false
+      maven-central-auto-publish:
+        description: "Automatically publish to Maven Central"
+        required: true
+        type: boolean
+        default: true
 
 jobs:
   release:
@@ -51,7 +56,11 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Publish to Maven Central Repository
         if: ${{ !inputs.skip-deploy-maven-central }}
-        run: mvn --batch-mode deploy -Pcentral-publishing -DdeploymentName="Deployed OFT via GitHub workflow release.yml"
+        run: |
+          mvn --batch-mode deploy -Pcentral-publishing \
+               -DskipPublishing=false \
+               -DautoPublish=${{ inputs.maven-central-auto-publish }} \
+               -DdeploymentName="Auto-deploy OFT via release.yml"
         env:
           MAVEN_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_CENTRAL_PORTAL_USERNAME }}
           MAVEN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_CENTRAL_PORTAL_TOKEN }}
diff --git a/api/pom.xml b/api/pom.xml
index 36c5499e..e0ee8615 100644
--- a/api/pom.xml
+++ b/api/pom.xml
@@ -13,12 +13,4 @@
     <properties>
         <project.build.outputTimestamp>${reproducible.build.timestamp}</project.build.outputTimestamp>
     </properties>
-    <build>
-        <plugins>
-            <plugin>
-                <groupId>org.sonatype.central</groupId>
-                <artifactId>central-publishing-maven-plugin</artifactId>
-            </plugin>
-        </plugins>
-    </build>
 </project>
diff --git a/core/pom.xml b/core/pom.xml
index fe721aa6..de8bb4ec 100644
--- a/core/pom.xml
+++ b/core/pom.xml
@@ -24,12 +24,4 @@
             <scope>test</scope>
         </dependency>
     </dependencies>
-    <build>
-        <plugins>
-            <plugin>
-                <groupId>org.sonatype.central</groupId>
-                <artifactId>central-publishing-maven-plugin</artifactId>
-            </plugin>
-        </plugins>
-    </build>
 </project>
diff --git a/doc/changes/changes_4.2.0.md b/doc/changes/changes_4.2.0.md
index 97347724..faf8b43d 100644
--- a/doc/changes/changes_4.2.0.md
+++ b/doc/changes/changes_4.2.0.md
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# OpenFastTrace 4.2.0, released 2025-06-15
+# OpenFastTrace 4.2.0, released 2025-06-22
 
 Code name: Markdown code blocks
 
diff --git a/doc/developer_guide.md b/doc/developer_guide.md
index b1c72bdc..b2c75c12 100644
--- a/doc/developer_guide.md
+++ b/doc/developer_guide.md
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ The list below shows all build time dependencies in alphabetical order. Note tha
 | [Apache Maven](https://maven.apache.org/)                                          | Build tool                                             | Apache License 2.0            |
 | [Equals Verifier](https://github.com/jqno/equalsverifier)                          | Automatic contract checker for `equals()` and `hash()` | Apache License 2.0            |
 | [Hamcrest Auto Matcher](https://github.com/itsallcode/hamcrest-auto-matcher)       | Speed-up for building Hamcrest matchers                | GNU General Public License V3 |
-| [JUnit](https://junit.org/junit5)                                                  | Unit testing framework                                 | Eclipse Public License 1.0    |
+| [JUnit](https://junit.org)                                                         | Unit testing framework                                 | Eclipse Public License 1.0    |
 | [Mockito](https://github.com/mockito/mockito)                                      | Mocking framework                                      | MIT License                   |
 | [JUnit5 System Extensions](https://github.com/itsallcode/junit5-system-extensions) | JUnit extension for testing `System.x` calls           | Eclipse Public License 2.0    |
 
@@ -260,3 +260,42 @@ As you can see in the table above, not all modules are intended to be deployed o
 The base POM is `openfasttrace-parent`, it mainly contains common dependencies and build configuration. On top of that, `openfasttrace-mc-deployable-parent` adds signing and Maven central deployment. 
 
 This structure ensures that only user-facing components are published to Maven Central while keeping internal development tools and build infrastructure private.
+
+## Debugging Maven Central Deployment
+
+### Build Deployment Bundle
+
+Build deployment bundle to check if the expected modules are included:
+
+```sh
+mvn -T1C  deploy -Pcentral-publishing -DskipPublishing=true -DskipTests
+```
+
+This will build `central-bundle.zip` in one of the modules. Find it with `find . -name "central-bundle.zip"`, then check it's content with `unzip -l api/target/central-publishing/central-bundle.zip`.
+
+Ensure that neither `testutil` nor any parent module is included.
+
+### Verify Deployment Preconditions
+
+Configure Maven Central credentials in `~/.m2/settings.xml`: 
+
+```xml
+<settings>
+    <servers>
+        <server>
+            <id>central</id>
+            <username>user</username>
+            <password>password</password>
+        </server>
+    </servers>
+</settings>
+
+```
+
+The following command will upload the bundle to Maven Central without publishing:
+
+```sh
+mvn -T1C clean deploy -Pcentral-publishing -DskipPublishing=true -DautoPublish=false -DskipTests
+```
+
+Then go to https://central.sonatype.com/publishing/deployments and check that the deployment is marked as "validated" and that the expected components are included. Don't forget to click the "Drop" button to avoid accidentally publishing the release.
diff --git a/exporter/common/pom.xml b/exporter/common/pom.xml
index 6734a700..52b9e58a 100644
--- a/exporter/common/pom.xml
+++ b/exporter/common/pom.xml
@@ -24,12 +24,4 @@
             <scope>test</scope>
         </dependency>
     </dependencies>
-    <build>
-        <plugins>
-            <plugin>
-                <groupId>org.sonatype.central</groupId>
-                <artifactId>central-publishing-maven-plugin</artifactId>
-            </plugin>
-        </plugins>
-    </build>
 </project>
diff --git a/exporter/specobject/pom.xml b/exporter/specobject/pom.xml
index b3c24cc5..39b20762 100644
--- a/exporter/specobject/pom.xml
+++ b/exporter/specobject/pom.xml
@@ -28,12 +28,4 @@
             <scope>test</scope>
         </dependency>
     </dependencies>
-    <build>
-        <plugins>
-            <plugin>
-                <groupId>org.sonatype.central</groupId>
-                <artifactId>central-publishing-maven-plugin</artifactId>
-            </plugin>
-        </plugins>
-    </build>
 </project>
diff --git a/importer/lightweightmarkup/pom.xml b/importer/lightweightmarkup/pom.xml
index 45739b71..37fe269b 100644
--- a/importer/lightweightmarkup/pom.xml
+++ b/importer/lightweightmarkup/pom.xml
@@ -29,12 +29,4 @@
             <scope>test</scope>
         </dependency>
     </dependencies>
-    <build>
-        <plugins>
-            <plugin>
-                <groupId>org.sonatype.central</groupId>
-                <artifactId>central-publishing-maven-plugin</artifactId>
-            </plugin>
-        </plugins>
-    </build>
 </project>
diff --git a/importer/markdown/pom.xml b/importer/markdown/pom.xml
index 3ff3260a..42c96065 100644
--- a/importer/markdown/pom.xml
+++ b/importer/markdown/pom.xml
@@ -28,12 +28,4 @@
             <scope>test</scope>
         </dependency>
     </dependencies>
-    <build>
-        <plugins>
-            <plugin>
-                <groupId>org.sonatype.central</groupId>
-                <artifactId>central-publishing-maven-plugin</artifactId>
-            </plugin>
-        </plugins>
-    </build>
 </project>
diff --git a/importer/restructuredtext/pom.xml b/importer/restructuredtext/pom.xml
index c897bf21..4f66ed9d 100644
--- a/importer/restructuredtext/pom.xml
+++ b/importer/restructuredtext/pom.xml
@@ -28,12 +28,4 @@
             <scope>test</scope>
         </dependency>
     </dependencies>
-    <build>
-        <plugins>
-            <plugin>
-                <groupId>org.sonatype.central</groupId>
-                <artifactId>central-publishing-maven-plugin</artifactId>
-            </plugin>
-        </plugins>
-    </build>
 </project>
diff --git a/importer/specobject/pom.xml b/importer/specobject/pom.xml
index 113f8971..91dbab26 100644
--- a/importer/specobject/pom.xml
+++ b/importer/specobject/pom.xml
@@ -28,12 +28,4 @@
             <scope>test</scope>
         </dependency>
     </dependencies>
-    <build>
-        <plugins>
-            <plugin>
-                <groupId>org.sonatype.central</groupId>
-                <artifactId>central-publishing-maven-plugin</artifactId>
-            </plugin>
-        </plugins>
-    </build>
 </project>
diff --git a/importer/tag/pom.xml b/importer/tag/pom.xml
index 390f36be..165ed118 100644
--- a/importer/tag/pom.xml
+++ b/importer/tag/pom.xml
@@ -24,12 +24,4 @@
             <scope>test</scope>
         </dependency>
     </dependencies>
-    <build>
-        <plugins>
-            <plugin>
-                <groupId>org.sonatype.central</groupId>
-                <artifactId>central-publishing-maven-plugin</artifactId>
-            </plugin>
-        </plugins>
-    </build>
 </project>
diff --git a/importer/xmlparser/pom.xml b/importer/xmlparser/pom.xml
index e2d6200f..b8723191 100644
--- a/importer/xmlparser/pom.xml
+++ b/importer/xmlparser/pom.xml
@@ -24,12 +24,4 @@
             <scope>test</scope>
         </dependency>
     </dependencies>
-    <build>
-        <plugins>
-            <plugin>
-                <groupId>org.sonatype.central</groupId>
-                <artifactId>central-publishing-maven-plugin</artifactId>
-            </plugin>
-        </plugins>
-    </build>
 </project>
diff --git a/importer/zip/pom.xml b/importer/zip/pom.xml
index 0c235a82..c82ff929 100644
--- a/importer/zip/pom.xml
+++ b/importer/zip/pom.xml
@@ -24,12 +24,4 @@
             <scope>test</scope>
         </dependency>
     </dependencies>
-    <build>
-        <plugins>
-            <plugin>
-                <groupId>org.sonatype.central</groupId>
-                <artifactId>central-publishing-maven-plugin</artifactId>
-            </plugin>
-        </plugins>
-    </build>
 </project>
diff --git a/openfasttrace-mc-deployable-parent/pom.xml b/openfasttrace-mc-deployable-parent/pom.xml
index bb858757..f3cf3559 100644
--- a/openfasttrace-mc-deployable-parent/pom.xml
+++ b/openfasttrace-mc-deployable-parent/pom.xml
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ It is maintained separately from the main parent POM for the following reasons:
                         <extensions>true</extensions>
                         <configuration>
                             <publishingServerId>central</publishingServerId>
+                            <skipPublishing>false</skipPublishing>
                             <autoPublish>false</autoPublish>
                             <waitUntil>validated</waitUntil>
                             <deploymentName>Manual deployment of OpenFastTrace</deploymentName>
@@ -56,6 +57,11 @@ It is maintained separately from the main parent POM for the following reasons:
                             </execution>
                         </executions>
                     </plugin>
+                    <plugin>
+                        <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
+                        <artifactId>maven-deploy-plugin</artifactId>
+                        <version>3.1.4</version>
+                    </plugin>
                 </plugins>
             </build>
         </profile>
diff --git a/parent/pom.xml b/parent/pom.xml
index b67796c2..06218e3b 100644
--- a/parent/pom.xml
+++ b/parent/pom.xml
@@ -416,8 +416,7 @@
                         <test.coverage>true</test.coverage>
                     </systemPropertyVariables>
                     <useModulePath>true</useModulePath>
-                    <argLine>
-                        <!-- Required for Java >= 18 --> ${test.args} </argLine>
+                    <argLine><!-- Required for Java >= 18 --> ${test.args} </argLine>
                 </configuration>
                 <executions>
                     <execution>
@@ -450,7 +449,7 @@
                         <configuration>
                             <rules>
                                 <requireMavenVersion>
-                                    <version>3.9.9</version>
+                                    <version>3.8.7</version>
                                 </requireMavenVersion>
                             </rules>
                         </configuration>
@@ -518,6 +517,15 @@
                 <artifactId>versions-maven-plugin</artifactId>
                 <version>2.18.0</version>
             </plugin>
+            <plugin>
+                <!-- Deployment of this module not required -->
+                <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
+                <artifactId>maven-deploy-plugin</artifactId>
+                <version>3.1.4</version>
+                <configuration>
+                    <skip>true</skip>
+                </configuration>
+            </plugin>
         </plugins>
         <pluginManagement>
             <plugins>
@@ -586,18 +594,7 @@
                         </execution>
                     </executions>
                 </plugin>
-                <!-- The maven-deploy-plugin MUST be disabled when using the central-publishing-maven-plugin!
--->
-                <plugin>
-                    <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
-                    <artifactId>maven-deploy-plugin</artifactId>
-                    <!-- The version does not really matter if all we want is disabling the plugin -->
-                    <configuration>
-                        <skip>true</skip>
-                    </configuration>
-                </plugin>
-                <!--This
-                plugin's configuration is used to store Eclipse 
+                <!-- This plugin's configuration is used to store Eclipse 
                     m2e settings only. It has no influence on the Maven build itself. -->
                 <plugin>
                     <groupId>org.eclipse.m2e</groupId>
@@ -645,34 +642,6 @@
                         </dependency>
                     </dependencies>
                 </plugin>
-                <plugin>
-                    <groupId>org.sonatype.central</groupId>
-                    <artifactId>central-publishing-maven-plugin</artifactId>
-                    <version>0.7.0</version>
-                    <extensions>true</extensions>
-                    <configuration>
-                        <publishingServerId>central</publishingServerId>
-                        <centralBaseUrl>https://central.sonatype.com</centralBaseUrl>
-                        <centralSnapshotsUrl>https://central.sonatype.com</centralSnapshotsUrl>
-                        <autoPublish>false</autoPublish>
-                        <waitUntil>validated</waitUntil>
-                        <deploymentName>Manual deployment of OpenFastTrace</deploymentName>
-                    </configuration>
-                </plugin>
-                <plugin>
-                    <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
-                    <artifactId>maven-gpg-plugin</artifactId>
-                    <version>3.2.7</version>
-                    <executions>
-                        <execution>
-                            <id>sign-artifacts</id>
-                            <phase>verify</phase>
-                            <goals>
-                                <goal>sign</goal>
-                            </goals>
-                        </execution>
-                    </executions>
-                </plugin>
             </plugins>
         </pluginManagement>
     </build>
@@ -685,7 +654,4 @@
             </plugin>
         </plugins>
     </reporting>
-    <!-- With the central-publishing-plugin, the distribution management section
-    is now obsolete, since the only place this plugin can deploy to is Maven
-    central anyway. -->
 </project>
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 6c8094b1..5a2f972c 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -35,4 +35,17 @@
         <module>reporter/aspec</module>
         <module>testutil</module>
     </modules>
+    <build>
+        <plugins>
+            <plugin>
+                <!-- Deployment of this module not required -->
+                <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
+                <artifactId>maven-deploy-plugin</artifactId>
+                <version>3.1.4</version>
+                <configuration>
+                    <skip>true</skip>
+                </configuration>
+            </plugin>
+        </plugins>
+    </build>
 </project>
diff --git a/product/pom.xml b/product/pom.xml
index 2ead3e92..18457c00 100644
--- a/product/pom.xml
+++ b/product/pom.xml
@@ -123,10 +123,6 @@
                     </compilerArgs>
                 </configuration>
             </plugin>
-            <plugin>
-                <groupId>org.sonatype.central</groupId>
-                <artifactId>central-publishing-maven-plugin</artifactId>
-            </plugin>
         </plugins>
     </build>
 </project>
diff --git a/reporter/aspec/pom.xml b/reporter/aspec/pom.xml
index 19464e96..f47a75f3 100644
--- a/reporter/aspec/pom.xml
+++ b/reporter/aspec/pom.xml
@@ -28,12 +28,4 @@
             <scope>test</scope>
         </dependency>
     </dependencies>
-    <build>
-        <plugins>
-            <plugin>
-                <groupId>org.sonatype.central</groupId>
-                <artifactId>central-publishing-maven-plugin</artifactId>
-            </plugin>
-        </plugins>
-    </build>
 </project>
diff --git a/reporter/html/pom.xml b/reporter/html/pom.xml
index 0e67dd50..288f2a61 100644
--- a/reporter/html/pom.xml
+++ b/reporter/html/pom.xml
@@ -24,12 +24,4 @@
             <scope>test</scope>
         </dependency>
     </dependencies>
-    <build>
-        <plugins>
-            <plugin>
-                <groupId>org.sonatype.central</groupId>
-                <artifactId>central-publishing-maven-plugin</artifactId>
-            </plugin>
-        </plugins>
-    </build>
 </project>
diff --git a/reporter/plaintext/pom.xml b/reporter/plaintext/pom.xml
index 72cf8070..a0719c1d 100644
--- a/reporter/plaintext/pom.xml
+++ b/reporter/plaintext/pom.xml
@@ -24,12 +24,4 @@
             <scope>test</scope>
         </dependency>
     </dependencies>
-    <build>
-        <plugins>
-            <plugin>
-                <groupId>org.sonatype.central</groupId>
-                <artifactId>central-publishing-maven-plugin</artifactId>
-            </plugin>
-        </plugins>
-    </build>
 </project>