diff --git a/doc/release.md b/doc/release.md
index 0bbfd64..fc46bbd 100644
--- a/doc/release.md
+++ b/doc/release.md
@@ -57,6 +57,12 @@ aws configure # enter AWS key and secret
 ```
 
 - Set up a deploy key to fetch the GitLab EE source code.
+- Put your email address in `~omnibus-build/.forward`.
+- Test email delivery:
+
+```shell
+echo "Subject: testing from $(uname -n)" | sendmail $(whoami)
+```
 
 ### Each build
 
diff --git a/release.sh b/release.sh
index 29e4591..dde3566 100755
--- a/release.sh
+++ b/release.sh
@@ -1,2 +1,21 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-make release
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Generate a build ID based on the current time and the PID of this script
+build="$(date '+%s')-$$"
+
+# Do the build and capture its output in a .log file
+make release 2>&1 | tee -a ${build}.log
+
+# Check the exit status of `make`, not `tee`
+if [[ ${PIPESTATUS[0]} -eq 0 ]]; then
+  subject="omnibus-gitlab build ${build} SUCCESS"
+else
+  subject="omnibus-gitlab build ${build} FAIL"
+fi
+
+# We assume that email to the current system user will somehow reach the right
+# human eyes
+sendmail $(whoami) <<EOF
+Subject: ${subject}
+$(tail ${build}.log)
+EOF
--
libgit2 0.21.2