diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-ci.yml b/.github/workflows/release-ci.yml
index 036bf46538..1084d1f8b3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-ci.yml
@@ -25,3 +25,6 @@ jobs:
         path: /tmp/.buildx-cache
         key: ${{ runner.os }}-buildx-${{ hashFiles('Dockerfile') }}
         restore-keys: ${{ runner.os }}-buildx-
+
+    - name:  Startup Nitro testnode
+      run: .scripts/startup-testnode.bash
diff --git a/scripts/startup-testnode.bash b/scripts/startup-testnode.bash
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..701e7ff59a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/startup-testnode.bash
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# The script starts up the test node (with timeout 1 minute), to make sure the
+# nitro-testnode script isn't out of sync with flags with nitro.
+# This is used in CI, basically as smoke test.
+
+timeout 60 ./nitro-testnode/test-node.bash --init --dev || exit_status=$?
+
+if  [ -n "$exit_status" ] && [ $exit_status -ne 0 ] && [ $exit_status -ne 124 ]; then
+    echo "Startup failed."
+    exit $exit_status
+fi
+
+echo "Startup succeeded."