diff --git a/cli/src/pi/extensionUiHandler.test.ts b/cli/src/pi/extensionUiHandler.test.ts
index e475347ea7..eeba886067 100644
--- a/cli/src/pi/extensionUiHandler.test.ts
+++ b/cli/src/pi/extensionUiHandler.test.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ type PermissionHandler = (response: unknown) => Promise<void>;
 function createHarness() {
     let permissionHandler: PermissionHandler | null = null;
     let state: Record<string, unknown> = { requests: {}, completedRequests: {} };
+    let capturedUpdater: ((metadata: Record<string, unknown> | null) => Record<string, unknown>) | null = null;
     const session = {
         rpcHandlerManager: {
             registerHandler: vi.fn((_method: unknown, handler: PermissionHandler) => { permissionHandler = handler; }),
@@ -13,8 +14,11 @@ function createHarness() {
         updateAgentState: vi.fn((updater: (current: never) => unknown) => { state = updater(state as never) as Record<string, unknown>; }),
         sendAgentMessage: vi.fn(),
         sendSessionEvent: vi.fn(),
-        getMetadata: vi.fn(() => null),
-        updateMetadata: vi.fn(),
+        getMetadata: vi.fn((): Record<string, unknown> | null => null),
+        updateMetadata: vi.fn((updater: (metadata: Record<string, unknown> | null) => Record<string, unknown>) => {
+            capturedUpdater = updater;
+            updater(null);
+        }),
     };
     const sendResponse = vi.fn();
     const handler = new PiExtensionUiHandler({ session: session as never, sendResponse });
@@ -23,6 +27,7 @@ function createHarness() {
         session,
         sendResponse,
         state: () => state,
+        lastUpdater: () => capturedUpdater,
         respond: async (response: unknown) => permissionHandler?.(response),
     };
 }
@@ -185,6 +190,27 @@ describe('PiExtensionUiHandler', () => {
         harness.handler.handle({ type: 'extension_ui_request', id: 'status', method: 'setStatus', statusKey: 'x', statusText: 'busy' });
         expect(harness.session.sendSessionEvent).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ type: 'message', message: '[Pi warning] Heads up' });
     });
+
+    it('setTitle keeps a manual metadata.name and updates the summary fallback', () => {
+        const harness = createHarness();
+        // A session renamed through the web holds a manual metadata.name; the
+        // extension title must go to the summary slot so the manual name survives
+        // (hub/src/sync/sessionCache.ts: "A manually chosen name must continue to win").
+        harness.session.getMetadata.mockReturnValue({ path: '/workspace', host: 'h', name: 'My custom HAPI title' });
+        harness.handler.handle({
+            type: 'extension_ui_request', id: 'title-1', method: 'setTitle', title: 'Agent auto title',
+        });
+
+        expect(harness.session.updateMetadata).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+        const updater = harness.lastUpdater()!;
+        const next = updater({ path: '/workspace', host: 'h', name: 'My custom HAPI title' });
+        expect(next).toMatchObject({
+            // Manual name survives unchanged.
+            name: 'My custom HAPI title',
+            // Agent title lands in the generated/summary fallback slot.
+            summary: { text: 'Agent auto title' },
+        });
+    });
 });
 
 
diff --git a/hub/src/web/routes/piSessions.test.ts b/hub/src/web/routes/piSessions.test.ts
index 2d3561341a..8abd793e0e 100644
--- a/hub/src/web/routes/piSessions.test.ts
+++ b/hub/src/web/routes/piSessions.test.ts
@@ -226,6 +226,64 @@ describe('Pi session import', () => {
         expect(store.sessions.getSessionsByNamespace('default')).toHaveLength(2)
     })
 
+    it('keeps an imported transcript title out of metadata.name so auto titles display', () => {
+        const { store, engine } = setup()
+        const source = transcript('imported-title', [userMessage('imported-title', 'entry-1', null, 'First user message', 1_000)])
+        const result = importPiSession({ store, engine, namespace: 'default', machine: machine('machine-1'), transcript: source })
+
+        const metadata = store.sessions.getSession(result.hapiSessionId!)!.metadata as Record<string, unknown>
+        // The transcript title no longer claims the manual-name slot.
+        expect(metadata.name).toBeUndefined()
+        // It lands in the summary fallback, keeping the native title visible.
+        expect(metadata.summary).toMatchObject({ text: 'Session imported-title' })
+    })
+
+    it('keeps a native session title in summary over the last user message', () => {
+        const { store, engine } = setup()
+        // transcript(): title is `Session <id>`; include a distinct last user message.
+        const source = transcript('login-fix', [userMessage('login-fix', 'entry-1', null, 'thanks', 1_000)])
+        const result = importPiSession({ store, engine, namespace: 'default', machine: machine('machine-1'), transcript: source })
+
+        const metadata = store.sessions.getSession(result.hapiSessionId!)!.metadata as Record<string, unknown>
+        expect(metadata.name).toBeUndefined()
+        // The native title wins over the last user message for display.
+        expect(metadata.summary).toMatchObject({ text: 'Session login-fix' })
+    })
+
+    it('falls back to the transcript title in summary when a session has no user message', () => {
+        const { store, engine } = setup()
+        const entry = toolResultMessage('imported-title-only-tools', 'entry-1', null, 'tool ping', 1_000)
+        const source = transcript('imported-title-only-tools', [entry])
+        const result = importPiSession({ store, engine, namespace: 'default', machine: machine('machine-1'), transcript: source })
+
+        const metadata = store.sessions.getSession(result.hapiSessionId!)!.metadata as Record<string, unknown>
+        expect(metadata.name).toBeUndefined()
+        expect(metadata.summary).toMatchObject({ text: 'Session imported-title-only-tools' })
+    })
+
+    it('keeps the manual-name slot free when a later extension-style summary arrives', () => {
+        const { store, engine } = setup()
+        const source = transcript('combo', [userMessage('combo', 'entry-1', null, 'thanks', 1_000)])
+        const first = importPiSession({ store, engine, namespace: 'default', machine: machine('machine-1'), transcript: source })
+        const sessionId = first.hapiSessionId!
+
+        // The Pi extension's setTitle syncs metadata.summary.text only (and does
+        // not touch name); simulate that write landing through the hub merge.
+        const stored = store.sessions.getSession(sessionId)!
+        store.sessions.updateSessionMetadata(
+            sessionId,
+            { ...(stored.metadata as Record<string, unknown>), summary: { text: 'Agent title', updatedAt: 2_000 } },
+            stored.metadataVersion,
+            'default'
+        )
+
+        const after = store.sessions.getSession(sessionId)!.metadata as Record<string, unknown>
+        // The manual-name slot stays empty so the web title helper still prefers
+        // the agent title from summary over the import fallback.
+        expect(after.name).toBeUndefined()
+        expect(after.summary).toMatchObject({ text: 'Agent title' })
+    })
+
     it('preserves a custom HAPI session name during later Pi reconciliation', () => {
         const { store, engine } = setup()
         const source = transcript('native-renamed', [userMessage('native-renamed', 'entry-1', null, 'one', 1_000)])
diff --git a/hub/src/web/routes/piSessions.ts b/hub/src/web/routes/piSessions.ts
index a622f5e611..ff95eb81aa 100644
--- a/hub/src/web/routes/piSessions.ts
+++ b/hub/src/web/routes/piSessions.ts
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ function buildPiMetadata(
     existing: Record<string, unknown>,
     state: NonNullable<Metadata['piImportState']>
 ): Metadata {
-    const summaryText = transcript.lastUserMessage ?? transcript.title
+    const summaryText = transcript.title ?? transcript.lastUserMessage
     const entryIds = asRecord(existing.conversationHistoryEntryIds) ?? {}
     const points = asRecord(existing.conversationHistoryPoints) ?? {}
     return {
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ function buildPiMetadata(
         path: transcript.cwd ?? (typeof existing.path === 'string' ? existing.path : dirname(transcript.file)),
         host: typeof existing.host === 'string' ? existing.host : (machine.metadata?.host ?? machine.id),
         os: typeof existing.os === 'string' ? existing.os : (machine.metadata?.platform ?? process.platform),
-        name: typeof existing.name === 'string' ? existing.name : transcript.title,
+        name: typeof existing.name === 'string' ? existing.name : undefined,
         summary: summaryText ? { text: summaryText, updatedAt: Date.now() } : undefined,
         machineId: machine.id,
         flavor: 'pi',