diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 2a5bf44..8fc3051 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -4,11 +4,13 @@ on:
   push:
     branches:
       - main
+      - develop
       - "feat/**"
       - "bugfix/**"
   pull_request:
     branches:
       - main
+      - develop
 
 # Cancel in-progress runs for the same workflow and branch
 concurrency:
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index bb9bbf1..6b365e2 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -124,14 +124,19 @@ poetry run pytest
 
 ### 1. Create a Feature Branch
 
-Always create a new branch for your work:
+We use a **develop branch workflow**:
+- `main` - Stable release branch (protected)
+- `develop` - Active development integration branch
+- Feature branches - Created from and merged back to `develop`
+
+Always create a new branch for your work from `develop`:
 
 ```bash
-# Update your main branch
-git checkout main
-git pull upstream main
+# Update your develop branch
+git checkout develop
+git pull upstream develop
 
-# Create a feature branch
+# Create a feature branch from develop
 git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name
 
 # Or for bug fixes
@@ -145,6 +150,11 @@ Branch naming conventions:
 - `refactor/description` - Code refactoring
 - `test/description` - Test additions/improvements
 
+**Workflow Summary**:
+1. Feature branches are created from `develop`
+2. Pull requests target `develop` (not `main`)
+3. `main` receives periodic releases from `develop` via PR
+
 ### 2. Make Your Changes
 
 Follow these guidelines when writing code:
@@ -386,7 +396,7 @@ git commit -m "test: add integration tests for tournaments"
 git push origin feature/your-feature-name
 ```
 
-Then create a pull request on GitHub with:
+Then create a pull request on GitHub **targeting the `develop` branch** with:
 
 1. **Clear title** describing the change
 2. **Description** including:
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1ca06b6..c2b8735 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 [![PyPI version](https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/ifpa-api.svg)](https://pypi.org/project/ifpa-api/)
 [![Python versions](https://img.shields.io/pypi/pyversions/ifpa-api.svg)](https://pypi.org/project/ifpa-api/)
 [![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-yellow.svg)](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)
-[![CI](https://github.com/johnsosoka/ifpa-api-python/workflows/CI/badge.svg)](https://github.com/johnsosoka/ifpa-api-python/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
+[![CI](https://github.com/johnsosoka/ifpa-api-python/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg?branch=main)](https://github.com/johnsosoka/ifpa-api-python/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
 [![codecov](https://codecov.io/gh/johnsosoka/ifpa-api-python/branch/main/graph/badge.svg)](https://codecov.io/gh/johnsosoka/ifpa-api-python)
 [![Documentation](https://img.shields.io/badge/docs-mkdocs-blue.svg)](https://johnsosoka.github.io/ifpa-api-python/)
 [![Code style: black](https://img.shields.io/badge/code%20style-black-000000.svg)](https://github.com/psf/black)