diff --git a/.github/workflows/spring-boot-2-matrix.yml b/.github/workflows/spring-boot-2-matrix.yml
index 38aaacec27a..a076e0d5e63 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/spring-boot-2-matrix.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/spring-boot-2-matrix.yml
@@ -62,8 +62,16 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Update Spring Boot 2.x version
         run: |
-          sed -i 's/^springboot2=.*/springboot2=${{ matrix.springboot-version }}/' gradle/libs.versions.toml
-          echo "Updated Spring Boot 2.x version to ${{ matrix.springboot-version }}"
+          springboot_version="${{ matrix.springboot-version }}"
+          if [[ "$springboot_version" =~ ^2\.[0-3]\. ]]; then
+            springboot_version="${springboot_version}.RELEASE"
+          fi
+          if [[ ! "$springboot_version" =~ ^2\.7\. ]]; then
+            echo "ORG_GRADLE_PROJECT_excludeGraphql=true" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
+            echo "ORG_GRADLE_PROJECT_excludeKafka=true" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
+          fi
+          sed -i 's/^\(springboot2[[:space:]]*=[[:space:]]*\)".*"/\1"'"$springboot_version"'"/' gradle/libs.versions.toml
+          echo "Updated Spring Boot 2.x version to $springboot_version"
 
       - name: Exclude android modules from build
         run: |
@@ -133,6 +141,7 @@ jobs:
             --build "true"
 
       - name: Test sentry-samples-spring-boot-opentelemetry-noagent
+        if: ${{ !startsWith(matrix.springboot-version, '2.1.') && !startsWith(matrix.springboot-version, '2.2.') }}
         run: |
           python3 test/system-test-runner.py test \
             --module "sentry-samples-spring-boot-opentelemetry-noagent" \
diff --git a/.github/workflows/spring-boot-3-matrix.yml b/.github/workflows/spring-boot-3-matrix.yml
index 629535e282d..930b1f43386 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/spring-boot-3-matrix.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/spring-boot-3-matrix.yml
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ jobs:
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
-        springboot-version: [ '3.0.0', '3.2.12', '3.3.13', '3.4.13', '3.5.13' ]
+        springboot-version: [ '3.2.12', '3.3.13', '3.4.13', '3.5.13' ]
 
     name: Spring Boot ${{ matrix.springboot-version }}
     env:
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Update Spring Boot 3.x version
         run: |
-          sed -i 's/^springboot3=.*/springboot3=${{ matrix.springboot-version }}/' gradle/libs.versions.toml
+          sed -i 's/^\(springboot3[[:space:]]*=[[:space:]]*\)".*"/\1"${{ matrix.springboot-version }}"/' gradle/libs.versions.toml
           echo "Updated Spring Boot 3.x version to ${{ matrix.springboot-version }}"
 
       - name: Exclude android modules from build
diff --git a/.github/workflows/spring-boot-4-matrix.yml b/.github/workflows/spring-boot-4-matrix.yml
index bbd4f986d96..aa4671cdab1 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/spring-boot-4-matrix.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/spring-boot-4-matrix.yml
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Update Spring Boot 4.x version
         run: |
-          sed -i 's/^springboot4=.*/springboot4=${{ matrix.springboot-version }}/' gradle/libs.versions.toml
+          sed -i 's/^\(springboot4[[:space:]]*=[[:space:]]*\)".*"/\1"${{ matrix.springboot-version }}"/' gradle/libs.versions.toml
           echo "Updated Spring Boot 4.x version to ${{ matrix.springboot-version }}"
 
       - name: Exclude android modules from build
diff --git a/gradle/libs.versions.toml b/gradle/libs.versions.toml
index ab39c981b44..10f5e665b81 100644
--- a/gradle/libs.versions.toml
+++ b/gradle/libs.versions.toml
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ retrofit = "2.9.0"
 slf4j = "1.7.30"
 springboot2 = "2.7.18"
 springboot3 = "3.5.0"
+springboot3Plugin = "3.5.0"
 springboot4 = "4.0.0"
 # Android
 targetSdk = "36"
@@ -61,7 +62,7 @@ detekt = { id = "io.gitlab.arturbosch.detekt", version = "1.23.8" }
 jacoco-android = { id = "com.mxalbert.gradle.jacoco-android", version = "0.2.0" }
 kover = { id = "org.jetbrains.kotlinx.kover", version = "0.7.3" }
 vanniktech-maven-publish = { id = "com.vanniktech.maven.publish", version = "0.30.0" }
-springboot3 = { id = "org.springframework.boot", version.ref = "springboot3" }
+springboot3 = { id = "org.springframework.boot", version.ref = "springboot3Plugin" }
 springboot4 = { id = "org.springframework.boot", version.ref = "springboot4" }
 spring-dependency-management = { id = "io.spring.dependency-management", version = "1.1.7" }
 gretty = { id = "org.gretty", version = "4.0.0" }
@@ -160,6 +161,7 @@ slf4j2-api = { module = "org.slf4j:slf4j-api", version = "2.0.5" }
 spotlessLib = { module = "com.diffplug.spotless:com.diffplug.spotless.gradle.plugin", version.ref = "spotless"}
 springboot2-bom = { module = "org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-dependencies", version.ref = "springboot2" }
 springboot-starter = { module = "org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter", version.ref = "springboot2" }
+spring-graphql = { module = "org.springframework.graphql:spring-graphql", version = "1.0.6" }
 springboot-starter-graphql = { module = "org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-graphql", version.ref = "springboot2" }
 springboot-starter-quartz = { module = "org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-quartz", version.ref = "springboot2" }
 springboot-starter-test = { module = "org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-test", version.ref = "springboot2" }
diff --git a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-jakarta-opentelemetry-noagent/build.gradle.kts b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-jakarta-opentelemetry-noagent/build.gradle.kts
index ed0af32b031..7137a71d8b3 100644
--- a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-jakarta-opentelemetry-noagent/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-jakarta-opentelemetry-noagent/build.gradle.kts
@@ -18,6 +18,13 @@ java.targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
 
 repositories { mavenCentral() }
 
+dependencyManagement {
+  imports {
+    mavenBom("org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-dependencies:${libs.versions.springboot3.get()}")
+    mavenBom(libs.otel.instrumentation.bom.get().toString())
+  }
+}
+
 // Apollo 4.x requires coroutines 1.9.0+, override Spring Boot's managed version
 extra["kotlin-coroutines.version"] = "1.9.0"
 
@@ -79,8 +86,6 @@ dependencies {
   testImplementation("ch.qos.logback:logback-core:1.5.16")
 }
 
-dependencyManagement { imports { mavenBom(libs.otel.instrumentation.bom.get().toString()) } }
-
 configure<SourceSetContainer> { test { java.srcDir("src/test/java") } }
 
 tasks.register<Test>("systemTest").configure {
diff --git a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-jakarta-opentelemetry/build.gradle.kts b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-jakarta-opentelemetry/build.gradle.kts
index d3d66c469b7..1bf1fca2058 100644
--- a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-jakarta-opentelemetry/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-jakarta-opentelemetry/build.gradle.kts
@@ -19,6 +19,12 @@ java.targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
 
 repositories { mavenCentral() }
 
+dependencyManagement {
+  imports {
+    mavenBom("org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-dependencies:${libs.versions.springboot3.get()}")
+  }
+}
+
 // Apollo 4.x requires coroutines 1.9.0+, override Spring Boot's managed version
 extra["kotlin-coroutines.version"] = "1.9.0"
 
diff --git a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-jakarta/build.gradle.kts b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-jakarta/build.gradle.kts
index ae3ef70ad70..2bb95b9b413 100644
--- a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-jakarta/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-jakarta/build.gradle.kts
@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@ java.targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
 
 repositories { mavenCentral() }
 
+dependencyManagement {
+  imports {
+    mavenBom("org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-dependencies:${libs.versions.springboot3.get()}")
+  }
+}
+
 // Apollo 4.x requires coroutines 1.9.0+, override Spring Boot's managed version
 extra["kotlin-coroutines.version"] = "1.9.0"
 
diff --git a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-opentelemetry-noagent/build.gradle.kts b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-opentelemetry-noagent/build.gradle.kts
index f1665f513d1..63b97a46e12 100644
--- a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-opentelemetry-noagent/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-opentelemetry-noagent/build.gradle.kts
@@ -15,25 +15,37 @@ group = "io.sentry.sample.spring-boot"
 
 version = "0.0.1-SNAPSHOT"
 
-java.sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
+java.sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
 
-java.targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
+java.targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
 
 repositories { mavenCentral() }
 
+fun springBoot2SupportsOptionalIntegrations(): Boolean {
+  val version = libs.versions.springboot2.get().removeSuffix(".RELEASE")
+  val parts = version.split(".").map { it.toIntOrNull() ?: 0 }
+  val major = parts.getOrElse(0) { 0 }
+  val minor = parts.getOrElse(1) { 0 }
+  return major > 2 || (major == 2 && minor >= 7)
+}
+
+val includeGraphql =
+  !project.hasProperty("excludeGraphql") && springBoot2SupportsOptionalIntegrations()
+val includeKafka = !project.hasProperty("excludeKafka") && springBoot2SupportsOptionalIntegrations()
+
 configure<JavaPluginExtension> {
-  sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
-  targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
+  sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
+  targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
 }
 
 tasks.withType<KotlinCompile>().configureEach {
-  compilerOptions.jvmTarget = org.jetbrains.kotlin.gradle.dsl.JvmTarget.JVM_17
+  compilerOptions.jvmTarget = org.jetbrains.kotlin.gradle.dsl.JvmTarget.JVM_11
 }
 
 tasks.withType<KotlinCompile>().configureEach {
   kotlin {
     compilerOptions.freeCompilerArgs = listOf("-Xjsr305=strict")
-    compilerOptions.jvmTarget = org.jetbrains.kotlin.gradle.dsl.JvmTarget.JVM_17
+    compilerOptions.jvmTarget = org.jetbrains.kotlin.gradle.dsl.JvmTarget.JVM_11
   }
 }
 
@@ -43,7 +55,9 @@ dependencies {
   implementation(libs.springboot.starter)
   implementation(libs.springboot.starter.actuator)
   implementation(libs.springboot.starter.aop)
-  implementation(libs.springboot.starter.graphql)
+  if (includeGraphql) {
+    implementation(libs.springboot.starter.graphql)
+  }
   implementation(libs.springboot.starter.jdbc)
   implementation(libs.springboot.starter.quartz)
   implementation(libs.springboot.starter.security)
@@ -55,14 +69,17 @@ dependencies {
   implementation(kotlin(Config.kotlinStdLib, KotlinCompilerVersion.VERSION))
   implementation(projects.sentrySpringBootStarter)
   implementation(projects.sentryLogback)
-  implementation(projects.sentryGraphql)
+  if (includeGraphql) {
+    implementation(projects.sentryGraphql)
+  }
   implementation(projects.sentryQuartz)
   implementation(projects.sentryOpentelemetry.sentryOpentelemetryAgentlessSpring)
   implementation(projects.sentryAsyncProfiler)
 
-  // kafka
-  implementation(libs.spring.kafka2)
-  implementation(projects.sentryKafka)
+  if (includeKafka) {
+    implementation(libs.spring.kafka2)
+    implementation(projects.sentryKafka)
+  }
 
   // database query tracing
   implementation(projects.sentryJdbc)
@@ -103,7 +120,19 @@ tasks.jar {
 
 tasks.startScripts { dependsOn(tasks.shadowJar) }
 
-configure<SourceSetContainer> { test { java.srcDir("src/test/java") } }
+configure<SourceSetContainer> {
+  main {
+    if (!includeGraphql) {
+      java.exclude("**/graphql/**")
+      resources.exclude("graphql/**")
+    }
+    if (!includeKafka) {
+      java.exclude("**/queues/kafka/**")
+      resources.exclude("application-kafka.properties")
+    }
+  }
+  test { java.srcDir("src/test/java") }
+}
 
 tasks.register<Test>("systemTest").configure {
   group = "verification"
@@ -121,7 +150,15 @@ tasks.register<Test>("systemTest").configure {
   minHeapSize = "128m"
   maxHeapSize = "1g"
 
-  filter { includeTestsMatching("io.sentry.systemtest*") }
+  filter {
+    includeTestsMatching("io.sentry.systemtest*")
+    if (!includeGraphql) {
+      excludeTestsMatching("io.sentry.systemtest.Graphql*")
+    }
+    if (!includeKafka) {
+      excludeTestsMatching("io.sentry.systemtest.Kafka*")
+    }
+  }
 }
 
 tasks.named("test").configure {
diff --git a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-opentelemetry/build.gradle.kts b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-opentelemetry/build.gradle.kts
index 7c84875ca07..a1e260cc307 100644
--- a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-opentelemetry/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-opentelemetry/build.gradle.kts
@@ -15,22 +15,34 @@ group = "io.sentry.sample.spring-boot"
 
 version = "0.0.1-SNAPSHOT"
 
-java.sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
+java.sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
 
-java.targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
+java.targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
 
 repositories { mavenCentral() }
 
+fun springBoot2SupportsOptionalIntegrations(): Boolean {
+  val version = libs.versions.springboot2.get().removeSuffix(".RELEASE")
+  val parts = version.split(".").map { it.toIntOrNull() ?: 0 }
+  val major = parts.getOrElse(0) { 0 }
+  val minor = parts.getOrElse(1) { 0 }
+  return major > 2 || (major == 2 && minor >= 7)
+}
+
+val includeGraphql =
+  !project.hasProperty("excludeGraphql") && springBoot2SupportsOptionalIntegrations()
+val includeKafka = !project.hasProperty("excludeKafka") && springBoot2SupportsOptionalIntegrations()
+
 configure<JavaPluginExtension> {
-  sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
-  targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
+  sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
+  targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
 }
 
 tasks.withType<KotlinCompile>().configureEach {
-  compilerOptions.jvmTarget = org.jetbrains.kotlin.gradle.dsl.JvmTarget.JVM_17
+  compilerOptions.jvmTarget = org.jetbrains.kotlin.gradle.dsl.JvmTarget.JVM_11
   kotlin {
     compilerOptions.freeCompilerArgs = listOf("-Xjsr305=strict")
-    compilerOptions.jvmTarget = org.jetbrains.kotlin.gradle.dsl.JvmTarget.JVM_17
+    compilerOptions.jvmTarget = org.jetbrains.kotlin.gradle.dsl.JvmTarget.JVM_11
   }
 }
 
@@ -39,7 +51,9 @@ dependencies {
   implementation(libs.springboot.starter)
   implementation(libs.springboot.starter.actuator)
   implementation(libs.springboot.starter.aop)
-  implementation(libs.springboot.starter.graphql)
+  if (includeGraphql) {
+    implementation(libs.springboot.starter.graphql)
+  }
   implementation(libs.springboot.starter.jdbc)
   implementation(libs.springboot.starter.quartz)
   implementation(libs.springboot.starter.security)
@@ -51,14 +65,17 @@ dependencies {
   implementation(kotlin(Config.kotlinStdLib, KotlinCompilerVersion.VERSION))
   implementation(projects.sentrySpringBootStarter)
   implementation(projects.sentryLogback)
-  implementation(projects.sentryGraphql)
+  if (includeGraphql) {
+    implementation(projects.sentryGraphql)
+  }
   implementation(projects.sentryQuartz)
   implementation(projects.sentryAsyncProfiler)
   implementation(libs.otel)
 
-  // kafka
-  implementation(libs.spring.kafka2)
-  implementation(projects.sentryKafka)
+  if (includeKafka) {
+    implementation(libs.spring.kafka2)
+    implementation(projects.sentryKafka)
+  }
 
   // database query tracing
   implementation(projects.sentryJdbc)
@@ -99,7 +116,19 @@ tasks.jar {
 
 tasks.startScripts { dependsOn(tasks.shadowJar) }
 
-configure<SourceSetContainer> { test { java.srcDir("src/test/java") } }
+configure<SourceSetContainer> {
+  main {
+    if (!includeGraphql) {
+      java.exclude("**/graphql/**")
+      resources.exclude("graphql/**")
+    }
+    if (!includeKafka) {
+      java.exclude("**/queues/kafka/**")
+      resources.exclude("application-kafka.properties")
+    }
+  }
+  test { java.srcDir("src/test/java") }
+}
 
 tasks.register<JavaExec>("bootRunWithAgent").configure {
   group = "application"
@@ -141,7 +170,15 @@ tasks.register<Test>("systemTest").configure {
   minHeapSize = "128m"
   maxHeapSize = "1g"
 
-  filter { includeTestsMatching("io.sentry.systemtest*") }
+  filter {
+    includeTestsMatching("io.sentry.systemtest*")
+    if (!includeGraphql) {
+      excludeTestsMatching("io.sentry.systemtest.Graphql*")
+    }
+    if (!includeKafka) {
+      excludeTestsMatching("io.sentry.systemtest.Kafka*")
+    }
+  }
 }
 
 tasks.named("test").configure {
diff --git a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-webflux-jakarta/build.gradle.kts b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-webflux-jakarta/build.gradle.kts
index d5b04543576..76e29fb87c9 100644
--- a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-webflux-jakarta/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-webflux-jakarta/build.gradle.kts
@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@ java.targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
 
 repositories { mavenCentral() }
 
+dependencyManagement {
+  imports {
+    mavenBom("org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-dependencies:${libs.versions.springboot3.get()}")
+  }
+}
+
 // Apollo 4.x requires coroutines 1.9.0+, override Spring Boot's managed version
 extra["kotlin-coroutines.version"] = "1.9.0"
 
diff --git a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-webflux/build.gradle.kts b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-webflux/build.gradle.kts
index b10b30737d8..08a98ae1665 100644
--- a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-webflux/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-webflux/build.gradle.kts
@@ -15,22 +15,36 @@ group = "io.sentry.sample.spring-boot"
 
 version = "0.0.1-SNAPSHOT"
 
-java.sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
+java.sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
 
-java.targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
+java.targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
 
 repositories { mavenCentral() }
 
+fun springBoot2SupportsGraphql(): Boolean {
+  val version = libs.versions.springboot2.get().removeSuffix(".RELEASE")
+  val parts = version.split(".").map { it.toIntOrNull() ?: 0 }
+  val major = parts.getOrElse(0) { 0 }
+  val minor = parts.getOrElse(1) { 0 }
+  return major > 2 || (major == 2 && minor >= 7)
+}
+
+val includeGraphql = !project.hasProperty("excludeGraphql") && springBoot2SupportsGraphql()
+
 dependencies {
   implementation(platform(libs.springboot2.bom))
   implementation(libs.springboot.starter.actuator)
-  implementation(libs.springboot.starter.graphql)
+  if (includeGraphql) {
+    implementation(libs.springboot.starter.graphql)
+  }
   implementation(libs.springboot.starter.webflux)
   implementation(Config.Libs.kotlinReflect)
   implementation(kotlin(Config.kotlinStdLib, KotlinCompilerVersion.VERSION))
   implementation(projects.sentrySpringBootStarter)
   implementation(projects.sentryLogback)
-  implementation(projects.sentryGraphql)
+  if (includeGraphql) {
+    implementation(projects.sentryGraphql)
+  }
   implementation(projects.sentryAsyncProfiler)
 
   testImplementation(kotlin(Config.kotlinStdLib))
@@ -68,12 +82,20 @@ tasks.jar {
 
 tasks.startScripts { dependsOn(tasks.shadowJar) }
 
-configure<SourceSetContainer> { test { java.srcDir("src/test/java") } }
+configure<SourceSetContainer> {
+  main {
+    if (!includeGraphql) {
+      java.exclude("**/graphql/**")
+      resources.exclude("graphql/**")
+    }
+  }
+  test { java.srcDir("src/test/java") }
+}
 
 tasks.withType<KotlinCompile>().configureEach {
   kotlin {
     compilerOptions.freeCompilerArgs = listOf("-Xjsr305=strict")
-    compilerOptions.jvmTarget = org.jetbrains.kotlin.gradle.dsl.JvmTarget.JVM_17
+    compilerOptions.jvmTarget = org.jetbrains.kotlin.gradle.dsl.JvmTarget.JVM_11
   }
 }
 
@@ -93,7 +115,12 @@ tasks.register<Test>("systemTest").configure {
   minHeapSize = "128m"
   maxHeapSize = "1g"
 
-  filter { includeTestsMatching("io.sentry.systemtest*") }
+  filter {
+    includeTestsMatching("io.sentry.systemtest*")
+    if (!includeGraphql) {
+      excludeTestsMatching("io.sentry.systemtest.Graphql*")
+    }
+  }
 }
 
 tasks.named("test").configure {
diff --git a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-webflux/src/main/java/io/sentry/samples/spring/boot/DistributedTracingController.java b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-webflux/src/main/java/io/sentry/samples/spring/boot/DistributedTracingController.java
index cd69d854006..4bd6bb77bfb 100644
--- a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-webflux/src/main/java/io/sentry/samples/spring/boot/DistributedTracingController.java
+++ b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-webflux/src/main/java/io/sentry/samples/spring/boot/DistributedTracingController.java
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package io.sentry.samples.spring.boot;
 
-import java.nio.charset.Charset;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import java.util.Base64;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 import org.springframework.http.HttpHeaders;
@@ -17,6 +18,10 @@
 @RequestMapping("/tracing/")
 public class DistributedTracingController {
   private static final Logger LOGGER = LoggerFactory.getLogger(DistributedTracingController.class);
+  private static final String BASIC_AUTH =
+      "Basic "
+          + Base64.getEncoder().encodeToString("user:password".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8));
+
   private final WebClient webClient;
 
   public DistributedTracingController(WebClient webClient) {
@@ -28,9 +33,7 @@ Mono<Person> person(@PathVariable Long id) {
     return webClient
         .get()
         .uri("http://localhost:8080/person/{id}", id)
-        .header(
-            HttpHeaders.AUTHORIZATION,
-            "Basic " + HttpHeaders.encodeBasicAuth("user", "password", Charset.defaultCharset()))
+        .header(HttpHeaders.AUTHORIZATION, BASIC_AUTH)
         .retrieve()
         .bodyToMono(Person.class)
         .map(response -> response);
@@ -41,9 +44,7 @@ Mono<Person> create(@RequestBody Person person) {
     return webClient
         .post()
         .uri("http://localhost:8080/person/")
-        .header(
-            HttpHeaders.AUTHORIZATION,
-            "Basic " + HttpHeaders.encodeBasicAuth("user", "password", Charset.defaultCharset()))
+        .header(HttpHeaders.AUTHORIZATION, BASIC_AUTH)
         .body(Mono.just(person), Person.class)
         .retrieve()
         .bodyToMono(Person.class)
diff --git a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-webflux/src/main/java/io/sentry/samples/spring/boot/PersonService.java b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-webflux/src/main/java/io/sentry/samples/spring/boot/PersonService.java
index ed7422d9d0b..4a9ae98a447 100644
--- a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-webflux/src/main/java/io/sentry/samples/spring/boot/PersonService.java
+++ b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot-webflux/src/main/java/io/sentry/samples/spring/boot/PersonService.java
@@ -4,14 +4,12 @@
 import java.time.Duration;
 import org.springframework.stereotype.Service;
 import reactor.core.publisher.Mono;
-import reactor.core.scheduler.Schedulers;
 
 @Service
 public class PersonService {
 
   Mono<Person> create(Person person) {
     return Mono.delay(Duration.ofMillis(100))
-        .publishOn(Schedulers.boundedElastic())
         .doOnNext(__ -> Sentry.captureMessage("Creating person"))
         .map(__ -> person);
   }
diff --git a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot/build.gradle.kts b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot/build.gradle.kts
index cc535c725e1..a286583b66a 100644
--- a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-boot/build.gradle.kts
@@ -15,21 +15,33 @@ group = "io.sentry.sample.spring-boot"
 
 version = "0.0.1-SNAPSHOT"
 
-java.sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
+java.sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
 
-java.targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
+java.targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
 
 repositories { mavenCentral() }
 
+fun springBoot2SupportsOptionalIntegrations(): Boolean {
+  val version = libs.versions.springboot2.get().removeSuffix(".RELEASE")
+  val parts = version.split(".").map { it.toIntOrNull() ?: 0 }
+  val major = parts.getOrElse(0) { 0 }
+  val minor = parts.getOrElse(1) { 0 }
+  return major > 2 || (major == 2 && minor >= 7)
+}
+
+val includeGraphql =
+  !project.hasProperty("excludeGraphql") && springBoot2SupportsOptionalIntegrations()
+val includeKafka = !project.hasProperty("excludeKafka") && springBoot2SupportsOptionalIntegrations()
+
 configure<JavaPluginExtension> {
-  sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
-  targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
+  sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
+  targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
 }
 
 tasks.withType<KotlinCompile>().configureEach {
   kotlin {
     compilerOptions.freeCompilerArgs = listOf("-Xjsr305=strict")
-    compilerOptions.jvmTarget = org.jetbrains.kotlin.gradle.dsl.JvmTarget.JVM_17
+    compilerOptions.jvmTarget = org.jetbrains.kotlin.gradle.dsl.JvmTarget.JVM_11
   }
 }
 
@@ -38,7 +50,9 @@ dependencies {
   implementation(libs.springboot.starter)
   implementation(libs.springboot.starter.actuator)
   implementation(libs.springboot.starter.aop)
-  implementation(libs.springboot.starter.graphql)
+  if (includeGraphql) {
+    implementation(libs.springboot.starter.graphql)
+  }
   implementation(libs.springboot.starter.jdbc)
   implementation(libs.springboot.starter.quartz)
   implementation(libs.springboot.starter.security)
@@ -48,15 +62,18 @@ dependencies {
   implementation(libs.springboot.starter.websocket)
   implementation(libs.caffeine)
 
-  // kafka
-  implementation(libs.spring.kafka2)
-  implementation(projects.sentryKafka)
+  if (includeKafka) {
+    implementation(libs.spring.kafka2)
+    implementation(projects.sentryKafka)
+  }
   implementation(Config.Libs.aspectj)
   implementation(Config.Libs.kotlinReflect)
   implementation(kotlin(Config.kotlinStdLib, KotlinCompilerVersion.VERSION))
   implementation(projects.sentrySpringBootStarter)
   implementation(projects.sentryLogback)
-  implementation(projects.sentryGraphql)
+  if (includeGraphql) {
+    implementation(projects.sentryGraphql)
+  }
   implementation(projects.sentryQuartz)
   implementation(projects.sentryAsyncProfiler)
 
@@ -102,7 +119,19 @@ tasks.jar {
 
 tasks.startScripts { dependsOn(tasks.shadowJar) }
 
-configure<SourceSetContainer> { test { java.srcDir("src/test/java") } }
+configure<SourceSetContainer> {
+  main {
+    if (!includeGraphql) {
+      java.exclude("**/graphql/**")
+      resources.exclude("graphql/**")
+    }
+    if (!includeKafka) {
+      java.exclude("**/queues/kafka/**")
+      resources.exclude("application-kafka.properties")
+    }
+  }
+  test { java.srcDir("src/test/java") }
+}
 
 tasks.register<Test>("systemTest").configure {
   group = "verification"
@@ -120,7 +149,15 @@ tasks.register<Test>("systemTest").configure {
   minHeapSize = "128m"
   maxHeapSize = "1g"
 
-  filter { includeTestsMatching("io.sentry.systemtest*") }
+  filter {
+    includeTestsMatching("io.sentry.systemtest*")
+    if (!includeGraphql) {
+      excludeTestsMatching("io.sentry.systemtest.Graphql*")
+    }
+    if (!includeKafka) {
+      excludeTestsMatching("io.sentry.systemtest.Kafka*")
+    }
+  }
 }
 
 tasks.named("test").configure {
diff --git a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-jakarta/build.gradle.kts b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-jakarta/build.gradle.kts
index 319431e71d2..c8ef0a35f19 100644
--- a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-jakarta/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring-jakarta/build.gradle.kts
@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.gradle.tasks.KotlinCompile
-import org.springframework.boot.gradle.plugin.SpringBootPlugin
 
 plugins {
   application
-  alias(libs.plugins.springboot3) apply false
   alias(libs.plugins.spring.dependency.management)
   alias(libs.plugins.kotlin.jvm)
   alias(libs.plugins.kotlin.spring)
@@ -31,8 +29,9 @@ extra["kotlin-coroutines.version"] = "1.9.0"
 
 dependencyManagement {
   imports {
-    mavenBom(SpringBootPlugin.BOM_COORDINATES)
+    mavenBom("org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-dependencies:${libs.versions.springboot3.get()}")
     mavenBom(libs.kotlin.bom.get().toString())
+    mavenBom(libs.jackson.bom.get().toString())
   }
 }
 
@@ -57,7 +56,7 @@ dependencies {
 
   testImplementation(projects.sentrySystemTestSupport)
   testImplementation(libs.kotlin.test.junit)
-  testImplementation(libs.springboot.starter.test) {
+  testImplementation(libs.springboot3.starter.test) {
     exclude(group = "org.junit.vintage", module = "junit-vintage-engine")
   }
 }
diff --git a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring/build.gradle.kts b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring/build.gradle.kts
index 446baf3a696..4041bde40b4 100644
--- a/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/sentry-samples/sentry-samples-spring/build.gradle.kts
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ dependencyManagement {
     mavenBom(libs.springboot2.bom.get().toString())
     mavenBom(libs.kotlin.bom.get().toString())
     mavenBom(libs.jackson.bom.get().toString())
+    mavenBom(libs.okhttp.bom.get().toString())
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot/build.gradle.kts b/sentry-spring-boot/build.gradle.kts
index 74f5d7c87bb..0f48809a0a7 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot/build.gradle.kts
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ dependencies {
   compileOnly(libs.servlet.api)
   compileOnly(libs.springboot.starter)
   compileOnly(libs.springboot.starter.aop)
-  compileOnly(libs.springboot.starter.graphql)
+  compileOnly(libs.spring.graphql)
   compileOnly(libs.springboot.starter.quartz)
   compileOnly(libs.springboot.starter.security)
   compileOnly(libs.spring.kafka2)
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot/src/main/java/io/sentry/spring/boot/SentryAutoConfiguration.java b/sentry-spring-boot/src/main/java/io/sentry/spring/boot/SentryAutoConfiguration.java
index c7d5a892e9f..f89f5c5bb31 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot/src/main/java/io/sentry/spring/boot/SentryAutoConfiguration.java
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot/src/main/java/io/sentry/spring/boot/SentryAutoConfiguration.java
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 package io.sentry.spring.boot;
 
 import com.jakewharton.nopen.annotation.Open;
-import graphql.GraphQLError;
 import io.sentry.EventProcessor;
 import io.sentry.IScopes;
 import io.sentry.ISpanFactory;
@@ -12,7 +11,6 @@
 import io.sentry.Sentry;
 import io.sentry.SentryIntegrationPackageStorage;
 import io.sentry.SentryOptions;
-import io.sentry.graphql.SentryGraphqlExceptionHandler;
 import io.sentry.protocol.SdkVersion;
 import io.sentry.quartz.SentryJobListener;
 import io.sentry.spring.ContextTagsEventProcessor;
@@ -75,7 +73,6 @@
 import org.springframework.core.Ordered;
 import org.springframework.core.annotation.Order;
 import org.springframework.core.env.Environment;
-import org.springframework.graphql.execution.DataFetcherExceptionResolverAdapter;
 import org.springframework.scheduling.quartz.SchedulerFactoryBean;
 import org.springframework.security.core.context.SecurityContextHolder;
 import org.springframework.web.client.RestTemplate;
@@ -203,11 +200,12 @@ static class ContextTagsEventProcessorConfiguration {
     @Configuration(proxyBeanMethods = false)
     @Import(SentryGraphqlAutoConfiguration.class)
     @Open
-    @ConditionalOnClass({
-      SentryGraphqlExceptionHandler.class,
-      DataFetcherExceptionResolverAdapter.class,
-      GraphQLError.class
-    })
+    @ConditionalOnClass(
+        name = {
+          "io.sentry.graphql.SentryGraphqlExceptionHandler",
+          "org.springframework.graphql.execution.DataFetcherExceptionResolverAdapter",
+          "graphql.GraphQLError"
+        })
     static class GraphqlConfiguration {}
 
     @Configuration(proxyBeanMethods = false)
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot/src/main/java/io/sentry/spring/boot/SentrySpringVersionChecker.java b/sentry-spring-boot/src/main/java/io/sentry/spring/boot/SentrySpringVersionChecker.java
index 1cbcb4f090c..2da1a3dd8d9 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot/src/main/java/io/sentry/spring/boot/SentrySpringVersionChecker.java
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot/src/main/java/io/sentry/spring/boot/SentrySpringVersionChecker.java
@@ -14,7 +14,8 @@ final class SentrySpringVersionChecker
   @Override
   public void onApplicationEvent(ApplicationContextInitializedEvent event) {
 
-    if (!SpringBootVersion.getVersion().startsWith("2")) {
+    String springBootVersion = SpringBootVersion.getVersion();
+    if (springBootVersion != null && !springBootVersion.startsWith("2")) {
       logger.warn("############################### WARNING ###############################");
       logger.warn("##                                                                   ##");
       logger.warn("##            !Incompatible Spring Boot Version detected!            ##");
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot/src/main/java/io/sentry/spring/boot/SentryWebfluxAutoConfiguration.java b/sentry-spring-boot/src/main/java/io/sentry/spring/boot/SentryWebfluxAutoConfiguration.java
index e7f6a444b87..db09180b1c8 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot/src/main/java/io/sentry/spring/boot/SentryWebfluxAutoConfiguration.java
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot/src/main/java/io/sentry/spring/boot/SentryWebfluxAutoConfiguration.java
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 import io.sentry.spring.webflux.SentryScheduleHook;
 import io.sentry.spring.webflux.SentryWebExceptionHandler;
 import io.sentry.spring.webflux.SentryWebFilter;
+import java.util.function.Function;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.ApiStatus;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.NotNull;
 import org.springframework.boot.ApplicationRunner;
@@ -32,10 +33,21 @@ public class SentryWebfluxAutoConfiguration {
   @Bean
   public @NotNull ApplicationRunner sentryScheduleHookApplicationRunner() {
     return args -> {
-      Schedulers.onScheduleHook("sentry", new SentryScheduleHook());
+      if (hasOnScheduleHook()) {
+        Schedulers.onScheduleHook("sentry", new SentryScheduleHook());
+      }
     };
   }
 
+  private static boolean hasOnScheduleHook() {
+    try {
+      Schedulers.class.getMethod("onScheduleHook", String.class, Function.class);
+      return true;
+    } catch (NoSuchMethodException ignored) {
+      return false;
+    }
+  }
+
   /** Configures a filter that sets up Sentry {@link IScope} for each request. */
   @Bean
   @Order(SENTRY_SPRING_FILTER_PRECEDENCE)
diff --git a/sentry-spring/build.gradle.kts b/sentry-spring/build.gradle.kts
index c4c75cb5f07..6b75b8d925a 100644
--- a/sentry-spring/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/sentry-spring/build.gradle.kts
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ dependencies {
   compileOnly(libs.otel)
   compileOnly(libs.servlet.api)
   compileOnly(libs.slf4j.api)
-  compileOnly(libs.springboot.starter.graphql)
+  compileOnly(libs.spring.graphql)
   compileOnly(libs.springboot.starter.quartz)
   compileOnly(libs.spring.kafka2)
   compileOnly(projects.sentryOpentelemetry.sentryOpentelemetryAgentcustomization)
diff --git a/sentry-spring/src/main/java/io/sentry/spring/webflux/SentryWebFilter.java b/sentry-spring/src/main/java/io/sentry/spring/webflux/SentryWebFilter.java
index 03333d95417..5f7cb8bab17 100644
--- a/sentry-spring/src/main/java/io/sentry/spring/webflux/SentryWebFilter.java
+++ b/sentry-spring/src/main/java/io/sentry/spring/webflux/SentryWebFilter.java
@@ -75,38 +75,39 @@ isTracingEnabled && shouldTraceRequest(requestScopes, request)
             ? startTransaction(requestScopes, request, transactionContext)
             : null;
 
-    return webFilterChain
-        .filter(serverWebExchange)
-        .doFinally(
-            __ -> {
-              if (transaction != null) {
-                finishTransaction(serverWebExchange, transaction);
-              }
-              Sentry.setCurrentScopes(NoOpScopes.getInstance());
-            })
-        .doOnError(
-            e -> {
-              if (transaction != null) {
-                transaction.setStatus(SpanStatus.INTERNAL_ERROR);
-                transaction.setThrowable(e);
-              }
-            })
-        .doFirst(
-            () -> {
-              serverWebExchange.getAttributes().put(SENTRY_SCOPES_KEY, requestScopes);
-              Sentry.setCurrentScopes(requestScopes);
-              final ServerHttpResponse response = serverWebExchange.getResponse();
-
-              final Hint hint = new Hint();
-              hint.set(WEBFLUX_FILTER_REQUEST, request);
-              hint.set(WEBFLUX_FILTER_RESPONSE, response);
-              final String methodName =
-                  request.getMethod() != null ? request.getMethod().name() : "unknown";
-              requestScopes.addBreadcrumb(
-                  Breadcrumb.http(request.getURI().toString(), methodName), hint);
-              requestScopes.configureScope(
-                  scope -> scope.setRequest(sentryRequestResolver.resolveSentryRequest(request)));
-            });
+    return Mono.defer(
+        () -> {
+          serverWebExchange.getAttributes().put(SENTRY_SCOPES_KEY, requestScopes);
+          Sentry.setCurrentScopes(requestScopes);
+          final ServerHttpResponse response = serverWebExchange.getResponse();
+
+          final Hint hint = new Hint();
+          hint.set(WEBFLUX_FILTER_REQUEST, request);
+          hint.set(WEBFLUX_FILTER_RESPONSE, response);
+          final String methodName =
+              request.getMethod() != null ? request.getMethod().name() : "unknown";
+          requestScopes.addBreadcrumb(
+              Breadcrumb.http(request.getURI().toString(), methodName), hint);
+          requestScopes.configureScope(
+              scope -> scope.setRequest(sentryRequestResolver.resolveSentryRequest(request)));
+
+          return webFilterChain
+              .filter(serverWebExchange)
+              .doFinally(
+                  __ -> {
+                    if (transaction != null) {
+                      finishTransaction(serverWebExchange, transaction);
+                    }
+                    Sentry.setCurrentScopes(NoOpScopes.getInstance());
+                  })
+              .doOnError(
+                  e -> {
+                    if (transaction != null) {
+                      transaction.setStatus(SpanStatus.INTERNAL_ERROR);
+                      transaction.setThrowable(e);
+                    }
+                  });
+        });
   }
 
   private boolean isIgnored(final @NotNull IScopes scopes) {
@@ -153,7 +154,8 @@ private void finishTransaction(ServerWebExchange exchange, ITransaction transact
     }
     final @Nullable ServerHttpResponse response = exchange.getResponse();
     if (response != null) {
-      final @Nullable Integer rawStatusCode = response.getRawStatusCode();
+      final @Nullable Integer rawStatusCode =
+          response.getStatusCode() != null ? response.getStatusCode().value() : null;
       if (rawStatusCode != null) {
         transaction
             .getContexts()
diff --git a/test/system-test-runner.py b/test/system-test-runner.py
index 784448715e9..7dd7530c8bd 100644
--- a/test/system-test-runner.py
+++ b/test/system-test-runner.py
@@ -224,11 +224,14 @@ def kill_process(self, pid: int, name: str) -> None:
         except (OSError, ProcessLookupError):
             print(f"Process {pid} was already dead")
 
+    def exclude_kafka(self) -> bool:
+        return os.environ.get("ORG_GRADLE_PROJECT_excludeKafka") == "true"
+
     def module_requires_kafka(self, sample_module: str) -> bool:
-        return sample_module in KAFKA_BROKER_REQUIRED_MODULES
+        return not self.exclude_kafka() and sample_module in KAFKA_BROKER_REQUIRED_MODULES
 
     def module_requires_kafka_profile(self, sample_module: str) -> bool:
-        return sample_module in KAFKA_PROFILE_REQUIRED_MODULES
+        return not self.exclude_kafka() and sample_module in KAFKA_PROFILE_REQUIRED_MODULES
 
     def wait_for_port(self, host: str, port: int, max_attempts: int = 20) -> bool:
         for _ in range(max_attempts):