diff --git a/CHANGES.txt b/CHANGES.txt
index c509e5caa69..a809f8a15d6 100644
--- a/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/CHANGES.txt
@@ -46,6 +46,8 @@ Other Changes
 Build
 ----------------------
 
+1. SOLR-1522: Automated release signing process. (gsingers)
+
 Documentation
 ----------------------
 
diff --git a/build.xml b/build.xml
index f7082754c19..c81ade1a4c2 100644
--- a/build.xml
+++ b/build.xml
@@ -722,35 +722,34 @@
     </delete>
   </target>
   <target name="sign-artifacts" depends="clean-dist-signatures">
-    <!--<input message="Enter signature passphrase" addproperty="passphrase"/>
-    <touch file="${user.home}/.pwd.txt"/>
-    <chmod file="${user.home}/.pwd.txt" perm="600"/>
-    <echo file="${user.home}/.pwd.txt">${passphrase}</echo>-->
-    <sign-artifact input.file="${dist}/${fullnamever}.tgz" output.file="${dist}/${fullnamever}.tgz.asc"/>
-    <sign-artifact input.file="${dist}/${fullnamever}.zip" output.file="${dist}/${fullnamever}.zip.asc"/>
+    <!--<property file="${user.home}/.solr/build.properties" />-->
+    <input message="password:>" addproperty="gpg.passphrase">
+      <handler classname="org.apache.tools.ant.input.SecureInputHandler" />
+    </input>
+    <sign-artifact input.file="${dist}/${fullnamever}.tgz" output.file="${dist}/${fullnamever}.tgz.asc" gpg.passphrase="${gpg.passphrase}"/>
+    <sign-artifact input.file="${dist}/${fullnamever}.zip" output.file="${dist}/${fullnamever}.zip.asc" gpg.passphrase="${gpg.passphrase}"/>
 
     <!-- Maven artifacts -->
-    <sign-maven-dependency-artifacts artifact.id="solr-commons-csv"/>
-    <sign-maven-artifacts artifact.id="solr-core"/>
-    <sign-maven-artifacts artifact.id="solr-dataimporthandler"/>
-    <sign-maven-artifacts artifact.id="solr-dataimporthandler-extras"/>
-    <sign-maven-artifacts artifact.id="solr-clustering"/>
+    <sign-maven-dependency-artifacts artifact.id="solr-commons-csv" gpg.passphrase="${gpg.passphrase}"/>
+    <sign-maven-artifacts artifact.id="solr-core" gpg.passphrase="${gpg.passphrase}"/>
+    <sign-maven-artifacts artifact.id="solr-dataimporthandler" gpg.passphrase="${gpg.passphrase}"/>
+    <sign-maven-artifacts artifact.id="solr-dataimporthandler-extras" gpg.passphrase="${gpg.passphrase}"/>
+    <sign-maven-artifacts artifact.id="solr-clustering" gpg.passphrase="${gpg.passphrase}"/>
 
-    <sign-maven-artifacts artifact.id="solr-cell"/>
-    <sign-maven-dependency-artifacts artifact.id="solr-lucene-analyzers"/>
-    <sign-maven-dependency-artifacts artifact.id="solr-lucene-core"/>
-    <sign-maven-dependency-artifacts artifact.id="solr-lucene-highlighter"/>
-    <sign-maven-dependency-artifacts artifact.id="solr-lucene-queries"/>
-    <sign-maven-dependency-artifacts artifact.id="solr-lucene-snowball"/>
-    <sign-maven-dependency-artifacts artifact.id="solr-lucene-spellchecker"/>
-    <sign-maven-artifacts artifact.id="solr-solrj"/>
-    <sign-maven-artifacts artifact.id="solr-velocity"/>
+    <sign-maven-artifacts artifact.id="solr-cell" gpg.passphrase="${gpg.passphrase}"/>
+    <sign-maven-dependency-artifacts artifact.id="solr-lucene-analyzers" gpg.passphrase="${gpg.passphrase}"/>
+    <sign-maven-dependency-artifacts artifact.id="solr-lucene-core" gpg.passphrase="${gpg.passphrase}"/>
+    <sign-maven-dependency-artifacts artifact.id="solr-lucene-highlighter" gpg.passphrase="${gpg.passphrase}"/>
+    <sign-maven-dependency-artifacts artifact.id="solr-lucene-queries" gpg.passphrase="${gpg.passphrase}"/>
+    <sign-maven-dependency-artifacts artifact.id="solr-lucene-snowball" gpg.passphrase="${gpg.passphrase}"/>
+    <sign-maven-dependency-artifacts artifact.id="solr-lucene-spellchecker" gpg.passphrase="${gpg.passphrase}"/>
+    <sign-maven-artifacts artifact.id="solr-solrj" gpg.passphrase="${gpg.passphrase}"/>
+    <sign-maven-artifacts artifact.id="solr-velocity" gpg.passphrase="${gpg.passphrase}"/>
 
     <!-- Thes are special since there are no jars, just poms -->
-    <sign-artifact input.file="${maven.dist.prefix}/solr-parent/${maven_version}/solr-parent-${maven_version}.pom"/>
-    <sign-artifact input.file="${maven.dist.prefix}/solr-lucene-contrib/${maven_version}/solr-lucene-contrib-${maven_version}.pom"/>
+    <sign-artifact input.file="${maven.dist.prefix}/solr-parent/${maven_version}/solr-parent-${maven_version}.pom" gpg.passphrase="${gpg.passphrase}"/>
+    <sign-artifact input.file="${maven.dist.prefix}/solr-lucene-contrib/${maven_version}/solr-lucene-contrib-${maven_version}.pom" gpg.passphrase="${gpg.passphrase}"/>
 
-    <!--<delete file="${user.home}/.pwd.txt"/>-->
   </target>
 
 
diff --git a/common-build.xml b/common-build.xml
index 5165045608c..fdae2af547c 100644
--- a/common-build.xml
+++ b/common-build.xml
@@ -283,14 +283,16 @@
   <macrodef name="sign-artifact" description="Signs the artifact">
     <attribute name="input.file"/>
     <attribute name="output.file" default="@{input.file}.asc"/>
-    <!--<attribute name="password.file" default="${user.home}/.pwd.txt"/>-->
+    <attribute name="gpg.passphrase"/>
     <sequential>
-      <echo >Signing @{input.file} Sig File: @{output.file}</echo><!--Pass: @{password.file}-->
+      <echo >Signing @{input.file} Sig File: @{output.file}</echo>
 
-      <exec executable="gpg" > <!--input="@{password.file}"-->
+      <exec executable="gpg" >
         <arg value="--armor"/>
         <arg value="--output"/>
         <arg value="@{output.file}"/>
+        <arg value="--passphrase"/>
+        <arg value="@{gpg.passphrase}"/>
         <arg value="--detach-sig"/>
         <arg value="@{input.file}"/>
       </exec>
@@ -308,11 +310,12 @@
     <attribute name="artifact.id"/>
     <attribute name="prefix.dir" default="${maven.dist.prefix}"/>
     <attribute name="maven.version" default="${maven_version}"/>
+    <attribute name="gpg.passphrase"/>
     <sequential>
-      <sign-artifact input.file="@{prefix.dir}/@{artifact.id}/@{maven.version}/@{artifact.id}-@{maven.version}.jar"/>
-      <sign-artifact input.file="@{prefix.dir}/@{artifact.id}/@{maven.version}/@{artifact.id}-@{maven.version}-javadoc.jar"/>
-      <sign-artifact input.file="@{prefix.dir}/@{artifact.id}/@{maven.version}/@{artifact.id}-@{maven.version}-sources.jar"/>
-      <sign-artifact input.file="@{prefix.dir}/@{artifact.id}/@{maven.version}/@{artifact.id}-@{maven.version}.pom"/>
+      <sign-artifact input.file="@{prefix.dir}/@{artifact.id}/@{maven.version}/@{artifact.id}-@{maven.version}.jar" gpg.passphrase="@{gpg.passphrase}"/>
+      <sign-artifact input.file="@{prefix.dir}/@{artifact.id}/@{maven.version}/@{artifact.id}-@{maven.version}-javadoc.jar" gpg.passphrase="@{gpg.passphrase}"/>
+      <sign-artifact input.file="@{prefix.dir}/@{artifact.id}/@{maven.version}/@{artifact.id}-@{maven.version}-sources.jar" gpg.passphrase="@{gpg.passphrase}"/>
+      <sign-artifact input.file="@{prefix.dir}/@{artifact.id}/@{maven.version}/@{artifact.id}-@{maven.version}.pom" gpg.passphrase="@{gpg.passphrase}"/>
     </sequential>
   </macrodef>
 
@@ -320,8 +323,9 @@
     <attribute name="artifact.id"/>
     <attribute name="prefix.dir" default="${maven.dist.prefix}"/>
     <attribute name="maven.version" default="${maven_version}"/>
+    <attribute name="gpg.passphrase"/>
     <sequential>
-      <sign-artifact input.file="@{prefix.dir}/@{artifact.id}/@{maven.version}/@{artifact.id}-@{maven.version}.jar"/>
+      <sign-artifact input.file="@{prefix.dir}/@{artifact.id}/@{maven.version}/@{artifact.id}-@{maven.version}.jar"  gpg.passphrase="@{gpg.passphrase}"/>
     </sequential>
   </macrodef>