diff --git a/cassandra-release/cassandra-check-release.sh b/cassandra-release/cassandra-check-release.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..9f77144f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cassandra-release/cassandra-check-release.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Parameters
+# $1 release
+# $2 maven artefacts url (as specified in the vote email)
+#
+# Example use: `./cassandra-check-release.sh 4.0-beta3 https://repository.apache.org/content/repositories/orgapachecassandra-1224/org/apache/cassandra/cassandra-all/4.0-beta3/`
+#
+# This script is very basic and experimental. I beg of you to help improve it.
+#
+
+###################
+# prerequisites
+
+command -v wget >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "wget needs to be installed"; exit 1; }
+command -v gpg >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "gpg needs to be installed"; exit 1; }
+command -v sha1sum >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "sha1sum needs to be installed"; exit 1; }
+command -v md5sum >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "md5sum needs to be installed"; exit 1; }
+command -v sha256sum >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "sha256sum needs to be installed"; exit 1; }
+command -v sha512sum >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "sha512sum needs to be installed"; exit 1; }
+command -v tar >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "tar needs to be installed"; exit 1; }
+command -v ant >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "ant needs to be installed"; exit 1; }
+command -v timeout >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "timeout needs to be installed"; exit 1; }
+command -v docker >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "docker needs to be installed"; exit 1; }
+(docker info >/dev/null 2>&1) || { echo >&2 "docker needs to running"; exit 1; }
+(java -version 2>&1 | grep -q "1.8") || { echo >&2 "Java 8 must be used"; exit 1; }
+(java -version 2>&1 | grep -iq jdk ) || { echo >&2 "Java JDK must be used"; exit 1; }
+(curl --output /dev/null --silent --head --fail "https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/dev/cassandra/$1/") || { echo >&2 "Not Found: https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/dev/cassandra/$1/"; exit 1; }
+(curl --output /dev/null --silent --head --fail "$2") || { echo >&2 "Not Found: $2"; exit 1; }
+
+###################
+
+mkdir -p /tmp/$1
+cd /tmp/$1
+echo "Downloading KEYS"
+wget https://downloads.apache.org/cassandra/KEYS
+echo "Downloading $2"
+wget -Nqnd -e robots=off --recursive --no-parent $2
+echo "Downloading https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/dev/cassandra/$1/"
+wget -Nqe robots=off --recursive --no-parent https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/dev/cassandra/$1/
+
+echo
+echo "====== CHECK RESULTS ======"
+echo
+
+gpg --import KEYS
+
+(compgen -G "*.asc" >/dev/null) || { echo >&2 "No *.asc files found in $(pwd)"; exit 1; }
+for f in *.asc ; do gpg --verify $f ; done
+(compgen -G "*.pom" >/dev/null) || { echo >&2 "No *.pom files found in $(pwd)"; exit 1; }
+(compgen -G "*.jar" >/dev/null) || { echo >&2 "No *.jar files found in $(pwd)"; exit 1; }
+for f in *.pom *.jar *.asc ; do echo -n "sha1: " ; echo "$(cat $f.sha1) $f" | sha1sum -c ; echo -n "md5: " ; echo "$(cat $f.md5) $f" | md5sum -c ; done
+
+cd dist.apache.org/repos/dist/dev/cassandra/$1
+(compgen -G "*.asc" >/dev/null) || { echo >&2 "No *.asc files found in $(pwd)"; exit 1; }
+for f in *.asc ; do gpg --verify $f ; done
+(compgen -G "*.gz" >/dev/null) || { echo >&2 "No *.gz files found in $(pwd)"; exit 1; }
+(compgen -G "*.sha256" >/dev/null) || { echo >&2 "No *.sha256 files found in $(pwd)"; exit 1; }
+(compgen -G "*.sha512" >/dev/null) || { echo >&2 "No *.sha512 files found in $(pwd)"; exit 1; }
+for f in *.gz ; do echo -n "sha256: " ; echo "$(cat $f.sha256) $f" | sha256sum -c ; echo -n "sha512:" ; echo "$(cat $f.sha512) $f" | sha512sum -c ; done
+
+echo
+rm -fR apache-cassandra-$1-src
+tar -xzf apache-cassandra-$1-src.tar.gz
+pushd apache-cassandra-$1-src
+echo "Source build $(ant artifacts | grep '^BUILD ')"
+popd
+
+echo
+rm -fR apache-cassandra-$1
+tar -xzf apache-cassandra-$1-bin.tar.gz
+rm -f procfifo
+mkfifo procfifo
+timeout 30 apache-cassandra-$1/bin/cassandra -f 2>&1  >procfifo &
+PID=$!
+success=false
+while read LINE && ! $success ; do
+    if [[ $LINE =~ "Starting listening for CQL clients on" ]] ; then
+        echo "Binary artefact OK"
+        kill "$PID"
+        success=true
+    fi
+done < procfifo
+rm -f procfifo
+wait "$PID"
+if ! $success ; then
+    echo "Binary artefact FAILED"
+fi
+
+echo
+rm -f procfifo
+mkfifo procfifo
+docker run -i -v `pwd`/debian:/debian openjdk:8-jdk-slim-buster timeout 1080 /bin/bash -c "( apt -qq update; apt -qq install -y python python3 procps; dpkg --ignore-depends=java7-runtime --ignore-depends=java8-runtime -i debian/*.deb ) 2>/dev/null; CASSANDRA_CONF=file:///etc/cassandra/ HEAP_NEWSIZE=500m MAX_HEAP_SIZE=1g cassandra -R -f" 2>&1 >procfifo &
+PID=$!
+success=false
+while read LINE && ! $success ; do
+    if [[ $LINE =~ "Starting listening for CQL clients on" ]] ; then
+        echo "Debian package OK"
+        kill "$PID"
+        success=true
+    fi
+done < procfifo
+rm -f procfifo
+wait "$PID"
+if ! $success ; then
+    echo "Debian package FAILED"
+fi
+
+echo
+rm -f procfifo
+mkfifo procfifo
+docker run -i -v `pwd`/redhat:/redhat almalinux timeout 1080 /bin/bash -c "( yum install -y java-1.8.0-openjdk procps-ng ; rpm -i redhat/*.rpm ) 2>/dev/null; cassandra -R -f " 2>&1  >procfifo &
+PID=$!
+
+success=false
+while read LINE && ! $success ; do
+    if [[ $LINE =~ "Starting listening for CQL clients on" ]] ; then
+        echo "Redhat package OK"
+        kill "$PID"
+        success=true
+    fi
+done < procfifo
+rm -f procfifo
+wait "$PID"
+if ! $success ; then
+    echo "Redhat package FAILED"
+fi