diff --git a/internal-packages/dashboard-agent/src/dashboard-agent.test.ts b/internal-packages/dashboard-agent/src/dashboard-agent.test.ts
index 748b9bb9b..8736db765 100644
--- a/internal-packages/dashboard-agent/src/dashboard-agent.test.ts
+++ b/internal-packages/dashboard-agent/src/dashboard-agent.test.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import {
   evalSampleRate,
   extractToolActivity,
   isCiEvalContext,
+  isFirstUserExchange,
   MAX_EVAL_TOOL_OUTPUT_CHARS,
   sanitizeReplayedToolInputs,
   truncateEvalToolOutput,
@@ -101,6 +102,29 @@ describe("dashboardAgent (mock harness)", () => {
     ]);
   });
 
+  describe("which turn names the chat", () => {
+    const user = (id: string) => ({ id, role: "user" });
+    const assistant = (id: string) => ({ id, role: "assistant" });
+
+    it("names it on the first exchange", () => {
+      expect(isFirstUserExchange([user("u1")])).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    it("still names it when the turn was head-started", () => {
+      // The warm first step arrives in `uiMessages`, so the transcript already holds
+      // two messages on the very first exchange.
+      expect(isFirstUserExchange([user("u1"), assistant("a1")])).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    it("does not rename on a later exchange", () => {
+      expect(isFirstUserExchange([user("u1"), assistant("a1"), user("u2")])).toBe(false);
+    });
+
+    it("ignores a watch consent record, which the user never typed", () => {
+      expect(isFirstUserExchange([user("watch-request:watch_1"), user("u1")])).toBe(true);
+    });
+  });
+
   it("names the chat once, not on every turn", async () => {
     const { store, calls } = fakeStore();
     harness = mockChatAgent(dashboardAgent, {
@@ -112,8 +136,9 @@ describe("dashboardAgent (mock harness)", () => {
       },
     });
 
-    await harness.sendMessage(userMessage("first question"));
-    await harness.sendMessage(userMessage("second question"));
+    await harness.sendMessage(userMessage("first question", "u1"));
+    // A distinct id: two turns are two messages, which is what the gate counts.
+    await harness.sendMessage(userMessage("second question", "u2"));
 
     expect(calls.setChatTitleIfDefault).toHaveLength(1);
   });
diff --git a/internal-packages/dashboard-agent/src/dashboard-agent.ts b/internal-packages/dashboard-agent/src/dashboard-agent.ts
index 86776b8e2..23c6fcad9 100644
--- a/internal-packages/dashboard-agent/src/dashboard-agent.ts
+++ b/internal-packages/dashboard-agent/src/dashboard-agent.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { isWatchRequestMessageId } from "@internal/dashboard-agent-contracts";
 import { chat } from "@trigger.dev/sdk/ai";
 import { locals, logger, tasks } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";
 import { generateText, stepCountIs, streamText, type ModelMessage, type UIMessage } from "ai";
@@ -272,6 +273,20 @@ function cleanTitle(raw: string): string {
  */
 const pendingTitles = new Map<string, Promise<void>>();
 
+/**
+ * Whether this turn is the one that names the chat. Counted in user messages, not in
+ * transcript length: a head-started turn arrives with the warm first step already in
+ * `uiMessages`, so a length gate would see two messages on the very first exchange and
+ * never name the chat at all. A watch's consent record is a user message the user did
+ * not type, so it doesn't count as an exchange either.
+ */
+export function isFirstUserExchange(uiMessages: { role: string; id?: string }[]): boolean {
+  const typed = uiMessages.filter(
+    (message) => message.role === "user" && !isWatchRequestMessageId(message.id)
+  );
+  return typed.length <= 1;
+}
+
 async function generateAndSaveTitle(
   store: DashboardAgentStore,
   chatId: string,
@@ -382,9 +397,8 @@ export const dashboardAgent = chat.agent({
 
     // Name the chat on the first exchange, started here so it runs while the model
     // answers. Awaited in `onBeforeTurnComplete`, not here; a failure only costs the
-    // generated name. The gate is the transcript length at the START of the turn,
-    // where one message means nothing has been answered yet.
-    if (uiMessages.length <= 1 && !pendingTitles.has(chatId)) {
+    // generated name.
+    if (isFirstUserExchange(uiMessages) && !pendingTitles.has(chatId)) {
       const store = getStore();
       pendingTitles.set(
         chatId,