diff --git a/specstory-cli/pkg/providers/claudecode/agent_session.go b/specstory-cli/pkg/providers/claudecode/agent_session.go
index 77c3b154..94a5ccea 100644
--- a/specstory-cli/pkg/providers/claudecode/agent_session.go
+++ b/specstory-cli/pkg/providers/claudecode/agent_session.go
@@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
 package claudecode
 
 import (
+	"bufio"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"log/slog"
+	"os"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 
@@ -69,6 +72,7 @@ func GenerateAgentSession(session Session, workspaceRoot string) (*SessionData,
 		},
 		SessionID:     session.SessionUuid,
 		CreatedAt:     createdAt,
+		Title:         latestAiTitle(session.Records),
 		WorkspaceRoot: workspaceRoot,
 		Exchanges:     exchanges,
 	}
@@ -76,6 +80,51 @@ func GenerateAgentSession(session Session, workspaceRoot string) (*SessionData,
 	return sessionData, nil
 }
 
+// latestAiTitle returns the most recent Claude Code `ai-title` value for the
+// session, or "" if none. Claude re-emits the title (unchanged) once per turn and
+// it has no uuid, so it's dropped from the parsed records — we read it straight
+// from the source .jsonl. Cheap: the title line is tiny; we scan and keep the last.
+func latestAiTitle(records []JSONLRecord) string {
+	seen := make(map[string]bool)
+	title := ""
+	for _, record := range records {
+		if record.File == "" || seen[record.File] {
+			continue
+		}
+		seen[record.File] = true
+		if t := aiTitleFromFile(record.File); t != "" {
+			title = t // later files win (chronological); keeps the latest
+		}
+	}
+	return title
+}
+
+func aiTitleFromFile(path string) string {
+	f, err := os.Open(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	defer func() { _ = f.Close() }()
+
+	title := ""
+	scanner := bufio.NewScanner(f)
+	scanner.Buffer(make([]byte, 0, 64*KB), maxReasonableLineSize)
+	for scanner.Scan() {
+		line := scanner.Bytes()
+		if !strings.Contains(string(line), `"ai-title"`) {
+			continue
+		}
+		var rec struct {
+			Type    string `json:"type"`
+			AiTitle string `json:"aiTitle"`
+		}
+		if err := json.Unmarshal(line, &rec); err == nil && rec.Type == "ai-title" && rec.AiTitle != "" {
+			title = rec.AiTitle // keep scanning; last one wins
+		}
+	}
+	return title
+}
+
 // extractCreatedAtFromRecords extracts the earliest timestamp from JSONL records
 func extractCreatedAtFromRecords(records []JSONLRecord) string {
 	if len(records) == 0 {
@@ -178,6 +227,22 @@ func buildExchangesFromRecords(records []JSONLRecord, workspaceRoot string) ([]E
 			msg := buildAgentMessage(record, workspaceRoot, isSidechain)
 			currentExchange.Messages = append(currentExchange.Messages, msg)
 			currentExchange.EndTime = timestamp
+
+		case "system":
+			// Render the idle "/recap" (away_summary) the user actually saw on
+			// screen. Other system records (e.g. compact_boundary) aren't shown.
+			if subtype, _ := record.Data["subtype"].(string); subtype != "away_summary" {
+				continue
+			}
+			content, _ := record.Data["content"].(string)
+			if strings.TrimSpace(content) == "" {
+				continue
+			}
+			if currentExchange == nil {
+				currentExchange = &Exchange{StartTime: timestamp, Messages: []Message{}}
+			}
+			currentExchange.Messages = append(currentExchange.Messages, buildRecapMessage(record))
+			currentExchange.EndTime = timestamp
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -304,6 +369,22 @@ func buildUserMessage(record JSONLRecord, isSidechain bool) Message {
 	return msg
 }
 
+// buildRecapMessage builds a Message for an idle "/recap" (away_summary). Tagged
+// via Metadata so the renderer marks it distinctly; role is agent (Claude-authored).
+func buildRecapMessage(record JSONLRecord) Message {
+	uuid, _ := record.Data["uuid"].(string)
+	timestamp, _ := record.Data["timestamp"].(string)
+	content, _ := record.Data["content"].(string)
+
+	return Message{
+		ID:        uuid,
+		Timestamp: timestamp,
+		Role:      "agent",
+		Content:   []ContentPart{{Type: "text", Text: content}},
+		Metadata:  map[string]interface{}{"recap": true},
+	}
+}
+
 // buildAgentMessage creates a Message from an assistant JSONL record
 func buildAgentMessage(record JSONLRecord, workspaceRoot string, isSidechain bool) Message {
 	uuid, _ := record.Data["uuid"].(string)
diff --git a/specstory-cli/pkg/providers/claudecode/aititle_test.go b/specstory-cli/pkg/providers/claudecode/aititle_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fa4648ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/specstory-cli/pkg/providers/claudecode/aititle_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+package claudecode
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestAiTitleFromFile_LatestWins(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	p := filepath.Join(dir, "s.jsonl")
+	lines := `{"type":"user","uuid":"u1","sessionId":"s1","message":{"role":"user","content":"hi"}}
+{"type":"ai-title","aiTitle":"First Title","sessionId":"s1"}
+{"type":"assistant","uuid":"a1","sessionId":"s1","message":{"role":"assistant","content":[{"type":"text","text":"ok"}]}}
+{"type":"ai-title","aiTitle":"Latest Title","sessionId":"s1"}
+`
+	if err := os.WriteFile(p, []byte(lines), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if got := aiTitleFromFile(p); got != "Latest Title" {
+		t.Errorf("aiTitleFromFile = %q, want %q", got, "Latest Title")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAiTitleFromFile_BlankWhenAbsent(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	p := filepath.Join(dir, "n.jsonl")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(p, []byte(`{"type":"user","uuid":"u1","sessionId":"s1"}`+"\n"), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if got := aiTitleFromFile(p); got != "" {
+		t.Errorf("aiTitleFromFile = %q, want empty", got)
+	}
+	if got := aiTitleFromFile(filepath.Join(dir, "does-not-exist.jsonl")); got != "" {
+		t.Errorf("missing file should yield empty, got %q", got)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/specstory-cli/pkg/providers/claudecode/recap_test.go b/specstory-cli/pkg/providers/claudecode/recap_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..88d2b6b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/specstory-cli/pkg/providers/claudecode/recap_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+package claudecode
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestBuildExchanges_RendersAwaySummaryRecap(t *testing.T) {
+	records := []JSONLRecord{
+		{Data: map[string]interface{}{
+			"type": "user", "uuid": "u1", "timestamp": "2026-06-16T04:08:00Z", "sessionId": "s1",
+			"message": map[string]interface{}{"role": "user", "content": "hi"},
+		}},
+		{Data: map[string]interface{}{
+			"type": "assistant", "uuid": "a1", "timestamp": "2026-06-16T04:08:05Z", "sessionId": "s1",
+			"message": map[string]interface{}{"role": "assistant", "content": []interface{}{
+				map[string]interface{}{"type": "text", "text": "ok"},
+			}},
+		}},
+		{Data: map[string]interface{}{
+			"type": "system", "subtype": "away_summary", "uuid": "sys1", "parentUuid": "a1",
+			"timestamp": "2026-06-16T04:12:00Z", "sessionId": "s1",
+			"content": "You are setting up MCPs in Claude Code.",
+		}},
+		// A non-recap system record must NOT be rendered.
+		{Data: map[string]interface{}{
+			"type": "system", "subtype": "compact_boundary", "uuid": "sys2", "parentUuid": "sys1",
+			"timestamp": "2026-06-16T04:13:00Z", "sessionId": "s1",
+		}},
+	}
+
+	exchanges, err := buildExchangesFromRecords(records, "")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	recapCount := 0
+	for _, e := range exchanges {
+		for _, m := range e.Messages {
+			if r, _ := m.Metadata["recap"].(bool); r {
+				recapCount++
+				if len(m.Content) == 0 || !strings.Contains(m.Content[0].Text, "setting up MCPs") {
+					t.Errorf("recap message missing content: %+v", m.Content)
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	if recapCount != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("expected exactly 1 recap message (away_summary only), got %d", recapCount)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/specstory-cli/pkg/session/markdown.go b/specstory-cli/pkg/session/markdown.go
index 75c5c737..cafeebaa 100644
--- a/specstory-cli/pkg/session/markdown.go
+++ b/specstory-cli/pkg/session/markdown.go
@@ -56,6 +56,11 @@ func GenerateMarkdownFromAgentSession(sessionData *SessionData, includeMessageID
 		sessionData.SessionID,
 		commentTimestamp)
 
+	// Agent-generated session title, alongside the session id. Blank if unavailable.
+	if strings.TrimSpace(sessionData.Title) != "" {
+		fmt.Fprintf(&markdown, "**Title:** %s\n\n", sessionData.Title)
+	}
+
 	// Render each exchange, tracking role across exchanges for proper separators
 	prevRole := ""
 	for _, exchange := range sessionData.Exchanges {
@@ -133,6 +138,14 @@ func renderMessage(msg Message, prevRole string, includeMessageIDs bool, useUTC
 
 // renderRoleHeader creates the role header for a message
 func renderRoleHeader(msg Message, useUTC bool) string {
+	// Idle "/recap" (away_summary): label distinctly from a normal agent turn.
+	if recap, ok := msg.Metadata["recap"].(bool); ok && recap {
+		if msg.Timestamp != "" {
+			return fmt.Sprintf("_**Recap (%s)**_\n\n", formatTimestamp(msg.Timestamp, useUTC))
+		}
+		return "_**Recap**_\n\n"
+	}
+
 	// Check if this is a sidechain message (subagent conversation)
 	sidechainMarker := ""
 	if isSidechain, ok := msg.Metadata["isSidechain"].(bool); ok && isSidechain {
diff --git a/specstory-cli/pkg/session/recap_header_test.go b/specstory-cli/pkg/session/recap_header_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5f95bdbe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/specstory-cli/pkg/session/recap_header_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+package session
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestRenderRoleHeader_Recap(t *testing.T) {
+	recap := Message{
+		Role:      "agent",
+		Timestamp: "2026-06-16T04:12:16Z",
+		Metadata:  map[string]interface{}{"recap": true},
+	}
+	if got := renderRoleHeader(recap, true); got != "_**Recap (2026-06-16 04:12:16Z)**_\n\n" {
+		t.Errorf("recap header = %q", got)
+	}
+
+	normal := Message{Role: "agent", Timestamp: "2026-06-16T04:12:16Z", Model: "claude"}
+	if got := renderRoleHeader(normal, true); strings.Contains(got, "Recap") {
+		t.Errorf("non-recap agent header should not say Recap, got %q", got)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/specstory-cli/pkg/session/title_header_test.go b/specstory-cli/pkg/session/title_header_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..942bb671
--- /dev/null
+++ b/specstory-cli/pkg/session/title_header_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+package session
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestGenerateMarkdown_TitleHeader(t *testing.T) {
+	base := &SessionData{
+		SchemaVersion: "1.0",
+		Provider:      ProviderInfo{Name: "Claude Code"},
+		SessionID:     "s1",
+		CreatedAt:     "2026-06-17T08:33:43Z",
+		Exchanges: []Exchange{{
+			StartTime: "2026-06-17T08:33:43Z",
+			Messages:  []Message{{Role: "user", Timestamp: "2026-06-17T08:33:43Z", Content: []ContentPart{{Type: "text", Text: "hi"}}}},
+		}},
+	}
+
+	withTitle := *base
+	withTitle.Title = "Understand Wispr ASR pipeline"
+	md, err := GenerateMarkdownFromAgentSession(&withTitle, false, true)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(md, "**Title:** Understand Wispr ASR pipeline") {
+		t.Errorf("expected title metadata line, got:\n%s", md)
+	}
+
+	md2, err := GenerateMarkdownFromAgentSession(base, false, true)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(md2, "**Title:**") {
+		t.Error("no title line expected when Title is blank")
+	}
+}
diff --git a/specstory-cli/pkg/spi/schema/session-data-v1.json b/specstory-cli/pkg/spi/schema/session-data-v1.json
index fc048410..3f53f12c 100644
--- a/specstory-cli/pkg/spi/schema/session-data-v1.json
+++ b/specstory-cli/pkg/spi/schema/session-data-v1.json
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
     "createdAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time" },
     "updatedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time" },
     "slug": { "type": "string" },
+    "title": { "type": "string" },
     "workspaceRoot": { "type": "string" },
     "exchanges": {
       "type": "array",
diff --git a/specstory-cli/pkg/spi/schema/types.go b/specstory-cli/pkg/spi/schema/types.go
index 2fe29487..aa9f85cc 100644
--- a/specstory-cli/pkg/spi/schema/types.go
+++ b/specstory-cli/pkg/spi/schema/types.go
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ type SessionData struct {
 	CreatedAt     string       `json:"createdAt"`
 	UpdatedAt     string       `json:"updatedAt,omitempty"`
 	Slug          string       `json:"slug,omitempty"`
+	Title         string       `json:"title,omitempty"` // agent-generated session title (e.g. Claude Code's aiTitle); blank if none
 	WorkspaceRoot string       `json:"workspaceRoot"`
 	Exchanges     []Exchange   `json:"exchanges"`
 }