diff --git a/INSTALL.md b/INSTALL.md
index 66e6c33a77593760869b582ba3e0c03c165a70e8..6718aad120d79dc1c8383fa7bb4bdab75879d0f2 100644
--- a/INSTALL.md
+++ b/INSTALL.md
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ For developers who are interested to contribute, here is how to compile the
 gRPC C Core library.
 
 ```sh
- $ git clone https://github.com/grpc/grpc.git
+ $ git clone -b $(curl -L http://grpc.io/release) https://github.com/grpc/grpc
  $ cd grpc
  $ git submodule update --init
  $ make
diff --git a/examples/cpp/README.md b/examples/cpp/README.md
index d93cbacf7b276c673f17595e62b64821c22b4236..3fa7ad4c7847addee712d183b900d85bd288fa86 100644
--- a/examples/cpp/README.md
+++ b/examples/cpp/README.md
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ following command:
 
 
 ```sh
-$ git clone https://github.com/grpc/grpc.git
+$ git clone -b $(curl -L http://grpc.io/release) https://github.com/grpc/grpc
 ```
 
 Change your current directory to examples/cpp/helloworld
diff --git a/examples/cpp/cpptutorial.md b/examples/cpp/cpptutorial.md
index ef9ca99c0fef6ccec3a399e930f5186e0a1e2518..80fef07192e332e8b233cf9e8221429c4fb9a5cf 100644
--- a/examples/cpp/cpptutorial.md
+++ b/examples/cpp/cpptutorial.md
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ With gRPC we can define our service once in a .proto file and implement clients
 
 The example code for our tutorial is in [examples/cpp/route_guide](route_guide). To download the example, clone this repository by running the following command:
 ```shell
-$ git clone https://github.com/grpc/grpc.git
+$ git clone -b $(curl -L http://grpc.io/release) https://github.com/grpc/grpc
 ```
 
 Then change your current directory to `examples/cpp/route_guide`:
diff --git a/examples/cpp/helloworld/README.md b/examples/cpp/helloworld/README.md
index 04283eabc350f3529a2350d52dcee3202fc651ed..db953f53628bbbf6adfbe4e3b0003ada9f977aba 100644
--- a/examples/cpp/helloworld/README.md
+++ b/examples/cpp/helloworld/README.md
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ following command:
 
 
 ```sh
-$ git clone https://github.com/grpc/grpc.git
+$ git clone -b $(curl -L http://grpc.io/release) https://github.com/grpc/grpc
 ```
 
 Change your current directory to examples/cpp/helloworld
diff --git a/examples/node/README.md b/examples/node/README.md
index 59fb4a17f59139b3ea117f15f9e9213b1815e3f4..b92ca383c4718f56fd463b2d1a9e0bd835da57bb 100644
--- a/examples/node/README.md
+++ b/examples/node/README.md
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ INSTALL
    ```sh
    $ # Get the gRPC repository
    $ export REPO_ROOT=grpc # REPO root can be any directory of your choice
-   $ git clone https://github.com/grpc/grpc.git $REPO_ROOT
+   $ git clone -b $(curl -L http://grpc.io/release) https://github.com/grpc/grpc $REPO_ROOT
    $ cd $REPO_ROOT
 
    $ cd examples/node
diff --git a/examples/objective-c/helloworld/README.md b/examples/objective-c/helloworld/README.md
index 81c5aaa7bcb4e665433d41bc924ab20ce3d52558..fdff938a9784ff617e9c4b167b2fe450f1a80f97 100644
--- a/examples/objective-c/helloworld/README.md
+++ b/examples/objective-c/helloworld/README.md
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ this repository to your local machine by running the following commands:
 
 
 ```sh
-$ git clone https://github.com/grpc/grpc.git
+$ git clone -b $(curl -L http://grpc.io/release) https://github.com/grpc/grpc
 $ cd grpc
 $ git submodule update --init
 ```
diff --git a/examples/php/README.md b/examples/php/README.md
index ea9ccb679086a53587f6c9ef908310a8216441e5..e56b0178730b8ecbbe46e3e6b30445cb465e09df 100644
--- a/examples/php/README.md
+++ b/examples/php/README.md
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ INSTALL
  - Clone this repository
 
    ```sh
-   $ git clone https://github.com/grpc/grpc.git
+   $ git clone -b $(curl -L http://grpc.io/release) https://github.com/grpc/grpc
    ```
 
  - Install composer
diff --git a/src/cpp/README.md b/src/cpp/README.md
index f2935e52d9e50b3489836bf32c6fb299b3f0ebca..8c0f85e5ff795445478c9dc56d227dbc1f14d2be 100644
--- a/src/cpp/README.md
+++ b/src/cpp/README.md
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ below.
 #Build from Source
 
 ```sh
- $ git clone https://github.com/grpc/grpc.git
+ $ git clone -b $(curl -L http://grpc.io/release) https://github.com/grpc/grpc
  $ cd grpc
  $ git submodule update --init
  $ make
diff --git a/src/php/README.md b/src/php/README.md
index cf8f2c11b0fa5e1aca376ffd6f7212e94ce41095..6cc1ba4d46264dfaa299b2ad61311cd74d3251dd 100644
--- a/src/php/README.md
+++ b/src/php/README.md
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ To run tests with generated stub code from `.proto` files, you will also need th
 Clone this repository
 
 ```sh
-$ git clone https://github.com/grpc/grpc.git
+$ git clone -b $(curl -L http://grpc.io/release) https://github.com/grpc/grpc
 ```
 
 Build and install the gRPC C core library
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ extension=grpc.so
 You will need the source code to run tests
 
 ```sh
-$ git clone https://github.com/grpc/grpc.git
+$ git clone -b $(curl -L http://grpc.io/release) https://github.com/grpc/grpc
 $ cd grpc
 $ git pull --recurse-submodules && git submodule update --init --recursive
 ```
diff --git a/src/python/grpcio/README.rst b/src/python/grpcio/README.rst
index afc4fe6a37059aad67c3a733c5c5df1a3dc782bc..3fc318539ea5d2000b8add8ebcd5ce8ad6cfb902 100644
--- a/src/python/grpcio/README.rst
+++ b/src/python/grpcio/README.rst
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ package named :code:`python-dev`).
 ::
 
   $ export REPO_ROOT=grpc  # REPO_ROOT can be any directory of your choice
-  $ git clone https://github.com/grpc/grpc.git $REPO_ROOT
+  $ git clone -b $(curl -L http://grpc.io/release) https://github.com/grpc/grpc $REPO_ROOT
   $ cd $REPO_ROOT
   $ git submodule update --init
 
diff --git a/tools/distrib/python/grpcio_tools/README.rst b/tools/distrib/python/grpcio_tools/README.rst
index e9f137493ba97bb46ad09c04bb513f867c3cc586..8946a1d5b31be350b90ea864e47c26efd158968c 100644
--- a/tools/distrib/python/grpcio_tools/README.rst
+++ b/tools/distrib/python/grpcio_tools/README.rst
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ GCC-like stuff, but you may end up having a bad time.
 ::
 
   $ export REPO_ROOT=grpc  # REPO_ROOT can be any directory of your choice
-  $ git clone https://github.com/grpc/grpc.git $REPO_ROOT
+  $ git clone -b $(curl -L http://grpc.io/release) https://github.com/grpc/grpc $REPO_ROOT
   $ cd $REPO_ROOT
   $ git submodule update --init