diff --git a/docs/api/rest.md b/docs/api/rest.md
index c86ae9d..692ba06 100644
--- a/docs/api/rest.md
+++ b/docs/api/rest.md
@@ -41,6 +41,25 @@ Content type:
 - Body: `{ "title"?: string }`
 - Response: `{ "chat": ChatSummary }`
 
+### `PATCH /v1/chats/:chatId`
+- Body: `{ "title": string }`
+- Response: `{ "chat": ChatSummary }`
+- Not found: `404 { "message": "chat not found" }`
+
+### `POST /v1/chats/title/suggest`
+- Body:
+```json
+{
+  "chatId": "chat-id",
+  "content": "user request text"
+}
+```
+- Response: `{ "chat": ChatSummary }`
+
+Behavior notes:
+- If the chat already has a non-empty title, server returns the existing chat unchanged.
+- Server always uses OpenAI `gpt-4.1-mini` to generate a one-line title (up to ~4 words), updates the chat title, and returns the updated chat.
+
 ### `DELETE /v1/chats/:chatId`
 - Response: `{ "deleted": true }`
 - Not found: `404 { "message": "chat not found" }`
diff --git a/server/src/routes.ts b/server/src/routes.ts
index 62497e9..6ec214f 100644
--- a/server/src/routes.ts
+++ b/server/src/routes.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { env } from "./env.js";
 import { runMultiplex } from "./llm/multiplexer.js";
 import { runMultiplexStream } from "./llm/streaming.js";
 import { getModelCatalogSnapshot } from "./llm/model-catalog.js";
+import { openaiClient } from "./llm/providers.js";
 import { exaClient } from "./search/exa.js";
 
 type IncomingChatMessage = {
@@ -100,6 +101,33 @@ function parseAnswerText(answerResponse: any) {
   return null;
 }
 
+function normalizeSuggestedTitle(raw: string, fallback: string) {
+  const oneLine = raw
+    .replace(/\r?\n+/g, " ")
+    .replace(/^['"`\s]+|['"`\s]+$/g, "")
+    .replace(/\s+/g, " ")
+    .trim();
+  const fromRaw = oneLine || fallback;
+  const words = fromRaw.split(/\s+/).filter(Boolean);
+  return words.slice(0, 4).join(" ").slice(0, 64).trim() || fallback;
+}
+
+async function generateChatTitle(content: string) {
+  const systemPrompt =
+    "You create short chat titles. Return exactly one line, maximum 4 words, no quotes, no trailing punctuation.";
+  const userPrompt = `User request:\n${content}\n\nTitle:`;
+  const response = await openaiClient().chat.completions.create({
+    model: "gpt-4.1-mini",
+    temperature: 0,
+    max_completion_tokens: 20,
+    messages: [
+      { role: "system", content: systemPrompt },
+      { role: "user", content: userPrompt },
+    ],
+  });
+  return response.choices?.[0]?.message?.content ?? "";
+}
+
 function normalizeUrlForMatch(input: string | null | undefined) {
   if (!input) return "";
   try {
@@ -159,6 +187,56 @@ export async function registerRoutes(app: FastifyInstance) {
     return { chat };
   });
 
+  app.patch("/v1/chats/:chatId", async (req) => {
+    requireAdmin(req);
+    const Params = z.object({ chatId: z.string() });
+    const Body = z.object({ title: z.string().trim().min(1) });
+    const { chatId } = Params.parse(req.params);
+    const body = Body.parse(req.body ?? {});
+
+    const updated = await prisma.chat.updateMany({
+      where: { id: chatId },
+      data: { title: body.title },
+    });
+
+    if (updated.count === 0) return app.httpErrors.notFound("chat not found");
+
+    const chat = await prisma.chat.findUnique({
+      where: { id: chatId },
+      select: { id: true, title: true, createdAt: true, updatedAt: true },
+    });
+    if (!chat) return app.httpErrors.notFound("chat not found");
+    return { chat };
+  });
+
+  app.post("/v1/chats/title/suggest", async (req) => {
+    requireAdmin(req);
+    const Body = z.object({
+      chatId: z.string(),
+      content: z.string().trim().min(1),
+    });
+    const body = Body.parse(req.body ?? {});
+
+    const existing = await prisma.chat.findUnique({
+      where: { id: body.chatId },
+      select: { id: true, title: true, createdAt: true, updatedAt: true },
+    });
+    if (!existing) return app.httpErrors.notFound("chat not found");
+    if (existing.title?.trim()) return { chat: existing };
+
+    const fallback = body.content.split(/\r?\n/)[0]?.trim().slice(0, 48) || "New chat";
+    const suggestedRaw = await generateChatTitle(body.content);
+    const title = normalizeSuggestedTitle(suggestedRaw, fallback);
+
+    const chat = await prisma.chat.update({
+      where: { id: body.chatId },
+      data: { title },
+      select: { id: true, title: true, createdAt: true, updatedAt: true },
+    });
+
+    return { chat };
+  });
+
   app.delete("/v1/chats/:chatId", async (req) => {
     requireAdmin(req);
     const Params = z.object({ chatId: z.string() });
diff --git a/web/src/App.tsx b/web/src/App.tsx
index 392002f..098bbf2 100644
--- a/web/src/App.tsx
+++ b/web/src/App.tsx
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import {
   listSearches,
   runCompletionStream,
   runSearchStream,
+  suggestChatTitle,
   type ModelCatalogResponse,
   type Provider,
   type ChatDetail,
@@ -269,6 +270,7 @@ export default function App() {
   const transcriptEndRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
   const contextMenuRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
   const selectedItemRef = useRef<SidebarSelection | null>(null);
+  const pendingTitleGenerationRef = useRef<Set<string>>(new Set());
   const searchRunAbortRef = useRef<AbortController | null>(null);
   const searchRunCounterRef = useRef(0);
   const [contextMenu, setContextMenu] = useState<ContextMenuState | null>(null);
@@ -580,6 +582,10 @@ export default function App() {
       const chat = await createChat();
       chatId = chat.id;
       setDraftKind(null);
+      setChats((current) => {
+        const withoutExisting = current.filter((existing) => existing.id !== chat.id);
+        return [chat, ...withoutExisting];
+      });
       setSelectedItem({ kind: "chat", id: chatId });
       setPendingChatState((current) => (current ? { ...current, chatId } : current));
       setSelectedChat({
@@ -618,6 +624,31 @@ export default function App() {
       throw new Error("No model available for selected provider");
     }
 
+    const chatSummary = chats.find((chat) => chat.id === chatId);
+    const hasExistingTitle = Boolean(selectedChat?.id === chatId ? selectedChat.title?.trim() : chatSummary?.title?.trim());
+    if (!hasExistingTitle && !pendingTitleGenerationRef.current.has(chatId)) {
+      pendingTitleGenerationRef.current.add(chatId);
+      void suggestChatTitle({ chatId, content })
+        .then((updatedChat) => {
+          setChats((current) =>
+            current.map((chat) => {
+              if (chat.id !== updatedChat.id) return chat;
+              return { ...chat, title: updatedChat.title, updatedAt: updatedChat.updatedAt };
+            })
+          );
+          setSelectedChat((current) => {
+            if (!current || current.id !== updatedChat.id) return current;
+            return { ...current, title: updatedChat.title, updatedAt: updatedChat.updatedAt };
+          });
+        })
+        .catch(() => {
+          // ignore title suggestion errors so chat flow is not interrupted
+        })
+        .finally(() => {
+          pendingTitleGenerationRef.current.delete(chatId);
+        });
+    }
+
     let streamErrorMessage: string | null = null;
 
     await runCompletionStream(
diff --git a/web/src/lib/api.ts b/web/src/lib/api.ts
index 598cb6f..d86abeb 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/api.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/api.ts
@@ -178,6 +178,22 @@ export async function getChat(chatId: string) {
   return data.chat;
 }
 
+export async function updateChatTitle(chatId: string, title: string) {
+  const data = await api<{ chat: ChatSummary }>(`/v1/chats/${chatId}`, {
+    method: "PATCH",
+    body: JSON.stringify({ title }),
+  });
+  return data.chat;
+}
+
+export async function suggestChatTitle(body: { chatId: string; content: string }) {
+  const data = await api<{ chat: ChatSummary }>("/v1/chats/title/suggest", {
+    method: "POST",
+    body: JSON.stringify(body),
+  });
+  return data.chat;
+}
+
 export async function deleteChat(chatId: string) {
   await api<{ deleted: true }>(`/v1/chats/${chatId}`, { method: "DELETE" });
 }