diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 556851b1c..1307edb51 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -218,6 +218,7 @@ build_front:
   only:
     - tags@funkwhale/funkwhale
     - master@funkwhale/funkwhale
+    - stable@funkwhale/funkwhale
     - develop@funkwhale/funkwhale
   tags:
     - docker
@@ -242,7 +243,7 @@ pages:
     paths:
       - public
   only:
-    - master@funkwhale/funkwhale
+    - stable@funkwhale/funkwhale
   tags:
     - docker
 
@@ -254,7 +255,7 @@ docker_release:
   before_script:
     - docker login -u $DOCKER_LOGIN -p $DOCKER_PASSWORD
     - cp -r front/dist api/frontend
-    - (if [ "$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME" == "develop" ] || [ "$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME" == "master" ]; then ./scripts/set-api-build-metadata.sh $(echo $CI_COMMIT_SHA | cut -c 1-8); fi);
+    - (if [ "$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME" == "develop" ] || [ "$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME" == "stable" ]; then ./scripts/set-api-build-metadata.sh $(echo $CI_COMMIT_SHA | cut -c 1-8); fi);
   script:
     - if [[ ! -z "$CI_COMMIT_TAG" ]]; then (./docs/get-releases-json.py | scripts/is-docker-latest.py $CI_COMMIT_TAG -) && export DOCKER_LATEST_TAG="-t $IMAGE_LATEST" || export DOCKER_LATEST_TAG=; fi
     - if [[ "$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME" =~ ^[0-9]+(.[0-9]+){1,2}$ ]]; then export stable=1 && export major="$(echo $CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME | cut -d '.' -f 1)" && export minor="$(echo $CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME | cut -d '.' -f 1,2)"; fi
@@ -266,7 +267,7 @@ docker_release:
     - if [[ $stable == 1 ]]; then docker tag $IMAGE $IMAGE_NAME:$minor && docker push $IMAGE_NAME:$minor; fi
   only:
     - develop@funkwhale/funkwhale
-    - master@funkwhale/funkwhale
+    - stable@funkwhale/funkwhale
     - tags@funkwhale/funkwhale
 
 docker_all_in_one_release:
@@ -280,7 +281,7 @@ docker_all_in_one_release:
     BUILD_PATH: all_in_one
   before_script:
     - docker login -u $DOCKER_LOGIN -p $DOCKER_PASSWORD
-    - (if [ "$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME" == "develop" ] || [ "$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME" == "master" ]; then ./scripts/set-api-build-metadata.sh $(echo $CI_COMMIT_SHA | cut -c 1-8); fi);
+    - (if [ "$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME" == "develop" ] || [ "$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME" == "master" ] || [ "$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME" == "stable" ]; then ./scripts/set-api-build-metadata.sh $(echo $CI_COMMIT_SHA | cut -c 1-8); fi);
   script:
     - if [[ ! -z "$CI_COMMIT_TAG" ]]; then (./docs/get-releases-json.py | scripts/is-docker-latest.py $CI_COMMIT_TAG -) && export DOCKER_LATEST_TAG="-t $ALL_IN_ONE_IMAGE_LATEST" || export DOCKER_LATEST_TAG=; fi
     - wget $ALL_IN_ONE_ARTIFACT_URL -O all_in_one.zip
@@ -296,6 +297,7 @@ docker_all_in_one_release:
   only:
     - develop@funkwhale/funkwhale
     - master@funkwhale/funkwhale
+    - stable@funkwhale/funkwhale
     - tags@funkwhale/funkwhale
 
 build_api:
@@ -308,12 +310,13 @@ build_api:
       - api
   script:
     - rm -rf api/tests
-    - (if [ "$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME" == "develop" ] || [ "$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME" == "master" ]; then ./scripts/set-api-build-metadata.sh $(echo $CI_COMMIT_SHA | cut -c 1-8); fi);
+    - (if [ "$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME" == "develop" ] || [ "$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME" == "stable" ] || [ "$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME" == "master" ]; then ./scripts/set-api-build-metadata.sh $(echo $CI_COMMIT_SHA | cut -c 1-8); fi);
     - chmod -R 750 api
     - echo Done!
   only:
     - tags@funkwhale/funkwhale
     - master@funkwhale/funkwhale
+    - stable@funkwhale/funkwhale
     - develop@funkwhale/funkwhale
 
 check_api_dependencies:
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.rst b/CONTRIBUTING.rst
index 79f4893df..1e3a30019 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.rst
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.rst
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ Visit https://dev.funkwhale.audio/funkwhale/funkwhale and clone the repository u
 A note about branches
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
-Next release development occurs on the "develop" branch, and releases are made on the "master" branch. Therefore, when submitting Merge Requests, ensure you are merging on the develop branch.
+Next release development occurs on the "develop" branch, and releases are made on the "stable" branch. Therefore, when submitting Merge Requests, ensure you are merging on the develop branch.
 
 
 Working with docker
@@ -750,7 +750,7 @@ To make a new 3.4 release::
     export PREVIOUS_RELEASE=3.3  # replace with the previous release number
 
     # ensure you have an up-to-date repo
-    git checkout develop  # use master if you're doing a hotfix release
+    git checkout develop  # use stable if you're doing a hotfix release
     git pull
 
     # compile changelog
@@ -775,11 +775,11 @@ To make a new 3.4 release::
     # publish
     git push --tags && git push
 
-    # if you're doing a hotfix release from master
-    git checkout develop && git merge master && git push
+    # if you're doing a hotfix release from stable
+    git checkout develop && git merge stable && git push
 
     # if you're doing a non-hotfix release, and a real release (not a real release) from develop
-    git checkout master && git merge develop && git push
+    git checkout stable && git merge develop && git push
 
 Then, visit https://dev.funkwhale.audio/funkwhale/funkwhale/-/tags, copy-paste the changelog on the corresponding
 tag, and announce the good news ;)
diff --git a/changes/changelog.d/1476.misc b/changes/changelog.d/1476.misc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8b11be31a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/changelog.d/1476.misc
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Create stable branch, master is now deprecated and will be removed in 1.3 (#1476)
diff --git a/docs/conf.py b/docs/conf.py
index 40af323ab..355eea6d5 100644
--- a/docs/conf.py
+++ b/docs/conf.py
@@ -58,8 +58,8 @@ templates_path = ["_templates"]
 # source_suffix = ['.rst', '.md']
 source_suffix = ".rst"
 
-# The master toctree document.
-master_doc = "index"
+# The root toctree document.
+root_doc = "index"
 
 # General information about the project.
 year = datetime.datetime.now().year
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ html_context = {
     "gitlab_host": "dev.funkwhale.audio",
     "gitlab_repo": "funkwhale",
     "gitlab_user": "funkwhale",
-    "gitlab_version": "master",
+    "gitlab_version": "stable",
     "conf_py_path": "/docs/",
     "gitlab_url": "https://dev.funkwhale.audio/funkwhale/funkwhale",
 }
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ latex_elements = {
 # (source start file, target name, title,
 #  author, documentclass [howto, manual, or own class]).
 latex_documents = [
-    (master_doc, "funkwhale.tex", "funkwhale Documentation", "Eliot Berriot", "manual")
+    (root_doc, "funkwhale.tex", "funkwhale Documentation", "The Funkwhale Collective", "manual")
 ]
 
 
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ latex_documents = [
 
 # One entry per manual page. List of tuples
 # (source start file, name, description, authors, manual section).
-man_pages = [(master_doc, "funkwhale", "funkwhale Documentation", [author], 1)]
+man_pages = [(root_doc, "funkwhale", "funkwhale Documentation", [author], 1)]
 
 
 # -- Options for Texinfo output -------------------------------------------
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ man_pages = [(master_doc, "funkwhale", "funkwhale Documentation", [author], 1)]
 #  dir menu entry, description, category)
 texinfo_documents = [
     (
-        master_doc,
+        root_doc,
         "funkwhale",
         "funkwhale Documentation",
         author,
diff --git a/docs/index.rst b/docs/index.rst
index 05f7ecbd8..497bb1966 100644
--- a/docs/index.rst
+++ b/docs/index.rst
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-.. funkwhale documentation master file, created by
+.. funkwhale documentation root file, created by
    sphinx-quickstart on Sun Jun 25 18:49:23 2017.
    You can adapt this file completely to your liking, but it should at least
    contain the root `toctree` directive.
diff --git a/docs/installation/debian.rst b/docs/installation/debian.rst
index b91ee0dba..9bf8c1666 100644
--- a/docs/installation/debian.rst
+++ b/docs/installation/debian.rst
@@ -140,10 +140,10 @@ Then we will download the frontend files:
         cd /srv
 
         rm -r funkwhale
-        git clone -b master https://dev.funkwhale.audio/funkwhale/funkwhale funkwhale
+        git clone -b stable https://dev.funkwhale.audio/funkwhale/funkwhale funkwhale
         cd funkwhale
 
-    The above clone command uses the master branch instead of the default develop branch, as master is stable and more suited for production setups.
+    The above clone command uses the stable branch instead of the default develop branch, as stable is stable and more suited for production setups.
 
     You'll also need to re-create the folders we make earlier::
 
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ Download the sample environment file:
 
 .. parsed-literal::
 
-    curl -L -o config/.env "https://dev.funkwhale.audio/funkwhale/funkwhale/raw/master/deploy/env.prod.sample"
+    curl -L -o config/.env "https://dev.funkwhale.audio/funkwhale/funkwhale/raw/stable/deploy/env.prod.sample"
 
 .. note::
 
diff --git a/docs/users/cli.rst b/docs/users/cli.rst
index 096194e75..915479bc7 100644
--- a/docs/users/cli.rst
+++ b/docs/users/cli.rst
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ Installation
 
 We provide a prebuilt binary for Linux::
 
-    curl -L "https://dev.funkwhale.audio/funkwhale/cli/-/jobs/artifacts/master/raw/funkwhale?job=build-linux" -o /usr/local/bin/funkwhale
+    curl -L "https://dev.funkwhale.audio/funkwhale/cli/-/jobs/artifacts/stable/raw/funkwhale?job=build-linux" -o /usr/local/bin/funkwhale
     chmod +x /usr/local/bin/funkwhale
 
 You can also install from source with::