diff --git a/rust/release_crates/BUILD b/rust/release_crates/BUILD
index ba06d1f8d07e..960eedf33f48 100644
--- a/rust/release_crates/BUILD
+++ b/rust/release_crates/BUILD
@@ -12,3 +12,15 @@ sh_binary(
     tags = ["manual"],
     deps = ["@bazel_tools//tools/bash/runfiles"],
 )
+
+sh_binary(
+    name = "release",
+    srcs = ["release.sh"],
+    data = [
+        "//rust/release_crates/protobuf:protobuf_crate",
+        "//rust/release_crates/protobuf_codegen:protobuf_codegen_crate",
+        "//rust/release_crates/protobuf_example:protobuf_example_crate",
+    ],
+    tags = ["manual"],
+    deps = ["@bazel_tools//tools/bash/runfiles"],
+)
diff --git a/rust/release_crates/protobuf/Cargo-template.toml b/rust/release_crates/protobuf/Cargo-template.toml
index 35dbce555ebc..c8c0cbbf5402 100644
--- a/rust/release_crates/protobuf/Cargo-template.toml
+++ b/rust/release_crates/protobuf/Cargo-template.toml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 # https://developers.google.com/open-source/licenses/bsd
 
 [package]
-name = "protobuf"
+name = "staging-protobuf"
 version = "{VERSION}"
 edition = "2021"  # The Rust edition (not to be confused with Protobuf Edition).
 links = "libupb"
diff --git a/rust/release_crates/protobuf_codegen/Cargo-template.toml b/rust/release_crates/protobuf_codegen/Cargo-template.toml
index 7382e38c7a47..eaa4867af561 100644
--- a/rust/release_crates/protobuf_codegen/Cargo-template.toml
+++ b/rust/release_crates/protobuf_codegen/Cargo-template.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 edition = "2021"   # The Rust edition (not to be confused with Protobuf Edition).
-name = "protobuf-codegen"
+name = "staging-protobuf-codegen"
 readme = "README.md"
 version = "{VERSION}"
 description = "Code generator for Rust Protocol Buffers bindings"
diff --git a/rust/release_crates/protobuf_example/Cargo-template.toml b/rust/release_crates/protobuf_example/Cargo-template.toml
index 1ea0b0264a04..8315d4fc1311 100644
--- a/rust/release_crates/protobuf_example/Cargo-template.toml
+++ b/rust/release_crates/protobuf_example/Cargo-template.toml
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 [package]
-name = "protobuf-example"
+name = "staging-protobuf-example"
 version = "{VERSION}"
 edition = "2021"
 
 [dependencies]
-protobuf = { version = "{VERSION}", path = "../protobuf" }
+protobuf = { version = "{VERSION}", path = "../protobuf", package = "staging-protobuf" }
 
 [build-dependencies]
-protobuf-codegen = { version = "{VERSION}", path = "../protobuf_codegen" }
\ No newline at end of file
+protobuf-codegen = { version = "{VERSION}", path = "../protobuf_codegen", package = "staging-protobuf-codegen" }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/rust/release_crates/release.sh b/rust/release_crates/release.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000000..0393aa411ab0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rust/release_crates/release.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# A script that publishes the protobuf crates to crates.io.
+
+# --- begin runfiles.bash initialization ---
+# Copy-pasted from Bazel's Bash runfiles library (tools/bash/runfiles/runfiles.bash).
+set -euo pipefail
+if [[ ! -d "${RUNFILES_DIR:-/dev/null}" && ! -f "${RUNFILES_MANIFEST_FILE:-/dev/null}" ]]; then
+    if [[ -f "$0.runfiles_manifest" ]]; then
+    export RUNFILES_MANIFEST_FILE="$0.runfiles_manifest"
+    elif [[ -f "$0.runfiles/MANIFEST" ]]; then
+    export RUNFILES_MANIFEST_FILE="$0.runfiles/MANIFEST"
+    elif [[ -f "$0.runfiles/bazel_tools/tools/bash/runfiles/runfiles.bash" ]]; then
+    export RUNFILES_DIR="$0.runfiles"
+    fi
+fi
+if [[ -f "${RUNFILES_DIR:-/dev/null}/bazel_tools/tools/bash/runfiles/runfiles.bash" ]]; then
+    source "${RUNFILES_DIR}/bazel_tools/tools/bash/runfiles/runfiles.bash"
+elif [[ -f "${RUNFILES_MANIFEST_FILE:-/dev/null}" ]]; then
+    source "$(grep -m1 "^bazel_tools/tools/bash/runfiles/runfiles.bash " \
+            "$RUNFILES_MANIFEST_FILE" | cut -d ' ' -f 2-)"
+else
+    echo >&2 "ERROR: cannot find @bazel_tools//tools/bash/runfiles:runfiles.bash"
+    exit 1
+fi
+# --- end runfiles.bash initialization ---
+
+read -p 'Enter cratesio auth token: ' AUTH_TOKEN
+
+TMP_DIR=$(mktemp -d)
+trap 'rm -rf -- "$TMP_DIR"' EXIT
+
+CARGO_HOME=$TMP_DIR/cargo_home
+mkdir $CARGO_HOME
+
+CRATE_ROOT=$TMP_DIR/protobuf
+mkdir $CRATE_ROOT
+
+PROTOBUF_TAR=$(rlocation com_google_protobuf/rust/release_crates/protobuf/protobuf_crate.tar)
+
+echo "Expanding protobuf crate tar"
+tar -xvf $PROTOBUF_TAR -C $CRATE_ROOT 
+
+CODEGEN_ROOT=$TMP_DIR/protobuf_codegen
+mkdir $CODEGEN_ROOT
+
+CODEGEN_TAR=$(rlocation com_google_protobuf/rust/release_crates/protobuf_codegen/protobuf_codegen_crate.tar)
+
+echo "Expanding protbuf_codegen crate tar"
+tar -xvf $CODEGEN_TAR -C $CODEGEN_ROOT 
+
+EXAMPLE_ROOT=$TMP_DIR/protobuf_example
+mkdir $EXAMPLE_ROOT
+
+EXAMPLE_TAR=$(rlocation com_google_protobuf/rust/release_crates/protobuf_example/protobuf_example_crate.tar)
+
+echo "Expanding protobuf_example crate tar"
+tar -xvf $EXAMPLE_TAR -C $EXAMPLE_ROOT 
+
+cd $CRATE_ROOT
+CARGO_HOME=$CARGO_HOME CARGO_REGISTRY_TOKEN=$AUTH_TOKEN cargo publish
+
+cd $CODEGEN_ROOT
+CARGO_HOME=$CARGO_HOME CARGO_REGISTRY_TOKEN=$AUTH_TOKEN cargo publish
+
+# The example crate cannot be published due to it having a build.rs that
+# modifies files outside of the OUT_DIR.
+#cd $EXAMPLE_ROOT
+# CARGO_HOME=$CARGO_HOME CARGO_REGISTRY_TOKEN=$AUTH_TOKEN cargo publish
+