diff --git a/.releaserc.cjs b/.releaserc.cjs
index 3d07d7a50..6168b9fe4 100644
--- a/.releaserc.cjs
+++ b/.releaserc.cjs
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@
 // We model all the files and the runtimes here in this structure
 const Runtimes = {
   java: {
+    "project.properties": {
+      dependencies: [],
+    },
     "AwsCryptographicMaterialProviders/runtimes/java/build.gradle.kts": {
       dependencies: [],
     },
@@ -57,7 +60,7 @@ const Runtimes = {
  * @type {import('semantic-release').GlobalConfig}
  */
 module.exports = {
-  branches: ["main"],
+  branches: ["main", "jocorell/add-mpl-version-properties"],
   repositoryUrl:
     "git@github.com:aws/aws-cryptographic-material-providers-library.git",
   plugins: [
@@ -81,6 +84,13 @@ module.exports = {
         replacements: [
           // Update the version for all Gradle Java projects
           // Does not update the dependencies
+          {
+            files: Object.keys(Runtimes.java),
+            from: 'mplVersion=".*"',
+            to: 'mplVersion="${nextRelease.version}"',
+            results: Object.keys(Runtimes.java).map(CheckResults),
+            countMatches: true,
+          },
           {
             files: Object.keys(Runtimes.java),
             from: 'version = ".*"',
@@ -88,7 +98,6 @@ module.exports = {
             results: Object.keys(Runtimes.java).map(CheckResults),
             countMatches: true,
           },
-
           // Now update the Gradle Java  dependencies
           ...Object.entries(Runtimes.java).flatMap(([file, { dependencies }]) =>
             dependencies.map((dependency) => ({
diff --git a/project.properties b/project.properties
index cb849852a..0a1c10360 100644
--- a/project.properties
+++ b/project.properties
@@ -7,3 +7,4 @@
 # And the Dotnet projects include and parse this file.
 dafnyVersion=4.2.0
 dafnyVerifyVersion=4.2.0
+mplVersion=1.5.1-SNAPSHOT