diff --git a/release/git.py b/release/git.py
index 02d7dc8cbe284..3fe47d721a2f1 100644
--- a/release/git.py
+++ b/release/git.py
@@ -31,14 +31,16 @@ def __defaults(kwargs):
         kwargs["cwd"] = repo_dir
 
 
-def has_staged_changes(**kwargs):
+def ensure_no_staged_changes(**kwargs):
     __defaults(kwargs)
     execute("git diff --cached --exit-code --quiet", **kwargs)
+    return True
 
 
-def has_unstaged_changes(**kwargs):
+def ensure_no_unstaged_changes(**kwargs):
     __defaults(kwargs)
     execute("git diff --exit-code --quiet", **kwargs)
+    return True
 
 
 def fetch_tags(remote=push_remote_name, **kwargs):
diff --git a/release/release.py b/release/release.py
index 92b76dee1e3ee..2620d449f8a63 100644
--- a/release/release.py
+++ b/release/release.py
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ def get_jdk(version):
     else: jdk_java_home = jdk_env["JAVA_HOME"]
     java_version = execute(f"{jdk_java_home}/bin/java -version", env=jdk_env)
     if (version == 8 and "1.8.0" not in java_version) or \
-       (f"{version}.0" not in java_version and '"{version}"' not in java_version):
+       (f"{version}.0" not in java_version and f'"{version}"' not in java_version):
         preferences.unset(key)
         fail(f"JDK {version} is required")
     return jdk_env
@@ -127,14 +127,17 @@ def command_stage_docs():
     if not os.path.exists(kafka_site_repo_path) or not os.path.exists(os.path.join(kafka_site_repo_path, "powered-by.html")):
         fail("{kafka_site_repo_path} doesn't exist or does not appear to be the kafka-site repository")
 
-    jdk21_env = get_jdk(21)
+    jdk25_env = get_jdk(25)
 
     # We explicitly override the version of the project that we normally get from gradle.properties since we want to be
     # able to run this from a release branch where we made some updates, but the build would show an incorrect SNAPSHOT
     # version due to already having bumped the bugfix version number.
     gradle_version_override = detect_docs_release_version(project_version)
 
-    cmd("Building docs", f"./gradlew -Pversion={gradle_version_override} clean siteDocsTar aggregatedJavadoc", cwd=repo_dir, env=jdk21_env)
+    cmd("Building docs",f"./gradlew -Pversion={gradle_version_override} clean siteDocsTar", cwd=repo_dir, env=jdk25_env,)
+    # Disable parallel execution for aggregatedJavadoc due to Gradle 9 issues
+    cmd("Building docs", f"./gradlew -Pversion={gradle_version_override} aggregatedJavadoc --no-parallel", cwd=repo_dir, env=jdk25_env,)
+
 
     docs_tar = os.path.join(repo_dir, "core", "build", "distributions", f"kafka_2.13-{gradle_version_override}-site-docs.tgz")
 
@@ -229,7 +232,7 @@ def verify_gpg_key():
 preferences.once(f"verify_gpg_key_{gpg_key_pass_id}", verify_gpg_key)
 
 apache_id = preferences.get('apache_id', lambda: prompt("Please enter your apache-id: "))
-jdk21_env = get_jdk(21)
+jdk25_env = get_jdk(25)
 
 
 def verify_prerequisites():
@@ -245,8 +248,8 @@ def prereq(name, soft_check):
             fail(f"Pre-requisite not met: {name}. Error: {e}")
     prereq('Apache Maven CLI (mvn) in PATH', lambda: "Apache Maven" in execute("mvn -v"))
     prereq("svn CLI in PATH", lambda: "svn" in execute("svn --version"))
-    prereq("Verifying that you have no unstaged git changes", lambda: git.has_unstaged_changes())
-    prereq("Verifying that you have no staged git changes", lambda: git.has_staged_changes())
+    prereq("Verifying that you have no unstaged git changes", lambda: git.ensure_no_unstaged_changes())
+    prereq("Verifying that you have no staged git changes", lambda: git.ensure_no_staged_changes())
     return True
 
 
@@ -328,9 +331,9 @@ def delete_gitrefs():
 
 
 git.targz(rc_tag, f"kafka-{release_version}-src/", f"{artifacts_dir}/kafka-{release_version}-src.tgz")
-cmd("Building artifacts", "./gradlew clean && ./gradlew releaseTarGz -PscalaVersion=2.13", cwd=kafka_dir, env=jdk21_env, shell=True)
+cmd("Building artifacts", "./gradlew clean && ./gradlew releaseTarGz -PscalaVersion=2.13", cwd=kafka_dir, env=jdk25_env, shell=True)
 cmd("Copying artifacts", f"cp {kafka_dir}/core/build/distributions/* {artifacts_dir}", shell=True)
-cmd("Building docs", "./gradlew clean aggregatedJavadoc", cwd=kafka_dir, env=jdk21_env)
+cmd("Building docs", "./gradlew clean aggregatedJavadoc --no-parallel", cwd=kafka_dir, env=jdk25_env)
 cmd("Copying docs", f"cp -R {kafka_dir}/build/docs/javadoc {artifacts_dir}")
 
 for filename in os.listdir(artifacts_dir):
@@ -355,8 +358,8 @@ def delete_gitrefs():
 svn.commit_artifacts(rc_tag, artifacts_dir, work_dir)
 
 confirm_or_fail("Going to build and upload mvn artifacts based on these settings:\n" + textfiles.read(global_gradle_props) + '\nOK?')
-cmd("Building and uploading archives", "./gradlew publish -PscalaVersion=2.13", cwd=kafka_dir, env=jdk21_env, shell=True)
-cmd("Building and uploading archives", "mvn deploy -Pgpg-signing", cwd=os.path.join(kafka_dir, "streams/quickstart"), env=jdk21_env, shell=True)
+cmd("Building and uploading archives", "./gradlew publish -PscalaVersion=2.13", cwd=kafka_dir, env=jdk25_env, shell=True)
+cmd("Building and uploading archives", "mvn deploy -Pgpg-signing", cwd=os.path.join(kafka_dir, "streams/quickstart"), env=jdk25_env, shell=True)
 
 # TODO: Many of these suggested validation steps could be automated
 # and would help pre-validate a lot of the stuff voters test
diff --git a/release/templates.py b/release/templates.py
index 2f9f07b0e3c1e..528b6732c1a8b 100644
--- a/release/templates.py
+++ b/release/templates.py
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ def requirements_instructions(prefs_file, prefs):
     return f"""
 Requirements:
 1. Updated docs to reference the new release version where appropriate.
-2. JDK8 and JDK17 compilers and libraries
+2. JDK25 compiler and libraries
 3. Your Apache ID, already configured with SSH keys on id.apache.org and SSH keys available in this shell session
 4. All issues in the target release resolved with valid resolutions (if not, this script will report the problematic JIRAs)
 5. A GPG key used for signing the release. This key should have been added to public Apache servers and the KEYS file on the Kafka site