diff --git a/api_docs/changelog.md b/api_docs/changelog.md
index c418252e32..72d26fd06e 100644
--- a/api_docs/changelog.md
+++ b/api_docs/changelog.md
@@ -20,6 +20,15 @@ format used by the Zulip server that they are interacting with.
 
 ## Changes in Zulip 9.0
 
+**Feature level 255**
+
+* "Stream" was renamed to "Channel" across strings in the Zulip API
+  and UI. Clients supporting a range of server versions are encouraged
+  to use different strings based on the server's API feature level for
+  consistency. Note that feature level marks the strings transition
+  only: Actual API changes related to this transition have their own
+  API changelog entries.
+
 **Feature level 254**
 
 * [`POST /register`](/api/register-queue), [`GET /events`](/api/get-events),
diff --git a/version.py b/version.py
index 8117a08f8a..8766d66001 100644
--- a/version.py
+++ b/version.py
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ DESKTOP_WARNING_VERSION = "5.9.3"
 # Changes should be accompanied by documentation explaining what the
 # new level means in api_docs/changelog.md, as well as "**Changes**"
 # entries in the endpoint's documentation in `zulip.yaml`.
-API_FEATURE_LEVEL = 254
+API_FEATURE_LEVEL = 255
 
 # Bump the minor PROVISION_VERSION to indicate that folks should provision
 # only when going from an old version of the code to a newer version. Bump