feat: show session titles (agent-name/custom-title/ai-title) in sidebar, tabs and palette

src/main/services/discovery/ProjectScanner.ts

@@ -762,6 +762,7 @@ export class ProjectScanner {
       createdAt: Math.floor(createdAt),
       updatedAt: Math.floor(effectiveMtime),
       firstMessage: metadata.firstUserMessage?.text,
+      customTitle: metadata.customTitle,
       messageTimestamp: metadata.firstUserMessage?.timestamp,
       hasSubagents,
       messageCount: metadata.messageCount,
@@ -833,6 +834,7 @@ export class ProjectScanner {
       createdAt: Math.floor(createdAt),
       updatedAt: Math.floor(effectiveMtime),
       firstMessage: metadata.firstUserMessage?.text,
+      customTitle: metadata.customTitle,
       messageTimestamp: metadata.firstUserMessage?.timestamp,
       hasSubagents: false,
       messageCount: metadata.messageCount,

src/main/types/domain.ts

@@ -93,6 +93,8 @@ export interface Session {
   updatedAt?: number;
   /** First user message text (for preview) */
   firstMessage?: string;
+  /** Session title: session name (agent-name/custom-title) or Claude-generated ai-title */
+  customTitle?: string;
   /** Timestamp of first user message (RFC3339) */
   messageTimestamp?: string;
   /** Whether this session has subagents */

src/main/utils/jsonl.ts

@@ -351,6 +351,8 @@ export interface SessionFileMetadata {
   /** Per-phase token breakdown */
   phaseBreakdown?: PhaseTokenBreakdown[];
   hasDisplayableContent: boolean;
+  /** Session title: last session name (agent-name/custom-title), else last ai-title */
+  customTitle?: string;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -384,6 +386,8 @@ export async function analyzeSessionFileMetadata(
   // After a UserGroup, await the first main-thread assistant message to count the AIGroup
   let awaitingAIGroup = false;
   let gitBranch: string | null = null;
+  let userTitle: string | undefined;
+  let aiTitle: string | undefined;
 
   let activityIndex = 0;
   let lastEndingIndex = -1;
@@ -412,6 +416,22 @@ export async function analyzeSessionFileMetadata(
       continue;
     }
 
+    // Title entries are not chat entries (parseChatHistoryEntry ignores them); last one wins.
+    const record = entry as unknown as Record<string, unknown>;
+    if (record.type === 'agent-name' || record.type === 'custom-title') {
+      const value = record.type === 'agent-name' ? record.agentName : record.customTitle;
+      if (typeof value === 'string' && value.trim()) {
+        userTitle = value.trim();
+      }
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (record.type === 'ai-title') {
+      if (typeof record.aiTitle === 'string' && record.aiTitle.trim()) {
+        aiTitle = record.aiTitle.trim();
+      }
+      continue;
+    }
+
     const parsed = parseChatHistoryEntry(entry);
     if (!parsed) {
       continue;
@@ -644,5 +664,6 @@ export async function analyzeSessionFileMetadata(
     compactionCount: compactionPhases.length > 0 ? compactionPhases.length : undefined,
     phaseBreakdown,
     hasDisplayableContent,
+    customTitle: userTitle ?? aiTitle,
   };
 }

src/renderer/components/layout/SortableTab.tsx

@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ export const SortableTab = ({
   const commitRename = useCallback(() => {
     const trimmed = renameInputRef.current?.value.trim() ?? '';
     if (trimmed && trimmed !== tab.label) {
-      updateTabLabel(tab.id, trimmed);
+      updateTabLabel(tab.id, trimmed, { setByUser: true });
     }
     onRenameComplete?.();
   }, [tab.label, tab.id, updateTabLabel, onRenameComplete]);

src/renderer/components/search/CommandPalette.tsx

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import React, { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react'
 import { api } from '@renderer/api';
 import { useStore } from '@renderer/store';
 import { formatModifierShortcut } from '@renderer/utils/keyboardUtils';
+import { getSessionTitle } from '@renderer/utils/sessionTitle';
 import { createLogger } from '@shared/utils/logger';
 import { isSessionIdFragment, isUUID } from '@shared/utils/sessionIdValidator';
 import { formatDistanceToNow } from 'date-fns';
@@ -726,7 +727,7 @@ export const CommandPalette = (): React.JSX.Element | null => {
                     sessionIdMatch.projectId ??
                     'Unknown'
                   }
-                  sessionTitle={sessionIdMatch.session.firstMessage ?? ''}
+                  sessionTitle={getSessionTitle(sessionIdMatch.session) ?? ''}
                   messageCount={sessionIdMatch.session.messageCount}
                   createdAt={sessionIdMatch.session.createdAt}
                   sessionId={query.trim()}
@@ -747,7 +748,7 @@ export const CommandPalette = (): React.JSX.Element | null => {
                   <SessionIdMatchItem
                     key={match.session.id}
                     projectName={projectNameByWorktreeId.get(match.projectId) ?? match.projectId}
-                    sessionTitle={match.session.firstMessage ?? ''}
+                    sessionTitle={getSessionTitle(match.session) ?? ''}
                     messageCount={match.session.messageCount}
                     createdAt={match.session.createdAt}
                     sessionId={match.session.id}

src/renderer/components/sidebar/SessionItem.tsx

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import React, { useCallback, useRef, useState } from 'react';
 import { createPortal } from 'react-dom';
 
 import { useStore } from '@renderer/store';
+import { getSessionTitle } from '@renderer/utils/sessionTitle';
 import { formatTokensCompact } from '@shared/utils/tokenFormatting';
 import { formatDistanceToNowStrict } from 'date-fns';
 import { EyeOff, MessageSquare, Pin } from 'lucide-react';
@@ -161,6 +162,9 @@ export const SessionItem = React.memo(function SessionItem({
 
   const [contextMenu, setContextMenu] = useState<{ x: number; y: number } | null>(null);
 
+  const sessionTitle = getSessionTitle(session);
+  const sessionLabel = sessionTitle?.slice(0, 50) ?? 'Session';
+
   const handleClick = (event: React.MouseEvent): void => {
     if (!activeProjectId) return;
 
@@ -178,7 +182,7 @@ export const SessionItem = React.memo(function SessionItem({
         type: 'session',
         sessionId: session.id,
         projectId: activeProjectId,
-        label: session.firstMessage?.slice(0, 50) ?? 'Session',
+        label: sessionLabel,
       },
       forceNewTab ? { forceNewTab } : { replaceActiveTab: true }
     );
@@ -191,8 +195,6 @@ export const SessionItem = React.memo(function SessionItem({
     setContextMenu({ x: e.clientX, y: e.clientY });
   }, []);
 
-  const sessionLabel = session.firstMessage?.slice(0, 50) ?? 'Session';
-
   const handleOpenInCurrentPane = useCallback(() => {
     if (!activeProjectId) return;
     openTab(
@@ -271,7 +273,7 @@ export const SessionItem = React.memo(function SessionItem({
             className="truncate text-[13px] font-medium leading-tight"
             style={{ color: isActive ? 'var(--color-text)' : 'var(--color-text-muted)' }}
           >
-            {session.firstMessage ?? 'Untitled'}
+            {sessionTitle ?? 'Untitled'}
           </span>
         </div>
 

src/renderer/store/slices/sessionDetailSlice.ts

@@ -4,14 +4,15 @@
 
 import { api } from '@renderer/api';
 import { asEnhancedChunkArray } from '@renderer/types/data';
-import { findTabBySession, truncateLabel } from '@renderer/types/tabs';
+import { truncateLabel } from '@renderer/types/tabs';
 import { processSessionClaudeMd } from '@renderer/utils/claudeMdTracker';
 import { processSessionContextWithPhases } from '@renderer/utils/contextTracker';
 import {
   extractFileReferences,
   incrementalUpdateConversation,
   transformChunksToConversation,
 } from '@renderer/utils/groupTransformer';
+import { getSessionTitle } from '@renderer/utils/sessionTitle';
 import { createLogger } from '@shared/utils/logger';
 import { isSessionDetailUnchanged } from '@shared/utils/sessionDetailResponse';
 
@@ -52,7 +53,7 @@ import type {
   ContextStats,
   MentionedFileInfo,
 } from '@renderer/types/contextInjection';
-import type { ClaudeMdFileInfo, SessionDetail } from '@renderer/types/data';
+import type { ClaudeMdFileInfo, Session, SessionDetail } from '@renderer/types/data';
 import type { AIGroup, SessionConversation } from '@renderer/types/groups';
 import type { AgentConfig } from '@shared/types/api';
 import type { StateCreator } from 'zustand';
@@ -89,6 +90,29 @@ function createEmptyTabSessionData(): TabSessionData {
   };
 }
 
+/**
+ * Apply the session's title as the label of every tab showing it, skipping
+ * tabs the user renamed by hand.
+ */
+function syncSessionTabLabels(
+  state: AppState,
+  sessionId: string,
+  session: Session | undefined
+): void {
+  const title = session ? getSessionTitle(session) : undefined;
+  const label = title ? truncateLabel(title) : `Session ${sessionId.slice(0, 8)}`;
+  for (const tab of getAllTabs(state.paneLayout)) {
+    if (
+      tab.type === 'session' &&
+      tab.sessionId === sessionId &&
+      !tab.labelSetByUser &&
+      tab.label !== label
+    ) {
+      state.updateTabLabel(tab.id, label);
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 // =============================================================================
 // Slice Interface
 // =============================================================================
@@ -262,12 +286,8 @@ export const createSessionDetailSlice: StateCreator<AppState, [], [], SessionDet
         });
         return;
       }
-      const existingTab = findTabBySession(currentState.openTabs, sessionId);
-      if (existingTab && detail) {
-        const newLabel = detail.session.firstMessage
-          ? truncateLabel(detail.session.firstMessage)
-          : `Session ${sessionId.slice(0, 8)}`;
-        currentState.updateTabLabel(existingTab.id, newLabel);
+      if (detail) {
+        syncSessionTabLabels(currentState, sessionId, detail.session);
       }
 
       // Phase 1 set: conversation renders immediately, stats are null (filled in Phase 2)
@@ -595,6 +615,10 @@ export const createSessionDetailSlice: StateCreator<AppState, [], [], SessionDet
         sessionFileFingerprint.set(refreshKey, detail.fingerprint);
       }
 
+      // Sync tab labels before the chunk-fingerprint early return: a session
+      // rename only appends a title entry, which doesn't change chunks.
+      syncSessionTabLabels(get(), sessionId, detail.session);
+
       // Transform chunks to conversation - validate with type guard
       const isOngoing = detail.session?.isOngoing ?? false;
       const enhancedChunks = asEnhancedChunkArray(detail.chunks);

src/renderer/store/slices/tabSlice.ts

@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ export interface TabSlice {
 
   // Per-tab UI state actions
   setTabContextPanelVisible: (tabId: string, visible: boolean) => void;
-  updateTabLabel: (tabId: string, label: string) => void;
+  updateTabLabel: (tabId: string, label: string, options?: { setByUser?: boolean }) => void;
 
   // Multi-select actions
   setSelectedTabIds: (ids: string[]) => void;
@@ -426,12 +426,13 @@ export const createTabSlice: StateCreator<AppState, [], [], TabSlice> = (set, ge
     set(syncFromLayout(newLayout));
   },
 
-  // Update a tab's label (used by sessionDetailSlice after fetching session data)
-  updateTabLabel: (tabId: string, label: string) => {
+  // Update a tab's label (session title sync, or a manual rename with setByUser)
+  updateTabLabel: (tabId: string, label: string, options?: { setByUser?: boolean }) => {
     const { paneLayout } = get();
     const newLayout = updateTabInLayout(paneLayout, tabId, (tab) => ({
       ...tab,
       label,
+      ...(options?.setByUser ? { labelSetByUser: true } : {}),
     }));
     set(syncFromLayout(newLayout));
   },

src/renderer/types/tabs.ts

@@ -89,6 +89,9 @@ export interface Tab {
   /** Display name for the tab (max 50 chars) */
   label: string;
 
+  /** Whether the user renamed this tab; automatic session-title labels must not overwrite it */
+  labelSetByUser?: boolean;
+
   /** Unix timestamp when tab was opened */
   createdAt: number;
 

src/renderer/utils/sessionTitle.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+/**
+ * Session title resolution for display (sidebar, tabs, command palette).
+ */
+
+import type { Session } from '@renderer/types/data';
+
+/**
+ * Returns the session's display title: custom title (user rename or
+ * Claude-generated) when non-empty, otherwise the first user message.
+ */
+export function getSessionTitle(
+  session: Pick<Session, 'customTitle' | 'firstMessage'>
+): string | undefined {
+  return session.customTitle?.trim() || session.firstMessage;
+}