diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/components/main/body/sessions/index.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/components/main/body/sessions/index.tsx
index 0b0eac1537..70d381906c 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/components/main/body/sessions/index.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/components/main/body/sessions/index.tsx
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import { useStartListening } from "../../../../hooks/useStartListening";
 import { useSTTConnection } from "../../../../hooks/useSTTConnection";
 import { useTitleGeneration } from "../../../../hooks/useTitleGeneration";
 import * as main from "../../../../store/tinybase/store/main";
+import { useSessionTitle } from "../../../../store/zustand/live-title";
 import { type Tab, useTabs } from "../../../../store/zustand/tabs";
 import { StandardTabWrapper } from "../index";
 import { type TabItem, TabItemBase } from "../shared";
@@ -43,7 +44,13 @@ export const TabItemNote: TabItem<Extract<Tab, { type: "sessions" }>> = ({
   pendingCloseConfirmationTab,
   setPendingCloseConfirmationTab,
 }) => {
-  const title = main.UI.useCell("sessions", tab.id, "title", main.STORE_ID);
+  const storeTitle = main.UI.useCell(
+    "sessions",
+    tab.id,
+    "title",
+    main.STORE_ID,
+  );
+  const title = useSessionTitle(tab.id, storeTitle as string | undefined);
   const sessionMode = useListener((state) => state.getSessionMode(tab.id));
   const stop = useListener((state) => state.stop);
   const isEnhancing = useIsSessionEnhancing(tab.id);
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/components/main/body/sessions/outer-header/folder.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/components/main/body/sessions/outer-header/folder.tsx
index a9d2933a59..4da0b0df31 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/components/main/body/sessions/outer-header/folder.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/components/main/body/sessions/outer-header/folder.tsx
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {
 import { Button } from "@hypr/ui/components/ui/button";
 
 import * as main from "../../../../../store/tinybase/store/main";
+import { useSessionTitle } from "../../../../../store/zustand/live-title";
 import { useTabs } from "../../../../../store/zustand/tabs";
 import { FolderBreadcrumb } from "../../shared/folder-breadcrumb";
 import { SearchableFolderDropdown } from "./shared/folder";
@@ -22,9 +23,13 @@ export function FolderChain({ sessionId }: { sessionId: string }) {
     "folder_id",
     main.STORE_ID,
   );
-  const title =
-    main.UI.useCell("sessions", sessionId, "title", main.STORE_ID) ??
-    "Untitled";
+  const storeTitle = main.UI.useCell(
+    "sessions",
+    sessionId,
+    "title",
+    main.STORE_ID,
+  ) as string | undefined;
+  const title = useSessionTitle(sessionId, storeTitle);
 
   const handleChangeTitle = main.UI.useSetPartialRowCallback(
     "sessions",
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/components/main/body/sessions/title-input.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/components/main/body/sessions/title-input.tsx
index 85c63ee683..535e15b281 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/components/main/body/sessions/title-input.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/components/main/body/sessions/title-input.tsx
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import { cn } from "@hypr/utils";
 
 import { useTitleGenerating } from "../../../../hooks/useTitleGenerating";
 import * as main from "../../../../store/tinybase/store/main";
+import { useLiveTitle } from "../../../../store/zustand/live-title";
 import { type Tab } from "../../../../store/zustand/tabs";
 
 export const TitleInput = forwardRef<
@@ -119,6 +120,8 @@ const TitleInputInner = memo(
       const isFocused = useRef(false);
       const internalRef = useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null);
       const store = main.UI.useStore(main.STORE_ID);
+      const setLiveTitle = useLiveTitle((s) => s.setTitle);
+      const clearLiveTitle = useLiveTitle((s) => s.clearTitle);
 
       useImperativeHandle(ref, () => internalRef.current!, []);
 
@@ -149,37 +152,6 @@ const TitleInputInner = memo(
         main.STORE_ID,
       );
 
-      const debounceRef = useRef<ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null>(null);
-      const pendingValueRef = useRef<string | null>(null);
-
-      const flushDebounce = useCallback(() => {
-        if (debounceRef.current) {
-          clearTimeout(debounceRef.current);
-          debounceRef.current = null;
-        }
-        if (pendingValueRef.current !== null) {
-          setStoreTitle(pendingValueRef.current);
-          pendingValueRef.current = null;
-        }
-      }, [setStoreTitle]);
-
-      const debouncedPersist = useCallback(
-        (value: string) => {
-          pendingValueRef.current = value;
-          if (debounceRef.current) {
-            clearTimeout(debounceRef.current);
-          }
-          debounceRef.current = setTimeout(() => {
-            if (pendingValueRef.current !== null) {
-              setStoreTitle(pendingValueRef.current);
-              pendingValueRef.current = null;
-            }
-            debounceRef.current = null;
-          }, 150);
-        },
-        [setStoreTitle],
-      );
-
       useEffect(() => {
         const handleMoveToTitlePosition = (e: Event) => {
           const customEvent = e as CustomEvent<{ pixelWidth: number }>;
@@ -238,8 +210,8 @@ const TitleInputInner = memo(
           const beforeCursor = input.value.slice(0, cursorPos);
           const afterCursor = input.value.slice(cursorPos);
 
-          flushDebounce();
           setStoreTitle(beforeCursor);
+          clearLiveTitle(sessionId);
 
           if (afterCursor) {
             setTimeout(() => {
@@ -298,8 +270,9 @@ const TitleInputInner = memo(
             placeholder="Untitled"
             type="text"
             onChange={(e) => {
-              setLocalTitle(e.target.value);
-              debouncedPersist(e.target.value);
+              const value = e.target.value;
+              setLocalTitle(value);
+              setLiveTitle(sessionId, value);
             }}
             onKeyDown={handleKeyDown}
             onFocus={() => {
@@ -307,7 +280,8 @@ const TitleInputInner = memo(
             }}
             onBlur={() => {
               isFocused.current = false;
-              flushDebounce();
+              setStoreTitle(localTitle);
+              clearLiveTitle(sessionId);
             }}
             value={localTitle}
             className={cn([
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/components/main/sidebar/timeline/item.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/components/main/sidebar/timeline/item.tsx
index 054d359b6f..121da8814f 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/components/main/sidebar/timeline/item.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/components/main/sidebar/timeline/item.tsx
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import {
 import * as main from "../../../../store/tinybase/store/main";
 import { save } from "../../../../store/tinybase/store/save";
 import { getOrCreateSessionForEventId } from "../../../../store/tinybase/store/sessions";
+import { useSessionTitle } from "../../../../store/zustand/live-title";
 import { type TabInput, useTabs } from "../../../../store/zustand/tabs";
 import { useTimelineSelection } from "../../../../store/zustand/timeline-selection";
 import { useUndoDelete } from "../../../../store/zustand/undo-delete";
@@ -127,7 +128,7 @@ function ItemBase({
               ignored && "line-through",
             )}
           >
-            {title}
+            {title || <span className="text-neutral-400">Untitled</span>}
           </div>
           {displayTime && (
             <div className="text-xs text-neutral-500">{displayTime}</div>
@@ -323,10 +324,13 @@ const SessionItem = memo(
     const addDeletion = useUndoDelete((state) => state.addDeletion);
 
     const sessionId = item.id;
-    const title =
-      (main.UI.useCell("sessions", sessionId, "title", main.STORE_ID) as
-        | string
-        | undefined) || "Untitled";
+    const storeTitle = main.UI.useCell(
+      "sessions",
+      sessionId,
+      "title",
+      main.STORE_ID,
+    ) as string | undefined;
+    const title = useSessionTitle(sessionId, storeTitle);
 
     const sessionMode = useListener((state) => state.getSessionMode(sessionId));
     const isEnhancing = useIsSessionEnhancing(sessionId);
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/store/zustand/live-title.ts b/apps/desktop/src/store/zustand/live-title.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1bebd51b1c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/store/zustand/live-title.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+import { create } from "zustand";
+
+interface LiveTitleState {
+  titles: Record<string, string>;
+  setTitle: (sessionId: string, title: string) => void;
+  clearTitle: (sessionId: string) => void;
+}
+
+export const useLiveTitle = create<LiveTitleState>((set) => ({
+  titles: {},
+  setTitle: (sessionId, title) =>
+    set((state) => ({ titles: { ...state.titles, [sessionId]: title } })),
+  clearTitle: (sessionId) =>
+    set((state) => {
+      const { [sessionId]: _, ...rest } = state.titles;
+      return { titles: rest };
+    }),
+}));
+
+export function useSessionTitle(
+  sessionId: string,
+  storeTitle: string | undefined,
+): string {
+  const liveTitle = useLiveTitle((s) => s.titles[sessionId]);
+  return liveTitle ?? (storeTitle as string) ?? "Untitled";
+}