diff --git a/.build/run-tests.sh b/.build/run-tests.sh
index fd6a7da21d..4a0cecfa33 100755
--- a/.build/run-tests.sh
+++ b/.build/run-tests.sh
@@ -74,16 +74,30 @@ _timeout_for() {
 }
 
 _build_all_dtest_jars() {
-    pushd $TMP_DIR >/dev/null
-    rm -fR ${TMP_DIR}/cassandra-dtest-jars
-    until git clone --quiet --depth 1 --no-single-branch https://github.com/apache/cassandra.git cassandra-dtest-jars ; do echo "git clone failed… trying again… " ; done
+    # build the dtest-jar for the branch under test. remember to `ant clean` if you want a new dtest jar built
+    dtest_jar_version=$(grep 'property\s*name=\"base.version\"' build.xml |sed -ne 's/.*value=\"\([^"]*\)\".*/\1/p')
+    if [ -f "${DIST_DIR}/dtest-${dtest_jar_version}.jar" ] ; then
+        echo "Skipping dtest jar build for branch under test as ${DIST_DIR}/dtest-${dtest_jar_version}.jar already exists"
+    else
+        ant jar dtest-jar ${ANT_TEST_OPTS} -Dbuild.dir=${TMP_DIR}/cassandra-dtest-jars/build
+        cp "${TMP_DIR}/cassandra-dtest-jars/build/dtest-${dtest_jar_version}.jar" ${DIST_DIR}/
+    fi
+
+    if [ -d ${TMP_DIR}/cassandra-dtest-jars ] && [ "https://github.com/apache/cassandra.git" == "$(git -C ${TMP_DIR}/cassandra-dtest-jars remote get-url origin)" ] ; then
+        until git -C ${TMP_DIR}/cassandra-dtest-jars fetch --quiet origin ; do echo "git pull failed… trying again… " ; done
+    else
+        rm -fR ${TMP_DIR}/cassandra-dtest-jars
+        pushd $TMP_DIR >/dev/null
+        until git clone --quiet --depth 1 --no-single-branch https://github.com/apache/cassandra.git cassandra-dtest-jars ; do echo "git clone failed… trying again… " ; done
+        popd >/dev/null
+    fi
 
     # cassandra-4 branches need CASSANDRA_USE_JDK11 to allow jdk11
     [ "${java_version}" -eq 11 ] && export CASSANDRA_USE_JDK11=true
 
     pushd ${TMP_DIR}/cassandra-dtest-jars >/dev/null
-    for branch in cassandra-4.0 cassandra-4.1 trunk ; do
-        git checkout $branch
+    for branch in cassandra-4.0 cassandra-4.1 cassandra-5.0 ; do
+        git checkout --quiet $branch
         dtest_jar_version=$(grep 'property\s*name=\"base.version\"' build.xml |sed -ne 's/.*value=\"\([^"]*\)\".*/\1/p')
         if [ -f "${DIST_DIR}/dtest-${dtest_jar_version}.jar" ] ; then
             echo "Skipping dtest jar build for branch ${branch} as ${DIST_DIR}/dtest-${dtest_jar_version}.jar already exists"
@@ -95,7 +109,6 @@ _build_all_dtest_jars() {
         cp "${TMP_DIR}/cassandra-dtest-jars/build/dtest-${dtest_jar_version}.jar" ${DIST_DIR}/
     done
     popd >/dev/null
-    popd >/dev/null
     ls -l ${DIST_DIR}/dtest*.jar
     unset CASSANDRA_USE_JDK11
 }
diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml b/.circleci/config.yml
index 0c247fbc85..2b3e22fa07 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml
@@ -5070,7 +5070,7 @@ jobs:
           cd ~/cassandra
           mkdir ~/dtest_jars
           git remote add apache https://github.com/apache/cassandra.git
-          for branch in cassandra-4.0 cassandra-4.1 trunk; do
+          for branch in cassandra-4.0 cassandra-4.1 cassandra-5.0 ; do
             # check out the correct cassandra version:
             git remote set-branches --add apache '$branch'
             git fetch --depth 1 apache $branch
diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml.FREE b/.circleci/config.yml.FREE
index 0c247fbc85..2b3e22fa07 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml.FREE
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml.FREE
@@ -5070,7 +5070,7 @@ jobs:
           cd ~/cassandra
           mkdir ~/dtest_jars
           git remote add apache https://github.com/apache/cassandra.git
-          for branch in cassandra-4.0 cassandra-4.1 trunk; do
+          for branch in cassandra-4.0 cassandra-4.1 cassandra-5.0 ; do
             # check out the correct cassandra version:
             git remote set-branches --add apache '$branch'
             git fetch --depth 1 apache $branch
diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml.PAID b/.circleci/config.yml.PAID
index 8e8e89c95c..f1140ae605 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml.PAID
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml.PAID
@@ -5070,7 +5070,7 @@ jobs:
           cd ~/cassandra
           mkdir ~/dtest_jars
           git remote add apache https://github.com/apache/cassandra.git
-          for branch in cassandra-4.0 cassandra-4.1 trunk; do
+          for branch in cassandra-4.0 cassandra-4.1 cassandra-5.0 ; do
             # check out the correct cassandra version:
             git remote set-branches --add apache '$branch'
             git fetch --depth 1 apache $branch
diff --git a/.circleci/config_template.yml b/.circleci/config_template.yml
index b8ed8cbbcb..b4e638b3d4 100644
--- a/.circleci/config_template.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config_template.yml
@@ -2901,7 +2901,7 @@ commands:
           cd ~/cassandra
           mkdir ~/dtest_jars
           git remote add apache https://github.com/apache/cassandra.git
-          for branch in cassandra-4.0 cassandra-4.1 trunk; do
+          for branch in cassandra-4.0 cassandra-4.1 cassandra-5.0 ; do
             # check out the correct cassandra version:
             git remote set-branches --add apache '$branch'
             git fetch --depth 1 apache $branch
diff --git a/CHANGES.txt b/CHANGES.txt
index 984b9ef99d..80bd1e46ea 100644
--- a/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/CHANGES.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-5.0
+5.0-alpha1
  * Prevent InaccessibleObjectException when the Leak Detector is traversing objects (CASSANDRA-18708)
  * Remove legacy command line options from cassandra-stress (CASSANDRA-18529)
  * Remove commitlog_sync_batch_window_in_ms (CASSANDRA-17161)
diff --git a/build.xml b/build.xml
index 7c7efc0a5d..243667d451 100644
--- a/build.xml
+++ b/build.xml
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
     <property name="debuglevel" value="source,lines,vars"/>
 
     <!-- default version and SCM information -->
-    <property name="base.version" value="5.0"/>
+    <property name="base.version" value="5.0-alpha1"/>
     <property name="scm.connection" value="scm:https://gitbox.apache.org/repos/asf/cassandra.git"/>
     <property name="scm.developerConnection" value="scm:https://gitbox.apache.org/repos/asf/cassandra.git"/>
     <property name="scm.url" value="https://gitbox.apache.org/repos/asf?p=cassandra.git;a=tree"/>
diff --git a/doc/antora.yml b/doc/antora.yml
index 401cbd43a9..42f01753e1 100644
--- a/doc/antora.yml
+++ b/doc/antora.yml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 name: Cassandra
-version: 'trunk'
-display_version: 'trunk'
+version: '5.0'
+display_version: '5.0'
 prerelease: true
 asciidoc:
   attributes: