diff --git a/build_tools/doctool/build.xml b/build_tools/doctool/build.xml
index e6524f1496..c4870197b6 100644
--- a/build_tools/doctool/build.xml
+++ b/build_tools/doctool/build.xml
@@ -4,7 +4,11 @@
   <import file="${gwt.root}/common.ant.xml" />
 
   <target name="compile" description="Compiles this project">
-    <gwt.javac />
+    <!--
+    As guarded below in the build target, doctool can't be built on
+    Java 8. In theory release could be set to 9, but 9 and 10 are EOL.
+    -->
+    <gwt.javac release="11" />
   </target>
 
   <target name="build" depends="compile" description="Packages this project into a jar" unless="${isJava8}">
diff --git a/common.ant.xml b/common.ant.xml
index 7b3604ba60..36a56b4882 100755
--- a/common.ant.xml
+++ b/common.ant.xml
@@ -62,8 +62,7 @@
   <property name="javac.debug" value="true"/>
   <property name="javac.debuglevel" value="lines,vars,source"/>
   <property name="javac.encoding" value="utf-8"/>
-  <property name="javac.source" value="8"/>
-  <property name="javac.target" value="8"/>
+  <property name="javac.release" value="8"/>
   <property name="javac.nowarn" value="true"/>
 
   <!-- javac and errorprone instructions from https://errorprone.info/docs/installation#ant -->
@@ -158,8 +157,7 @@
   <macrodef name="gwt.javac">
     <attribute name="srcdir" default="src" />
     <attribute name="destdir" default="${javac.out}" />
-    <attribute name="source" default="${javac.source}" />
-    <attribute name="target" default="${javac.target}" />
+    <attribute name="release" default="${javac.release}" />
     <attribute name="excludes" default="" />
     <attribute name="processorpath" default="" />
     <attribute name="errorprone.args" default="" />
@@ -172,7 +170,7 @@
       </path>
       <mkdir dir="@{destdir}"/>
       <javac srcdir="@{srcdir}" sourcepath="@{srcdir}" destdir="@{destdir}" debug="${javac.debug}"
-             debuglevel="${javac.debuglevel}" source="@{source}" target="@{target}"
+             debuglevel="${javac.debuglevel}" source="@{release}" target="@{release}" release="@{release}"
              nowarn="${javac.nowarn}" encoding="${javac.encoding}" includeantruntime="false"
              fork="true" compiler="modern" excludes="@{excludes}">
         <compilerarg value="-J-Xbootclasspath/p:${errorprone.javac.jar}" if:true="${isJava8}"/>
diff --git a/doc/build.xml b/doc/build.xml
index 5f41768b2f..10050f29e3 100644
--- a/doc/build.xml
+++ b/doc/build.xml
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@
     <property file="${gwt.root}/build/out/packages.properties" />
     <javadoc classpathref="DOC_PATH" failonerror="true" maxmemory="1g"
              destdir="${project.build}/javadoc"
-             source="${javac.source}"
+             source="${javac.release}"
              encoding="UTF-8"
              access="package"
              packagenames="${USER_PKGS}"
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@
                  sourcepath="${gwt.root}/user/super/com/google/gwt/emul:${gwt.root}/dev/core/super/com/google/gwt/dev/jjs/intrinsic"
                  encoding="UTF-8"
                  access="public"
-                 source="${javac.source}"
+                 source="${javac.release}"
                  packagenames="${JAVA_PKGS}"
                  docletpath="${project.build}/../build_tools/doctool/bin"
                  doclet="com.google.doctool.custom.JavaEmulSummaryDoclet">