Allow agents to rename the current thread

[yoelrosenthal]

Problem

Some users follow a naming convention for their threads, such as including a Linear or ClickUp task ID to make them easier to find later. Agents cannot currently rename threads, so users have to apply these names manually.

Request

Add an action that lets the agent rename the current thread when instructed by the user or a skill. Skills could use it once the desired name is known, such as a task ID followed by a short description.

Example

The user says "pick the next task." A ClickUp or Linear skill selects a task based on the user's workflow, such as priority, tags, and status. The agent then renames the thread to something like:

CU-869y9uv0 change the button to green

[juliusmarminge]

Triage

Valid enhancement. Users can rename threads on web, desktop, and mobile. Agents cannot. Auto-generated titles also cannot keep a user-defined convention such as CU-869y9uv0 change the button to green.

What exists today

• Clients persist a rename with thread.meta.update + title. That write marks titleState.source = "manual", so first-turn generation and later refinement will not overwrite it (decider.ts, #10720).
• Users already rename from the sidebar, chat header, and mobile thread menus. Open keyboard-shortcut PRs (#11430, #6454) only cover that user path.
• The server generates and sometimes refines titles from the first prompt (ProviderCommandReactor, TextGenerationPrompts.ts). Those prompts want a 3–8 word, <40 character subject line and explicitly drop ticket-style labels. That is the opposite of a ClickUp/Linear convention name.
• Current-thread MCP tools on main are preview, device, and pull-request link/unlink. There is no rename/title tool. #11303 adds peer-thread create/list/read/send/wait/settle/interrupt — not rename of the calling thread.

Not a duplicate

• #5019 / #990: custom or automatic title generation.
• #2723, #11430, #6454: user keyboard rename.
• #8916 / #11503: mobile user rename (shipped).
• #7328: regenerate-title UI never applying a server result.
• #11603: server retitles threads started with a bare $skill / /command after the first reply. Still generated, not a user/skill-chosen string.
• #8344 / discussion #8334: server auto-names a new thread from a ticket link in the first message. Closed/unmerged, and still not an agent action mid-thread.

#8690 (t3_thread_update, including action=rename defaulting to the calling thread) is prior art, but it landed on t3code/codex-turn-mapping (orchestrator v2 / #2829), not main. It is not a ship vehicle for this request.

Suggested smallest scope

Add one current-thread action the running agent (or a skill) can call with an explicit title.

• Default to the calling thread only. Do not take a threadId in v1.
• Dispatch the existing thread.meta.update + title command so the rename is durable, syncs to every client, and is treated as manual.
• Require a trimmed non-empty title. Do not silently run regenerate-title.
• Follow the existing MCP toolkit pattern (link_pull_request on this thread), not a new orchestration command.
• Keep auto-generation as-is. Skills that already know the name should set it; they should not have to fight the title model.

A Linear/ClickUp skill that picks the next task can then set CU-869y9uv0 change the button to green once the id is known.

Risks / product notes

• Treat the write as manual or a later generate/refine pass will clobber a convention name.
• Convention titles are often longer and more literal than the 40-character generator style; do not clamp them to that editorial rule.
• Cross-thread rename belongs with #11303 if at all, not this issue.
• #8690 is useful reference if someone later wants regenerate/link in the same tool; this issue only needs rename-current.

Workaround

Rename from the thread menu, chat header, or mobile list after the agent/skill knows the name. There is no agent- or skill-callable path on main today.