disable automatic session renaming setting

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
• [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features)

Problem Statement

When I manually name a session, Claude Code overwrites that name automatically — triggered on the first message and again around the 3rd prompt. There is no way to opt out of this behavior.

The manual name I set reflects the project or workflow context I want to track across multiple interactions. The auto-generated name reflects only the most recent prompt, which may be a narrow or off-topic question within that broader context. The result is that my session list becomes noisy and my intentional organization is silently undone.

Proposed Solution

Expected behavior Once a user manually renames a session, that name should be treated as authoritative and not overwritten by the auto-naming logic.

Requested feature A setting in

settings.json
to disable automatic session renaming, e.g.:

json

{
"autoRename": false
}
Alternatively, any mechanism that honors a manual name as a lock — similar to how most tools treat a user-edited field as overriding a system default.

Environment Claude Code v2.1.79+ (auto-rename introduced in this version)

Related issues #35810, #39785, #39590, #47176

Alternative Solutions

None found yet. Just getting annoyed.

Priority

Medium - Would be very helpful

Feature Category

Interactive mode (TUI)

Use Case Example

_No response_

Additional Context

I use Claude Code as a persistent work assistant across ongoing projects — each session maps to a specific workflow (e.g., "Fund 53 Closing," "AR Aging Report," "Board Deck Q2"). I name sessions deliberately so I can return to the right context quickly from my session list.

Within one of those sessions, I might ask an off-topic or narrow question — "what's the capital of Portugal," "fix this formula," "draft a quick reply to this email." The auto-rename logic fires on that prompt and renames my carefully labeled session to something like "Capital of Portugal" or "Formula Fix," permanently replacing the name I set.

The session list is now wrong. I either have to rename it again (friction every time) or lose track of which session holds which work context.

The ask is simple: if a user has manually set a name, treat it as intentional and don't overwrite it. A boolean setting in

settings.json
is sufficient — most users probably want auto-naming, but those of us who organize by project need a way to lock the name we set.