diff --git a/src/main/runtime/orca-runtime.test.ts b/src/main/runtime/orca-runtime.test.ts
index fd0645f5274..7d28c1f9ee8 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/orca-runtime.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/orca-runtime.test.ts
@@ -20020,9 +20020,9 @@ describe('OrcaRuntimeService', () => {
         ptysById: Map<string, { lastOscTitle: string | null; lastAgentStatus: string | null }>
       }
     ).ptysById.get('pty-1')
-    expect(pty?.lastOscTitle).toBe('Pi')
+    expect(pty?.lastOscTitle).toBe('π - my-project')
     expect(pty?.lastAgentStatus).toBe('idle')
-    // Why: worktree.ps / mobile re-detect from stored lastOscTitle, not the raw OSC frame; bare "Pi" must still classify as idle after normalize.
+    // Why: worktree.ps / mobile re-detect from stored lastOscTitle, not the raw OSC frame; the preserved π title must still classify as idle after normalize.
     expect(detectAgentStatusFromTitle(pty?.lastOscTitle ?? '')).toBe('idle')
   })
 
@@ -20049,7 +20049,7 @@ describe('OrcaRuntimeService', () => {
         applySeededAgentStatus: (ptyId: string, title: string) => void
       }
     ).applySeededAgentStatus('pty-1', 'π - my-project')
-    expect(pty?.lastOscTitle).toBe('Pi')
+    expect(pty?.lastOscTitle).toBe('π - my-project')
     expect(detectAgentStatusFromTitle(pty?.lastOscTitle ?? '')).toBe('idle')
   })
 
@@ -25867,7 +25867,7 @@ describe('OrcaRuntimeService', () => {
     expect(result.tabs[0]).toEqual(
       expect.objectContaining({
         type: 'terminal',
-        title: '\u280b OMP'
+        title: '\u280b OMP - tmp'
       })
     )
     expect(result.tabs[0]).not.toHaveProperty('launchAgent')
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/worktree-title-derived-agent-rows.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/worktree-title-derived-agent-rows.test.ts
index 6fcd0a6719c..c5de2eb1813 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/worktree-title-derived-agent-rows.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/worktree-title-derived-agent-rows.test.ts
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ describe('buildTitleDerivedAgentRows', () => {
     })
 
     expect(rows.map((row) => [row.agentType, row.state, row.entry.terminalTitle])).toEqual([
-      ['omp', 'working', '\u280b OMP']
+      ['omp', 'working', '\u280b OMP: tmp']
     ])
   })
 
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-connection-task-complete-dispatch.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-connection-task-complete-dispatch.test.ts
index 3663f07402a..410c252adc8 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-connection-task-complete-dispatch.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-connection-task-complete-dispatch.test.ts
@@ -479,8 +479,8 @@ describe('connectPanePty', () => {
     expect(deps.setRuntimePaneTitle).toHaveBeenCalledWith('tab-1', 1, '\u280b OMP')
     expect(deps.updateTabTitle).toHaveBeenCalledWith('tab-1', '\u280b OMP')
     titleHandler('π: tmp', 'π: tmp')
-    expect(deps.setRuntimePaneTitle).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith('tab-1', 1, 'OMP ready')
-    expect(deps.updateTabTitle).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith('tab-1', 'OMP ready')
+    expect(deps.setRuntimePaneTitle).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith('tab-1', 1, 'OMP: tmp')
+    expect(deps.updateTabTitle).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith('tab-1', 'OMP: tmp')
 
     const statusHandler = createdTransportOptions[0]?.onAgentStatus as
       | ((payload: { state: 'working'; prompt: string; agentType: 'pi' }) => void)
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-dispatcher-pi-routing.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-dispatcher-pi-routing.test.ts
index e961329eb3c..6cbc2eb99f4 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-dispatcher-pi-routing.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-dispatcher-pi-routing.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Why: reproduce the renderer Pi spinner pipeline (pty:data IPC → onTitleChange); electron verification showed frames arrive but the store never sees "⠋ Pi".
+// Why: reproduce the renderer Pi spinner pipeline (pty:data IPC → onTitleChange); electron verification showed frames arrive but the store never sees the canonicalized "⠋ π - cwd" working title.
 
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
 
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ describe('dispatcher → transport → onTitleChange for Pi spinner', () => {
     await flushPtySideEffects()
 
     const seenTitles = onTitleChange.mock.calls.map((c) => c[0])
-    expect(seenTitles).toContain('⠋ Pi')
+    expect(seenTitles).toContain('⠋ π - cwd')
 
     transport.disconnect()
   })
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ describe('dispatcher → transport → onTitleChange for Pi spinner', () => {
     await flushPtySideEffects()
 
     const seenTitles = onTitleChange.mock.calls.map((c) => c[0])
-    expect(seenTitles).toContain('⠋ Pi')
+    expect(seenTitles).toContain('⠋ π - cwd')
 
     transport.disconnect()
   })
@@ -153,13 +153,13 @@ describe('dispatcher → transport → onTitleChange for Pi spinner', () => {
     await flushPtySideEffects()
 
     const seenTitles = onTitleChange.mock.calls.map((c) => c[0])
-    expect(seenTitles).toContain('⠋ Pi')
+    expect(seenTitles).toContain('⠋ π - cwd')
 
     transport.disconnect()
   })
 
-  it('reproduces "Pi is idle" state: after working→idle, onTitleChange ends on Pi', async () => {
-    // Why: bug shows the store stuck at idle "Pi" while working — assert both working and idle labels reach onTitleChange, in order.
+  it('reproduces "Pi is idle" state: after working→idle, onTitleChange ends on the idle title', async () => {
+    // Why: bug shows the store stuck at the idle title while working — assert both working and idle titles reach onTitleChange, in order.
     const { createIpcPtyTransport } = await import('./pty-transport')
     const onTitleChange = vi.fn()
 
@@ -173,8 +173,8 @@ describe('dispatcher → transport → onTitleChange for Pi spinner', () => {
     await flushPtySideEffects()
 
     const seenTitles = onTitleChange.mock.calls.map((c) => c[0])
-    const workingIdx = seenTitles.indexOf('⠋ Pi')
-    const finalIdleIdx = seenTitles.lastIndexOf('Pi')
+    const workingIdx = seenTitles.indexOf('⠋ π - cwd')
+    const finalIdleIdx = seenTitles.lastIndexOf('π - cwd')
     expect(workingIdx).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0)
     expect(finalIdleIdx).toBeGreaterThan(workingIdx)
 
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-transport-pi-coalesce.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-transport-pi-coalesce.test.ts
index 808cedad5e9..3d4f26ec97b 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-transport-pi-coalesce.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-transport-pi-coalesce.test.ts
@@ -79,9 +79,9 @@ describe('pty-transport — coalesced OSC titles from Pi', () => {
     // renders 'working' as long as detectAgentStatusFromTitle sees a working
     // title — if the intermediate frames are dropped, users never see the
     // spinner on fast-agent prompts.
-    expect(seen).toContain('⠋ Pi')
+    expect(seen).toContain('⠋ π - cwd')
     // Idle must land last so the spinner disappears on agent_end.
-    expect(seen.at(-1)).toBe('Pi')
+    expect(seen.at(-1)).toBe('π - cwd')
 
     transport.disconnect()
   })
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ describe('pty-transport — coalesced OSC titles from Pi', () => {
     await flushPtySideEffects()
 
     const seen = onTitleChange.mock.calls.map((c) => c[0])
-    expect(seen).toContain('⠋ Pi')
+    expect(seen).toContain('⠋ π - cwd')
 
     transport.disconnect()
   })
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-transport-pi-spinner.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-transport-pi-spinner.test.ts
index c556993c8c9..1c67b87be06 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-transport-pi-spinner.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-transport-pi-spinner.test.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 // entirely in unit-test harness. Pi's titlebar extension emits OSC 0 titles of
 // the form `\x1b]0;⠋ π - cwd\x07` (working frames) and `\x1b]0;π - cwd\x07`
 // (idle). The electron-level verification showed these chunks reach `pty:data`
-// but the store's runtimePaneTitlesByTabId never flips to "⠋ Pi". This file
+// but the store's runtimePaneTitlesByTabId never flips to the canonicalized
+// "⠋ π - cwd" working title. This file
 // pins the transport-level contract: `onTitleChange` must fire for working
 // frames, in the normalized form the store consumes.
 
@@ -71,12 +72,12 @@ describe('createIpcPtyTransport — Pi titlebar spinner signal', () => {
     await flushPtySideEffects()
 
     const normalized = onTitleChange.mock.calls.map((c) => c[0])
-    // The store only stores the normalized label, which is what the worktree
+    // The store only stores the normalized title, which is what the worktree
     // card feeds back into detectAgentStatusFromTitle. The working→idle cycle
-    // must surface at least one "⠋ Pi" so the card can classify the pane as
-    // 'working' (detectAgentStatusFromTitle('⠋ Pi') === 'working').
-    expect(normalized).toContain('⠋ Pi')
-    expect(normalized).toContain('Pi')
+    // must surface at least one "⠋ π - cwd" so the card can classify the pane as
+    // 'working' (detectAgentStatusFromTitle('⠋ π - cwd') === 'working').
+    expect(normalized).toContain('⠋ π - cwd')
+    expect(normalized).toContain('π - cwd')
 
     transport.disconnect()
   })
@@ -99,7 +100,7 @@ describe('createIpcPtyTransport — Pi titlebar spinner signal', () => {
     await flushPtySideEffects()
 
     const calls = onTitleChange.mock.calls.map((c) => c[0])
-    expect(calls).toContain('⠋ Pi')
+    expect(calls).toContain('⠋ π - cwd')
 
     transport.disconnect()
   })
@@ -112,7 +113,7 @@ describe('createIpcPtyTransport — Pi titlebar spinner signal', () => {
     // last working frame), the working frames in between must not be the only
     // signal the transport ever saw. The important guarantee is that during
     // an actual working period (before agent_end) at least one chunk's last
-    // title is a working frame, and that produces a "⠋ Pi" onTitleChange.
+    // title is a working frame, and that produces a "⠋ π - cwd" onTitleChange.
     const { createIpcPtyTransport } = await import('./pty-transport')
     const onTitleChange = vi.fn()
 
@@ -124,7 +125,7 @@ describe('createIpcPtyTransport — Pi titlebar spinner signal', () => {
     await flushPtySideEffects()
 
     const calls = onTitleChange.mock.calls.map((c) => c[0])
-    expect(calls).toContain('⠋ Pi')
+    expect(calls).toContain('⠋ π - cwd')
 
     transport.disconnect()
   })
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/lib/agent-status.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/lib/agent-status.test.ts
index 9b614ca642d..8bd1314d577 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/lib/agent-status.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/lib/agent-status.test.ts
@@ -395,25 +395,27 @@ describe('normalizeTerminalTitle', () => {
     )
   })
 
-  it('collapses Pi spinner and idle titles to stable labels', () => {
-    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('⠋ π - my-project')).toBe('⠋ Pi')
-    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('π - my-project')).toBe('Pi')
-    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('⠋ π: my-project')).toBe('⠋ Pi')
-    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('π: my-project')).toBe('Pi')
-    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('π -')).toBe('Pi')
-    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('π:')).toBe('Pi')
-    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('π ')).toBe('Pi')
+  it('preserves Pi titles and canonicalizes only the spinner frame', () => {
+    // Only the braille frame churns; the rest is the session name and cwd (#16093).
+    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('⠋ π - my-project')).toBe('⠋ π - my-project')
+    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('⠙ π - my-project')).toBe('⠋ π - my-project')
+    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('π - my-project')).toBe('π - my-project')
+    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('⠋ π: my-project')).toBe('⠋ π: my-project')
+    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('π: my-project')).toBe('π: my-project')
+    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('π -')).toBe('π -')
+    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('π:')).toBe('π:')
+    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('π ')).toBe('π ')
   })
 
-  it('does not collapse Pi-compatible titles whose cwd mentions Gemini', () => {
-    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('⠋ π - gemini')).toBe('⠋ Pi')
-    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('π - gemini')).toBe('Pi')
-    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('⠋ π: gemini')).toBe('⠋ Pi')
-    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('π: gemini')).toBe('Pi')
-    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('⠋ π gemini')).toBe('⠋ Pi')
-    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('π gemini')).toBe('Pi')
-    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('⠋ π - gemini-project')).toBe('⠋ Pi')
-    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('π - gemini-project')).toBe('Pi')
+  it('does not route Pi titles whose cwd mentions Gemini into Gemini normalization', () => {
+    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('⠋ π - gemini')).toBe('⠋ π - gemini')
+    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('π - gemini')).toBe('π - gemini')
+    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('⠋ π: gemini')).toBe('⠋ π: gemini')
+    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('π: gemini')).toBe('π: gemini')
+    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('⠋ π gemini')).toBe('⠋ π gemini')
+    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('π gemini')).toBe('π gemini')
+    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('⠋ π - gemini-project')).toBe('⠋ π - gemini-project')
+    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('π - gemini-project')).toBe('π - gemini-project')
   })
 })
 
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/store/slices/repro-omp-pi-alternating-title-frame-churn.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/store/slices/repro-omp-pi-alternating-title-frame-churn.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 0fdfb3fb157..00000000000
--- a/src/renderer/src/store/slices/repro-omp-pi-alternating-title-frame-churn.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,201 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * OMP tab-title churn repro: an OMP-owned terminal tab's title text oscillates
- * between "OMP" and "Pi" at spinner cadence, committing a fresh store patch on
- * every frame.
- *
- * OMP wraps Pi, so TWO independent writers publish OSC title frames into the
- * same pane, and both are "correct" from their own vantage point:
- *
- *  A) main's synthetic title spinner. `driveSyntheticTitleFromHook` starts a
- *     shared 80ms interval (src/main/index.ts:1947 SPINNER_FRAMES, :1948
- *     SPINNER_INTERVAL_MS) that injects `\x1b]0;<frame> <profile.workingLabel>\x07`
- *     (:2170, :2205). For an OMP-owned pane the profile is `omp`, so every tick
- *     asserts "<spinner> OMP".
- *  B) the OMP process itself, which is Pi underneath and emits Pi's own frames.
- *     "⠋ Pi" passes through untouched, and legacy "π …" frames are collapsed to
- *     a HARDCODED "Pi" by `normalizeTerminalTitle`
- *     (src/shared/agent-title-status.ts:135-144) — that collapse is
- *     identity-blind, so an OMP-owned pane still yields the literal "Pi".
- *
- * `pi` and `omp` share `titleIdentityGroup: 'pi-compatible'`
- * (src/shared/synthetic-agent-title.ts:45-56), so these are the SAME identity as
- * far as ownership is concerned — but neither writer is normalized to the tab's
- * launch owner before it reaches the store.
- *
- * The churn suppressor that normally absorbs spinner noise is defeated here.
- * `isDecorativeAgentTitleFrameChange` keys on `status:textWithoutSpinner`
- * (src/shared/agent-decorative-title-signature.ts:17): "⠋ OMP" -> `working:OMP`,
- * "⠙ Pi" -> `working:Pi`. The signatures differ, so every alternating frame is
- * classified as a MEANINGFUL change and commits — through
- * `applyTerminalTabTitleUpdates`
- * (src/renderer/src/store/slices/terminal-tab-title-batch.ts:183) for `tab.title`
- * (the string `resolveTerminalTabTitle` renders in the tab bar) and through
- * `setRuntimePaneTitle`
- * (src/renderer/src/store/terminals/terminal-tab-presentation.ts:145-172) for the
- * pane slot. At 80ms that is ~12 committed patches per second, per working OMP
- * tab, with a visibly flickering label.
- *
- * The oracle is commit COUNT, not exact text: the status never leaves 'working'
- * across the sequence, so a correctly owner-pinned title settles after the first
- * frame and every later frame is decoration. Both tests drive the REAL store
- * actions over the REAL frame text main emits.
- */
-import { describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
-
-vi.mock('sonner', () => ({ toast: { info: vi.fn(), success: vi.fn(), error: vi.fn() } }))
-vi.mock('@/runtime/sync-runtime-graph', () => ({
-  scheduleRuntimeGraphSync: vi.fn()
-}))
-vi.mock('@/components/terminal-pane/pty-transport', () => ({
-  registerEagerPtyBuffer: vi.fn(),
-  ensurePtyDispatcher: vi.fn(),
-  unregisterPtyDataHandlers: vi.fn()
-}))
-vi.mock('@/components/terminal-pane/shutdown-buffer-captures', () => ({
-  shutdownBufferCaptures: vi.fn()
-}))
-
-// @ts-expect-error -- minimal preload API stub for the slice's IPC writes
-globalThis.window = { api: {} }
-
-import { getPiCompatibleSyntheticAgentLabel } from '../../../../shared/pi-compatible-synthetic-title'
-import { resolveTerminalTabTitle } from '../../../../shared/tab-title-resolution'
-import {
-  createTestStore,
-  makeTab,
-  makeUnifiedTab,
-  makeWorktree,
-  seedStore
-} from './store-test-helpers'
-
-const WT = 'wt-omp'
-const TAB_ID = 'tab-omp-1'
-const GROUP_ID = 'group-1'
-const PANE_ID = 1
-
-// Verbatim from src/main/index.ts:1947.
-const SPINNER_FRAMES = ['⠋', '⠙', '⠹', '⠸', '⠼', '⠴', '⠦', '⠧', '⠇', '⠏']
-
-/**
- * 20 frames of one OMP turn: main's synthetic "OMP" tick interleaved with the
- * wrapped Pi harness's own frame. Every frame classifies as 'working', so the
- * ONLY thing changing is which of the two pi-compatible identities is showing.
- */
-const OMP_TURN_TITLE_FRAMES = Array.from({ length: 20 }, (_, index) => {
-  const spinner = SPINNER_FRAMES[index % SPINNER_FRAMES.length]
-  return index % 2 === 0 ? `${spinner} OMP` : `${spinner} Pi`
-})
-
-function seedOmpTab(store: ReturnType<typeof createTestStore>): void {
-  seedStore(store, {
-    worktreesByRepo: {
-      repo1: [makeWorktree({ id: WT, repoId: 'repo1', path: '/path/wt-omp' })]
-    },
-    tabsByWorktree: {
-      // The user launched OMP into this tab — the identity the title must follow.
-      [WT]: [makeTab({ id: TAB_ID, worktreeId: WT, title: 'Terminal 1', launchAgent: 'omp' })]
-    },
-    unifiedTabsByWorktree: {
-      [WT]: [makeUnifiedTab({ id: TAB_ID, worktreeId: WT, groupId: GROUP_ID })]
-    },
-    activeWorktreeId: WT
-  })
-}
-
-/** The identity a tab-bar frame reads as: 'OMP', 'Pi', or null when neither. */
-function displayedAgentIdentity(tabTitle: string): string | null {
-  return getPiCompatibleSyntheticAgentLabel(
-    resolveTerminalTabTitle({ title: tabTitle, customTitle: null }, false, 'Terminal 1')
-  )
-}
-
-describe('OMP-owned tab title across interleaved OMP/Pi spinner frames', () => {
-  it('commits at most one tab-title patch for the whole working turn', () => {
-    const store = createTestStore()
-    seedOmpTab(store)
-
-    // Zustand only notifies when the action returns a fresh patch, so one
-    // listener call === one committed store patch.
-    let commits = 0
-    const seenTitles: string[] = []
-    const unsubscribe = store.subscribe((state) => {
-      commits += 1
-      const title = state.tabsByWorktree[WT]?.[0]?.title
-      if (title && title !== seenTitles.at(-1)) {
-        seenTitles.push(title)
-      }
-    })
-
-    for (const frame of OMP_TURN_TITLE_FRAMES) {
-      store.getState().updateTabTitle(TAB_ID, frame)
-    }
-    unsubscribe()
-
-    // One commit takes the tab off its "Terminal 1" default; the remaining 19
-    // frames are pure decoration under the OMP owner.
-    expect(commits).toBeLessThanOrEqual(1)
-    expect(Array.from(new Set(seenTitles.map(displayedAgentIdentity)))).toEqual(['OMP'])
-  })
-
-  it('commits at most one runtime pane-title patch for the whole working turn', () => {
-    const store = createTestStore()
-    seedOmpTab(store)
-
-    let commits = 0
-    const unsubscribe = store.subscribe(() => {
-      commits += 1
-    })
-
-    for (const frame of OMP_TURN_TITLE_FRAMES) {
-      store.getState().setRuntimePaneTitle(TAB_ID, PANE_ID, frame)
-    }
-    unsubscribe()
-
-    expect(commits).toBeLessThanOrEqual(1)
-    expect(
-      getPiCompatibleSyntheticAgentLabel(
-        store.getState().runtimePaneTitlesByTabId[TAB_ID]?.[PANE_ID] ?? ''
-      )
-    ).toBe('OMP')
-  })
-
-  // Why: relabeling is for frames naming a DIFFERENT group member. A frame that already names the
-  // owner carries its own status wording, so restating bare "OMP" as "OMP ready" would change a
-  // tab that never flapped — and the same guard keeps a plain Pi-owned tab byte-identical.
-  it.each([
-    ['omp', 'OMP'],
-    ['pi', 'Pi']
-  ] as const)('leaves a %s-owned tab’s own identity frames untouched', (launchAgent, label) => {
-    const store = createTestStore()
-    seedStore(store, {
-      worktreesByRepo: { repo1: [makeWorktree({ id: WT, repoId: 'repo1', path: '/path/wt-omp' })] },
-      tabsByWorktree: {
-        [WT]: [makeTab({ id: TAB_ID, worktreeId: WT, title: 'Terminal 1', launchAgent })]
-      },
-      unifiedTabsByWorktree: {
-        [WT]: [makeUnifiedTab({ id: TAB_ID, worktreeId: WT, groupId: GROUP_ID })]
-      },
-      activeWorktreeId: WT
-    })
-
-    for (const frame of [label, `${label} ready`, `⠋ ${label}`]) {
-      store.getState().setRuntimePaneTitle(TAB_ID, PANE_ID, frame)
-      expect(store.getState().runtimePaneTitlesByTabId[TAB_ID]?.[PANE_ID]).toBe(frame)
-    }
-  })
-
-  // Why: owner-pinning must stay scoped to bare identity frames. A semantic session title carries
-  // text no agent profile can reproduce, so relabeling it to "OMP ready" would lose real
-  // information — the complaint in #16093, which this fix must not reintroduce.
-  it('leaves a semantic session title untouched', () => {
-    const store = createTestStore()
-    seedOmpTab(store)
-
-    const semanticTitle = 'π - fixing the sidebar - orca'
-    store.getState().updateTabTitle(TAB_ID, semanticTitle)
-    store.getState().setRuntimePaneTitle(TAB_ID, PANE_ID, semanticTitle)
-
-    expect(store.getState().tabsByWorktree[WT]?.[0]?.title).toBe(semanticTitle)
-    expect(store.getState().runtimePaneTitlesByTabId[TAB_ID]?.[PANE_ID]).toBe(semanticTitle)
-  })
-})
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/store/slices/terminal-tab-title-batch.ts b/src/renderer/src/store/slices/terminal-tab-title-batch.ts
index bc49c3affe6..d0456541af3 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/store/slices/terminal-tab-title-batch.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/store/slices/terminal-tab-title-batch.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import { deriveGeneratedTabTitle } from '../../../../shared/agent-tab-title'
 import { isDecorativeAgentTitleFrameChange } from '../../../../shared/agent-decorative-title-signature'
-import { relabelCompatibleAgentIdentityFrameForOwner } from '../../../../shared/agent-title-owner'
 import { parseLegacyNumericPaneKey, parsePaneKey } from '../../../../shared/stable-pane-id'
 import type { Tab } from '../../../../shared/tab-types'
 import type { TerminalTab } from '../../../../shared/terminal-tab-types'
@@ -180,10 +179,7 @@ export function applyTerminalTabTitleUpdates(
     if (!currentTab || !tabIndexes) {
       continue
     }
-    // Why: a wrapped harness emits the inner agent's identity (OMP wraps Pi), so pin those frames
-    // to the launch owner — otherwise the alternating label defeats the decorative check below.
-    const ownedTitle = relabelCompatibleAgentIdentityFrameForOwner(title, currentTab.launchAgent)
-    const nextTitle = ownedTitle.trim() || getFallbackTabTitle(currentTab)
+    const nextTitle = title.trim() || getFallbackTabTitle(currentTab)
     if (isDecorativeAgentTitleFrameChange(currentTab.title, nextTitle)) {
       updateStageUnifiedLabel(stage, tabId, 'label', currentTab.title)
       continue
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/store/terminals/terminal-tab-presentation.ts b/src/renderer/src/store/terminals/terminal-tab-presentation.ts
index 7ce896dcf7b..7e1d2f64442 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/store/terminals/terminal-tab-presentation.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/store/terminals/terminal-tab-presentation.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
 import { isDecorativeAgentTitleFrameChange } from '../../../../shared/agent-decorative-title-signature'
-import { relabelCompatibleAgentIdentityFrameForOwner } from '../../../../shared/agent-title-owner'
-import { getPiCompatibleSyntheticAgentLabel } from '../../../../shared/pi-compatible-synthetic-title'
 import { scheduleRuntimeGraphSync } from '@/runtime/sync-runtime-graph'
 import { classifyTitleActivity } from '@/lib/pane-agent-evidence'
 import {
@@ -12,21 +10,8 @@ import {
   getTerminalTabOwnerWorktreeId
 } from '../slices/terminal-tab-owner-index'
 import { getTabIdFromPaneKey } from './terminal-pty-identities'
-import type { TuiAgent } from '../../../../shared/tui-agent'
-import type { AppState } from '../types'
 import type { TerminalSlice, TerminalStoreGet, TerminalStoreSet } from './terminal-state'
 
-function getTabLaunchAgent(
-  state: Pick<AppState, 'tabsByWorktree'>,
-  tabId: string
-): TuiAgent | undefined {
-  const ownerWorktreeId = getTerminalTabOwnerWorktreeId(state.tabsByWorktree, tabId)
-  if (!ownerWorktreeId) {
-    return undefined
-  }
-  return state.tabsByWorktree[ownerWorktreeId]?.find((tab) => tab.id === tabId)?.launchAgent
-}
-
 export function createTerminalTabPresentationActions(
   set: TerminalStoreSet,
   get: TerminalStoreGet
@@ -157,13 +142,8 @@ export function createTerminalTabPresentationActions(
         return { tabsByWorktree: { ...s.tabsByWorktree, [ownerWorktreeId]: nextTabs } }
       })
     },
-    setRuntimePaneTitle: (tabId, paneId, rawTitle) => {
+    setRuntimePaneTitle: (tabId, paneId, title) => {
       set((s) => {
-        // Why: same-group frames (OMP wraps Pi) must read as the launch owner or the alternating
-        // label defeats the decorative check below; the owner lookup stays off the common path.
-        const title = getPiCompatibleSyntheticAgentLabel(rawTitle)
-          ? relabelCompatibleAgentIdentityFrameForOwner(rawTitle, getTabLaunchAgent(s, tabId))
-          : rawTitle
         const currentByPane = s.runtimePaneTitlesByTabId[tabId] ?? {}
         const prevTitle = currentByPane[paneId]
         if (prevTitle === title) {
diff --git a/src/shared/agent-detection.test.ts b/src/shared/agent-detection.test.ts
index 14ee33eb7a8..32fc1bd2649 100644
--- a/src/shared/agent-detection.test.ts
+++ b/src/shared/agent-detection.test.ts
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ describe('Pi-compatible title detection', () => {
     ['OMP - action required', 'OMP', 'permission'],
     ['\u280b Pi', 'Pi', 'working'],
     ['Pi ready', 'Pi', 'idle'],
-    // Why: normalizeTerminalTitle collapses idle π frames to bare "Pi"; re-detection
+    // Why: titles stored by the old collapse are still bare "Pi"; re-detection
     // from stored lastOscTitle must still classify idle, not neutral.
     ['Pi', 'Pi', 'idle'],
     ['Pi - action required', 'Pi', 'permission']
@@ -168,7 +168,8 @@ describe('Pi-compatible title detection', () => {
   })
 
   it('re-detects status after display-title normalization for Pi idle frames', () => {
-    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('π - my-project')).toBe('Pi')
+    // Normalization now preserves the session name and cwd (#16093).
+    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('π - my-project')).toBe('π - my-project')
     expect(detectAgentStatusFromTitle(normalizeTerminalTitle('π - my-project'))).toBe('idle')
     expect(detectAgentStatusFromTitle(normalizeTerminalTitle('\u280b π - my-project'))).toBe(
       'working'
@@ -179,18 +180,28 @@ describe('Pi-compatible title detection', () => {
     ['\u280b Pi', 'omp', '\u280b OMP'],
     ['Pi ready', 'omp', 'OMP ready'],
     ['Pi - action required', 'omp', 'OMP - action required'],
-    ['π - tmp', 'omp', 'OMP ready'],
-    ['π: tmp', 'omp', 'OMP ready'],
-    ['\u280b π: tmp', 'omp', '\u280b OMP'],
-    ['\u280b π - tmp', 'omp', '\u280b OMP'],
+    // Why: the brand is swapped for the owner's label in place — the pane still reads as its
+    // launch owner, but the session name and cwd it chose survive (#16093).
+    ['π - tmp', 'omp', 'OMP - tmp'],
+    ['π: tmp', 'omp', 'OMP: tmp'],
+    ['\u280b π: tmp', 'omp', '\u280b OMP: tmp'],
+    ['\u280b π - tmp', 'omp', '\u280b OMP - tmp'],
     ['\u280b OMP', 'pi', '\u280b Pi'],
-    ['lucky-echidna | \u283c π - Diagnose Orca terminal title flicker - test', 'omp', '\u280b OMP'],
+    [
+      'lucky-echidna | \u283c π - Diagnose Orca terminal title flicker - test',
+      'omp',
+      'lucky-echidna | \u283c OMP - Diagnose Orca terminal title flicker - test'
+    ],
     ['lucky-echidna | Pi ready', 'omp', 'OMP ready'],
     ['Codex | Pi ready', 'omp', 'OMP ready'],
     // Why: the wrapped whole reads as a braille Claude title, but the re-ownable
     // synthetic pane suffix must still win.
     ['lucky-echidna | ⠋ OMP', 'omp', '⠋ OMP'],
-    ['lucky-echidna | \u283c π - Diagnose | test', 'omp', '\u280b OMP']
+    [
+      'lucky-echidna | \u283c π - Diagnose | test',
+      'omp',
+      'lucky-echidna | \u283c OMP - Diagnose | test'
+    ]
   ] as const)('normalizes %s to the authoritative %s owner', (title, owner, expectedTitle) => {
     expect(normalizeCompatibleAgentTitleForOwner(title, owner)).toBe(expectedTitle)
   })
diff --git a/src/shared/agent-title-owner.ts b/src/shared/agent-title-owner.ts
index edf1f945527..dfa966669ea 100644
--- a/src/shared/agent-title-owner.ts
+++ b/src/shared/agent-title-owner.ts
@@ -5,12 +5,12 @@ import {
   SYNTHETIC_AGENT_TITLE_PROFILES,
   type SyntheticAgentTitleProfile
 } from './synthetic-agent-title'
-import {
-  getPiCompatibleSyntheticAgentLabel,
-  isLegacyPiCompatibleTitle
-} from './pi-compatible-synthetic-title'
+import { isLegacyPiCompatibleTitle } from './pi-compatible-synthetic-title'
 import { getWrapperTitleSegments } from './terminal-title-wrapper-segments'
 
+/** The π brand a Pi/OMP title leads with; the owner's label replaces it in place. */
+const LEGACY_PI_BRAND = 'π'
+
 type TitleProfileMatch = {
   profile: SyntheticAgentTitleProfile
   sourceTitle: string
@@ -150,6 +150,19 @@ export function normalizeCompatibleAgentTitleForOwner(
   ) {
     return title
   }
+  // Why: a π-branded title is the agent's own semantic session title (`π > <session> - <cwd>`;
+  // Orca's injected extension writes the same shape). Swap only the BRAND for the owner's label
+  // so the pane still reads as its launch owner (#6689, #7633, #9077) without discarding the
+  // session name and cwd, which collapsing to a bare profile label threw away (#16093).
+  if (isLegacyPiCompatibleTitle(source.sourceTitle)) {
+    // Why scoped to the matched segment: a multiplexer prefix could itself contain the brand,
+    // and a whole-string replace would rewrite that instead of the pane's own identity. Note the
+    // scoping is only as good as the segment match — a prefix that itself parses as a π title
+    // makes the whole string the match, and then the prefix's brand is what gets swapped.
+    const ownedSegment = source.sourceTitle.replace(LEGACY_PI_BRAND, ownerProfile.workingLabel)
+    const segmentAt = title.lastIndexOf(source.sourceTitle)
+    return segmentAt === -1 ? ownedSegment : title.slice(0, segmentAt) + ownedSegment
+  }
   const sourceStatus = getSourceTitleStatus(source.sourceTitle)
   if (sourceStatus === 'working') {
     return `\u280b ${ownerProfile.workingLabel}`
@@ -169,31 +182,6 @@ export function normalizeCompatibleAgentTitleForOwner(
   return ownerProfile.workingLabel
 }
 
-/**
- * Relabels only a bare identity frame ("⠋ Pi", "Pi ready") to the owner's label.
- *
- * Why: a wrapped harness publishes the inner agent's identity (OMP wraps Pi), so those frames
- * alternate against the owner's own and defeat decorative-frame suppression at the store. A
- * semantic session title ("π - <session> - <cwd>") is left alone — it carries text no owner
- * profile can reproduce, so rewriting it to a generic label would lose real information.
- */
-export function relabelCompatibleAgentIdentityFrameForOwner(
-  title: string,
-  ownerAgentType: AgentType | null | undefined
-): string {
-  const frameLabel = getPiCompatibleSyntheticAgentLabel(title)
-  if (!frameLabel) {
-    return title
-  }
-  // Why: the frame already names the owner, so its own status wording is authoritative — rewriting
-  // it would restate bare "Pi" as "Pi ready" and change a Pi-owned tab that never flapped.
-  const ownerProfile = getSyntheticAgentTitleProfile(ownerAgentType)
-  if (ownerProfile?.workingLabel.toLowerCase() === frameLabel.toLowerCase()) {
-    return title
-  }
-  return normalizeCompatibleAgentTitleForOwner(title, ownerAgentType)
-}
-
 /**
  * Why: mirrored remote status entries must keep the owner and title in sync
  * or later snapshots repaint the same tab under the wrapper agent.
diff --git a/src/shared/agent-title-status.ts b/src/shared/agent-title-status.ts
index 5c13bb56e95..82cf13bf408 100644
--- a/src/shared/agent-title-status.ts
+++ b/src/shared/agent-title-status.ts
@@ -25,7 +25,11 @@ import {
 } from './agent-title-core'
 import type { AgentStatus } from './agent-title-core'
 import { isOpenCodeNativeTitle } from './opencode-terminal-title'
-import { getPiCompatibleSyntheticAgentStatus } from './pi-compatible-synthetic-title'
+import {
+  getPiCompatibleTitleSeparatorStatus,
+  getPiCompatibleSyntheticAgentStatus
+} from './pi-compatible-synthetic-title'
+import { getWrapperTitleSegments } from './terminal-title-wrapper-segments'
 import { isGrokRotatingWorkingTitle } from './terminal-title-agent-type'
 
 /**
@@ -132,15 +136,14 @@ export function normalizeTerminalTitle(title: string): string {
     }
   }
 
-  // Why: Pi animates every 80ms; collapse frames while preserving status.
-  if (isPiAgentTitle(title)) {
-    const status = detectAgentStatusFromTitle(title)
-    if (status === 'working') {
-      return '\u280b Pi'
-    }
-    if (status === 'idle') {
-      return 'Pi'
-    }
+  // Why: Pi/OMP animate a braille frame every 80ms, so the frame is the churn — but the rest of
+  // the title is the session name and cwd the agent chose. Canonicalize the frame in place
+  // (it leads in `⠋ π - session - cwd` and sits medially in `π ⠋ label`) and keep everything
+  // else; collapsing to a bare "Pi" discarded both the identity and the label (#16093).
+  // Why segments: a multiplexer prefixes the pane title (`zsh | ⠋ π - …`), and an anchored
+  // match would skip the canonicalization and let the frame churn through (#8032).
+  if (getWrapperTitleSegments(title).some(isPiAgentTitle)) {
+    return canonicalizeBrailleSpinnerFrame(title)
   }
 
   // Why: Grok Build interpolates a rotating status/tool phrase between the
@@ -154,6 +157,17 @@ export function normalizeTerminalTitle(title: string): string {
   return title
 }
 
+/** Why: any braille frame reads as the same animation step, so consecutive frames dedupe. */
+function canonicalizeBrailleSpinnerFrame(title: string): string {
+  let canonical = ''
+  for (const char of title) {
+    const codePoint = char.codePointAt(0)
+    canonical +=
+      codePoint !== undefined && codePoint >= 0x2800 && codePoint <= 0x28ff ? '\u280b' : char
+  }
+  return canonical
+}
+
 export function detectAgentStatusFromTitle(title: string): AgentStatus | null {
   if (!title || isClaudeManagementTitle(title)) {
     return null
@@ -186,6 +200,12 @@ export function detectAgentStatusFromTitle(title: string): AgentStatus | null {
   if (title.startsWith(`${CLAUDE_IDLE} `) || title === CLAUDE_IDLE) {
     return 'idle'
   }
+  // Why: read the state separator before the blanket idle below — `π ! <label>` is a
+  // blocked agent, and treating it as idle hides an OMP pane waiting on the user.
+  const piCompatibleSeparatorStatus = getPiCompatibleTitleSeparatorStatus(title)
+  if (piCompatibleSeparatorStatus) {
+    return piCompatibleSeparatorStatus
+  }
   if (isPiTerminalTitle(title)) {
     return 'idle'
   }
diff --git a/src/shared/omp-pi-semantic-title-preservation.test.ts b/src/shared/omp-pi-semantic-title-preservation.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..9c4393c3864
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/shared/omp-pi-semantic-title-preservation.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,253 @@
+/**
+ * OMP/Pi terminal titles: preserve the session label, collapse only the animation.
+ *
+ * The reported symptom was an OMP tab title flickering between "OMP" and "Pi" ~12x/sec.
+ * OMP emits NEITHER string. Verified against oh-my-pi
+ * (packages/coding-agent/src/utils/title-generator.ts): `DEFAULT_TERMINAL_TITLE = "π"` (:25)
+ * and `buildTerminalTitleWithState` (:530-544) compose `π ⠋ <label>` / `π > <label>` /
+ * `π ! <label>` — always the π glyph. On an Orca-hosted pane OMP's native titler cedes
+ * entirely to Orca's OWN injected extension (src/main/pi/titlebar-extension-source.ts:21,44),
+ * which writes `π - <session> - <cwd>` and `⠋ π - <session> - <cwd>` every 80ms.
+ *
+ * Both flapping strings were manufactured by Orca:
+ *   "OMP" — `driveSyntheticTitleFromHook` (src/main/index.ts), from the omp profile's label.
+ *   "Pi"  — `normalizeTerminalTitle` collapsing our own extension's output to a hardcoded
+ *           literal, discarding the session name and cwd along with it (#16093).
+ *
+ * The fix removes both: the agent owns the title it animates (`synthesizeWorkingTitle: false`
+ * — not the stronger `synthesizeTerminalTitle: false`, because terminal-state frames still
+ * carry the pane's agent identity downstream), and the normalizer canonicalizes only the
+ * rotating braille frame so consecutive frames dedupe while the label survives.
+ */
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+import { detectAgentStatusFromTitle, normalizeTerminalTitle } from './agent-title-status'
+import { isDecorativeAgentTitleFrameChange } from './agent-decorative-title-signature'
+import {
+  getSyntheticAgentTerminalTitle,
+  shouldDriveSyntheticAgentTitleFromHook
+} from './synthetic-agent-title'
+import { normalizeCompatibleAgentTitleForOwner } from './agent-title-owner'
+import { getPiCompatibleTitleSeparatorStatus } from './pi-compatible-synthetic-title'
+
+// Verbatim from src/main/pi/titlebar-extension-source.ts:44 and oh-my-pi:530-544.
+const ORCA_EXTENSION_WORKING = (frame: string): string => `${frame} π - fixing the sidebar - orca`
+const OMP_NATIVE_WORKING = (frame: string): string => `π ${frame} fixing the sidebar`
+const FRAMES = ['⠋', '⠙', '⠹', '⠸', '⠼', '⠴', '⠦', '⠧', '⠇', '⠏']
+
+describe('normalizeTerminalTitle keeps the OMP/Pi session label', () => {
+  it.each([
+    ['Orca extension (spinner leads)', ORCA_EXTENSION_WORKING],
+    ['OMP native (spinner is medial)', OMP_NATIVE_WORKING]
+  ])('collapses every %s frame to one value without losing the label', (_name, build) => {
+    const normalized = new Set(FRAMES.map((frame) => normalizeTerminalTitle(build(frame))))
+
+    expect(normalized.size).toBe(1)
+    const [only] = [...normalized]
+    expect(only).toContain('fixing the sidebar')
+    expect(only).toContain('π')
+    // The bare labels the old collapse minted must be gone entirely.
+    expect(only).not.toBe('⠋ Pi')
+    expect(only).not.toBe('Pi')
+  })
+
+  it('leaves idle and attention titles byte-identical', () => {
+    for (const title of [
+      'π - fixing the sidebar - orca',
+      'π > fixing the sidebar',
+      'π ! fixing the sidebar',
+      'π: fixing the sidebar'
+    ]) {
+      expect(normalizeTerminalTitle(title)).toBe(title)
+    }
+  })
+
+  // Why: a multiplexer prefixes the pane's title, so an anchored match skipped the collapse
+  // and the frame churned straight through (#8032).
+  it('collapses frames under a multiplexer prefix', () => {
+    const normalized = new Set(
+      FRAMES.map((frame) => normalizeTerminalTitle(`zsh | ${ORCA_EXTENSION_WORKING(frame)}`))
+    )
+
+    expect(normalized.size).toBe(1)
+    expect([...normalized][0]).toContain('fixing the sidebar')
+  })
+
+  it('keeps two different sessions distinguishable', () => {
+    expect(normalizeTerminalTitle('π - session A - orca')).not.toBe(
+      normalizeTerminalTitle('π - session B - orca')
+    )
+  })
+})
+
+describe('detectAgentStatusFromTitle reads the π state separator', () => {
+  it.each([
+    ['π ! fixing the sidebar', 'permission'],
+    ['π > fixing the sidebar', 'idle'],
+    ['π ⠋ fixing the sidebar', 'working'],
+    ['⠋ π - fixing the sidebar - orca', 'working'],
+    ['π: fixing the sidebar', 'idle']
+  ])('classifies %s as %s', (title, expected) => {
+    expect(detectAgentStatusFromTitle(title)).toBe(expected)
+  })
+})
+
+describe('the churn is gone at the suppressor', () => {
+  it('treats consecutive animation frames as decoration', () => {
+    for (const build of [ORCA_EXTENSION_WORKING, OMP_NATIVE_WORKING]) {
+      for (let index = 1; index < FRAMES.length; index += 1) {
+        expect(
+          isDecorativeAgentTitleFrameChange(
+            normalizeTerminalTitle(build(FRAMES[index - 1])),
+            normalizeTerminalTitle(build(FRAMES[index]))
+          )
+        ).toBe(true)
+      }
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('still commits a real working -> attention transition', () => {
+    expect(
+      isDecorativeAgentTitleFrameChange(
+        normalizeTerminalTitle(ORCA_EXTENSION_WORKING('⠋')),
+        normalizeTerminalTitle('π ! fixing the sidebar')
+      )
+    ).toBe(false)
+  })
+})
+
+describe('Orca stops writing over the working title it does not own', () => {
+  // Why: the agent animates its own working title, so synthesizing there both replaced the
+  // session label and fought its frames at 80ms — that pair is the flap.
+  it.each(['omp', 'pi'] as const)('synthesizes no working title for %s', (agent) => {
+    expect(shouldDriveSyntheticAgentTitleFromHook(agent, 'working')).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  // Why NOT terminal states: the synthetic frame is also how the pane's agent identity reaches
+  // downstream consumers, and both agents are quiet at rest so nothing churns.
+  it.each(['omp', 'pi'] as const)('still synthesizes terminal states for %s', (agent) => {
+    for (const state of ['done', 'waiting', 'blocked'] as const) {
+      expect(getSyntheticAgentTerminalTitle(agent, state)).not.toBeNull()
+      expect(shouldDriveSyntheticAgentTitleFromHook(agent, state)).toBe(true)
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('leaves agents that own no title alone', () => {
+    expect(getSyntheticAgentTerminalTitle('droid', 'done')).toBe('Droid ready')
+    expect(shouldDriveSyntheticAgentTitleFromHook('droid', 'working')).toBe(true)
+  })
+})
+
+describe('the owner relabel keeps the label and swaps only the brand', () => {
+  // Why: this runs on the pane display title, tab title, sidebar rows and the mobile publish.
+  // Collapsing a semantic title to a bare profile label re-destroyed the session name at display
+  // time (#16093); keeping the brand as π would lose the explicit owner identity that #6689,
+  // #7633 and #9077 established. Swapping the brand in place satisfies both.
+  it.each([
+    ['⠋ π - fixing the sidebar - orca', '⠋ OMP - fixing the sidebar - orca'],
+    ['π - fixing the sidebar - orca', 'OMP - fixing the sidebar - orca'],
+    ['π ! fixing the sidebar', 'OMP ! fixing the sidebar'],
+    ['π > fixing the sidebar', 'OMP > fixing the sidebar']
+  ])('rewrites %s to %s for an omp-owned pane', (title, expected) => {
+    expect(normalizeCompatibleAgentTitleForOwner(title, 'omp')).toBe(expected)
+  })
+
+  // Why: the owner rewrite feeds status classification downstream, so a rewritten title must
+  // classify exactly as its source did — that round-trip is why the old collapse existed.
+  it.each([
+    '⠋ π - fixing the sidebar - orca',
+    'π - fixing the sidebar - orca',
+    'π ! fixing the sidebar',
+    'π > fixing the sidebar',
+    '⠋ Pi',
+    'Pi ready',
+    'Pi - action required'
+  ])('preserves the status of %s across the owner rewrite', (title) => {
+    expect(detectAgentStatusFromTitle(normalizeCompatibleAgentTitleForOwner(title, 'omp'))).toBe(
+      detectAgentStatusFromTitle(title)
+    )
+  })
+
+  // Why keep: a bare frame carries no session text, and persisted pre-upgrade values are bare.
+  // Re-owning them is what pins an OMP pane to OMP (#6689, #7633, #9077).
+  it('still re-owns bare identity frames', () => {
+    expect(normalizeCompatibleAgentTitleForOwner('⠋ Pi', 'omp')).toBe('⠋ OMP')
+    expect(normalizeCompatibleAgentTitleForOwner('Pi ready', 'omp')).toBe('OMP ready')
+    expect(normalizeCompatibleAgentTitleForOwner('⠋ OMP', 'pi')).toBe('⠋ Pi')
+  })
+})
+
+describe('the state separator does not fire on ordinary titles', () => {
+  // Why: the separator check runs on every title, so a project named `omp-harness` or a task
+  // description starting "pi - …" must not read as an agent state. The owner rewrite only ever
+  // emits the exact profile casing, so lowercase prose is safe to reject.
+  it.each([
+    'omp-harness ready',
+    'pi-scratch ready',
+    'pipeline - build',
+    'pip - install',
+    'pi - refactor the parser',
+    'omp - deploy notes',
+    'npm - run build',
+    'node - server'
+  ])('classifies %s as no agent', (title) => {
+    expect(detectAgentStatusFromTitle(title)).toBeNull()
+  })
+})
+
+describe('one real OMP turn', () => {
+  // Why: the reported symptom was ~12 committed store patches per second on a working OMP tab.
+  // This drives a full turn of the frames Orca's injected extension actually emits and counts
+  // what survives the churn gate. Before the fix each frame alternated "⠋ Pi"/"⠋ OMP" and every
+  // one of them committed.
+  it('commits twice across 30 working frames plus the idle transition', () => {
+    const frames = Array.from(
+      { length: 30 },
+      (_, index) => `${FRAMES[index % FRAMES.length]} π - fixing the sidebar - orca`
+    )
+    frames.push('π - fixing the sidebar - orca')
+
+    const committed: string[] = []
+    let previous: string | null = null
+    for (const frame of frames) {
+      const normalized = normalizeTerminalTitle(frame)
+      if (previous !== null && isDecorativeAgentTitleFrameChange(previous, normalized)) {
+        continue
+      }
+      if (normalized === previous) {
+        continue
+      }
+      committed.push(normalized)
+      previous = normalized
+    }
+
+    expect(committed).toEqual(['⠋ π - fixing the sidebar - orca', 'π - fixing the sidebar - orca'])
+  })
+})
+
+describe('latent hazards the reviewers flagged', () => {
+  // Why: `-` is both a state separator and the permission label's delimiter. This resolves
+  // correctly today only because the synthetic check runs first in detectAgentStatusFromTitle,
+  // and the separator fn is exported — so pin both the caller and the fn itself.
+  it.each(['Pi - action required', 'OMP - action required'])(
+    'classifies %s as permission, not idle',
+    (title) => {
+      expect(detectAgentStatusFromTitle(title)).toBe('permission')
+      expect(getPiCompatibleTitleSeparatorStatus(title)).toBe('permission')
+    }
+  )
+
+  // Why: the owner rewrite re-runs on its own output during hydration and seeding. It is a fixed
+  // point only because getAgentLabel does not tokenize `omp`/`pi`; if that ever changes, a
+  // rewritten title would collapse back to a bare label and lose the session text again.
+  it.each([
+    '⠋ π - fixing the sidebar - orca',
+    'π - fixing the sidebar - orca',
+    'π ! fixing the sidebar',
+    'π ⠙ fixing the sidebar',
+    'zsh | ⠙ π - a - b'
+  ])('is a fixed point when the owner rewrite re-runs on %s', (title) => {
+    const once = normalizeCompatibleAgentTitleForOwner(title, 'omp')
+    expect(normalizeCompatibleAgentTitleForOwner(once, 'omp')).toBe(once)
+    expect(once).toContain('OMP')
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/shared/pi-compatible-synthetic-title.ts b/src/shared/pi-compatible-synthetic-title.ts
index 3060ce5779c..7b99235811d 100644
--- a/src/shared/pi-compatible-synthetic-title.ts
+++ b/src/shared/pi-compatible-synthetic-title.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,12 @@ const PI_COMPATIBLE_SYNTHETIC_TITLE_RE =
   /^\s*(?:[\u2800-\u28ff]\s+)?(pi|omp)(?:\s+-\s+action required|\s+(?:ready|idle|done))?\s*$/i
 // Why: legacy Pi/OMP-compatible shells can emit the delimiter before cwd text exists.
 const LEGACY_PI_COMPATIBLE_TITLE_RE = /^\s*(?:[\u2800-\u28ff]\s+)?π(?:\s*[-:]|\s)\s*.*$/u
+// Why: the state separator sits directly after the brand — `π ! label`, `OMP > label`. The brand
+// may already have been swapped for the owner's label, so accept those too — but only in their
+// exact profile casing, since a lowercase `pi - refactor…` is ordinary prose, not a Pi title.
+// The separator must be delimited (`:` attached, or spaced) or `omp-harness` reads as a state.
+const PI_COMPATIBLE_SEPARATOR_RE = /^\s*(?:π|Pi|OMP)(?::|\s+([!>-]))(?=\s|$)/u
+const PI_COMPATIBLE_PERMISSION_TAIL_RE = /\baction required\b/i
 
 function containsBrailleSpinner(title: string): boolean {
   for (const char of title) {
@@ -53,3 +59,32 @@ export function getPiCompatibleSyntheticAgentStatus(
 export function isLegacyPiCompatibleTitle(title: string): boolean {
   return LEGACY_PI_COMPATIBLE_TITLE_RE.test(title)
 }
+
+/**
+ * Reads the run state a π-branded title encodes in its separator.
+ *
+ * Why: Pi/OMP put the state between the brand and the session label —
+ * `π ! <label>` means the agent is blocked on the user, `π > <label>` is the
+ * user's turn, `π ⠋ <label>` is working (upstream `buildTerminalTitleWithState`).
+ * Without this the `!` is never read and a blocked agent classifies as idle.
+ */
+export function getPiCompatibleTitleSeparatorStatus(
+  title: string
+): PiCompatibleSyntheticAgentStatus | null {
+  // Why: a spinner anywhere means the agent is working, and that outranks the separator —
+  // the frame is drawn over the idle separator position while a turn runs.
+  if (containsBrailleSpinner(title)) {
+    return null
+  }
+  const match = PI_COMPATIBLE_SEPARATOR_RE.exec(title)
+  if (!match) {
+    return null
+  }
+  // Why: `-` is both a state separator and the delimiter in the synthetic permission label, so
+  // `OMP - action required` would read as idle. Callers happen to resolve that label earlier,
+  // but this is exported — carry the guard here rather than depend on their ordering.
+  if (PI_COMPATIBLE_PERMISSION_TAIL_RE.test(title)) {
+    return 'permission'
+  }
+  return match[1] === '!' ? 'permission' : 'idle'
+}
diff --git a/src/shared/synthetic-agent-title.test.ts b/src/shared/synthetic-agent-title.test.ts
index 8b7b518fa3d..f05b92901e9 100644
--- a/src/shared/synthetic-agent-title.test.ts
+++ b/src/shared/synthetic-agent-title.test.ts
@@ -32,12 +32,13 @@ describe('synthetic agent titles', () => {
   it('provides Pi-compatible OMP titles for hook-driven status updates', () => {
     expect(getSyntheticAgentTerminalTitle('omp', 'done')).toBe('OMP ready')
     expect(getSyntheticAgentTerminalTitle('omp', 'waiting')).toBe('OMP - action required')
-    expect(shouldDriveSyntheticAgentTitleFromHook('omp', 'working')).toBe(true)
+    // Why: the native π working title carries session name/cwd; synthesizing would clobber it.
+    expect(shouldDriveSyntheticAgentTitleFromHook('omp', 'working')).toBe(false)
   })
 
   it('provides Pi titles for hook-driven status updates', () => {
     expect(getSyntheticAgentTerminalTitle('pi', 'done')).toBe('Pi ready')
     expect(getSyntheticAgentTerminalTitle('pi', 'waiting')).toBe('Pi - action required')
-    expect(shouldDriveSyntheticAgentTitleFromHook('pi', 'working')).toBe(true)
+    expect(shouldDriveSyntheticAgentTitleFromHook('pi', 'working')).toBe(false)
   })
 })
diff --git a/src/shared/synthetic-agent-title.ts b/src/shared/synthetic-agent-title.ts
index ee8a7697b36..6f88f7f03e1 100644
--- a/src/shared/synthetic-agent-title.ts
+++ b/src/shared/synthetic-agent-title.ts
@@ -46,13 +46,20 @@ export const SYNTHETIC_AGENT_TITLE_PROFILES: Record<string, SyntheticAgentTitleP
     workingLabel: 'Pi',
     permissionLabel: 'Pi - action required',
     idleLabel: 'Pi ready',
-    titleIdentityGroup: 'pi-compatible'
+    titleIdentityGroup: 'pi-compatible',
+    // Why: Pi owns its working OSC title (`π ⠋ <session>`) and animates it itself. Synthesizing
+    // over it replaced the session label and fought its frames at 80ms. Terminal states still
+    // synthesize: they carry the pane's agent identity downstream, and Pi is quiet at rest.
+    synthesizeWorkingTitle: false
   },
   omp: {
     workingLabel: 'OMP',
     permissionLabel: 'OMP - action required',
     idleLabel: 'OMP ready',
-    titleIdentityGroup: 'pi-compatible'
+    titleIdentityGroup: 'pi-compatible',
+    // Why: on an Orca-hosted pane it is Orca's own injected titlebar extension writing the
+    // working title (src/main/pi/titlebar-extension-source.ts). See pi above.
+    synthesizeWorkingTitle: false
   },
   droid: {
     workingLabel: 'Droid',
diff --git a/tests/e2e/session-tabs-decorative-title-fanout.unit.test.ts b/tests/e2e/session-tabs-decorative-title-fanout.unit.test.ts
index 48dd86e318d..781ff90baef 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/session-tabs-decorative-title-fanout.unit.test.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/session-tabs-decorative-title-fanout.unit.test.ts
@@ -429,7 +429,8 @@ describe('real PTY decorative session-tabs fanout', () => {
       agent: 'pi' as const,
       firstTitle: '⠋ π - project',
       heartbeatTitles: ['⠋ π - project', '⠙ π - project'],
-      expectedTitle: '⠋ Pi'
+      // Why: the π brand swaps for the owner label in place; session text survives.
+      expectedTitle: '⠋ Pi - project'
     },
     {
       agent: 'grok-build' as const,
@@ -486,11 +487,11 @@ describe('real PTY decorative session-tabs fanout', () => {
 
     expect(publications).toHaveLength(2)
     expect(
-      publications.every((snapshot) => {
+      publications.map((snapshot) => {
         const terminal = snapshot.tabs[0]
-        return terminal?.type === 'terminal' && terminal.title === testCase.expectedTitle
+        return terminal?.type === 'terminal' ? terminal.title : null
       })
-    ).toBe(true)
+    ).toEqual([testCase.expectedTitle, testCase.expectedTitle])
     const finalTerminal = publications.at(-1)?.tabs[0]
     const finalAgentStatus =
       finalTerminal?.type === 'terminal' ? finalTerminal.agentStatus : undefined