Now that we have automated the release, I don't think it's such a burden to ensure it contains all the necessary files.

Yeah, well... it still is a burden: HSEARCH-2823 Open (see also the comments)
At the very least we need some changes in how the archives are structured. In particular, to be really useful, optional dependencies should be provided as pairs: the jar providing the optional feature, plus its transitive dependencies. Currently all the optional dependencies and their transitive dependencies are bundled together, meaning you either have to find out the dependency tree somehow, or to use everything.