feat(session): make generated titles optional (#39747)

packages/app/src/components/titlebar-tab-nav.tsx

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import { SessionTabAvatar } from "@/pages/layout/session-tab-avatar"
 import type { Session } from "@opencode-ai/sdk/v2"
 import { canOpenTabRename, forwardTabRef } from "./titlebar-tab-gesture"
 import { TabPreviewPopover } from "./titlebar-tab-popover"
+import { sessionTitle } from "@/utils/session-title"
 import "./titlebar-tab-nav.css"
 
 // MouseEvent.button uses 1 for the middle/wheel button.
@@ -54,7 +55,10 @@ export function TabNavItem(props: {
     if (!session) return
     return projectForSession(session, serverCtx()?.projects.list() ?? [])
   })
-  const title = createMemo(() => props.session()?.title ?? props.fallbackTitle)
+  const title = createMemo(() => {
+    const session = props.session()
+    return session ? sessionTitle(session.title, session.parentID) : props.fallbackTitle
+  })
 
   const projectName = createMemo(() => {
     const session = props.session()
@@ -143,7 +147,7 @@ export function TabNavItem(props: {
     if (!canOpenTabRename(props.dragging, editing(), rename.isPending)) return
     const session = props.session()
     if (!session) return
-    titleEl.textContent = session.title
+    titleEl.textContent = session.title ?? ""
     setEditing(true)
 
     requestAnimationFrame(() => {
@@ -302,7 +306,7 @@ export function TabNavItem(props: {
       }}
       data={{
         projectName: projectName(),
-        title: props.session()?.title,
+        title: title(),
         path: previewPath(),
         serverName: serverLabel(),
       }}

packages/app/src/pages/home/home-session-search-controller.ts

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { createMemo, onCleanup } from "solid-js"
 import { createStore } from "solid-js/store"
 import type { HomeController } from "./home-controller"
 import { homeSessionSearchKey, type HomeSessionRecord, type HomeSessionsController } from "./home-sessions-controller"
+import { sessionTitle } from "@/utils/session-title"
 
 type HomeSessionSearchSource = Pick<HomeSessionsController, "data" | "session">
 
@@ -23,7 +24,7 @@ export function createHomeSessionSearchController(home: HomeController, sessions
     if (!value) return []
     return sessions.data
       .searchRecords()
-      .filter((record) => `${record.session.title} ${record.projectName}`.toLowerCase().includes(value))
+      .filter((record) => `${sessionTitle(record.session.title)} ${record.projectName}`.toLowerCase().includes(value))
   })
   const active = createMemo(() => {
     const records = results()

packages/app/src/pages/layout/sidebar-items.tsx

@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ const SessionRow = (props: {
   warmPress: () => void
   warmFocus: () => void
 }): JSX.Element => {
-  const title = () => sessionTitle(props.session.title)
+  const title = () => sessionTitle(props.session.title, props.session.parentID)
 
   return (
     <A
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ export const SessionItem = (props: SessionItemProps): JSX.Element => {
               fallback={
                 <Tooltip
                   placement={props.mobile ? "bottom" : "right"}
-                  value={sessionTitle(props.session.title)}
+                  value={sessionTitle(props.session.title, props.session.parentID)}
                   gutter={10}
                   class="min-w-0 w-full"
                 >

packages/app/src/pages/session/timeline/message-timeline.tsx

@@ -297,7 +297,11 @@ export function MessageTimeline(props: {
     return sync().session.get(id)
   })
   const titleValue = createMemo(() => info()?.title)
-  const titleLabel = createMemo(() => sessionTitle(titleValue()))
+  const titleLabel = createMemo(() => {
+    const session = info()
+    if (!session) return
+    return sessionTitle(titleValue(), session.parentID)
+  })
   const shareUrl = createMemo(() => info()?.share?.url)
   const shareEnabled = createMemo(() => sync().data.config.share !== "disabled")
   const parentID = createMemo(() => info()?.parentID)
@@ -311,7 +315,10 @@ export function MessageTimeline(props: {
     if (!id) return emptyMessages
     return sync().data.message[id] ?? emptyMessages
   })
-  const parentTitle = createMemo(() => sessionTitle(parent()?.title) ?? language.t("command.session.new"))
+  const parentTitle = createMemo(() => {
+    const session = parent()
+    return session ? sessionTitle(session.title, session.parentID) : language.t("command.session.new")
+  })
   const getMsgParts = (msgId: string) => sync().data.part[msgId] ?? emptyParts
   const getMsgPart = (messageID: string, partID: string) => getMsgParts(messageID).find((part) => part.id === partID)
   const childTaskDescription = createMemo(() => {
@@ -329,7 +336,7 @@ export function MessageTimeline(props: {
     if (value) return value
     return language.t("command.session.new")
   })
-  const showHeader = createMemo(() => !!(titleValue() || parentID()))
+  const showHeader = createMemo(() => !!(titleLabel() || parentID()))
   const projection = createTimelineProjection({
     messages: sessionMessages,
     userMessages: () => props.userMessages,
@@ -912,9 +919,10 @@ export function MessageTimeline(props: {
   }
 
   function DialogDeleteSession(props: { sessionID: string }) {
-    const name = createMemo(
-      () => sessionTitle(sync().session.get(props.sessionID)?.title) ?? language.t("command.session.new"),
-    )
+    const name = createMemo(() => {
+      const session = sync().session.get(props.sessionID)
+      return session ? sessionTitle(session.title, session.parentID) : language.t("command.session.new")
+    })
     const handleDelete = async () => {
       await deleteSession(props.sessionID)
       dialog.close()

packages/app/src/utils/session-title.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test"
+import { sessionTitle } from "./session-title"
+
+describe("sessionTitle", () => {
+  test("uses a display fallback without persisting it", () => {
+    expect(sessionTitle(undefined)).toBe("New session")
+    expect(sessionTitle(undefined, "ses_parent")).toBe("Child session")
+    expect(sessionTitle("New session - 2026-07-30T18:45:03.662Z")).toBe("New session")
+    expect(sessionTitle("Generated title")).toBe("Generated title")
+  })
+})

packages/app/src/utils/session-title.ts

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 const pattern = /^(New session|Child session) - \d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}\.\d{3}Z$/
 
-export function sessionTitle(title?: string) {
-  if (!title) return title
+export function sessionTitle(title?: string, parentID?: string) {
+  if (!title) return parentID ? "Child session" : "New session"
   const match = title.match(pattern)
   return match?.[1] ?? title
 }

packages/app/src/utils/session.ts

@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ export function normalizeSessionInfo(input: SessionInfo | Session): Session {
     parentID: input.parentID,
     cost: input.cost,
     tokens: input.tokens,
-    title: input.title,
+    title: input.title ?? `${input.parentID ? "Child" : "New"} session - ${new Date(input.time.created).toISOString()}`,
     agent: input.agent,
     model: input.model,
     version: "",