diff --git a/.ci/publish-aws.sh b/.ci/publish-aws.sh
index 407363079b..b83bb4e990 100755
--- a/.ci/publish-aws.sh
+++ b/.ci/publish-aws.sh
@@ -21,9 +21,9 @@ ALL_AWS_REGIONS=$(aws ec2 describe-regions --output json --no-cli-pager | jq -r
 rm -rf "${AWS_FOLDER}"
 mkdir -p "${AWS_FOLDER}"
 
-zip_file="./elastic-apm-agent/target/${FULL_LAYER_NAME}.zip"
+zip_file="./apm-agent-lambda-layer/target/${FULL_LAYER_NAME}.zip"
 
-mv ./elastic-apm-agent/target/elastic-apm-java-aws-lambda-layer-*.zip "${zip_file}"
+mv ./apm-agent-lambda-layer/target/elastic-apm-java-aws-lambda-layer-*.zip "${zip_file}"
 
 for region in $ALL_AWS_REGIONS; do
   echo "Publish ${FULL_LAYER_NAME} in ${region}"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 7e23485ada..b5fb3fb5a6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -102,9 +102,6 @@ jobs:
           pipelineVersion: ${{ env.TAG_NAME }}
           waitFor: true
           printBuildLogs: false
-          artifactName: lambda-zip
-          artifactPath: "elastic-apm-agent/target/elastic-apm-java-aws-lambda-layer-*.zip"
-          artifactIfNoFilesFound: error
           # The action fails with .github/actions/buildkite/run.sh: line 24: 3: parameter missing.
           # Which is an unexpected bug.
           # Adding a random buildEnvVar to circumvent the behaviour.
@@ -220,10 +217,14 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
         with:
           ref: ${{ env.TAG_NAME }}
-      - uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
+      - name: Set up JDK ${{ env.JAVA_VERSION }}
+        uses: actions/setup-java@v3
         with:
-          name: lambda-zip
-          path: elastic-apm-agent/target
+          java-version: ${{ env.JAVA_VERSION }}
+          distribution: ${{ env.JAVA_DIST }}
+          cache: 'maven'
+      - name: Build Lambda-layer zip using agent from maven-central
+        run: ./mvnw dependency:purge-local-repository package -pl apm-agent-lambda-layer
       - uses: hashicorp/vault-action@v2.4.2
         with:
           url: ${{ secrets.VAULT_ADDR }}
diff --git a/apm-agent-common/src/test/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/test/AgentFileAccessor.java b/apm-agent-common/src/test/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/test/AgentFileAccessor.java
index 16c2194a42..efa328bab0 100644
--- a/apm-agent-common/src/test/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/test/AgentFileAccessor.java
+++ b/apm-agent-common/src/test/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/test/AgentFileAccessor.java
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ public static Path getPathToJavaagent(Variant agentBuild) {
     }
 
     public static Path getPathToAwsLambdaLayer() {
-        return getArtifactPath(Path.of("elastic-apm-agent"), "elastic-apm-java-aws-lambda-layer", "", ".zip");
+        return getArtifactPath(Path.of("apm-agent-lambda-layer"), "elastic-apm-java-aws-lambda-layer", "", ".zip");
     }
 
 
diff --git a/apm-agent-lambda-layer/pom.xml b/apm-agent-lambda-layer/pom.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..73378e4487
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apm-agent-lambda-layer/pom.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
+         xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
+         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+    <parent>
+        <artifactId>apm-agent-parent</artifactId>
+        <groupId>co.elastic.apm</groupId>
+        <version>1.40.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    </parent>
+    <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
+
+    <artifactId>apm-agent-lambda-layer</artifactId>
+    <name>${project.groupId}:${project.artifactId}</name>
+
+    <properties>
+        <maven-deploy-plugin.skip>true</maven-deploy-plugin.skip>
+        <apm-agent-parent.base.dir>${project.basedir}/..</apm-agent-parent.base.dir>
+    </properties>
+
+    <dependencies>
+        <!-- This dependency listing is required so that running
+             ./mvnw dependency:purge-local-repository package -pl apm-agent-lambda-layer
+             in the parent project forces a redownload of the agent artifact from maven central.
+        -->
+        <dependency>
+            <groupId>${project.groupId}</groupId>
+            <artifactId>elastic-apm-agent</artifactId>
+            <version>${project.version}</version>
+        </dependency>
+    </dependencies>
+
+    <build>
+        <plugins>
+            <plugin>
+                <artifactId>maven-dependency-plugin</artifactId>
+                <executions>
+                    <execution>
+                        <id>copy</id>
+                        <phase>prepare-package</phase>
+                        <goals>
+                            <goal>copy</goal>
+                        </goals>
+                    </execution>
+                </executions>
+                <configuration>
+                    <artifactItems>
+                        <artifactItem>
+                            <groupId>${project.groupId}</groupId>
+                            <artifactId>elastic-apm-agent</artifactId>
+                            <destFileName>elastic-apm-agent.jar</destFileName>
+                        </artifactItem>
+                    </artifactItems>
+                    <outputDirectory>${project.build.directory}</outputDirectory>
+                </configuration>
+            </plugin>
+            <plugin>
+                <artifactId>maven-resources-plugin</artifactId>
+                <executions>
+                    <execution>
+                        <phase>prepare-package</phase>
+                        <goals>
+                            <goal>copy-resources</goal>
+                        </goals>
+                        <configuration>
+                            <outputDirectory>${project.build.directory}/aws-lambda</outputDirectory>
+                            <resources>
+                                <resource>
+                                    <directory>src/main/assembly</directory>
+                                    <filtering>true</filtering>
+                                    <includes>
+                                        <include>elastic-apm-handler</include>
+                                    </includes>
+                                </resource>
+                            </resources>
+                            <delimiters>
+                                <delimiter>[[*]]</delimiter>
+                            </delimiters>
+                        </configuration>
+                    </execution>
+                </executions>
+            </plugin>
+            <plugin>
+                <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
+                <artifactId>maven-assembly-plugin</artifactId>
+                <executions>
+                    <execution>
+                        <phase>package</phase>
+                        <goals>
+                            <goal>single</goal>
+                        </goals>
+                        <configuration>
+                            <appendAssemblyId>false</appendAssemblyId>
+                            <descriptors>
+                                <descriptor>src/main/assembly/aws-lambda-layer.xml</descriptor>
+                            </descriptors>
+                            <finalName>elastic-apm-java-aws-lambda-layer-${project.version}</finalName>
+                        </configuration>
+                    </execution>
+                </executions>
+            </plugin>
+        </plugins>
+    </build>
+
+</project>
diff --git a/elastic-apm-agent/src/main/assembly/aws-lambda-layer.xml b/apm-agent-lambda-layer/src/main/assembly/aws-lambda-layer.xml
similarity index 88%
rename from elastic-apm-agent/src/main/assembly/aws-lambda-layer.xml
rename to apm-agent-lambda-layer/src/main/assembly/aws-lambda-layer.xml
index 07788d6e8a..f38cc4aa41 100644
--- a/elastic-apm-agent/src/main/assembly/aws-lambda-layer.xml
+++ b/apm-agent-lambda-layer/src/main/assembly/aws-lambda-layer.xml
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
     </fileSets>
     <files>
         <file>
-            <source>${project.build.directory}/${project.artifactId}-${project.version}.jar</source>
+            <source>${project.build.directory}/elastic-apm-agent.jar</source>
             <outputDirectory>/</outputDirectory>
             <destName>elastic-apm-agent.jar</destName>
         </file>
@@ -23,4 +23,4 @@
             <outputDirectory>/</outputDirectory>
         </file>
     </files>
-</assembly>
\ No newline at end of file
+</assembly>
diff --git a/elastic-apm-agent/src/main/assembly/elastic-apm-handler b/apm-agent-lambda-layer/src/main/assembly/elastic-apm-handler
similarity index 100%
rename from elastic-apm-agent/src/main/assembly/elastic-apm-handler
rename to apm-agent-lambda-layer/src/main/assembly/elastic-apm-handler
diff --git a/elastic-apm-agent/pom.xml b/elastic-apm-agent/pom.xml
index 638b589705..f934328459 100644
--- a/elastic-apm-agent/pom.xml
+++ b/elastic-apm-agent/pom.xml
@@ -284,51 +284,6 @@
                     </execution>
                 </executions>
             </plugin>
-            <plugin>
-                <artifactId>maven-resources-plugin</artifactId>
-                <executions>
-                    <execution>
-                        <phase>validate</phase>
-                        <goals>
-                            <goal>copy-resources</goal>
-                        </goals>
-                        <configuration>
-                            <outputDirectory>${project.build.directory}/aws-lambda</outputDirectory>
-                            <resources>
-                                <resource>
-                                    <directory>src/main/assembly</directory>
-                                    <filtering>true</filtering>
-                                    <includes>
-                                        <include>elastic-apm-handler</include>
-                                    </includes>
-                                </resource>
-                            </resources>
-                            <delimiters>
-                                <delimiter>[[*]]</delimiter>
-                            </delimiters>
-                        </configuration>
-                    </execution>
-                </executions>
-            </plugin>
-            <plugin>
-                <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
-                <artifactId>maven-assembly-plugin</artifactId>
-                <executions>
-                    <execution>
-                        <phase>package</phase>
-                        <goals>
-                            <goal>single</goal>
-                        </goals>
-                        <configuration>
-                            <appendAssemblyId>false</appendAssemblyId>
-                            <descriptors>
-                                <descriptor>src/main/assembly/aws-lambda-layer.xml</descriptor>
-                            </descriptors>
-                            <finalName>elastic-apm-java-aws-lambda-layer-${project.version}</finalName>
-                        </configuration>
-                    </execution>
-                </executions>
-            </plugin>
         </plugins>
     </build>
 </project>
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 755552b4aa..d946938428 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@
     <modules>
         <module>apm-agent-core</module>
         <module>elastic-apm-agent</module>
+        <module>apm-agent-lambda-layer</module>
         <module>elastic-apm-agent-premain</module>
         <module>elastic-apm-agent-java8</module>
         <module>apm-agent-benchmarks</module>