diff --git a/.github/workflows/checkpoint-restart.yml b/.github/workflows/checkpoint-restart.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8cb451613
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/checkpoint-restart.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+name: CheckpointRestart
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [ development ]
+  pull_request:
+    # The branches below must be a subset of the branches above
+    branches: [ development ]
+  merge_group:
+    branches: [ development ]
+
+concurrency:
+  group: ${{ github.ref }}-${{ github.head_ref }}-final-checkpoint-restart
+  cancel-in-progress: true
+
+env:
+  # Customize the CMake build type here (Release, Debug, RelWithDebInfo, etc.)
+  BUILD_TYPE: Release
+
+jobs:
+  test:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-20.04
+
+    steps:
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      with:
+        submodules: true
+
+    - name: Create Build Environment
+      run: cmake -E make_directory ${{runner.workspace}}/build
+
+    - name: Install dependencies
+      run: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gcc-11 g++-11 python3-dev python3-numpy python3-matplotlib python3-pip libopenmpi-dev libhdf5-mpi-dev
+
+    - name: Build PlotfileTools
+      shell: bash
+      working-directory: ${{github.workspace}}/extern/amrex/Tools/Plotfile
+      run: make -j4
+
+    - name: Configure CMake
+      shell: bash
+      working-directory: ${{runner.workspace}}/build
+      run: cmake $GITHUB_WORKSPACE -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=$BUILD_TYPE -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=gcc-11 -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=g++-11 -DAMReX_SPACEDIM=3
+
+    - name: Build
+      working-directory: ${{runner.workspace}}/build
+      shell: bash
+      # Execute the build.  You can specify a specific target with "--target <NAME>"
+      run: cmake --build . --config $BUILD_TYPE --parallel 4 --target test_hydro3d_blast
+
+    - name: Checkpoint/Restart Test
+      working-directory: ${{github.workspace}}/tests
+      shell: bash
+      env:
+        BUILD_DIR: ${{runner.workspace}}/build
+        PLOTFILETOOLS_DIR: ${{github.workspace}}/extern/amrex/Tools/Plotfile
+      run: ./checkpoint_restart_test.sh
+
+    - name: Upload output
+      if: always()
+      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+      with:
+        name: checkpoint-restart-results
+        path: ${{github.workspace}}/tests
diff --git a/src/simulation.hpp b/src/simulation.hpp
index 0e4e61d6b..6d0d530a5 100644
--- a/src/simulation.hpp
+++ b/src/simulation.hpp
@@ -908,11 +908,15 @@ template <typename problem_t> void AMRSimulation<problem_t>::evolve()
 			WritePlotFile();
 		}
 
+		// IMPORTANT: this MUST be written *after* the plotfile to avoid corruption:
+		// 	https://github.com/quokka-astro/quokka/issues/554
 		if (checkpointTimeInterval_ > 0 && next_chk_file_time <= cur_time) {
 			next_chk_file_time += checkpointTimeInterval_;
 			WriteCheckpointFile();
 		}
 
+		// IMPORTANT: this MUST be written *after* the plotfile to avoid corruption:
+		// 	https://github.com/quokka-astro/quokka/issues/554
 		if (checkpointInterval_ > 0 && (step + 1) % checkpointInterval_ == 0) {
 			last_chk_file_step = step + 1;
 			WriteCheckpointFile();
@@ -958,11 +962,6 @@ template <typename problem_t> void AMRSimulation<problem_t>::evolve()
 	}
 	amrex::Print() << '\n';
 
-	// write final checkpoint
-	if (checkpointInterval_ > 0 && istep[0] > last_chk_file_step) {
-		WriteCheckpointFile();
-	}
-
 	// write final plotfile
 	if (plotfileInterval_ > 0 && istep[0] > last_plot_file_step) {
 		WritePlotFile();
@@ -978,6 +977,13 @@ template <typename problem_t> void AMRSimulation<problem_t>::evolve()
 		WriteStatisticsFile();
 	}
 
+	// write final checkpoint
+	// IMPORTANT: this MUST be written *after* the plotfile to avoid corruption:
+	// 	https://github.com/quokka-astro/quokka/issues/554
+	if (checkpointInterval_ > 0 && istep[0] > last_chk_file_step) {
+		WriteCheckpointFile();
+	}
+
 #ifdef AMREX_USE_ASCENT
 	// close Ascent
 	ascent_.close();
diff --git a/tests/blast_32.in b/tests/blast_32.in
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ee3f702f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/blast_32.in
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+# *****************************************************************
+# Problem size and geometry
+# *****************************************************************
+geometry.prob_lo     =  0.0  0.0  0.0 
+geometry.prob_hi     =  1.2  1.2  1.2
+geometry.is_periodic =  0    0    0
+
+# *****************************************************************
+# VERBOSITY
+# *****************************************************************
+amr.v              = 0       # verbosity in Amr
+
+# *****************************************************************
+# Resolution and refinement
+# *****************************************************************
+amr.n_cell          = 32 32 32
+amr.max_level       = 0     # number of levels = max_level + 1
+amr.max_grid_size   = 16   # at least 128 for GPUs
+amr.blocking_factor = 64   # grid size must be divisible by this
+amr.n_error_buf     = 3     # minimum 3 cell buffer around tagged cells
+amr.grid_eff        = 0.7   # default
+
+do_reflux = 0
+do_subcycle = 0
diff --git a/tests/checkpoint_restart_test.sh b/tests/checkpoint_restart_test.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..d83f61942
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/checkpoint_restart_test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+set -x
+
+$BUILD_DIR/src/HydroBlast3D/test_hydro3d_blast blast_32.in max_walltime=0:00:10 plotfile_interval=100 checkpoint_interval=100
+$BUILD_DIR/src/HydroBlast3D/test_hydro3d_blast blast_32.in restartfile=last_chk max_timesteps=1 plotfile_interval=100 checkpoint_interval=100
+
+old_plotfile=`ls -1drt plt*.old.* | head -1`
+plotfile=${old_plotfile%.old.*}
+
+$PLOTFILETOOLS_DIR/fcompare.gnu.ex $plotfile $old_plotfile