diff --git a/docs/PREVIEW.md b/docs/PREVIEW.md
index 5424960..bf98430 100644
--- a/docs/PREVIEW.md
+++ b/docs/PREVIEW.md
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ Web client (`--preview` and friends in `web/src/styles.css`):
 | The canvas | A `preview` chip, top right, and a dashed inset ring. |
 | A throwaway tab | Dashed border, italic label. |
 | The sidebar row being previewed | Filled with the preview hue, over whatever open state the row already had — but the row of the session already showing in the pane keeps its accent fill, since previewing it changes nothing on screen. |
+| The sidebar row of the session the operator picked | Keeps its accent fill for the whole preview. A preview never moves the accent; only opening another session does. |
 | A hovered sidebar row, and the keyboard cursor on a session | A lighter wash of the same hue, because both are what previews a row. |
 
 Rows say it with fill, not with an edge — see the tier ladder in
diff --git a/web/src/fastForward.test.ts b/web/src/fastForward.test.ts
index 4366c28..de74292 100644
--- a/web/src/fastForward.test.ts
+++ b/web/src/fastForward.test.ts
@@ -34,12 +34,14 @@ describe("resolveFastForward (#67)", () => {
     const res = resolveFastForward(projects, presets, "amber-falcon");
     expect(res.project?.path).toBe("/repos/fresh");
     expect(res.command).toBe("aider");
-    expect(res.name).toBe("amber-falcon");
+    expect(res.handle).toBe("amber-falcon");
 
     const req = buildFastForwardRequest(res)!;
     expect(req.cwd).toBe("/repos/fresh");
     expect(req.command).toBe("aider");
-    expect(req.metadata).toEqual({ name: "amber-falcon" });
+    // No name (#131): the daemon names the session after its first prompt,
+    // and a name here would collide with the branch handle.
+    expect(req.metadata).toBeUndefined();
     expect(req.worktree).toEqual({
       base_repo: "/repos/fresh",
       branch: "amber-falcon",
@@ -88,9 +90,9 @@ describe("resolveFastForward (#67)", () => {
     expect(buildFastForwardRequest(res)).toBeNull();
   });
 
-  it("downgrades to a draft when the generated name is missing", () => {
+  it("downgrades to a draft when the generated handle is missing", () => {
     const res = resolveFastForward([project({ last_command: "claude" })], presets);
-    expect(res.name).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(res.handle).toBeUndefined();
     expect(buildFastForwardRequest(res)).toBeNull();
   });
 
@@ -108,6 +110,17 @@ describe("resolveFastForward (#67)", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it("seeds the handle as the branch and leaves the name field empty (#131)", () => {
+    const res = resolveFastForward(
+      [project({ path: "/repos/p", base_repo: "/repos/p", last_command: "aider" })],
+      presets,
+      "amber-falcon",
+    );
+    const seed = fastForwardSeed(res);
+    expect(seed.name).toBe("");
+    expect(seed.worktreeBranch).toBe("amber-falcon");
+  });
+
   it("leaves the worktree default alone when not even a project resolved", () => {
     // Not `false`: the form defaults the toggle on and a false would stick,
     // so the fallback draft would disagree with a normally-opened draft and
diff --git a/web/src/fastForward.ts b/web/src/fastForward.ts
index 5f83611..0a140f1 100644
--- a/web/src/fastForward.ts
+++ b/web/src/fastForward.ts
@@ -10,19 +10,21 @@ import { sortProjects } from "./projectList.js";
 export interface FastForwardResolution {
   project?: Project;
   command?: string;
-  name?: string;
+  /** A generated handle for the worktree branch (#131). Not a session name:
+   *  the fast path names no session. */
+  handle?: string;
 }
 
 /** The defaults: the currently focused session's project when it's still a
  *  known project, else the most recent one (fresh-first, same ordering the
  *  picker shows) — so `N` lands where the operator currently is, matching
  *  what plain `n` seeds from `spawnSimilarProjectSeed`. Its last command
- *  falls back to the first non-custom preset, and the name is freshly
- *  generated when the daemon supplied one. */
+ *  falls back to the first non-custom preset, and the branch handle is
+ *  freshly generated when the daemon supplied one. */
 export function resolveFastForward(
   projects: Project[],
   presets: SpawnPreset[],
-  name?: string,
+  handle?: string,
   focusedCwd?: string,
 ): FastForwardResolution {
   const project =
@@ -30,41 +32,45 @@ export function resolveFastForward(
   const lastCommand = project?.last_command?.trim();
   const command =
     lastCommand || presets.find((p) => p.command !== "")?.command || undefined;
-  return { project, command, name: name || undefined };
+  return { project, command, handle: handle || undefined };
 }
 
 /** The immediate spawn request — worktree on, new branch named after the
- *  generated session name — or `null` when any default is missing. */
+ *  generated handle — or `null` when any default is missing.
+ *
+ *  The request carries no name (#131): the daemon assigns a provisional one
+ *  and replaces it once the session sees its first prompt. A name here would
+ *  also collide with the branch handle's own session. */
 export function buildFastForwardRequest(
   res: FastForwardResolution,
 ): CreateSessionRequest | null {
-  const { project, command, name } = res;
-  if (!project || !command?.trim() || !name) return null;
+  const { project, command, handle } = res;
+  if (!project || !command?.trim() || !handle) return null;
   return {
     cwd: project.path,
     command,
-    metadata: { name },
     worktree: {
       base_repo: project.base_repo ?? project.path,
-      branch: name,
+      branch: handle,
       create_branch: true,
     },
   };
 }
 
 /** Seed for the fallback spawn form: whatever did resolve goes into the
- *  form; the rest stays with its own defaults. */
+ *  form; the rest stays with its own defaults. The name field stays empty
+ *  (#131) — the handle seeds the branch, not the session name. */
 export function fastForwardSeed(res: FastForwardResolution) {
   return {
     cwd: res.project?.path ?? "",
     command: res.command ?? "",
-    name: res.name ?? "",
+    name: "",
     // Left undefined rather than false when nothing resolved: the form
     // defaults the toggle on, and `false` would stick, so the fallback form
     // would disagree with both a normally-opened form and the TUI's fast path
     // (#67 review).
     worktreeEnabled: res.project ? true : undefined,
     worktreeBranch:
-      res.project && res.name ? res.name : undefined,
+      res.project && res.handle ? res.handle : undefined,
   };
 }
diff --git a/web/src/main.ts b/web/src/main.ts
index 2154af1..8bc489f 100644
--- a/web/src/main.ts
+++ b/web/src/main.ts
@@ -356,14 +356,14 @@ async function spawnPresets(): Promise<SpawnPreset[]> {
 }
 
 async function requestFastForward(): Promise<void> {
-  const [discovered, name] = await Promise.all([
+  const [discovered, handle] = await Promise.all([
     fetchProjects().catch(() => [] as Project[]),
     fetchNames(1)
       .then((batch) => batch.names[0])
       .catch(() => undefined),
   ]);
   const presets = await spawnPresets();
-  const resolved = resolveFastForward(discovered, presets, name, focusedProjectCwd());
+  const resolved = resolveFastForward(discovered, presets, handle, focusedProjectCwd());
   const req = buildFastForwardRequest(resolved);
   if (req) {
     try {
@@ -390,7 +390,7 @@ async function requestFastForward(): Promise<void> {
 // one outside any repo spawns without a worktree, since there is no repo to cut
 // a branch from. Anything still unresolved opens the pre-filled form.
 async function requestSpawnInDirectory(path: string): Promise<void> {
-  const [discovered, name] = await Promise.all([
+  const [discovered, handle] = await Promise.all([
     fetchProjects().catch(() => [] as Project[]),
     fetchNames(1)
       .then((batch) => batch.names[0])
@@ -399,7 +399,7 @@ async function requestSpawnInDirectory(path: string): Promise<void> {
   const presets = await spawnPresets();
   const known = discovered.find((p) => p.path === path);
   const project: Project = known ?? { path, name: path.split("/").filter(Boolean).pop() ?? path };
-  const resolved = resolveFastForward([project], presets, name, path);
+  const resolved = resolveFastForward([project], presets, handle, path);
   const req = buildFastForwardRequest(resolved);
   if (req) {
     const inRepo =
diff --git a/web/src/multiview.ts b/web/src/multiview.ts
index 903f6ff..aad876e 100644
--- a/web/src/multiview.ts
+++ b/web/src/multiview.ts
@@ -215,6 +215,20 @@ export function createMultiView(opts: MultiViewOptions): MultiView {
     return fl?.sessionId ?? null;
   }
 
+  /** The session the operator actually picked — what `focusedLeafSession()`
+   *  would return with the preview undone. A preview moves the active tab and
+   *  its focus, but it is a view: the accent stays on the row the operator
+   *  chose until they choose another (docs/PREVIEW.md). */
+  function realFocusedSession(): string | null {
+    const p = preview;
+    if (!p) return focusedLeafSession();
+    const tab = layout.tabs.find((t) => t.id === p.prevActiveTabId) ?? activeTab(layout);
+    const leafId =
+      p.prevFocus && p.prevFocus.tabId === tab.id ? p.prevFocus.leafId : tab.focusedLeafId;
+    const fl = leafId ? findLeaf(tab.root, leafId) : null;
+    return fl?.sessionId ?? null;
+  }
+
   /** Update focus styling + pool focus + sidebar highlights without rebuilding
    *  the DOM (cheap path for click-to-focus). */
   function syncFocus(): void {
@@ -233,7 +247,7 @@ export function createMultiView(opts: MultiViewOptions): MultiView {
     if (!preview) pool.setFocus(focusedLeafSession());
     sidebar.setHighlights({
       open: realOpenSessions(),
-      focused: focusedLeafSession(),
+      focused: realFocusedSession(),
     });
     // The row the preview came from wears the same colour, so the sidebar and
     // the pane read as one thing rather than two unrelated highlights.
@@ -608,7 +622,7 @@ export function createMultiView(opts: MultiViewOptions): MultiView {
       { focus: !preview && !quietRender },
     );
     if (!preview) pool.setFocus(focused.sessionId ?? null);
-    sidebar.setHighlights({ open: realOpenSessions(), focused: focused.sessionId ?? null });
+    sidebar.setHighlights({ open: realOpenSessions(), focused: realFocusedSession() });
     sidebar.setPreview(preview?.sessionId ?? null);
   }
 
@@ -817,7 +831,7 @@ export function createMultiView(opts: MultiViewOptions): MultiView {
     openSessions: realOpenSessions,
     beginSessionDrag,
     render,
-    focusedSessionId: focusedLeafSession,
+    focusedSessionId: realFocusedSession,
     previewSession,
     previewedSessionId: () => preview?.sessionId ?? null,
   };
diff --git a/web/src/preview.test.ts b/web/src/preview.test.ts
index cadc4b9..768a74a 100644
--- a/web/src/preview.test.ts
+++ b/web/src/preview.test.ts
@@ -47,12 +47,20 @@ function fakePool(): Spy {
 
 /** Last value the controller pushed to `SidebarHandle.setPreview`. */
 const previewRow: { id: string | null } = { id: null };
+/** Last highlights the controller pushed to `SidebarHandle.setHighlights`. */
+const rowHighlights: { open: Set<string>; focused: string | null } = {
+  open: new Set(),
+  focused: null,
+};
 
 function fakeSidebar(): SidebarHandle {
   return {
     el: document.createElement("aside"),
     setActive() {},
-    setHighlights() {},
+    setHighlights(h) {
+      rowHighlights.open = h.open;
+      rowHighlights.focused = h.focused;
+    },
     setPreview(id: string | null) {
       previewRow.id = id;
     },
@@ -95,6 +103,8 @@ describe("sidebar preview", () => {
     stubFetch();
     document.body.replaceChildren();
     previewRow.id = null;
+    rowHighlights.open = new Set();
+    rowHighlights.focused = null;
   });
 
   afterEach(() => {
@@ -134,6 +144,28 @@ describe("sidebar preview", () => {
     expect(mv.el.querySelectorAll(".mv-pane.is-preview")).toHaveLength(0);
   });
 
+  it("leaves the accent on the session the pane actually holds", () => {
+    const layout = twoTabs();
+    const spy = fakePool();
+    const mv = makeMv(layout, spy.pool);
+    expect(rowHighlights.focused).toBe("s2");
+
+    // Walking past other rows never moves the accent off what the operator
+    // picked: only a real open does (docs/PREVIEW.md).
+    mv.previewSession("s1");
+    expect(rowHighlights.focused).toBe("s2");
+    expect(mv.focusedSessionId()).toBe("s2");
+
+    mv.previewSession("s9");
+    expect(rowHighlights.focused).toBe("s2");
+
+    mv.previewSession(null);
+    expect(rowHighlights.focused).toBe("s2");
+
+    mv.openSession("s1");
+    expect(rowHighlights.focused).toBe("s1");
+  });
+
   it("shows a session no pane holds in a throwaway tab that leaves no trace", () => {
     const layout = twoTabs();
     const before = serializeLayout(layout);