diff --git a/core/conventional-commits/__tests__/__fixtures__/major-zero/lerna.json b/core/conventional-commits/__tests__/__fixtures__/major-zero/lerna.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..84e537a34e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/conventional-commits/__tests__/__fixtures__/major-zero/lerna.json
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+{
+  "command": {
+    "publish": {
+      "conventionalCommits": true
+    }
+  },
+  "version": "independent"
+}
diff --git a/core/conventional-commits/__tests__/__fixtures__/major-zero/package.json b/core/conventional-commits/__tests__/__fixtures__/major-zero/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5c1c951592
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/conventional-commits/__tests__/__fixtures__/major-zero/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+{
+  "name": "conventional-commits-major-zero",
+  "repository": "lerna/conventional-commits-major-zero",
+  "version": "0.0.0-root"
+}
diff --git a/core/conventional-commits/__tests__/__fixtures__/major-zero/packages/package-0/CHANGELOG.md b/core/conventional-commits/__tests__/__fixtures__/major-zero/packages/package-0/CHANGELOG.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/core/conventional-commits/__tests__/__fixtures__/major-zero/packages/package-0/package.json b/core/conventional-commits/__tests__/__fixtures__/major-zero/packages/package-0/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4415541841
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/conventional-commits/__tests__/__fixtures__/major-zero/packages/package-0/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+{
+  "name": "package-0",
+  "repository": "lerna/conventional-commits-major-zero",
+  "version": "0.1.0"
+}
diff --git a/core/conventional-commits/__tests__/__fixtures__/major-zero/packages/package-1/CHANGELOG.md b/core/conventional-commits/__tests__/__fixtures__/major-zero/packages/package-1/CHANGELOG.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/core/conventional-commits/__tests__/__fixtures__/major-zero/packages/package-1/package.json b/core/conventional-commits/__tests__/__fixtures__/major-zero/packages/package-1/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fdfbc2b635
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/conventional-commits/__tests__/__fixtures__/major-zero/packages/package-1/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+{
+  "name": "package-1",
+  "repository": "lerna/conventional-commits-major-zero",
+  "version": "1.0.0"
+}
diff --git a/core/conventional-commits/__tests__/conventional-commits.test.js b/core/conventional-commits/__tests__/conventional-commits.test.js
index 7b535e8d21..a23b2ddd55 100644
--- a/core/conventional-commits/__tests__/conventional-commits.test.js
+++ b/core/conventional-commits/__tests__/conventional-commits.test.js
@@ -217,6 +217,21 @@ describe("conventional-commits", () => {
       ).rejects.toThrow("Unable to load conventional-changelog preset 'conventional-changelog-garbage/pail'");
     });
 
+    describe("bump for major version zero", () => {
+      it("treats breaking changes as semver-minor", async () => {
+        const cwd = await initFixture("major-zero");
+        const [pkg0] = await getPackages(cwd);
+
+        // make a change in package-0
+        await pkg0.set("changed", 1).serialize();
+        await gitAdd(cwd, pkg0.manifestLocation);
+        await gitCommit(cwd, "feat: changed\n\nBREAKING CHANGE: changed");
+
+        const bump = await recommendVersion(pkg0, "independent", {});
+        expect(bump).toBe("0.2.0");
+      });
+    });
+
     describe("prerelease bumps", () => {
       let cwd;
       let pkg;
diff --git a/core/conventional-commits/lib/recommend-version.js b/core/conventional-commits/lib/recommend-version.js
index f13ae56df9..f524f9d048 100644
--- a/core/conventional-commits/lib/recommend-version.js
+++ b/core/conventional-commits/lib/recommend-version.js
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ function recommendVersion(pkg, type, { changelogPreset, rootPath, tagPrefix, pre
 
         // result might be undefined because some presets are not consistent with angular
         // we still need to bump _something_ because lerna saw a change here
-        const releaseType = data.releaseType || "patch";
+        let releaseType = data.releaseType || "patch";
 
         if (prereleaseId) {
           const shouldBump = shouldBumpPrerelease(releaseType, pkg.version);
@@ -59,6 +59,26 @@ function recommendVersion(pkg, type, { changelogPreset, rootPath, tagPrefix, pre
           log.verbose(type, "increment %s by %s", pkg.version, prereleaseType);
           resolve(semver.inc(pkg.version, prereleaseType, prereleaseId));
         } else {
+          if (semver.major(pkg.version) === 0) {
+            // According to semver, major version zero (0.y.z) is for initial
+            // development. Anything MAY change at any time. The public API
+            // SHOULD NOT be considered stable. The version 1.0.0 defines
+            // the (initial stable) public API.
+            //
+            // To allow monorepos to use major version zero meaningfully,
+            // the transition from 0.x to 1.x must be explicitly requested
+            // by the user. Breaking changes MUST NOT automatically bump
+            // the major version from 0.x to 1.x.
+            //
+            // The usual convention is to use semver-patch bumps for bugfix
+            // releases and semver-minor for everything else, including
+            // breaking changes. This matches the behavior of `^` operator
+            // as implemented by `npm`.
+            //
+            if (releaseType === "major") {
+              releaseType = "minor";
+            }
+          }
           log.verbose(type, "increment %s by %s", pkg.version, releaseType);
           resolve(semver.inc(pkg.version, releaseType));
         }