diff --git a/cmd/crates/soroban-test/tests/it/integration/util.rs b/cmd/crates/soroban-test/tests/it/integration/util.rs
index 951f20340..732f273dd 100644
--- a/cmd/crates/soroban-test/tests/it/integration/util.rs
+++ b/cmd/crates/soroban-test/tests/it/integration/util.rs
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ pub fn deploy_contract(sandbox: &TestEnv, wasm: &Wasm) -> String {
         .arg("install")
         .arg("--wasm")
         .arg(wasm.path())
+        .arg("--ignore-checks")
         .assert()
         .success()
         .stdout(format!("{hash}\n"));
@@ -80,6 +81,7 @@ pub fn deploy_contract(sandbox: &TestEnv, wasm: &Wasm) -> String {
         .arg(&format!("{hash}"))
         .arg("--salt")
         .arg(TEST_SALT)
+        .arg("--ignore-checks")
         .assert()
         .success()
         .stdout(format!("{TEST_CONTRACT_ID}\n"));
diff --git a/cmd/soroban-cli/src/commands/contract/deploy.rs b/cmd/soroban-cli/src/commands/contract/deploy.rs
index 2b3cffb17..5ef18a833 100644
--- a/cmd/soroban-cli/src/commands/contract/deploy.rs
+++ b/cmd/soroban-cli/src/commands/contract/deploy.rs
@@ -46,6 +46,9 @@ pub struct Cmd {
     config: config::Args,
     #[command(flatten)]
     pub fee: crate::fee::Args,
+    #[arg(long, short = 'i', default_value = "false")]
+    /// Whether to ignore safety checks when deploying contracts
+    pub ignore_checks: bool,
 }
 
 #[derive(thiserror::Error, Debug)]
@@ -97,6 +100,7 @@ impl Cmd {
                 wasm: wasm::Args { wasm: wasm.clone() },
                 config: self.config.clone(),
                 fee: self.fee.clone(),
+                ignore_checks: self.ignore_checks,
             }
             .run_and_get_hash()
             .await?;
diff --git a/cmd/soroban-cli/src/commands/contract/install.rs b/cmd/soroban-cli/src/commands/contract/install.rs
index 05e867bc9..a57d3f926 100644
--- a/cmd/soroban-cli/src/commands/contract/install.rs
+++ b/cmd/soroban-cli/src/commands/contract/install.rs
@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@ use std::num::ParseIntError;
 use clap::{command, Parser};
 use soroban_env_host::xdr::{
     Error as XdrError, Hash, HostFunction, InvokeHostFunctionOp, Memo, MuxedAccount, Operation,
-    OperationBody, Preconditions, SequenceNumber, Transaction, TransactionExt, TransactionResult,
-    TransactionResultResult, Uint256, VecM,
+    OperationBody, Preconditions, ScMetaEntry, ScMetaV0, SequenceNumber, Transaction,
+    TransactionExt, TransactionResult, TransactionResultResult, Uint256, VecM,
 };
 
 use super::restore;
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ use crate::key;
 use crate::rpc::{self, Client};
 use crate::{commands::config, utils, wasm};
 
+const CONTRACT_META_SDK_KEY: &str = "rssdkver";
+
 #[derive(Parser, Debug, Clone)]
 #[group(skip)]
 pub struct Cmd {
@@ -23,6 +25,9 @@ pub struct Cmd {
     pub fee: crate::fee::Args,
     #[command(flatten)]
     pub wasm: wasm::Args,
+    #[arg(long, short = 'i', default_value = "false")]
+    /// Whether to ignore safety checks when deploying contracts
+    pub ignore_checks: bool,
 }
 
 #[derive(thiserror::Error, Debug)]
@@ -45,6 +50,16 @@ pub enum Error {
     UnexpectedSimulateTransactionResultSize { length: usize },
     #[error(transparent)]
     Restore(#[from] restore::Error),
+    #[error("cannot parse WASM file {wasm}: {error}")]
+    CannotParseWasm {
+        wasm: std::path::PathBuf,
+        error: wasm::Error,
+    },
+    #[error("the deployed smart contract {wasm} was built with Soroban Rust SDK v{version}, a release candidate version not intended for use with the Stellar Public Network. To deploy anyway, use --ignore-checks")]
+    ContractCompiledWithReleaseCandidateSdk {
+        wasm: std::path::PathBuf,
+        version: String,
+    },
 }
 
 impl Cmd {
@@ -55,6 +70,20 @@ impl Cmd {
     }
 
     pub async fn run_and_get_hash(&self) -> Result<Hash, Error> {
+        let wasm_spec = &self.wasm.parse().map_err(|e| Error::CannotParseWasm {
+            wasm: self.wasm.wasm.clone(),
+            error: e,
+        })?;
+        if let Some(rs_sdk_ver) = get_contract_meta_sdk_version(wasm_spec) {
+            if rs_sdk_ver.contains("rc") && !self.ignore_checks {
+                return Err(Error::ContractCompiledWithReleaseCandidateSdk {
+                    wasm: self.wasm.wasm.clone(),
+                    version: rs_sdk_ver,
+                });
+            } else if rs_sdk_ver.contains("rc") {
+                tracing::warn!("the deployed smart contract {path} was built with Soroban Rust SDK v{rs_sdk_ver}, a release candidate version not intended for use with the Stellar Public Network", path = self.wasm.wasm.display());
+            }
+        }
         self.run_against_rpc_server(&self.wasm.read()?).await
     }
 
@@ -116,6 +145,26 @@ impl Cmd {
     }
 }
 
+fn get_contract_meta_sdk_version(wasm_spec: &utils::contract_spec::ContractSpec) -> Option<String> {
+    let rs_sdk_version_option = if let Some(_meta) = &wasm_spec.meta_base64 {
+        wasm_spec.meta.iter().find(|entry| match entry {
+            ScMetaEntry::ScMetaV0(ScMetaV0 { key, .. }) => {
+                key.to_string_lossy().contains(CONTRACT_META_SDK_KEY)
+            }
+        })
+    } else {
+        None
+    };
+    if let Some(rs_sdk_version_entry) = &rs_sdk_version_option {
+        match rs_sdk_version_entry {
+            ScMetaEntry::ScMetaV0(ScMetaV0 { val, .. }) => {
+                return Some(val.to_string_lossy());
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    None
+}
+
 pub(crate) fn build_install_contract_code_tx(
     source_code: &[u8],
     sequence: i64,
diff --git a/cmd/soroban-rpc/internal/test/cli_test.go b/cmd/soroban-rpc/internal/test/cli_test.go
index c83df3fce..4d3dc4448 100644
--- a/cmd/soroban-rpc/internal/test/cli_test.go
+++ b/cmd/soroban-rpc/internal/test/cli_test.go
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ func TestCLIWrapNative(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestCLIContractInstall(t *testing.T) {
 	NewCLITest(t)
-	output := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, "contract install --wasm "+helloWorldContractPath)
+	output := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract install --wasm %s --ignore-checks", helloWorldContractPath))
 	wasm := getHelloWorldContract(t)
 	contractHash := xdr.Hash(sha256.Sum256(wasm))
 	require.Contains(t, output, contractHash.HexString())
@@ -71,16 +71,16 @@ func TestCLIContractInstall(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestCLIContractInstallAndDeploy(t *testing.T) {
 	NewCLITest(t)
-	runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, "contract install --wasm "+helloWorldContractPath)
+	runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract install --wasm %s --ignore-checks", helloWorldContractPath))
 	wasm := getHelloWorldContract(t)
 	contractHash := xdr.Hash(sha256.Sum256(wasm))
-	output := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract deploy --salt %s --wasm-hash %s", hex.EncodeToString(testSalt[:]), contractHash.HexString()))
+	output := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract deploy --salt %s --wasm-hash %s --ignore-checks", hex.EncodeToString(testSalt[:]), contractHash.HexString()))
 	outputsContractIDInLastLine(t, output)
 }
 
 func TestCLIContractDeploy(t *testing.T) {
 	NewCLITest(t)
-	output := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract deploy --salt %s --wasm %s", hex.EncodeToString(testSalt[:]), helloWorldContractPath))
+	output := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract deploy --salt %s --wasm %s --ignore-checks", hex.EncodeToString(testSalt[:]), helloWorldContractPath))
 	outputsContractIDInLastLine(t, output)
 }
 
@@ -100,14 +100,14 @@ func outputsContractIDInLastLine(t *testing.T, output string) {
 
 func TestCLIContractDeployAndInvoke(t *testing.T) {
 	NewCLITest(t)
-	contractID := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract deploy --salt=%s --wasm %s", hex.EncodeToString(testSalt[:]), helloWorldContractPath))
+	contractID := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract deploy --salt=%s --wasm %s --ignore-checks", hex.EncodeToString(testSalt[:]), helloWorldContractPath))
 	output := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract invoke --id %s -- hello --world=world", contractID))
 	require.Contains(t, output, `["Hello","world"]`)
 }
 
 func TestCLIRestorePreamble(t *testing.T) {
 	test := NewCLITest(t)
-	strkeyContractID := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract deploy --salt=%s --wasm %s", hex.EncodeToString(testSalt[:]), helloWorldContractPath))
+	strkeyContractID := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract deploy --salt=%s --wasm %s --ignore-checks", hex.EncodeToString(testSalt[:]), helloWorldContractPath))
 	count := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract invoke --id %s -- inc", strkeyContractID))
 	require.Equal(t, "1", count)
 	count = runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract invoke --id %s -- inc", strkeyContractID))
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ func TestCLIRestorePreamble(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestCLIBump(t *testing.T) {
 	test := NewCLITest(t)
-	strkeyContractID := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract deploy --salt=%s --wasm %s", hex.EncodeToString(testSalt[:]), helloWorldContractPath))
+	strkeyContractID := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract deploy --salt=%s --wasm %s --ignore-checks", hex.EncodeToString(testSalt[:]), helloWorldContractPath))
 	count := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract invoke --id %s -- inc", strkeyContractID))
 	require.Equal(t, "1", count)
 
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ func TestCLIBump(t *testing.T) {
 }
 func TestCLIBumpTooLow(t *testing.T) {
 	test := NewCLITest(t)
-	strkeyContractID := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract deploy --salt=%s --wasm %s", hex.EncodeToString(testSalt[:]), helloWorldContractPath))
+	strkeyContractID := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract deploy --salt=%s --wasm %s --ignore-checks", hex.EncodeToString(testSalt[:]), helloWorldContractPath))
 	count := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract invoke --id %s -- inc", strkeyContractID))
 	require.Equal(t, "1", count)
 
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ func TestCLIBumpTooLow(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestCLIBumpTooHigh(t *testing.T) {
 	test := NewCLITest(t)
-	strkeyContractID := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract deploy --salt=%s --wasm %s", hex.EncodeToString(testSalt[:]), helloWorldContractPath))
+	strkeyContractID := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract deploy --salt=%s --wasm %s --ignore-checks", hex.EncodeToString(testSalt[:]), helloWorldContractPath))
 	count := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract invoke --id %s -- inc", strkeyContractID))
 	require.Equal(t, "1", count)
 
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ func TestCLIBumpTooHigh(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestCLIRestore(t *testing.T) {
 	test := NewCLITest(t)
-	strkeyContractID := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract deploy --salt=%s --wasm %s", hex.EncodeToString(testSalt[:]), helloWorldContractPath))
+	strkeyContractID := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract deploy --salt=%s --wasm %s --ignore-checks", hex.EncodeToString(testSalt[:]), helloWorldContractPath))
 	count := runSuccessfulCLICmd(t, fmt.Sprintf("contract invoke --id %s -- inc", strkeyContractID))
 	require.Equal(t, "1", count)
 
diff --git a/docs/soroban-cli-full-docs.md b/docs/soroban-cli-full-docs.md
index 9298e789d..01ea2688c 100644
--- a/docs/soroban-cli-full-docs.md
+++ b/docs/soroban-cli-full-docs.md
@@ -283,6 +283,9 @@ Deploy a contract
 * `--fee <FEE>` — fee amount for transaction, in stroops. 1 stroop = 0.0000001 xlm
 
   Default value: `100`
+* `-i`, `--ignore-checks` — Whether to ignore safety checks when deploying contracts
+
+  Default value: `false`
 
 
 
@@ -349,6 +352,9 @@ Install a WASM file to the ledger without creating a contract instance
 
   Default value: `100`
 * `--wasm <WASM>` — Path to wasm binary
+* `-i`, `--ignore-checks` — Whether to ignore safety checks when deploying contracts
+
+  Default value: `false`