diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/chat-page.tsx b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/chat-page.tsx
index 7a86950633..84fae04080 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/chat-page.tsx
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/chat-page.tsx
@@ -174,7 +174,8 @@ function InlineSidebar({
 function TopBarActions({
   onNewThread,
   onNewCompare,
-}: { onNewThread: () => void; onNewCompare: () => void }) {
+  showCompare,
+}: { onNewThread: () => void; onNewCompare: () => void; showCompare: boolean }) {
   const { state } = useSidebar();
   if (state !== "collapsed") {
     return null;
@@ -189,14 +190,16 @@ function TopBarActions({
         </TooltipTrigger>
         <TooltipContent side="bottom">New Chat</TooltipContent>
       </Tooltip>
-      <Tooltip>
-        <TooltipTrigger asChild={true}>
-          <Button variant="ghost" size="icon-sm" onClick={onNewCompare}>
-            <HugeiconsIcon icon={ColumnInsertIcon} strokeWidth={2} />
-          </Button>
-        </TooltipTrigger>
-        <TooltipContent side="bottom">Compare</TooltipContent>
-      </Tooltip>
+      {showCompare ? (
+        <Tooltip>
+          <TooltipTrigger asChild={true}>
+            <Button variant="ghost" size="icon-sm" onClick={onNewCompare}>
+              <HugeiconsIcon icon={ColumnInsertIcon} strokeWidth={2} />
+            </Button>
+          </TooltipTrigger>
+          <TooltipContent side="bottom">Compare</TooltipContent>
+        </Tooltip>
+      ) : null}
     </>
   );
 }
@@ -215,6 +218,11 @@ export function ChatPage(): ReactElement {
   const lorasFromStore = useChatRuntimeStore((state) => state.loras);
   const modelsError = useChatRuntimeStore((state) => state.modelsError);
   const { refresh, selectModel, ejectModel } = useChatModelRuntime();
+  const canCompare = useMemo(() => {
+    const selected = inferenceParams.checkpoint;
+    if (!selected) return false;
+    return lorasFromStore.some((lora) => lora.id === selected);
+  }, [inferenceParams.checkpoint, lorasFromStore]);
 
   const handleCheckpointChange = useCallback(
     (value: string, meta?: { isLora: boolean }) => {
@@ -277,6 +285,7 @@ export function ChatPage(): ReactElement {
           onSelect={setView}
           onNewThread={handleNewThread}
           onNewCompare={handleNewCompare}
+          showCompare={canCompare}
         />
       </InlineSidebar>
 
@@ -287,6 +296,7 @@ export function ChatPage(): ReactElement {
             <TopBarActions
               onNewThread={handleNewThread}
               onNewCompare={handleNewCompare}
+              showCompare={canCompare}
             />
             <ModelSelector
               models={models}
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/chat-settings-sheet.tsx b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/chat-settings-sheet.tsx
index 48b83a41ec..f61f3329e0 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/chat-settings-sheet.tsx
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/chat-settings-sheet.tsx
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ export function ChatSettingsPanel({
           <CollapsibleSection
             icon={SlidersHorizontalIcon}
             label="Sampling"
-            defaultOpen={true}
+            defaultOpen={false}
           >
             <div className="flex flex-col gap-5">
               <ParamSlider
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/runtime-provider.tsx b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/runtime-provider.tsx
index 9ff5d3107e..090a2cb162 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/runtime-provider.tsx
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/runtime-provider.tsx
@@ -225,6 +225,14 @@ async function generateTitleWithModel(payload: {
 
 const inflightTitleByKey = new Set<string>();
 
+function fallbackTitleFromUserText(userText: string): string {
+  const firstLine = (userText || "").split(/\r?\n/, 1)[0] ?? "";
+  const cleaned = firstLine.replace(/\s+/g, " ").trim();
+  const max = 48;
+  if (!cleaned) return "New Chat";
+  return cleaned.slice(0, max) + (cleaned.length > max ? "..." : "");
+}
+
 function toThreadMessage(m: MessageRecord): ThreadMessage {
   const base = {
     id: m.id,
@@ -342,7 +350,7 @@ function createDexieAdapter(
       const userText = extractTextParts(firstUser) || "New Chat";
 
       if (!autoTitle) {
-        const title = userText.slice(0, 60) + (userText.length > 60 ? "..." : "");
+        const title = fallbackTitleFromUserText(userText);
         await db.threads.update(remoteId, { title });
         if (pairId) {
           const paired = await db.threads
@@ -394,7 +402,7 @@ function createDexieAdapter(
           (await generateTitleWithModel({
             userText,
           })) ||
-          (userText.slice(0, 60) + (userText.length > 60 ? "..." : ""));
+          fallbackTitleFromUserText(userText);
 
         await db.threads.update(remoteId, { title });
         if (pairId) {
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/stores/chat-runtime-store.ts b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/stores/chat-runtime-store.ts
index 682ea2ccce..10d5957906 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/stores/chat-runtime-store.ts
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/stores/chat-runtime-store.ts
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ export const useChatRuntimeStore = create<ChatRuntimeStore>((set) => ({
   loras: [],
   warmingByThreadId: {},
   runningByThreadId: {},
-  autoTitle: loadBool(AUTO_TITLE_KEY, true),
+  autoTitle: loadBool(AUTO_TITLE_KEY, false),
   modelsError: null,
   setParams: (params) => set({ params }),
   setModels: (models) => set({ models }),
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/thread-sidebar.tsx b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/thread-sidebar.tsx
index e1645e77bb..369dc30769 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/thread-sidebar.tsx
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/thread-sidebar.tsx
@@ -62,11 +62,13 @@ export function ThreadSidebar({
   onSelect,
   onNewThread,
   onNewCompare,
+  showCompare,
 }: {
   view: ChatView;
   onSelect: (view: ChatView) => void;
   onNewThread: () => void;
   onNewCompare: () => void;
+  showCompare: boolean;
 }) {
   const allThreads = useLiveQuery(
     () => db.threads.orderBy("createdAt").reverse().toArray(),
@@ -112,12 +114,14 @@ export function ThreadSidebar({
                   <span>New Chat</span>
                 </SidebarMenuButton>
               </SidebarMenuItem>
-              <SidebarMenuItem>
-                <SidebarMenuButton onClick={onNewCompare}>
-                  <HugeiconsIcon icon={ColumnInsertIcon} />
-                  <span>Compare</span>
-                </SidebarMenuButton>
-              </SidebarMenuItem>
+              {showCompare ? (
+                <SidebarMenuItem>
+                  <SidebarMenuButton onClick={onNewCompare}>
+                    <HugeiconsIcon icon={ColumnInsertIcon} />
+                    <span>Compare</span>
+                  </SidebarMenuButton>
+                </SidebarMenuItem>
+              ) : null}
             </SidebarMenu>
           </SidebarGroupContent>
         </SidebarGroup>