diff --git a/.buildkite/dra_pipeline.yml b/.buildkite/dra_pipeline.yml
index 10007715ccd..fae27b3c738 100644
--- a/.buildkite/dra_pipeline.yml
+++ b/.buildkite/dra_pipeline.yml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ steps:
       set -euo pipefail
       
       echo "--- Building [$${WORKFLOW_TYPE}] artifacts"
-      python3 -m pip install pyyaml
+      python3 -m pip install pyyaml urllib3
       echo "--- Building dynamic pipeline steps"
       python3 .buildkite/scripts/dra/generatesteps.py > steps.yml
       echo "--- Printing dynamic pipeline steps"
diff --git a/.buildkite/scripts/dra/generatesteps.py b/.buildkite/scripts/dra/generatesteps.py
index d26e34009e3..8274e4bba69 100644
--- a/.buildkite/scripts/dra/generatesteps.py
+++ b/.buildkite/scripts/dra/generatesteps.py
@@ -1,10 +1,38 @@
 import os
-import sys
+import urllib3
+from urllib3.util.retry import Retry
+from urllib3.exceptions import HTTPError
 
 import yaml
 
 YAML_HEADER = '# yaml-language-server: $schema=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/buildkite/pipeline-schema/main/schema.json\n'
 
+def fetch_version_qualifier_url_with_retries(branch, max_retries=3, backoff_factor=2):
+    """
+    Return the version qualifier from a centralized URL based on branch. For any failure or response apart from 200,
+    assume no qualifier (return empty string).
+    """
+    url = f"https://storage.googleapis.com/dra-qualifier/{branch}"
+
+    http = urllib3.PoolManager()
+
+    # Configure retries: Exponential backoff with 3 retries
+    retries = Retry(
+        total=max_retries,
+        backoff_factor=backoff_factor,  # Wait time increases exponentially (2, 4, 8s)
+        status_forcelist=[500, 502, 503, 504],  # Retry only on server errors
+        raise_on_status=False  # Do not raise exception on failed status codes
+    )
+
+    try:
+        response = http.request("GET", url, retries=retries, timeout=5)
+        if response.status == 200:
+            return response.data.decode("utf-8").strip()
+    except HTTPError as e:
+        pass
+
+    return ""
+
 def to_bk_key_friendly_string(key):
     """
     Convert and return key to an acceptable format for Buildkite's key: field
@@ -15,7 +43,7 @@ def to_bk_key_friendly_string(key):
 
     return key.translate(mapping_table)
 
-def package_x86_step(branch, workflow_type):
+def package_x86_step(branch, workflow_type, version_qualifier):
     step = f'''
 - label: ":package: Build packages / {branch}-{workflow_type.upper()} DRA artifacts"
   key: "logstash_build_packages_dra"
@@ -27,6 +55,7 @@ def package_x86_step(branch, workflow_type):
     diskSizeGb: 200
   command: |
     export WORKFLOW_TYPE="{workflow_type}"
+    export VERSION_QUALIFIER="{version_qualifier}"
     export PATH="/opt/buildkite-agent/.rbenv/bin:/opt/buildkite-agent/.pyenv/bin:$PATH"
     eval "$(rbenv init -)"
     .buildkite/scripts/dra/build_packages.sh
@@ -34,7 +63,7 @@ def package_x86_step(branch, workflow_type):
 
     return step
 
-def package_x86_docker_step(branch, workflow_type):
+def package_x86_docker_step(branch, workflow_type, version_qualifier):
     step = f'''
 - label: ":package: Build x86_64 Docker / {branch}-{workflow_type.upper()} DRA artifacts"
   key: "logstash_build_x86_64_docker_dra"
@@ -46,6 +75,7 @@ def package_x86_docker_step(branch, workflow_type):
     diskSizeGb: 200
   command: |
     export WORKFLOW_TYPE="{workflow_type}"
+    export VERSION_QUALIFIER="{version_qualifier}"
     export PATH="/opt/buildkite-agent/.rbenv/bin:/opt/buildkite-agent/.pyenv/bin:$PATH"
     export ARCH="x86_64"
     eval "$(rbenv init -)"
@@ -54,7 +84,7 @@ def package_x86_docker_step(branch, workflow_type):
 
     return step
 
-def package_aarch64_docker_step(branch, workflow_type):
+def package_aarch64_docker_step(branch, workflow_type, version_qualifier):
     step = f'''
 - label: ":package: Build aarch64 Docker / {branch}-{workflow_type.upper()} DRA artifacts"
   key: "logstash_build_aarch64_docker_dra"
@@ -65,6 +95,7 @@ def package_aarch64_docker_step(branch, workflow_type):
     diskSizeGb: 200
   command: |
     export WORKFLOW_TYPE="{workflow_type}"
+    export VERSION_QUALIFIER="{version_qualifier}"
     export PATH="/opt/buildkite-agent/.rbenv/bin:/opt/buildkite-agent/.pyenv/bin:$PATH"
     export ARCH="aarch64"
     eval "$(rbenv init -)"
@@ -73,7 +104,7 @@ def package_aarch64_docker_step(branch, workflow_type):
 
     return step
 
-def publish_dra_step(branch, workflow_type, depends_on):
+def publish_dra_step(branch, workflow_type, depends_on, version_qualifier):
     step = f'''
 - label: ":elastic-stack: Publish  / {branch}-{workflow_type.upper()} DRA artifacts"
   key: "logstash_publish_dra"
@@ -92,50 +123,59 @@ def publish_dra_step(branch, workflow_type, depends_on):
     sudo chown -R :1000 build
     echo "+++ Running DRA publish step"
     export WORKFLOW_TYPE="{workflow_type}"
+    export VERSION_QUALIFIER="{version_qualifier}"
     .buildkite/scripts/dra/publish.sh
     '''
 
     return step
 
-def build_steps_to_yaml(branch, workflow_type):
+def build_steps_to_yaml(branch, workflow_type, version_qualifier):
     steps = []
-    steps.extend(yaml.safe_load(package_x86_step(branch, workflow_type)))
-    steps.extend(yaml.safe_load(package_x86_docker_step(branch, workflow_type)))
-    steps.extend(yaml.safe_load(package_aarch64_docker_step(branch, workflow_type)))
+    steps.extend(yaml.safe_load(package_x86_step(branch, workflow_type, version_qualifier)))
+    steps.extend(yaml.safe_load(package_x86_docker_step(branch, workflow_type, version_qualifier)))
+    steps.extend(yaml.safe_load(package_aarch64_docker_step(branch, workflow_type, version_qualifier)))
 
     return steps
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
+    # DRA_BRANCH can be used for manually testing packaging with PRs
+    # e.g. define `DRA_BRANCH="main"` under Options/Environment Variables in the Buildkite UI after clicking new Build
+    branch = os.environ.get("DRA_BRANCH", os.environ["BUILDKITE_BRANCH"])
+
     try:
         workflow_type = os.environ["WORKFLOW_TYPE"]
-        version_qualifier = os.environ.get("VERSION_QUALIFIER", "")
     except ImportError:
         print(f"Missing env variable WORKFLOW_TYPE. Use export WORKFLOW_TYPE=<staging|snapshot>\n.Exiting.")
         exit(1)
 
-    branch = os.environ["BUILDKITE_BRANCH"]
+    # allow manually set version qualifier via BK env vars (should be rarely used, only for testing)
+    version_qualifier = os.environ.get("VERSION_QUALIFIER", "")
 
     structure = {"steps": []}
 
     if workflow_type.upper() == "SNAPSHOT" and len(version_qualifier)>0:
+        # externally set VERSION_QUALIFIER is NOT allowed with SNAPSHOT DRA. Skip.
         structure["steps"].append({
             "label": f"no-op pipeline because prerelease builds (VERSION_QUALIFIER is set to [{version_qualifier}]) don't support the [{workflow_type}] workflow",
             "command": ":",
             "skip": "VERSION_QUALIFIER (prerelease builds) not supported with SNAPSHOT DRA",
         })
     else:
+        if workflow_type.upper() == "STAGING" and len(version_qualifier)==0:
+            version_qualifier = fetch_version_qualifier_url_with_retries(branch)
+
         # Group defining parallel steps that build and save artifacts
         group_key = to_bk_key_friendly_string(f"logstash_dra_{workflow_type}")
 
         structure["steps"].append({
             "group": f":Build Artifacts - {workflow_type.upper()}",
             "key": group_key,
-            "steps": build_steps_to_yaml(branch, workflow_type),
+            "steps": build_steps_to_yaml(branch, workflow_type, version_qualifier),
         })
 
         # Final step: pull artifacts built above and publish them via the release-manager
         structure["steps"].extend(
-            yaml.safe_load(publish_dra_step(branch, workflow_type, depends_on=group_key)),
+            yaml.safe_load(publish_dra_step(branch, workflow_type, depends_on=group_key, version_qualifier=version_qualifier)),
         )
 
     print(YAML_HEADER + yaml.dump(structure, Dumper=yaml.Dumper, sort_keys=False))