diff --git a/.github/workflows/stale-issues.yml b/.github/workflows/stale-issues.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..fe45d91b49f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/stale-issues.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+name: Close inactive issues
+on:
+  schedule:
+    - cron: "30 1 * * *"
+
+jobs:
+  close-issues:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      issues: write
+      pull-requests: write
+      contents: write
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/stale@v5
+        with:
+          days-before-issue-stale: 180
+          days-before-issue-close: 14
+          stale-issue-label: "stale"
+          stale-issue-message: "This issue is stale because it has been open for 6 months with no activity."
+          close-issue-message: "This issue was closed because it has been inactive for 14 days since being marked as stale."
+          days-before-pr-stale: 30
+          days-before-pr-close: 14
+          stale-pr-message: "This pr is stale because it has been open for 30 days with no activity."
+          close-pr-message: "This pr was closed because it has been inactive for 14 days since being marked as stale."
+          remove-issue-stale-when-updated: true
+          remove-pr-stale-when-updated: true
+          repo-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
diff --git a/acceptance-tests/dsl/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/tests/acceptance/dsl/node/ThreadBesuNodeRunner.java b/acceptance-tests/dsl/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/tests/acceptance/dsl/node/ThreadBesuNodeRunner.java
index a76a3e6dcb5..fc2a7d372ea 100644
--- a/acceptance-tests/dsl/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/tests/acceptance/dsl/node/ThreadBesuNodeRunner.java
+++ b/acceptance-tests/dsl/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/tests/acceptance/dsl/node/ThreadBesuNodeRunner.java
@@ -494,6 +494,7 @@ public BesuPluginContextImpl providePluginContext(
         final RpcEndpointServiceImpl rpcEndpointServiceImpl,
         final BesuConfiguration commonPluginConfiguration,
         final PermissioningServiceImpl permissioningService,
+        final MetricsConfiguration metricsConfiguration,
         final MetricCategoryRegistryImpl metricCategoryRegistry,
         final MetricsSystem metricsSystem,
         final @Named("ExtraCLIOptions") List<String> extraCLIOptions,
@@ -512,6 +513,7 @@ public BesuPluginContextImpl providePluginContext(
           TransactionSimulationService.class, transactionSimulationServiceImpl);
       besuPluginContext.addService(BlockchainService.class, blockchainServiceImpl);
       besuPluginContext.addService(BesuConfiguration.class, commonPluginConfiguration);
+      metricCategoryRegistry.setMetricsConfiguration(metricsConfiguration);
       besuPluginContext.addService(MetricCategoryRegistry.class, metricCategoryRegistry);
       besuPluginContext.addService(MetricsSystem.class, metricsSystem);
 
diff --git a/besu/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/controller/CliqueBesuControllerBuilder.java b/besu/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/controller/CliqueBesuControllerBuilder.java
index 19840fb73da..edb55a11265 100644
--- a/besu/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/controller/CliqueBesuControllerBuilder.java
+++ b/besu/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/controller/CliqueBesuControllerBuilder.java
@@ -132,6 +132,7 @@ protected ProtocolSchedule createProtocolSchedule() {
         genesisConfigOptions,
         forksSchedule,
         nodeKey,
+        privacyParameters,
         isRevertReasonEnabled,
         evmConfiguration,
         miningConfiguration,
diff --git a/config/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/config/GenesisReader.java b/config/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/config/GenesisReader.java
index 6b42c3c2edf..4ee99f0bd83 100644
--- a/config/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/config/GenesisReader.java
+++ b/config/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/config/GenesisReader.java
@@ -80,7 +80,9 @@ public Stream<GenesisAccount> streamAllocations() {
                 final var on = normalizeKeys((ObjectNode) entry.getValue());
                 return new GenesisAccount(
                     Address.fromHexString(entry.getKey()),
-                    JsonUtil.getString(on, "nonce").map(ParserUtils::parseUnsignedLong).orElse(0L),
+                    JsonUtil.getValueAsString(on, "nonce")
+                        .map(ParserUtils::parseUnsignedLong)
+                        .orElse(0L),
                     JsonUtil.getString(on, "balance")
                         .map(ParserUtils::parseBalance)
                         .orElse(Wei.ZERO),
diff --git a/config/src/test/java/org/hyperledger/besu/config/GenesisReaderTest.java b/config/src/test/java/org/hyperledger/besu/config/GenesisReaderTest.java
index f8327174a33..eab6dfac734 100644
--- a/config/src/test/java/org/hyperledger/besu/config/GenesisReaderTest.java
+++ b/config/src/test/java/org/hyperledger/besu/config/GenesisReaderTest.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
 import static org.hyperledger.besu.config.GenesisReader.ALLOCATION_FIELD;
 import static org.hyperledger.besu.config.GenesisReader.CONFIG_FIELD;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
 
 import org.hyperledger.besu.datatypes.Address;
 import org.hyperledger.besu.datatypes.Wei;
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@
 import java.util.Map;
 
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.node.JsonNodeFactory;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.node.ObjectNode;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
@@ -111,4 +113,17 @@ private ObjectNode generateAllocation(final Wei balance) {
     entry.put("balance", balance.toShortHexString());
     return entry;
   }
+
+  @Test
+  void testNonceHandlingAsStringAndInteger() {
+    ObjectNode accountNode = JsonNodeFactory.instance.objectNode();
+
+    accountNode.put("nonce", 10);
+    String nonceAsStringFromInt = JsonUtil.getValueAsString(accountNode, "nonce").orElse("");
+    assertEquals("10", nonceAsStringFromInt, "Nonce should convert integer to string correctly");
+
+    accountNode.put("nonce", "20");
+    String nonceAsStringDirect = JsonUtil.getValueAsString(accountNode, "nonce").orElse("");
+    assertEquals("20", nonceAsStringDirect, "Nonce should keep string as string correctly");
+  }
 }
diff --git a/platform/build.gradle b/platform/build.gradle
index 5b02eb0beeb..d614603f17f 100644
--- a/platform/build.gradle
+++ b/platform/build.gradle
@@ -43,8 +43,14 @@ dependencies {
     api project(':acceptance-tests:dsl')
     api project(':besu')
     api project(':config')
+    api project(':consensus:clique')
+    api project(':consensus:common')
+    api project(':consensus:ibft')
+    api project(':consensus:merge')
+    api project(':consensus:qbft')
     api project(':crypto:algorithms')
     api project(':crypto:services')
+    api project(':datatypes')
     api project(':ethereum:api')
     api project(':ethereum:blockcreation')
     api project(':ethereum:core')
@@ -53,9 +59,12 @@ dependencies {
     api project(':ethereum:permissioning')
     api project(':ethereum:referencetests')
     api project(':ethereum:rlp')
+    api project(':ethereum:trie')
     api project(':evm')
-    api project(':datatypes')
+    api project(':metrics:core')
     api project(':plugin-api')
+    api project(':testutil')
+    api project(':util')
 
     api 'com.github.ben-manes.caffeine:caffeine:3.1.8'