diff --git a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/data-prepper.publish.gradle b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/data-prepper.publish.gradle
index 3e21de5d26..b4c4e64a2f 100644
--- a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/data-prepper.publish.gradle
+++ b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/data-prepper.publish.gradle
@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@ afterEvaluate {
                 name = 'snapshots'
                 url = 'https://central.sonatype.com/repository/maven-snapshots/'
                 credentials {
-                    username "$System.env.SONATYPE_USERNAME"
-                    password "$System.env.SONATYPE_PASSWORD"
+                    username System.getenv("SONATYPE_USERNAME")
+                    password System.getenv("SONATYPE_PASSWORD")
                 }
             }
         }