diff --git a/.circleci/config-2_1.yml b/.circleci/config-2_1.yml
index 68b83b7b9a..f925ee67f1 100644
--- a/.circleci/config-2_1.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config-2_1.yml
@@ -759,6 +759,7 @@ 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:
@@ -767,9 +768,10 @@ 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 [ "${RETURN}" -eq "0" ]; then
+                    cp build/dtest*.jar ~/dtest_jars
                     break
                 fi
             done
@@ -782,14 +784,18 @@ commands:
           # and build the dtest-jar for the branch under test
           git checkout origin/$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 f644066929..8ba8949113 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml
@@ -2166,6 +2166,7 @@ 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:
@@ -2174,9 +2175,10 @@ 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 [ "${RETURN}" -eq "0" ]; then
+                    cp build/dtest*.jar ~/dtest_jars
                     break
                 fi
             done
@@ -2189,14 +2191,18 @@ jobs:
           # and build the dtest-jar for the branch under test
           git checkout origin/$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 ${RETURN}
+          fi
           ls -l ~/dtest_jars
         no_output_timeout: 15m
     - persist_to_workspace:
diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml.HIGHRES b/.circleci/config.yml.HIGHRES
index 43a0238b8c..45c882034b 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml.HIGHRES
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml.HIGHRES
@@ -2166,6 +2166,7 @@ jobs:
         command: |
           export PATH=$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:
@@ -2174,9 +2175,10 @@ 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 [ "${RETURN}" -eq "0" ]; then
+                    cp build/dtest*.jar ~/dtest_jars
                     break
                 fi
             done
@@ -2189,14 +2191,18 @@ jobs:
           # and build the dtest-jar for the branch under test
           git checkout origin/$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 ${RETURN}
+          fi
           ls -l ~/dtest_jars
         no_output_timeout: 15m
     - persist_to_workspace:
diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml.LOWRES b/.circleci/config.yml.LOWRES
index f644066929..8ba8949113 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml.LOWRES
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml.LOWRES
@@ -2166,6 +2166,7 @@ jobs:
         command: |
           export PATH=$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:
@@ -2174,9 +2175,10 @@ 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 [ "${RETURN}" -eq "0" ]; then
+                    cp build/dtest*.jar ~/dtest_jars
                     break
                 fi
             done
@@ -2189,14 +2191,18 @@ jobs:
           # and build the dtest-jar for the branch under test
           git checkout origin/$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 ${RETURN}
+          fi
           ls -l ~/dtest_jars
         no_output_timeout: 15m
     - persist_to_workspace:
diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml.MIDRES b/.circleci/config.yml.MIDRES
index f1e3c8c120..979ee155e4 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml.MIDRES
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml.MIDRES
@@ -2166,6 +2166,7 @@ jobs:
         command: |
           export PATH=$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:
@@ -2174,9 +2175,10 @@ 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 [ "${RETURN}" -eq "0" ]; then
+                    cp build/dtest*.jar ~/dtest_jars
                     break
                 fi
             done
@@ -2189,14 +2191,18 @@ jobs:
           # and build the dtest-jar for the branch under test
           git checkout origin/$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: