Keep the title a person is renaming from the Planner's drafted title

README.md

@@ -201,7 +201,8 @@ The recent channel chat transcript is supplied as bounded context for the next t
 even when those messages did not address the Planner. Saved member messages also
 maintain the document's title independently of conversation-derived cards. Weak
 or incidental discussion leaves the title alone; topic changes may refine a blank,
-generated or Planner-drafted title, but never one a person set. This work obeys `AGENT`, ownership and implementation locks, and
+generated or Planner-drafted title, but never one a person set or renamed, and never
+while someone is renaming. This work obeys `AGENT`, ownership and implementation locks, and
 does not require Jev. A title job can seed a goal only before body prose exists.
 
 The first eligible model-backed action, including title maintenance, a Planner turn

apps/server/src/agent/heading-tool.test.ts

@@ -1,13 +1,15 @@
 import { afterEach, expect, spyOn, test } from "bun:test";
 import { QuestionnaireNode } from "@chopin/dialect";
-import { $nodesOfType } from "lexical";
+import { $createTextNode, $getRoot, $isElementNode, $nodesOfType } from "lexical";
+import * as Y from "yjs";
 
 import { toolbox } from "./heading-tool.test-bridge";
 import * as room from "../plan/room";
 import * as Service from "../plan/service";
 import { openPlan } from "../testing/plan";
 
 import type { ConversationPlan } from "@chopin/protocol";
+import type { Socket } from "../wire";
 
 const CARD = `<Questionnaire id="01K0N4X2M5R8T3VQ7YB6ZC4DEF" by="ana" at="2026-07-28T10:14:00.000Z">
 <Question id="01K0N4Y2M5R8T3VQ7YB6ZC4DEF" header="Scope" prompt="What ships first?" multiple="false">
@@ -191,6 +193,131 @@ test("a member's rename after a draft is kept by the next draft", async () => {
 	expect(room.project(context.plan.document)).toBe("# Member title\n\nExisting body.\n");
 });
 
+test("a person's rename is never redrafted, even to a blank, generated or earlier draft", async () => {
+	for (let renamed of ["", "quiet-river", "First draft"]) {
+		let context = await opened("# \n\nExisting body.\n");
+		headingJob(context.plan);
+		await headingTool(context).handler({ revision: 0, title: "First draft" }, {} as never);
+		await Service.exclusive(context.plan, () => Service.rename(context.plan, "Member title"));
+		await Service.exclusive(context.plan, () => Service.rename(context.plan, renamed));
+		let kept = room.project(context.plan.document);
+		await Service.close(context.plan);
+		context.plan = await Service.open(context.channel.id, context.backend, context.server);
+		headingJob(context.plan);
+		let result = await headingTool(context).handler(
+			{ revision: context.plan.revision, title: "Second draft" },
+			{} as never,
+		);
+		expect(JSON.parse(String(result))).toMatchObject({ ok: true, changed: false });
+		expect(room.project(context.plan.document)).toBe(kept);
+	}
+});
+
+test("a draft waits while a person has the title open, and for a while after", async () => {
+	let context = await opened("# amber-river\n\nExisting body.\n");
+	let person = {};
+	let clock = spyOn(Date, "now");
+	let at = Date.parse("2026-10-21T10:00:00.000Z");
+	clock.mockImplementation(() => at);
+	try {
+		Service.titling(context.plan, person, { active: true });
+		headingJob(context.plan);
+		let held = await headingTool(context).handler({ revision: 0, title: "Drafted" }, {} as never);
+		expect(JSON.parse(String(held))).toMatchObject({ ok: true, changed: false });
+		Service.titling(context.plan, person, { active: false });
+		at += 30_000;
+		headingJob(context.plan);
+		await headingTool(context).handler({ revision: 0, title: "Drafted" }, {} as never);
+		expect(room.project(context.plan.document)).toBe("# amber-river\n\nExisting body.\n");
+		at += 31_000;
+		headingJob(context.plan);
+		let applied = await headingTool(context).handler(
+			{ revision: 0, title: "Drafted" },
+			{} as never,
+		);
+		expect(JSON.parse(String(applied))).toMatchObject({ ok: true, title: "Drafted" });
+		expect(room.project(context.plan.document)).toBe("# Drafted\n\nExisting body.\n");
+	} finally {
+		clock.mockRestore();
+	}
+});
+
+test("a person who typed in the title field holds drafts until they leave", async () => {
+	let context = await opened("# amber-river\n\nExisting body.\n");
+	let person = {};
+	let clock = spyOn(Date, "now");
+	let at = Date.parse("2026-10-21T10:00:00.000Z");
+	clock.mockImplementation(() => at);
+	try {
+		Service.titling(context.plan, person, { active: true, edited: true });
+		Service.titling(context.plan, person, { active: false });
+		at += 10 * 60_000;
+		headingJob(context.plan);
+		await headingTool(context).handler({ revision: 0, title: "Drafted" }, {} as never);
+		expect(room.project(context.plan.document)).toBe("# amber-river\n\nExisting body.\n");
+		Service.departed(context.plan, person as never);
+		at += 61_000;
+		headingJob(context.plan);
+		await headingTool(context).handler({ revision: 0, title: "Drafted" }, {} as never);
+		expect(room.project(context.plan.document)).toBe("# Drafted\n\nExisting body.\n");
+	} finally {
+		clock.mockRestore();
+	}
+});
+test("a person's edit of the title in the document is never redrafted", async () => {
+	for (let typed of ["", "First draft"]) {
+		let context = await opened("# \n\nExisting body.\n");
+		context.backend.documentTitles = true;
+		await Service.close(context.plan);
+		context.plan = await Service.open(context.channel.id, context.backend, context.server);
+		let plan = context.plan;
+		headingJob(plan);
+		await headingTool(context).handler({ revision: plan.revision, title: "Drafted" }, {} as never);
+		expect(room.project(plan.document)).toBe("# Drafted\n\nExisting body.\n");
+		let peer = await room.restore(
+			plan.document.epoch,
+			Y.encodeStateAsUpdate(plan.document.doc),
+			room.project(plan.document),
+			[],
+		);
+		let vector = Y.encodeStateVector(peer.doc);
+		peer.editor.update(() => {
+			let title = $getRoot().getFirstChild();
+			if (!$isElementNode(title)) throw new Error("title missing");
+			title.clear();
+			if (typed) title.append($createTextNode(typed));
+		}, { discrete: true });
+		await room.settle();
+		let ws = {
+			data: { canEdit: true, room: plan.id, handle: "ana", client: "peer" },
+			send() {},
+			publish() {},
+			close() {},
+		} as unknown as Socket;
+		Service.submit(plan, ws, {
+			kind: "plan:update",
+			ts: 0,
+			rid: "title",
+			id: "title",
+			epoch: plan.document.epoch,
+			update: Buffer.from(Y.encodeStateAsUpdate(peer.doc, vector)).toString("base64"),
+		});
+		await Service.drain(plan);
+		peer.doc.destroy();
+		let kept = room.project(plan.document);
+		expect(kept).toBe(`${typed ? `# ${typed}` : "#"}\n\nExisting body.\n`);
+		await Service.close(plan);
+		context.plan = await Service.open(context.channel.id, context.backend, context.server);
+		headingJob(context.plan);
+		let result = await headingTool(context).handler(
+			{ revision: context.plan.revision, title: "Second draft" },
+			{} as never,
+		);
+		expect(JSON.parse(String(result))).toMatchObject({ ok: true, changed: false });
+		expect(room.project(context.plan.document)).toBe(kept);
+	}
+});
+
 test("unchanged friendly or blank titles are successful no-ops", async () => {
 	for (let title of ["Friendly otter", ""]) {
 		let context = await opened(`# ${title}\n`);

apps/server/src/agent/heading-tool.ts

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import {
 import { parse } from "@chopin/dialect/parse";
 import { serialize } from "@chopin/dialect/serialize";
 
-import { draftableTitle } from "../channels/document-title";
+import { draftableTitle, titleHeld } from "../channels/document-title";
 import * as Comments from "../comments/service";
 import * as edit from "../plan/edit";
 import * as room from "../plan/room";
@@ -84,8 +84,9 @@ export async function draftHeading(
 		if (revision !== plan.revision) throw new Error("stale; read_plan again");
 		let source = room.project(plan.document);
 		let current = documentTitleText(parse(source)) ?? "";
-		// A person's title is theirs: the draft may still seed the goal beneath it.
-		if (!draftableTitle(current, plan.plannerTitle)) title = current;
+		// A person's title is theirs, and so is one they are renaming right now: the draft may
+		// still seed the goal beneath it.
+		if (!draftableTitle(current, plan) || titleHeld(plan.titling, Date.now())) title = current;
 		let retitled = title !== current;
 		let next = withDocumentTitle(source, title);
 		let body = parse(documentBodySource(source));

apps/server/src/channels/document-title.ts

@@ -174,7 +174,30 @@ export function generatedTitle(value: string): boolean {
 	return rest.length === 0 && adjectiveSet.has(adjective!) && nounSet.has(noun ?? "");
 }
 
-/** A draft may replace a blank or generated title, or the one a Planner last drafted. */
-export function draftableTitle(title: string, plannerTitle: string | undefined): boolean {
-	return !title || title === plannerTitle || generatedTitle(title);
+/**
+ * A draft may replace a blank or generated title, or the one a Planner last drafted, until a
+ * person renames the document: their title is then theirs, whatever it is.
+ */
+export function draftableTitle(
+	title: string,
+	plan: { plannerTitle?: string; titleChosen?: boolean },
+): boolean {
+	return !plan.titleChosen && (!title || title === plan.plannerTitle || generatedTitle(title));
+}
+
+/** How long after a person last had the title open a drafted title still waits. */
+export const TITLE_HOLD_MS = 60_000;
+
+/** Who has the title open, or has typed in it, on which connection. Never persisted. */
+export type Titling = {
+	people: Map<object, { active: boolean; edited: boolean }>;
+	/** When someone last let go of the title. */
+	releasedAt?: number;
+};
+
+/** A person is renaming, or about to: a drafted title must not race them. */
+export function titleHeld(titling: Titling | undefined, now: number): boolean {
+	if (!titling) return false;
+	for (let person of titling.people.values()) if (person.active || person.edited) return true;
+	return titling.releasedAt !== undefined && now - titling.releasedAt < TITLE_HOLD_MS;
 }

apps/server/src/conversation-plan/job-prompts.ts

@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ export const PROMPT_FOR: Record<
 			transcript: plan.chat.entries,
 			outline: outline(plan),
 			title,
-			personal: !draftableTitle(title ?? "", plan.plannerTitle),
+			personal: !draftableTitle(title ?? "", plan),
 		});
 	},
 	refine: (plan, job) => card(plan, job, "refine"),

apps/server/src/main.ts

@@ -1099,6 +1099,12 @@ async function receive(ws: Socket, raw: string): Promise<void> {
 			if (room.plan) Service.awareness(room.plan, ws, frame);
 			return;
 
+		case "plan:titling":
+			if (room.plan && typeof frame.active === "boolean") {
+				Service.titling(room.plan, ws, { active: frame.active, edited: frame.edited === true });
+			}
+			return;
+
 		case "plan:close":
 			if (room.plan) Service.departed(room.plan, ws);
 			return;

apps/server/src/plan/room.ts

@@ -356,7 +356,13 @@ export function mark(target: Document): void {
 }
 
 export type Applied =
-	| { ok: true; seq: number; researchProjections: ResearchProjectionChange[] }
+	| {
+		ok: true;
+		seq: number;
+		researchProjections: ResearchProjectionChange[];
+		/** The batch changed the title's text. */
+		retitled?: true;
+	}
 	| { ok: false; issues: string[] };
 
 /**
@@ -383,6 +389,7 @@ export async function apply(
 		() => $getNodeByKey(target.titleKey!)?.getTextContent(),
 	);
 	let researchProjections: ResearchProjectionChange[] = [];
+	let retitled = false;
 	let held = open > 0 ? Buffer.byteLength(project(target)) : 0;
 	try {
 		for (let update of updates) Y.applyUpdate(target.doc, update, REMOTE);
@@ -400,6 +407,7 @@ export async function apply(
 			: target.editor.getEditorState().read(
 				() => $getNodeByKey(target.titleKey!)?.getTextContent(),
 			);
+		retitled = afterTitle !== beforeTitle;
 		if (
 			afterTitle !== undefined && afterTitle !== beforeTitle && !validDocumentTitleText(afterTitle)
 		) {
@@ -472,7 +480,12 @@ export async function apply(
 	}
 
 	target.seq += updates.length;
-	return { ok: true, seq: target.seq, researchProjections };
+	return {
+		ok: true,
+		seq: target.seq,
+		researchProjections,
+		...(retitled ? { retitled: true as const } : {}),
+	};
 }
 
 /**