diff --git a/.circleci/config-2_1.yml b/.circleci/config-2_1.yml
index 2485c16a0c..e3e5fd1ff0 100644
--- a/.circleci/config-2_1.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config-2_1.yml
@@ -333,6 +333,7 @@ commands:
         command: |
           export PATH=$JAVA_HOME/bin:$PATH
           cd ~/cassandra
+          mkdir ~/dtest_jars
           git remote add apache git://github.com/apache/cassandra.git
           for branch in cassandra-2.2 cassandra-3.0 cassandra-3.11 trunk; do
             # check out the correct cassandra version:
@@ -341,9 +342,10 @@ commands:
             git checkout $branch
             # Loop to prevent failure due to maven-ant-tasks not downloading a jar..
             for x in $(seq 1 3); do
-                ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant clean jar dtest-jar
+                ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant realclean; ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant jar dtest-jar
                 RETURN="$?"
                 if [ "${RETURN}" -eq "0" ]; then
+                    cp build/dtest*.jar ~/dtest_jars
                     break
                 fi
             done
@@ -356,14 +358,18 @@ commands:
           # and build the dtest-jar for the branch under test
           git checkout origin/$CIRCLE_BRANCH
           for x in $(seq 1 3); do
-              ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant clean jar dtest-jar
+              ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant realclean; ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant jar dtest-jar
               RETURN="$?"
               if [ "${RETURN}" -eq "0" ]; then
+                  cp build/dtest*.jar ~/dtest_jars
                   break
               fi
           done
-          mkdir ~/dtest_jars
-          cp build/dtest*.jar ~/dtest_jars
+          # Exit, if we didn't build successfully
+          if [ "${RETURN}" -ne "0" ]; then
+              echo "Build failed with exit code: ${RETURN}"
+              exit ${RETURN}
+          fi
           ls -l ~/dtest_jars
         no_output_timeout: 15m
 
diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml b/.circleci/config.yml
index 8123ab9602..dd4b8dbb71 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml
@@ -771,6 +771,7 @@ jobs:
         command: |
           export PATH=$JAVA_HOME/bin:$PATH
           cd ~/cassandra
+          mkdir ~/dtest_jars
           git remote add apache git://github.com/apache/cassandra.git
           for branch in cassandra-2.2 cassandra-3.0 cassandra-3.11 trunk; do
             # check out the correct cassandra version:
@@ -779,9 +780,10 @@ jobs:
             git checkout $branch
             # Loop to prevent failure due to maven-ant-tasks not downloading a jar..
             for x in $(seq 1 3); do
-                ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant clean jar dtest-jar
+                ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant realclean; ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant jar dtest-jar
                 RETURN="$?"
                 if [ "${RETURN}" -eq "0" ]; then
+                    cp build/dtest*.jar ~/dtest_jars
                     break
                 fi
             done
@@ -794,14 +796,18 @@ jobs:
           # and build the dtest-jar for the branch under test
           git checkout origin/$CIRCLE_BRANCH
           for x in $(seq 1 3); do
-              ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant clean jar dtest-jar
+              ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant realclean; ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant jar dtest-jar
               RETURN="$?"
               if [ "${RETURN}" -eq "0" ]; then
+                  cp build/dtest*.jar ~/dtest_jars
                   break
               fi
           done
-          mkdir ~/dtest_jars
-          cp build/dtest*.jar ~/dtest_jars
+          # Exit, if we didn't build successfully
+          if [ "${RETURN}" -ne "0" ]; then
+              echo "Build failed with exit code: ${RETURN}"
+              exit ${RETURN}
+          fi
           ls -l ~/dtest_jars
         no_output_timeout: 15m
     - persist_to_workspace:
diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml.HIGHRES b/.circleci/config.yml.HIGHRES
index f7ef17e6d9..37dcf7a98e 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml.HIGHRES
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml.HIGHRES
@@ -771,6 +771,7 @@ jobs:
         command: |
           export PATH=$JAVA_HOME/bin:$PATH
           cd ~/cassandra
+          mkdir ~/dtest_jars
           git remote add apache git://github.com/apache/cassandra.git
           for branch in cassandra-2.2 cassandra-3.0 cassandra-3.11 trunk; do
             # check out the correct cassandra version:
@@ -779,9 +780,10 @@ jobs:
             git checkout $branch
             # Loop to prevent failure due to maven-ant-tasks not downloading a jar..
             for x in $(seq 1 3); do
-                ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant clean jar dtest-jar
+                ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant realclean; ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant jar dtest-jar
                 RETURN="$?"
                 if [ "${RETURN}" -eq "0" ]; then
+                    cp build/dtest*.jar ~/dtest_jars
                     break
                 fi
             done
@@ -794,14 +796,18 @@ jobs:
           # and build the dtest-jar for the branch under test
           git checkout origin/$CIRCLE_BRANCH
           for x in $(seq 1 3); do
-              ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant clean jar dtest-jar
+              ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant realclean; ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant jar dtest-jar
               RETURN="$?"
               if [ "${RETURN}" -eq "0" ]; then
+                  cp build/dtest*.jar ~/dtest_jars
                   break
               fi
           done
-          mkdir ~/dtest_jars
-          cp build/dtest*.jar ~/dtest_jars
+          # Exit, if we didn't build successfully
+          if [ "${RETURN}" -ne "0" ]; then
+              echo "Build failed with exit code: ${RETURN}"
+              exit ${RETURN}
+          fi
           ls -l ~/dtest_jars
         no_output_timeout: 15m
     - persist_to_workspace:
diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml.LOWRES b/.circleci/config.yml.LOWRES
index 8123ab9602..dd4b8dbb71 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml.LOWRES
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml.LOWRES
@@ -771,6 +771,7 @@ jobs:
         command: |
           export PATH=$JAVA_HOME/bin:$PATH
           cd ~/cassandra
+          mkdir ~/dtest_jars
           git remote add apache git://github.com/apache/cassandra.git
           for branch in cassandra-2.2 cassandra-3.0 cassandra-3.11 trunk; do
             # check out the correct cassandra version:
@@ -779,9 +780,10 @@ jobs:
             git checkout $branch
             # Loop to prevent failure due to maven-ant-tasks not downloading a jar..
             for x in $(seq 1 3); do
-                ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant clean jar dtest-jar
+                ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant realclean; ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant jar dtest-jar
                 RETURN="$?"
                 if [ "${RETURN}" -eq "0" ]; then
+                    cp build/dtest*.jar ~/dtest_jars
                     break
                 fi
             done
@@ -794,14 +796,18 @@ jobs:
           # and build the dtest-jar for the branch under test
           git checkout origin/$CIRCLE_BRANCH
           for x in $(seq 1 3); do
-              ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant clean jar dtest-jar
+              ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant realclean; ${ANT_HOME}/bin/ant jar dtest-jar
               RETURN="$?"
               if [ "${RETURN}" -eq "0" ]; then
+                  cp build/dtest*.jar ~/dtest_jars
                   break
               fi
           done
-          mkdir ~/dtest_jars
-          cp build/dtest*.jar ~/dtest_jars
+          # Exit, if we didn't build successfully
+          if [ "${RETURN}" -ne "0" ]; then
+              echo "Build failed with exit code: ${RETURN}"
+              exit ${RETURN}
+          fi
           ls -l ~/dtest_jars
         no_output_timeout: 15m
     - persist_to_workspace: