diff --git a/__tests__/data/sapmachine-release-classes.json b/__tests__/data/sapmachine-release-classes.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..79e88f6c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/__tests__/data/sapmachine-release-classes.json
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+{
+  "25": {
+    "lts": "false",
+    "updates": {
+      "25.0.2": {
+        "sapmachine-25.0.2": {
+          "release_url": "https://example.test/releases/25.0.2",
+          "ea": false,
+          "assets": {
+            "jdk": {
+              "linux-x64": {
+                "tar.gz": {
+                  "name": "sapmachine-jdk-25.0.2_linux-x64_bin.tar.gz",
+                  "checksum": "stable-boolean",
+                  "url": "https://example.test/sapmachine-25.0.2-ga.tar.gz"
+                }
+              }
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      },
+      "25.0.1": {
+        "sapmachine-25.0.1": {
+          "release_url": "https://example.test/releases/25.0.1",
+          "ea": "false",
+          "assets": {
+            "jdk": {
+              "linux-x64": {
+                "tar.gz": {
+                  "name": "sapmachine-jdk-25.0.1_linux-x64_bin.tar.gz",
+                  "checksum": "stable-string",
+                  "url": "https://example.test/sapmachine-25.0.1-ga.tar.gz"
+                }
+              }
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      },
+      "25": {
+        "sapmachine-25+11": {
+          "release_url": "https://example.test/releases/25+11",
+          "ea": true,
+          "assets": {
+            "jdk": {
+              "linux-x64": {
+                "tar.gz": {
+                  "name": "sapmachine-jdk-25-ea.11_linux-x64_bin.tar.gz",
+                  "checksum": "ea-boolean",
+                  "url": "https://example.test/sapmachine-25-ea.11.tar.gz"
+                }
+              }
+            }
+          }
+        },
+        "sapmachine-25+10": {
+          "release_url": "https://example.test/releases/25+10",
+          "ea": "true",
+          "assets": {
+            "jdk": {
+              "linux-x64": {
+                "tar.gz": {
+                  "name": "sapmachine-jdk-25-ea.10_linux-x64_bin.tar.gz",
+                  "checksum": "ea-string",
+                  "url": "https://example.test/sapmachine-25-ea.10.tar.gz"
+                }
+              }
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/__tests__/distributors/sapmachine-installer.test.ts b/__tests__/distributors/sapmachine-installer.test.ts
index e41419bf..6eee0b94 100644
--- a/__tests__/distributors/sapmachine-installer.test.ts
+++ b/__tests__/distributors/sapmachine-installer.test.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {
 import {HttpClient} from '@actions/http-client';
 
 import manifestData from '../data/sapmachine.json' with {type: 'json'};
+import releaseClassManifestData from '../data/sapmachine-release-classes.json' with {type: 'json'};
 
 // Mock @actions/core before importing source modules that depend on it
 jest.unstable_mockModule('@actions/core', () => ({
@@ -132,9 +133,9 @@ describe('getAvailableVersions', () => {
       ['11', 'aarch64', 'linux', 54],
       ['17', 'riscv', 'linux', 0],
       ['16.0.1', 'x64', 'linux', 71],
-      ['23-ea', 'x64', 'linux', 798],
+      ['23-ea', 'x64', 'linux', 727],
       ['23-ea', 'aarch64', 'windows', 0],
-      ['23-ea', 'x64', 'windows', 750]
+      ['23-ea', 'x64', 'windows', 679]
     ])(
       'should get right number of available versions from JSON',
       async (
@@ -156,6 +157,45 @@ describe('getAvailableVersions', () => {
         expect(availableVersions.length).toBe(len);
       }
     );
+
+    it.each([
+      [
+        '25',
+        [
+          'https://example.test/sapmachine-25.0.2-ga.tar.gz',
+          'https://example.test/sapmachine-25.0.1-ga.tar.gz'
+        ]
+      ],
+      [
+        '25-ea',
+        [
+          'https://example.test/sapmachine-25-ea.11.tar.gz',
+          'https://example.test/sapmachine-25-ea.10.tar.gz'
+        ]
+      ]
+    ])(
+      'should classify boolean and string EA metadata for %s requests',
+      async (version: string, expectedLinks: string[]) => {
+        spyHttpClient.mockReturnValue({
+          statusCode: 200,
+          headers: {},
+          result: releaseClassManifestData
+        });
+        const distribution = new SapMachineDistribution({
+          version,
+          architecture: 'x64',
+          packageType: 'jdk',
+          checkLatest: false
+        });
+        mockPlatform(distribution, 'linux');
+
+        const availableVersions = await distribution['getAvailableVersions']();
+
+        expect(availableVersions.map(item => item.downloadLink)).toStrictEqual(
+          expectedLinks
+        );
+      }
+    );
   });
 
   describe('findPackageForDownload', () => {
@@ -314,6 +354,27 @@ describe('getAvailableVersions', () => {
       expect(release.checksum?.value).toBe(archiveChecksum);
     });
 
+    it('does not select a newer stable release for an EA request', async () => {
+      spyHttpClient.mockReturnValue({
+        statusCode: 200,
+        headers: {},
+        result: releaseClassManifestData
+      });
+      const distribution = new SapMachineDistribution({
+        version: '25-ea',
+        architecture: 'x64',
+        packageType: 'jdk',
+        checkLatest: false
+      });
+      mockPlatform(distribution, 'linux');
+
+      const release = await distribution['findPackageForDownload']('25');
+
+      expect(release.url).toBe(
+        'https://example.test/sapmachine-25-ea.11.tar.gz'
+      );
+    });
+
     it.each([
       ['8', 'linux', 'x64'],
       ['8', 'macos', 'aarch64'],
diff --git a/dist/setup/557.index.js b/dist/setup/557.index.js
index e2df254c..541609e0 100644
--- a/dist/setup/557.index.js
+++ b/dist/setup/557.index.js
@@ -110,8 +110,8 @@ class SapMachineDistribution extends _base_installer_js__WEBPACK_IMPORTED_MODULE
                         _actions_core__WEBPACK_IMPORTED_MODULE_0__/* .debug */ .Yz(`Invalid version: ${buildVersionWithoutPrefix}`);
                         continue;
                     }
-                    // skip earlyAccessVersions if stable version requested
-                    if (this.stable && buildVersionMap.ea === 'true') {
+                    const isEarlyAccess = buildVersionMap.ea === true || buildVersionMap.ea === 'true';
+                    if (this.stable === isEarlyAccess) {
                         continue;
                     }
                     for (const [edition, editionAssets] of Object.entries(buildVersionMap.assets)) {
diff --git a/src/distributions/sapmachine/installer.ts b/src/distributions/sapmachine/installer.ts
index 19b24a95..c13e58cb 100644
--- a/src/distributions/sapmachine/installer.ts
+++ b/src/distributions/sapmachine/installer.ts
@@ -175,8 +175,9 @@ export class SapMachineDistribution extends JavaBase {
             continue;
           }
 
-          // skip earlyAccessVersions if stable version requested
-          if (this.stable && buildVersionMap.ea === 'true') {
+          const isEarlyAccess =
+            buildVersionMap.ea === true || buildVersionMap.ea === 'true';
+          if (this.stable === isEarlyAccess) {
             continue;
           }
 
diff --git a/src/distributions/sapmachine/models.ts b/src/distributions/sapmachine/models.ts
index 8acb3621..cee20d6e 100644
--- a/src/distributions/sapmachine/models.ts
+++ b/src/distributions/sapmachine/models.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ export interface ISapMachineAllVersions {
       [full_version: string]: {
         [sapmachineBuild: string]: {
           release_url: string;
-          ea: string;
+          ea: boolean | string;
           assets: {
             [packageType: string]: {
               [arch: string]: {