diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 41e3047cc19..8a54b830cd1 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 **Features**:
 
 - Partition and split metric buckets just before sending. Log outcomes for metrics. ([#2682](https://github.com/getsentry/relay/pull/2682))
+- Return global config ready status to downstream relays. ([#2765](https://github.com/getsentry/relay/pull/2765))
 
 **Internal**:
 
diff --git a/relay-server/src/actors/global_config.rs b/relay-server/src/actors/global_config.rs
index d24f4e031ac..455e82736bd 100644
--- a/relay-server/src/actors/global_config.rs
+++ b/relay-server/src/actors/global_config.rs
@@ -40,6 +40,24 @@ type UpstreamQueryResult =
 struct GetGlobalConfigResponse {
     #[serde(default)]
     global: Option<GlobalConfig>,
+    // Instead of using [`Status`], we use StatusResponse as a separate field in order to not
+    // make breaking changes to the api.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    global_status: Option<StatusResponse>,
+}
+
+/// A mirror of [`Status`] without the associated data for use in serialization.
+#[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, Deserialize, Serialize)]
+#[serde(rename_all = "lowercase")]
+pub enum StatusResponse {
+    Ready,
+    Pending,
+}
+
+impl StatusResponse {
+    pub fn is_ready(self) -> bool {
+        matches!(self, Self::Ready)
+    }
 }
 
 /// The request to fetch a global config from upstream.
@@ -148,14 +166,6 @@ impl Status {
     fn is_ready(&self) -> bool {
         matches!(self, Self::Ready(_))
     }
-
-    /// Similar to Option::unwrap_or_default.
-    pub fn get_ready_or_default(self) -> Arc<GlobalConfig> {
-        match self {
-            Status::Ready(global_config) => global_config,
-            Status::Pending => Arc::default(),
-        }
-    }
 }
 
 /// Service implementing the [`GlobalConfigManager`] interface.
@@ -254,10 +264,14 @@ impl GlobalConfigService {
     /// global config is valid and contains the expected data.
     fn handle_result(&mut self, result: UpstreamQueryResult) {
         match result {
-            Ok(Ok(config)) => {
+            Ok(Ok(response)) => {
                 let mut success = false;
-                match config.global {
-                    Some(global_config) => {
+                // Older relays won't send a global status, in that case, we will pretend like the
+                // default global config is an up to date one, because that was the old behaviour.
+                let is_ready = response.global_status.map_or(true, |stat| stat.is_ready());
+
+                match response.global {
+                    Some(global_config) if is_ready => {
                         // Log the first time we receive a global config from upstream.
                         if !self.global_config_watch.borrow().is_ready() {
                             relay_log::info!("received global config from upstream");
@@ -267,6 +281,7 @@ impl GlobalConfigService {
                         success = true;
                         self.last_fetched = Instant::now();
                     }
+                    Some(_) => relay_log::info!("global config from upstream is not yet ready"),
                     None => relay_log::error!("global config missing in upstream response"),
                 }
                 metric!(
diff --git a/relay-server/src/endpoints/project_configs.rs b/relay-server/src/endpoints/project_configs.rs
index daf0da0b531..76901497cc6 100644
--- a/relay-server/src/endpoints/project_configs.rs
+++ b/relay-server/src/endpoints/project_configs.rs
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ use relay_base_schema::project::ProjectKey;
 use relay_dynamic_config::{ErrorBoundary, GlobalConfig};
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 
-use crate::actors::global_config;
+use crate::actors::global_config::{self, StatusResponse};
 use crate::actors::project::{LimitedProjectState, ProjectState};
 use crate::actors::project_cache::{GetCachedProjectState, GetProjectState};
 use crate::endpoints::common::ServiceUnavailable;
@@ -81,6 +81,8 @@ struct GetProjectStatesResponseWrapper {
     pending: Vec<ProjectKey>,
     #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
     global: Option<Arc<GlobalConfig>>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    global_status: Option<StatusResponse>,
 }
 
 /// Request payload of the project config endpoint.
@@ -127,19 +129,22 @@ async fn inner(
         (project_key, state_result)
     });
 
-    let mut configs = HashMap::with_capacity(keys_len);
-    let mut pending = Vec::with_capacity(keys_len);
-    let global_config = match inner.global {
-        true => Some(
-            state
-                .global_config()
-                .send(global_config::Get)
-                .await?
-                .get_ready_or_default(),
-        ),
-        false => None,
+    let (global, global_status) = if inner.global {
+        match state.global_config().send(global_config::Get).await? {
+            global_config::Status::Ready(config) => (Some(config), Some(StatusResponse::Ready)),
+            // Old relays expect to get a global config no matter what, even if it's not ready
+            // yet. We therefore give them a default global config.
+            global_config::Status::Pending => (
+                Some(GlobalConfig::default().into()),
+                Some(StatusResponse::Pending),
+            ),
+        }
+    } else {
+        (None, None)
     };
 
+    let mut pending = Vec::with_capacity(keys_len);
+    let mut configs = HashMap::with_capacity(keys_len);
     for (project_key, state_result) in future::join_all(futures).await {
         let Some(project_state) = state_result? else {
             pending.push(project_key);
@@ -170,7 +175,8 @@ async fn inner(
     Ok(Json(GetProjectStatesResponseWrapper {
         configs,
         pending,
-        global: global_config,
+        global,
+        global_status,
     }))
 }