diff --git a/cmd/prometheus/main.go b/cmd/prometheus/main.go
index 9be251c9a..b513ef196 100644
--- a/cmd/prometheus/main.go
+++ b/cmd/prometheus/main.go
@@ -206,6 +206,10 @@ func reloadConfig(filename string, rls ...Reloadable) (success bool) {
 	conf, err := config.LoadFile(filename)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Errorf("Couldn't load configuration (-config.file=%s): %v", filename, err)
+		// TODO(julius): Remove this notice when releasing 0.17.0 or 0.18.0.
+		if err.Error() == "unknown fields in global config: labels" {
+			log.Errorf("NOTE: The 'labels' setting in the global configuration section has been renamed to 'external_labels' and now has changed semantics (see release notes at https://github.com/prometheus/prometheus/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md). Please update your configuration file accordingly.")
+		}
 		return false
 	}
 	success = true
diff --git a/config/config.go b/config/config.go
index eef034e17..e00e24535 100644
--- a/config/config.go
+++ b/config/config.go
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ type GlobalConfig struct {
 	// How frequently to evaluate rules by default.
 	EvaluationInterval Duration `yaml:"evaluation_interval,omitempty"`
 	// The labels to add to any timeseries that this Prometheus instance scrapes.
-	Labels model.LabelSet `yaml:"labels,omitempty"`
+	ExternalLabels model.LabelSet `yaml:"external_labels,omitempty"`
 
 	// Catches all undefined fields and must be empty after parsing.
 	XXX map[string]interface{} `yaml:",inline"`
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ func (c *GlobalConfig) UnmarshalYAML(unmarshal func(interface{}) error) error {
 
 // isZero returns true iff the global config is the zero value.
 func (c *GlobalConfig) isZero() bool {
-	return c.Labels == nil &&
+	return c.ExternalLabels == nil &&
 		c.ScrapeInterval == 0 &&
 		c.ScrapeTimeout == 0 &&
 		c.EvaluationInterval == 0
diff --git a/config/config_test.go b/config/config_test.go
index a8571d54d..3e38cda33 100644
--- a/config/config_test.go
+++ b/config/config_test.go
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ var expectedConf = &Config{
 		ScrapeTimeout:      DefaultGlobalConfig.ScrapeTimeout,
 		EvaluationInterval: Duration(30 * time.Second),
 
-		Labels: model.LabelSet{
+		ExternalLabels: model.LabelSet{
 			"monitor": "codelab",
 			"foo":     "bar",
 		},
diff --git a/config/testdata/conf.good.yml b/config/testdata/conf.good.yml
index 6b3745083..3e04c0a9a 100644
--- a/config/testdata/conf.good.yml
+++ b/config/testdata/conf.good.yml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ global:
   evaluation_interval: 30s
   # scrape_timeout is set to the global default (10s).
 
-  labels:
+  external_labels:
     monitor: codelab
     foo:     bar
 
diff --git a/config/testdata/labelname.bad.yml b/config/testdata/labelname.bad.yml
index 66ea324cf..c06853a26 100644
--- a/config/testdata/labelname.bad.yml
+++ b/config/testdata/labelname.bad.yml
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 global:
-  labels:
+  external_labels:
     not$allowed: value
diff --git a/config/testdata/labelname2.bad.yml b/config/testdata/labelname2.bad.yml
index 30da44b17..7afcd6bcf 100644
--- a/config/testdata/labelname2.bad.yml
+++ b/config/testdata/labelname2.bad.yml
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 global:
-  labels:
+  external_labels:
     'not:allowed': value
diff --git a/config/testdata/unknown_attr.bad.yml b/config/testdata/unknown_attr.bad.yml
index 4baaf565c..8a53075f6 100644
--- a/config/testdata/unknown_attr.bad.yml
+++ b/config/testdata/unknown_attr.bad.yml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ global:
   evaluation_interval: 30s
   # scrape_timeout is set to the global default (10s).
 
-  labels:
+  external_labels:
       monitor: codelab
       foo:     bar
 
diff --git a/notification/notification.go b/notification/notification.go
index a43d05060..0b1e1a838 100644
--- a/notification/notification.go
+++ b/notification/notification.go
@@ -88,9 +88,9 @@ type NotificationHandler struct {
 	notificationsQueueLength   prometheus.Gauge
 	notificationsQueueCapacity prometheus.Metric
 
-	globalLabels model.LabelSet
-	mtx          sync.RWMutex
-	stopped      chan struct{}
+	externalLabels model.LabelSet
+	mtx            sync.RWMutex
+	stopped        chan struct{}
 }
 
 // NotificationHandlerOptions are the configurable parameters of a NotificationHandler.
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ func (n *NotificationHandler) ApplyConfig(conf *config.Config) bool {
 	n.mtx.Lock()
 	defer n.mtx.Unlock()
 
-	n.globalLabels = conf.GlobalConfig.Labels
+	n.externalLabels = conf.GlobalConfig.ExternalLabels
 	return true
 }
 
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ func (n *NotificationHandler) sendNotifications(reqs NotificationReqs) error {
 
 	alerts := make([]map[string]interface{}, 0, len(reqs))
 	for _, req := range reqs {
-		for ln, lv := range n.globalLabels {
+		for ln, lv := range n.externalLabels {
 			if _, ok := req.Labels[ln]; !ok {
 				req.Labels[ln] = lv
 			}
diff --git a/storage/remote/remote.go b/storage/remote/remote.go
index e570cc57c..e77443469 100644
--- a/storage/remote/remote.go
+++ b/storage/remote/remote.go
@@ -30,9 +30,9 @@ import (
 
 // Storage collects multiple remote storage queues.
 type Storage struct {
-	queues       []*StorageQueueManager
-	globalLabels model.LabelSet
-	mtx          sync.RWMutex
+	queues         []*StorageQueueManager
+	externalLabels model.LabelSet
+	mtx            sync.RWMutex
 }
 
 // ApplyConfig updates the status state as the new config requires.
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ func (s *Storage) ApplyConfig(conf *config.Config) bool {
 	s.mtx.Lock()
 	defer s.mtx.Unlock()
 
-	s.globalLabels = conf.GlobalConfig.Labels
+	s.externalLabels = conf.GlobalConfig.ExternalLabels
 	return true
 }
 
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ func (s *Storage) Append(smpl *model.Sample) {
 	snew = *smpl
 	snew.Metric = smpl.Metric.Clone()
 
-	for ln, lv := range s.globalLabels {
+	for ln, lv := range s.externalLabels {
 		if _, ok := smpl.Metric[ln]; !ok {
 			snew.Metric[ln] = lv
 		}
diff --git a/web/federate.go b/web/federate.go
index 2f8b8aa93..d935421a7 100644
--- a/web/federate.go
+++ b/web/federate.go
@@ -80,13 +80,13 @@ func (h *Handler) federation(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
 				Name:  proto.String(string(ln)),
 				Value: proto.String(string(lv)),
 			})
-			if _, ok := h.globalLabels[ln]; ok {
+			if _, ok := h.externalLabels[ln]; ok {
 				globalUsed[ln] = struct{}{}
 			}
 		}
 
 		// Attach global labels if they do not exist yet.
-		for ln, lv := range h.globalLabels {
+		for ln, lv := range h.externalLabels {
 			if _, ok := globalUsed[ln]; !ok {
 				protMetric.Label = append(protMetric.Label, &dto.LabelPair{
 					Name:  proto.String(string(ln)),
diff --git a/web/web.go b/web/web.go
index 65673074c..6e8b27295 100644
--- a/web/web.go
+++ b/web/web.go
@@ -67,8 +67,8 @@ type Handler struct {
 	options     *Options
 	statusInfo  *PrometheusStatus
 
-	globalLabels model.LabelSet
-	mtx          sync.RWMutex
+	externalLabels model.LabelSet
+	mtx            sync.RWMutex
 }
 
 // ApplyConfig updates the status state as the new config requires.
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ func (h *Handler) ApplyConfig(conf *config.Config) bool {
 	h.mtx.Lock()
 	defer h.mtx.Unlock()
 
-	h.globalLabels = conf.GlobalConfig.Labels
+	h.externalLabels = conf.GlobalConfig.ExternalLabels
 
 	return true
 }