diff --git a/pipelines/main/launch_untrusted_builders.yml b/pipelines/main/launch_untrusted_builders.yml
index 66633640..44d493a1 100644
--- a/pipelines/main/launch_untrusted_builders.yml
+++ b/pipelines/main/launch_untrusted_builders.yml
@@ -13,8 +13,9 @@
 #
 # Now a SINGLE launch step runs `utilities/render_launch_pipeline.py`, which
 # renders ONE pre-grouped pipeline document (one `group:` per label:
-# Build / Check / Test / Allow Fail / JuliaSyntax / JuliaC, plus the
-# wait + julia-publish trigger), and uploads it with ONE `pipeline upload`.
+# Build / Check / Test / Allow Fail / JuliaSyntax / JuliaLowering / JuliaC,
+# plus the wait + julia-publish trigger), and uploads it with ONE
+# `pipeline upload`.
 #
 # The renderer reproduces the old behaviour EXACTLY:
 #   * The arches-templated platform YAMLs (platforms/{build,test}_*.yml) are
@@ -22,8 +23,8 @@
 #     old per-file `pipeline upload` performed (GROUP / ALLOW_FAIL / arches
 #     columns). Job grouping, keys, depends_on and soft_fail are preserved.
 #   * The static / launcher misc YAMLs (analyzegc, gcext, juliac, juliasyntax,
-#     ...) are emitted VERBATIM -- their double-dollar runtime escapes and their
-#     launch-env vars (e.g. gcext/test_revise, whose soft_fail is keyed off
+#     julialowering, ...) are emitted VERBATIM -- their double-dollar runtime
+#     escapes and launch-env vars (e.g. gcext/test_revise, whose soft_fail is keyed off
 #     ALLOW_FAIL) are left for THIS single `pipeline upload` to interpolate.
 #     That is why we still `export ALLOW_FAIL="false"` below.
 #   * PowerPC is omitted: launch_powerpc.jl only uploaded powerpc arches for
diff --git a/pipelines/main/misc/julialowering.yml b/pipelines/main/misc/julialowering.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..74709609
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pipelines/main/misc/julialowering.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+steps:
+  - group: "JuliaLowering"
+    notify:
+      - github_commit_status:
+          context: "JuliaLowering"
+    steps:
+      - label: "julialowering load/precompile linux/x86_64/{{matrix.julia_version}}"
+        timeout_in_minutes: 15
+        agents:
+          queue: "test"
+          os: "linux"
+          arch: "x86_64"
+        matrix:
+          setup:
+            julia_version:
+              - "1.12"
+              - "1.13"
+        plugins:
+          - JuliaCI/external-buildkite#v1:
+              version: "./.buildkite-external-version"
+              repo_url: "https://github.com/JuliaCI/julia-buildkite"
+          - JuliaCI/julia#v1:
+              isolated_depot: true
+              persist_depot_dirs: packages,artifacts
+              update_registry: false
+              version: "{{matrix.julia_version}}"
+              arch: "x86_64"
+        commands: |
+          echo "--- Julia versioninfo"
+          julia -e 'import InteractiveUtils; InteractiveUtils.versioninfo()'
+
+          echo "--- Loading and precompiling JuliaLowering on Julia {{matrix.julia_version}}"
+          export JULIA_LOWERING_PRECOMPILE=true
+          julia --startup-file=no --project=@stdlib -e '
+              pushfirst!(LOAD_PATH, pwd())
+              using JuliaLowering
+          '
diff --git a/utilities/render_launch_pipeline.py b/utilities/render_launch_pipeline.py
index c3f07012..f5237fa2 100644
--- a/utilities/render_launch_pipeline.py
+++ b/utilities/render_launch_pipeline.py
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@
     relevant.)
 
   * The static / nested misc YAMLs (misc/analyzegc.yml, misc/gcext.yml, the
-    juliac / juliasyntax launchers, ...) are emitted VERBATIM. We do NOT
+    juliac / juliasyntax launchers, the julialowering smoke job, ...) are
+    emitted VERBATIM. We do NOT
     pre-resolve their variables: they contain only `$$`-runtime escapes and/or
     launch-agent-env vars (e.g. `${ALLOW_FAIL?}` on gcext/test_revise). The
     final single `buildkite-agent pipeline upload` of this combined document
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@
 omitted (see OMITTED_POWERPC below). This matches the runtime behaviour.
 
 The result is grouped into one `group:` per label: Build, Check, Test,
-Allow Fail, JuliaSyntax, JuliaC.
+Allow Fail, JuliaSyntax, JuliaLowering, JuliaC.
 """
 
 import os
@@ -239,7 +240,9 @@ def extract_inner_steps_text(text, where):
             group_indent = ind
             group_idx = i
             break
-    assert group_idx is not None, f"{where}: no group line found"
+    assert group_idx is not None and group_indent is not None, (
+        f"{where}: no group line found"
+    )
 
     # Find the group's own `steps:` key (the first `steps:` AFTER the group line
     # that is indented deeper than the group line).
@@ -251,7 +254,7 @@ def extract_inner_steps_text(text, where):
             continue
         if ind <= group_indent:
             break  # left the group without finding steps:
-        if re.match(rf'\s*steps:\s*$', line):
+        if re.match(r"\s*steps:\s*$", line):
             start = i + 1
             break
     assert start is not None, f"{where}: group has no steps: key"
@@ -483,6 +486,16 @@ def main():
             "./JuliaSyntax/Project.toml does NOT exist; omitting JuliaSyntax group\n"
         )
 
+    # JuliaLowering: run its Julia 1.12 load/precompile smoke test when present.
+    julialowering_project = os.path.join(os.getcwd(), "JuliaLowering", "Project.toml")
+    if os.path.exists(julialowering_project):
+        blocks.append(verbatim_group_text(os.path.join(MISC, "julialowering.yml")))
+    else:
+        sys.stderr.write(
+            "./JuliaLowering/Project.toml does NOT exist; "
+            "omitting JuliaLowering group\n"
+        )
+
     # JuliaC: itself a launcher with its own group + notify -- include verbatim.
     blocks.append(verbatim_group_text(os.path.join(MISC, "juliac", "test_juliac.yml")))