zai-org / zai-org/feedback

[Feature] Session titles: template or auto-generated titles for automation-spawned sessions (raw prompt truncation pollutes the sidebar)

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priority: P2
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Description

Environment

ZCode Desktop 3.14.0 (3.14.0.7681), macOS x86_64

Scenario

Recurring automations spawn a new session per run, and the spawned session's title is taken from the first ~50 characters of the automation prompt (title_source = first_input in ~/.zcode/cli/db/db.sqlite). Any automation whose prompt starts with instructions — the common case — therefore produces a pile of identical, truncated instruction text as titles. Example: a twice-hourly repo watcher whose prompt begins "You are the auto-DESIGN watcher of repo memo (working dir…" has produced 50+ same-titled sessions; the only way to tell runs apart is the sidebar's relative time ("2 hours ago"), which stops being usable the next day.

The automation itself already has a human-readable title (e.g. "auto DESIGN"), but it does not propagate to the spawned sessions' titles.

At the same time, the session table already carries a title_source enum {default, first_input, generated, custom}generated exists but is not used for automation runs.

Request (three options, any would help — listed by decreasing simplicity)

  1. Minimal default (zero config): spawn the session with title = automation title + run timestamp, e.g. auto DESIGN · 2026-09-19 09:12. The automation title exists at spawn time; no UI or template engine needed.
  2. Per-automation title template in the automation settings, with variables ({{date}}, {{time}}, {{run_id}}, optionally {{first_result}}).
  3. Auto-generated titles: run the same title generation used for interactive sessions (title_source = generated) on automation sessions after the first assistant reply.

Related issues

  • #520 — accumulation of automation runs (dates/day-grouping/auto-archive); a title template is one of its suggestions. This issue is scoped narrower: the naming mechanics itself, not grouping/archival.
  • #712 — expose renameSession to agents. Complementary: runtime-derived info a template cannot know (e.g. a ticket number the automation picks mid-run) could then be set by the agent itself.

Value

With titles that identify the automation and the run, the session list becomes a readable run log: renaming/backups/archiving can map sessions to runs, and #520's grouping/cleanup workflows get a stable key to group by.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by inspecting ~/.zcode/cli/db/db.sqlite, especially the session table and its title_source enum, then trace how automation-spawned sessions are created. Resolve which of the three title approaches is intended and verify that completed runs have distinct, automation-identifying sidebar titles without relying on relative time.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Domain
desktop
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
42/100

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