diff --git a/buildscripts/cloudbuild-testing.yaml b/buildscripts/cloudbuild-testing.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..623b85b6882
--- /dev/null
+++ b/buildscripts/cloudbuild-testing.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+substitutions:
+  _GAE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT: appengine-testing-java@grpc-testing.iam.gserviceaccount.com
+options:
+  env:
+  - BUILD_ID=$BUILD_ID
+  - KOKORO_GAE_SERVICE=java-gae-interop-test
+  - DUMMY_DEFAULT_VERSION=dummy-default
+  - GRADLE_OPTS=-Dorg.gradle.jvmargs='-Xmx1g'
+  - GRADLE_FLAGS=-PskipCodegen=true -PskipAndroid=true
+  logging: CLOUD_LOGGING_ONLY
+  machineType: E2_HIGHCPU_8
+
+steps:
+- id: clean-stale-deploys
+  name: gcr.io/cloud-builders/gcloud
+  allowFailure: true
+  script: |
+    #!/usr/bin/env bash
+    set -e
+    echo "Cleaning out stale deploys from previous runs, it is ok if this part fails"
+    # If the test fails, the deployment is leaked.
+    # Delete all versions whose name is not 'dummy-default' and is older than 1 hour.
+    # This expression is an ISO8601 relative date:
+    # https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/topic/datetimes
+    (gcloud app versions list --format="get(version.id)" \
+        --filter="service=$KOKORO_GAE_SERVICE AND NOT version : '$DUMMY_DEFAULT_VERSION' AND version.createTime<'-p1h'" \
+        | xargs -i gcloud app services delete "$KOKORO_GAE_SERVICE" --version {} --quiet) || true
+
+- name: gcr.io/cloud-builders/docker
+  args: ['build', '-t', 'gae-build', 'buildscripts/gae-build/']
+
+- id: build
+  name: gae-build
+  script: |
+    #!/usr/bin/env bash
+    exec ./gradlew $GRADLE_FLAGS :grpc-gae-interop-testing-jdk8:appengineStage
+
+- id: deploy
+  name: gcr.io/cloud-builders/gcloud
+  args:
+    - app
+    - deploy
+    - gae-interop-testing/gae-jdk8/build/staged-app/app.yaml
+    - --service-account=$_GAE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT
+    - --no-promote
+    - --no-stop-previous-version
+    - --version=cb-$BUILD_ID
+
+- id: runInteropTestRemote
+  name: eclipse-temurin:17-jdk
+  env:
+  - PROJECT_ID=$PROJECT_ID
+  script: |
+    #!/usr/bin/env bash
+    exec ./gradlew $GRADLE_FLAGS --stacktrace -PgaeDeployVersion="cb-$BUILD_ID" \
+        -PgaeProjectId="$PROJECT_ID" :grpc-gae-interop-testing-jdk8:runInteropTestRemote
+
+- id: cleanup
+  name: gcr.io/cloud-builders/gcloud
+  script: |
+    #!/usr/bin/env bash
+    set -e
+    echo "Performing cleanup now."
+    gcloud app services delete "$KOKORO_GAE_SERVICE" --version "cb-$BUILD_ID" --quiet
diff --git a/buildscripts/gae-build/Dockerfile b/buildscripts/gae-build/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..7e68b270801
--- /dev/null
+++ b/buildscripts/gae-build/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+FROM eclipse-temurin:17-jdk
+
+# The AppEngine Gradle plugin downloads and runs its own gcloud to get the .jar
+# to link against, so we need Python even if we use gcloud deploy directly
+# instead of using the plugin.
+RUN export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive && \
+    apt-get update && \
+    apt-get upgrade -y && \
+    apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends python3 && \
+    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
diff --git a/buildscripts/kokoro/gae-interop.sh b/buildscripts/kokoro/gae-interop.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index c4ce56cac52..00000000000
--- a/buildscripts/kokoro/gae-interop.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,55 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-
-set -exu -o pipefail
-if [[ -f /VERSION ]]; then
-  cat /VERSION
-fi
-
-KOKORO_GAE_SERVICE="java-gae-interop-test"
-
-# We deploy as different versions of a single service, this way any stale
-# lingering deploys can be easily cleaned up by purging all running versions
-# of this service.
-KOKORO_GAE_APP_VERSION=$(hostname)
-
-# A dummy version that can be the recipient of all traffic, so that the kokoro test version can be
-# set to 0 traffic. This is a requirement in order to delete it.
-DUMMY_DEFAULT_VERSION='dummy-default'
-
-function cleanup() {
-  echo "Performing cleanup now."
-  gcloud app services delete $KOKORO_GAE_SERVICE --version $KOKORO_GAE_APP_VERSION --quiet
-}
-trap cleanup SIGHUP SIGINT SIGTERM EXIT
-
-readonly GRPC_JAVA_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")"/../.. && pwd)"
-cd "$GRPC_JAVA_DIR"
-
-##
-## Deploy the dummy 'default' version of the service
-##
-GRADLE_FLAGS="--stacktrace -DgaeStopPreviousVersion=false -PskipCodegen=true -PskipAndroid=true"
-export GRADLE_OPTS="-Dorg.gradle.jvmargs='-Xmx1g'"
-
-# Deploy the dummy 'default' version. We only require that it exists when cleanup() is called.
-# It ok if we race with another run and fail here, because the end result is idempotent.
-set +e
-if ! gcloud app versions describe "$DUMMY_DEFAULT_VERSION" --service="$KOKORO_GAE_SERVICE"; then
-  ./gradlew $GRADLE_FLAGS -DgaeDeployVersion="$DUMMY_DEFAULT_VERSION" -DgaePromote=true :grpc-gae-interop-testing-jdk8:appengineDeploy
-else
-  echo "default version already exists: $DUMMY_DEFAULT_VERSION"
-fi
-set -e
-
-# Deploy and test the real app (jdk8)
-./gradlew $GRADLE_FLAGS -DgaeDeployVersion="$KOKORO_GAE_APP_VERSION" :grpc-gae-interop-testing-jdk8:runInteropTestRemote
-
-set +e
-echo "Cleaning out stale deploys from previous runs, it is ok if this part fails"
-
-# Sometimes the trap based cleanup fails.
-# Delete all versions whose name is not 'dummy-default' and is older than 1 hour.
-# This expression is an ISO8601 relative date:
-# https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/topic/datetimes
-gcloud app versions list --format="get(version.id)" --filter="service=$KOKORO_GAE_SERVICE AND NOT version : 'dummy-default' AND version.createTime<'-p1h'" | xargs -i gcloud app services delete "$KOKORO_GAE_SERVICE" --version {} --quiet
-exit 0
diff --git a/gae-interop-testing/gae-jdk8/build.gradle b/gae-interop-testing/gae-jdk8/build.gradle
index 14abbc05a9b..07033f403de 100644
--- a/gae-interop-testing/gae-jdk8/build.gradle
+++ b/gae-interop-testing/gae-jdk8/build.gradle
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ def createDefaultVersion() {
     return new java.text.SimpleDateFormat("yyyyMMdd't'HHmmss").format(new Date())
 }
 
+def nonShadowedProject = project
 // [START model]
 appengine {
     // App Engine tasks configuration
@@ -67,13 +68,13 @@ appengine {
 
     deploy {
         // deploy configuration
-        projectId = 'GCLOUD_CONFIG'
+        projectId = nonShadowedProject.findProperty('gaeProjectId') ?: 'GCLOUD_CONFIG'
         // default - stop the current version
-        stopPreviousVersion = System.getProperty('gaeStopPreviousVersion') ?: true
+        stopPreviousVersion = nonShadowedProject.findProperty('gaeStopPreviousVersion') ?: true
         // default - do not make this the promoted version
-        promote = System.getProperty('gaePromote') ?: false
-        // Use -DgaeDeployVersion if set, otherwise the version is null and the plugin will generate it
-        version = System.getProperty('gaeDeployVersion', createDefaultVersion())
+        promote = nonShadowedProject.findProperty('gaePromote') ?: false
+        // Use -PgaeDeployVersion if set, otherwise the version is null and the plugin will generate it
+        version = nonShadowedProject.findProperty('gaeDeployVersion') ?: createDefaultVersion()
     }
 }
 // [END model]
@@ -83,6 +84,10 @@ version = '1.0-SNAPSHOT'          // Version in generated output
 
 /** Returns the service name. */
 String getGaeProject() {
+    def configuredProjectId = appengine.deploy.projectId
+    if (!"GCLOUD_CONFIG".equals(configuredProjectId)) {
+        return configuredProjectId
+    }
     def stream = new ByteArrayOutputStream()
     exec {
         executable 'gcloud'
@@ -110,11 +115,8 @@ String getAppUrl(String project, String service, String version) {
 }
 
 tasks.register("runInteropTestRemote") {
-    dependsOn appengineDeploy
+    mustRunAfter appengineDeploy
     doLast {
-        // give remote app some time to settle down
-        sleep(20000)
-
         def appUrl = getAppUrl(
                 getGaeProject(),
                 getService(project.getProjectDir().toPath()),