diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/toolkit-lib/lib/api/io/toolkit-action.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/toolkit-lib/lib/api/io/toolkit-action.ts
index a5abd05b2..cd12baa2a 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/toolkit-lib/lib/api/io/toolkit-action.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/toolkit-lib/lib/api/io/toolkit-action.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ export type ToolkitAction =
 | 'synth'
 | 'list'
 | 'diff'
+| 'publish'
 | 'deploy'
 | 'drift'
 | 'rollback'
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/cdk-toolkit.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/cdk-toolkit.ts
index b22eed419..588273fbe 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/cdk-toolkit.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/cdk-toolkit.ts
@@ -374,6 +374,30 @@ export class CdkToolkit {
     return diffs && options.fail ? 1 : 0;
   }
 
+  public async publish(options: PublishOptions) {
+    const buildAsset = async (assetNode: AssetBuildNode) => {
+      await this.props.deployments.buildSingleAsset(
+        assetNode.assetManifestArtifact,
+        assetNode.assetManifest,
+        assetNode.asset,
+        {
+          stack: assetNode.parentStack,
+          roleArn: options.roleArn,
+          stackName: assetNode.parentStack.stackName,
+        },
+      );
+    };
+
+    const publishAsset = async (assetNode: AssetPublishNode) => {
+      await this.props.deployments.publishSingleAsset(assetNode.assetManifest, assetNode.asset, {
+        stack: assetNode.parentStack,
+        roleArn: options.roleArn,
+        stackName: assetNode.parentStack.stackName,
+        forcePublish: options.force,
+      });
+    };
+  }
+
   public async deploy(options: DeployOptions) {
     if (options.watch) {
       return this.watch(options);
@@ -1679,6 +1703,19 @@ interface WatchOptions extends Omit<CfnDeployOptions, 'execute'> {
   readonly concurrency?: number;
 }
 
+export interface PublishOptions {
+  /**
+   * Role to pass to CloudFormation for asset publishing
+   */
+  roleArn?: string;
+
+  /**
+   * Always publish, even if it already exists
+   * @default false
+   */
+  force?: boolean;
+}
+
 export interface DeployOptions extends CfnDeployOptions, WatchOptions {
   /**
    * ARNs of SNS topics that CloudFormation will notify with stack related events
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/cli-config.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/cli-config.ts
index 841056488..f7f35d75d 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/cli-config.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/cli-config.ts
@@ -136,6 +136,12 @@ export async function makeConfig(): Promise<CliConfig> {
           concurrency: { type: 'number', alias: ['n'], desc: 'Maximum number of simultaneous synths to execute.', default: 4, requiresArg: true },
         },
       },
+      'publish': {
+        description: 'Publishes synthesized assets (e.g. Docker images, Lambda ZIPs, S3 files) to their destinations',
+        options: {
+          force: { alias: 'f', type: 'boolean', desc: 'Always publish, even if it already exists', default: false },
+        },
+      },
       'deploy': {
         description: 'Deploys the stack(s) named STACKS into your AWS account',
         options: {
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/cli-type-registry.json b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/cli-type-registry.json
index 439316754..599d5524e 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/cli-type-registry.json
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/cli-type-registry.json
@@ -407,6 +407,17 @@
         }
       }
     },
+    "publish": {
+      "description": "Publishes synthesized assets (e.g. Docker images, Lambda ZIPs, S3 files) to their destinations",
+      "options": {
+        "force": {
+          "alias": "f",
+          "type": "boolean",
+          "desc": "Always publish, even if it already exists",
+          "default": false
+        }
+      }
+    },
     "deploy": {
       "description": "Deploys the stack(s) named STACKS into your AWS account",
       "options": {
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/cli.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/cli.ts
index 4e2f68df1..acae82ff0 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/cli.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/cli.ts
@@ -372,6 +372,13 @@ export async function exec(args: string[], synthesizer?: Synthesizer): Promise<n
           },
         });
 
+      case 'publish':
+        ioHost.currentAction = 'publish';
+        return cli.publish({
+          roleArn: args.roleArn,
+          force: args.force,
+        });
+
       case 'deploy':
         ioHost.currentAction = 'deploy';
         const parameterMap: { [name: string]: string | undefined } = {};
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/convert-to-user-input.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/convert-to-user-input.ts
index ebd3c7c5b..bda718797 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/convert-to-user-input.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/convert-to-user-input.ts
@@ -112,6 +112,12 @@ export function convertYargsToUserInput(args: any): UserInput {
       };
       break;
 
+    case 'publish':
+      commandOptions = {
+        force: args.force,
+      };
+      break;
+
     case 'deploy':
       commandOptions = {
         all: args.all,
@@ -399,6 +405,9 @@ export function convertConfigToUserInput(config: any): UserInput {
     safe: config.flags?.safe,
     concurrency: config.flags?.concurrency,
   };
+  const publishOptions = {
+    force: config.publish?.force,
+  };
   const deployOptions = {
     all: config.deploy?.all,
     buildExclude: config.deploy?.buildExclude,
@@ -536,6 +545,7 @@ export function convertConfigToUserInput(config: any): UserInput {
     bootstrap: bootstrapOptions,
     gc: gcOptions,
     flags: flagsOptions,
+    publish: publishOptions,
     deploy: deployOptions,
     rollback: rollbackOptions,
     import: importOptions,
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/parse-command-line-arguments.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/parse-command-line-arguments.ts
index e28045c5f..108fbed3d 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/parse-command-line-arguments.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/parse-command-line-arguments.ts
@@ -430,6 +430,14 @@ export function parseCommandLineArguments(args: Array<string>): any {
           requiresArg: true,
         }),
     )
+    .command('publish', 'Publishes synthesized assets (e.g. Docker images, Lambda ZIPs, S3 files) to their destinations', (yargs: Argv) =>
+      yargs.option('force', {
+        default: false,
+        alias: 'f',
+        type: 'boolean',
+        desc: 'Always publish, even if it already exists',
+      }),
+    )
     .command('deploy [STACKS..]', 'Deploys the stack(s) named STACKS into your AWS account', (yargs: Argv) =>
       yargs
         .option('all', {
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/user-configuration.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/user-configuration.ts
index 733f56a83..73ff33f80 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/user-configuration.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/user-configuration.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ export enum Command {
   LIST = 'list',
   DIFF = 'diff',
   BOOTSTRAP = 'bootstrap',
+  PUBLISH = 'publish',
   DEPLOY = 'deploy',
   DESTROY = 'destroy',
   SYNTHESIZE = 'synthesize',
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/user-input.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/user-input.ts
index 9d3f9cc11..64061e820 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/user-input.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cli/user-input.ts
@@ -50,6 +50,11 @@ export interface UserInput {
    */
   readonly flags?: FlagsOptions;
 
+  /**
+   * Publishes synthesized assets (e.g. Docker images, Lambda ZIPs, S3 files) to their destinations
+   */
+  readonly publish?: PublishOptions;
+
   /**
    * Deploys the stack(s) named STACKS into your AWS account
    */
@@ -710,6 +715,22 @@ export interface FlagsOptions {
   readonly FLAGNAME?: Array<string>;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Publishes synthesized assets (e.g. Docker images, Lambda ZIPs, S3 files) to their destinations
+ *
+ * @struct
+ */
+export interface PublishOptions {
+  /**
+   * Always publish, even if it already exists
+   *
+   * aliases: f
+   *
+   * @default - false
+   */
+  readonly force?: boolean;
+}
+
 /**
  * Deploys the stack(s) named STACKS into your AWS account
  *
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/test/cli/cli-arguments.test.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/test/cli/cli-arguments.test.ts
index 3c3269361..18a54f0a7 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/test/cli/cli-arguments.test.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/test/cli/cli-arguments.test.ts
@@ -125,6 +125,7 @@ describe('config', () => {
       }),
       context: expect.anything(),
       acknowledge: expect.anything(),
+      publish: expect.anything(),
       deploy: expect.anything(),
       destroy: expect.anything(),
       diff: expect.anything(),