Session name auto-rename overwrites user-set names — endless rename loop

Type: bug / UX regression

Problem

In Claude Code desktop, session names are being auto-overwritten with random snippets from conversation dialog. I rename a session to something meaningful, continue working, and Claude Code silently overwrites my name with arbitrary dialog text. Rename → get overwritten → rename again → get overwritten. Endless loop.

What I want instead

For agent-driven workflows, session names should be the agent name or workstream identifier — things like:

• captain
• designex
• devex
• of-mobile
• iscp
• mdpal-cli

Short, stable, meaningful labels that tell me which agent this session is running. Random dialog snippets like "I'll start by reading the file" tell me nothing — they describe what just happened, not what this session IS.

Impact

• User-set names get overwritten
• For multi-agent workflows (captain + N worktree agents in parallel tabs), I need stable short names to distinguish them
• Can't reliably find a session by name — they change without my action
• Forces repeated manual intervention just to keep the name I set
• Undermines the whole point of naming a session (organization, recall, tab differentiation)

Expected behavior

Once a user explicitly sets a session name, Claude Code should never auto-rename it. Even better: let the agent set the session name programmatically at startup (e.g., from $AGENTNAME env var) so it's automatic but deterministic and meaningful.

Suggested fix

1. Track name source: user | auto | agent
2. Auto-rename only when source is auto
3. First user rename flips source to user and stops further auto-rename forever
4. Expose a way for agents to self-name at startup (e.g., CLAUDE_SESSION_NAME env var or a hook)

Reproduction

1. Start a Claude Code desktop session
2. Rename to something specific (captain, designex, etc.)
3. Continue the conversation
4. Watch the name get overwritten with a random dialog fragment within a few turns

Happens reliably, multiple times per session.

Reporter

Jordan Dea-Mattson
Head of Product and Technology, OrdinaryFolk (soon CPTO)

• Email: jdm@devopspm.com, jordan@ordinaryfolk.health
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jordandeamattson
• X/Twitter: @jordandm (personal), @AgencyGroupAI (TheAgency)
• GitHub: @jordandm (personal), @jordan-of (OrdinaryFolk), @the-agency-ai (TheAgency)
• Framework: https://github.com/the-agency-ai/the-agency

Hits this constantly running multi-agent workflows (captain + N worktree agents in parallel tabs). Building TheAgency — an open-source AI Augmented Development framework — where multi-session tab differentiation is central to the workflow.