diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 4d4985f..db97588 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -278,9 +278,9 @@ jobs:
         env:
           RELEASE_VERSION: ${{ needs.validate.outputs.version }}
         run: >-
-          uv run --isolated --no-project
-          --with "ml4t-engineer==${RELEASE_VERSION}"
-          python tests/documentation_workflows.py --readme-only
+          python scripts/ci/release.py smoke-test
+          ml4t-engineer "${RELEASE_VERSION}"
+          tests/documentation_workflows.py
       - name: Verify GitHub release artifacts against the manifest
         env:
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
diff --git a/scripts/ci/release.py b/scripts/ci/release.py
index fb378c5..b24db66 100644
--- a/scripts/ci/release.py
+++ b/scripts/ci/release.py
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 
 import argparse
 import json
+import subprocess
+import time
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Any
 from urllib.error import HTTPError
@@ -67,6 +69,36 @@ def verify_publication(candidate_dir: Path) -> None:
         raise ValueError("PyPI artifacts do not match the candidate manifest")
 
 
+def verify_install(
+    name: str,
+    version: str,
+    script: Path,
+    *,
+    attempts: int = 12,
+    retry_seconds: int = 10,
+) -> None:
+    command = [
+        "uv",
+        "run",
+        "--isolated",
+        "--no-project",
+        "--refresh-package",
+        name,
+        "--with",
+        f"{name}=={version}",
+        "python",
+        str(script),
+        "--readme-only",
+    ]
+    for attempt in range(attempts):
+        result = subprocess.run(command, check=False)
+        if result.returncode == 0:
+            return
+        if attempt + 1 < attempts:
+            time.sleep(retry_seconds)
+    raise RuntimeError(f"failed to install and exercise {name} {version} from PyPI")
+
+
 def _parser() -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
     subparsers = parser.add_subparsers(dest="command", required=True)
@@ -75,6 +107,10 @@ def _parser() -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
     absent.add_argument("version")
     verify = subparsers.add_parser("verify")
     verify.add_argument("candidate_dir", type=Path)
+    smoke_test = subparsers.add_parser("smoke-test")
+    smoke_test.add_argument("name")
+    smoke_test.add_argument("version")
+    smoke_test.add_argument("script", type=Path)
     return parser
 
 
@@ -82,8 +118,10 @@ def main() -> None:
     args = _parser().parse_args()
     if args.command == "require-absent":
         require_version_absent(args.name, args.version)
-    else:
+    elif args.command == "verify":
         verify_publication(args.candidate_dir)
+    else:
+        verify_install(args.name, args.version, args.script)
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
diff --git a/tests/test_release_candidate.py b/tests/test_release_candidate.py
index b28eedd..617a169 100644
--- a/tests/test_release_candidate.py
+++ b/tests/test_release_candidate.py
@@ -168,3 +168,49 @@ def test_pypi_publication_must_match_candidate_manifest(
     response["urls"][0]["digests"]["sha256"] = "0" * 64
     with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="artifacts do not match"):
         release.verify_publication(candidate_dir)
+
+
+def test_pypi_install_verification_retries_index_propagation(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    results = iter(
+        (
+            subprocess.CompletedProcess([], 1),
+            subprocess.CompletedProcess([], 1),
+            subprocess.CompletedProcess([], 0),
+        )
+    )
+    commands: list[list[str]] = []
+    sleeps: list[int] = []
+
+    def run(command: list[str], *, check: bool) -> subprocess.CompletedProcess[bytes]:
+        assert check is False
+        commands.append(command)
+        return next(results)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(release.subprocess, "run", run)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(release.time, "sleep", sleeps.append)
+
+    release.verify_install(
+        "ml4t-engineer",
+        "0.1.4",
+        Path("tests/documentation_workflows.py"),
+        attempts=3,
+        retry_seconds=7,
+    )
+
+    assert len(commands) == 3
+    assert commands[0] == [
+        "uv",
+        "run",
+        "--isolated",
+        "--no-project",
+        "--refresh-package",
+        "ml4t-engineer",
+        "--with",
+        "ml4t-engineer==0.1.4",
+        "python",
+        str(Path("tests/documentation_workflows.py")),
+        "--readme-only",
+    ]
+    assert sleeps == [7, 7]
diff --git a/tests/test_release_policy.py b/tests/test_release_policy.py
index 730f520..e0fcf9b 100644
--- a/tests/test_release_policy.py
+++ b/tests/test_release_policy.py
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ def test_release_publishes_only_the_qualified_artifact() -> None:
         in verify_commands["Verify PyPI metadata and artifact SHA256 digests"]
     )
     assert (
-        "--readme-only"
+        "release.py smoke-test"
         in verify_commands["Install the published wheel and run the README quick start"]
     )
     assert (