diff --git a/desktop/package.json b/desktop/package.json
index c8902b1..fa19b94 100644
--- a/desktop/package.json
+++ b/desktop/package.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "codbash-desktop",
   "productName": "codbash",
-  "version": "7.16.0",
+  "version": "7.17.0",
   "private": true,
   "description": "Desktop shell (Electron) for codbash — wraps the codbash server in a native window.",
   "main": "main.js",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index b7ab9a6..89b60fe 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "codbash-app",
-  "version": "7.16.0",
+  "version": "7.17.0",
   "description": "Dashboard + CLI for AI coding agents — Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode, Kiro. View, search, resume, convert, sync sessions.",
   "bin": {
     "codbash": "./bin/cli.js",
diff --git a/src/changelog.js b/src/changelog.js
index f4beece..f802bc1 100644
--- a/src/changelog.js
+++ b/src/changelog.js
@@ -1,6 +1,15 @@
 'use strict';
 
 const CHANGELOG = [
+  {
+    version: '7.17.0',
+    date: '2026-07-30',
+    title: 'Name your terminals — and dimmed text is readable again',
+    changes: [
+      'Terminal panes can be named: click the ✎ in a pane\'s title bar (or double-click the title) to label it, e.g. "API" and "worker" for two shells in the same folder. An empty name restores the automatic label (agent → folder → ~), and the name survives reloads, saved layouts and restored sessions',
+      'Fixed dimmed text on a filled background rendering as an empty highlighted bar with no text at all — some rows (e.g. the grey "message above" bars a coding agent draws) lost their text entirely in a codbash pane while staying legible in iTerm. Terminal panes now enforce a minimum contrast ratio, so a dimmed foreground is never washed out to invisible',
+    ],
+  },
   {
     version: '7.16.0',
     date: '2026-07-30',
diff --git a/src/frontend/styles.css b/src/frontend/styles.css
index 31f8b35..ca847ad 100644
--- a/src/frontend/styles.css
+++ b/src/frontend/styles.css
@@ -3387,6 +3387,20 @@ body[data-view="overview"] .toolbar { display: none; }
     cursor: pointer;
 }
 .ws-pane-bm:hover { color: var(--accent-orange, #f59e0b); border-color: var(--accent-orange, #f59e0b); }
+/* Rename this terminal — same chrome as the bookmark button next to it. */
+.ws-pane-ren {
+    font-size: 12px;
+    line-height: 1;
+    width: 22px; height: 22px;
+    background: transparent;
+    color: var(--text-muted);
+    border: 1px solid var(--border);
+    border-radius: 6px;
+    cursor: pointer;
+}
+.ws-pane-ren:hover { color: var(--accent, #3b82f6); border-color: var(--accent, #3b82f6); }
+/* The pane title doubles as a rename target (double-click). */
+.ws-pane-status { cursor: default; }
 .ws-pane-close {
     font-size: 15px;
     line-height: 1;
diff --git a/src/frontend/workspace.js b/src/frontend/workspace.js
index a6a1c93..3c2b525 100644
--- a/src/frontend/workspace.js
+++ b/src/frontend/workspace.js
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ function _wsSaveSession() {
     var snap = _wsCaptureLayout();
     // Don't persist a lone empty pane — that's just the default blank state.
     var meaningful = snap.tabs.some(function (t) {
-      return t.panes.some(function (p) { return p.cmd || p.prefill || p.cwd || p.enteredCmd; });
+      return t.panes.some(function (p) { return p.cmd || p.prefill || p.cwd || p.enteredCmd || p.name; });
     }) || snap.tabs.length > 1 || (snap.tabs[0] && snap.tabs[0].panes.length > 1);
     var sig = meaningful ? JSON.stringify(snap) : '';
     if (sig === _wsLastSessionSig) return;
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ function _wsRestoreTabsFromSession(sess) {
       .slice(0, MAX_WS_PANES)
       .map(function (p) {
         var restoreCmd = (p && (p.cmd || p.enteredCmd || p.detectedCmd || p.prefill)) || '';
-        return { id: 'p' + (++_wsPaneSeq), cmd: null, prefill: null, restoreCmd: restoreCmd || null, wantCwd: (p && p.cwd) || null };
+        return { id: 'p' + (++_wsPaneSeq), cmd: null, prefill: null, restoreCmd: restoreCmd || null, wantCwd: (p && p.cwd) || null, name: (p && p.name) || '' };
       });
     return { id: 't' + (++_wsTabSeq), name: t.name || ('Tab ' + (ti + 1)), panes: panes,
              cols: Array.isArray(t.cols) ? t.cols.slice() : null, rows: Array.isArray(t.rows) ? t.rows.slice() : null };
@@ -529,6 +529,8 @@ function _wsShortCwd(cwd) {
 // A short, human label for a pane's title bar: the running agent (if any),
 // otherwise the folder name (e.g. "CoWork"), or "~" for the home directory.
 function _wsPaneLabel(pane) {
+  // A name the user typed always wins — it's the whole point of renaming.
+  if (pane && pane.name) return pane.name;
   if (pane && pane.cmd) {
     // Strip leading `VAR=value` env assignments (value may be quoted and hold
     // secrets, e.g. HTTPS_PROXY='http://user:pass@host') so the label is the
@@ -552,7 +554,16 @@ function _wsConnectPane(pane) {
   var term = new Terminal({
     cursorBlink: _tp.cursorBlink, cursorStyle: _tp.cursorStyle,
     fontSize: _tp.fontSize, fontFamily: _tp.fontFamily,
-    theme: _wsTermTheme(), scrollback: 5000, allowProposedApi: true
+    theme: _wsTermTheme(), scrollback: 5000, allowProposedApi: true,
+    // Guarantee readable text against whatever background a TUI paints.
+    // Without this (xterm's default is 1 = no adjustment) *dimmed* text on a
+    // filled background renders as an apparently EMPTY highlighted bar — the
+    // WebGL renderer applies dim by cutting the foreground alpha, so e.g. the
+    // grey "message above" rows Claude Code draws lost their text entirely,
+    // while the same output stayed legible in iTerm. 4.5 is the WCAG AA ratio;
+    // xterm only nudges a foreground when it falls below it, so normal colors
+    // are left alone.
+    minimumContrastRatio: 4.5
   });
   var fit = new FitAddon.FitAddon();
   term.loadAddon(fit);
@@ -734,7 +745,11 @@ function _wsPaneMarkup(pane) {
   return '' +
     '<div class="ws-pane" data-pane-id="' + escHtml(pane.id) + '">' +
       '<div class="ws-pane-bar">' +
-        '<span class="ws-pane-status" id="wsStatus-' + escHtml(pane.id) + '">connecting…</span>' +
+        '<span class="ws-pane-status" id="wsStatus-' + escHtml(pane.id) + '" ' +
+          'title="Double-click to rename this terminal" ' +
+          'ondblclick="renameWorkspacePane(\'' + escHtml(pane.id) + '\')">connecting…</span>' +
+        '<button class="ws-pane-ren" title="Rename this terminal" aria-label="Rename terminal" ' +
+          'onclick="renameWorkspacePane(\'' + escHtml(pane.id) + '\')">&#9998;</button>' +
         '<select class="ws-pane-launch" title="Launch an agent or saved command in this pane" ' +
           'onchange="launchAgentInPane(\'' + escHtml(pane.id) + '\', this.value); this.selectedIndex=0;">' + _wsLaunchOptionsHtml() + '</select>' +
         '<button class="ws-pane-bm" title="Bookmark this folder + agent" aria-label="Bookmark" onclick="bookmarkPane(\'' + escHtml(pane.id) + '\')">&#9734;</button>' +
@@ -1531,7 +1546,7 @@ function _wsBuildPanes(spec) {
     : [{ cwd: spec.cwd, cmd: spec.cmd, prefill: spec.prefill }];
   list = list.slice(0, MAX_WS_PANES);
   return list.map(function (pc) {
-    return { id: 'p' + (++_wsPaneSeq), cmd: pc.cmd || null, prefill: pc.prefill || null, wantCwd: pc.cwd || null };
+    return { id: 'p' + (++_wsPaneSeq), cmd: pc.cmd || null, prefill: pc.prefill || null, wantCwd: pc.cwd || null, name: pc.name || '' };
   });
 }
 
@@ -1815,7 +1830,7 @@ function _wsSerializeTab(tab) {
     cols: Array.isArray(tab.cols) ? tab.cols.slice() : null,
     rows: Array.isArray(tab.rows) ? tab.rows.slice() : null,
     panes: tab.panes.map(function (p) {
-      return { cmd: p.cmd || '', prefill: p.prefill || '', cwd: p.cwd || p.wantCwd || '', detectedCmd: p.detectedCmd || '', enteredCmd: p.enteredCmd || '' };
+      return { cmd: p.cmd || '', prefill: p.prefill || '', cwd: p.cwd || p.wantCwd || '', name: p.name || '', detectedCmd: p.detectedCmd || '', enteredCmd: p.enteredCmd || '' };
     }),
   };
 }
@@ -1846,7 +1861,7 @@ function reopenLastClosedTab() {
     .slice(0, MAX_WS_PANES)
     .map(function (p) {
       var cmd = (p && (p.cmd || p.enteredCmd || p.detectedCmd || p.prefill)) || '';
-      return { id: 'p' + (++_wsPaneSeq), cmd: null, prefill: null, restoreCmd: cmd || null, wantCwd: (p && p.cwd) || null };
+      return { id: 'p' + (++_wsPaneSeq), cmd: null, prefill: null, restoreCmd: cmd || null, wantCwd: (p && p.cwd) || null, name: (p && p.name) || '' };
     });
   var tab = { id: 't' + (++_wsTabSeq), name: spec.name || 'Tab', panes: panes,
               cols: Array.isArray(spec.cols) ? spec.cols.slice() : null, rows: Array.isArray(spec.rows) ? spec.rows.slice() : null };
@@ -1920,6 +1935,23 @@ function addWorkspacePane(cmd) {
   _wsRenderPanes(); _wsSyncLayoutButtons();
 }
 
+// Give a pane its own name, shown in the title bar instead of the folder/agent
+// label. Uses codbashPrompt, not window.prompt — the latter is a no-op in the
+// Electron shell. An empty answer clears the name and falls back to the
+// auto-label; the name round-trips through saved layouts and the session.
+function renameWorkspacePane(id) {
+  var pane = _wsFindPane(id);
+  if (!pane) return;
+  codbashPrompt('Terminal name:', pane.name || _wsPaneLabel(pane)).then(function (name) {
+    if (name === null) return;                     // cancelled — leave as-is
+    var next = String(name).trim().slice(0, 120);  // matches MAX_NAME server-side
+    pane.name = next;                              // '' clears it → auto-label
+    var st = document.getElementById('wsStatus-' + pane.id);
+    if (st) st.textContent = _wsPaneLabel(pane);
+    _wsSaveSession();
+  });
+}
+
 function closeWorkspacePane(id) {
   for (var i = 0; i < _wsTabs.length; i++) {
     var tab = _wsTabs[i];
@@ -2073,6 +2105,7 @@ function _wsCaptureLayout() {
             cmd: p.cmd || '',
             prefill: p.prefill || '',
             cwd: p.cwd || p.wantCwd || '',
+            name: p.name || '',       // user-chosen pane label
             detectedCmd: p.detectedCmd || '',
             enteredCmd: p.enteredCmd || '',
           };
@@ -2145,6 +2178,7 @@ function applyWorkspaceLayout(id) {
           cmd: (p && p.cmd) || null,
           prefill: (p && p.prefill) || null,
           wantCwd: (p && p.cwd) || null,
+          name: (p && p.name) || '',
         };
       });
     return { id: 't' + (++_wsTabSeq), name: t.name || ('Tab ' + (ti + 1)), panes: panes };
diff --git a/src/workspace-layouts.js b/src/workspace-layouts.js
index 3134629..cd5a071 100644
--- a/src/workspace-layouts.js
+++ b/src/workspace-layouts.js
@@ -52,9 +52,14 @@ function sanitizePane(p) {
   const cwdRaw = p && typeof p === 'object' && typeof p.cwd === 'string' ? p.cwd.trim() : '';
   if (cwdRaw.length > MAX_COMMAND) return null;
   if (cwdRaw && CONTROL_CHARS.test(cwdRaw)) return null;
+  // A user-chosen pane label. Kept short: it only has to fit the pane title bar.
+  const nameRaw = p && typeof p === 'object' && typeof p.name === 'string' ? p.name.trim() : '';
+  if (nameRaw.length > MAX_NAME) return null;
+  if (nameRaw && CONTROL_CHARS.test(nameRaw)) return null;
   const out = { cmd };
   if (prefillRaw) out.prefill = prefillRaw;
   if (cwdRaw) out.cwd = cwdRaw;
+  if (nameRaw) out.name = nameRaw;
   return out;
 }
 
diff --git a/test/workspace-layouts.test.js b/test/workspace-layouts.test.js
index 7488d89..64ed75b 100644
--- a/test/workspace-layouts.test.js
+++ b/test/workspace-layouts.test.js
@@ -31,6 +31,34 @@ test('sanitizeLayout accepts a multi-tab, multi-pane layout', () => {
   assert.equal(l.tabs[1].panes[0].cmd, '');
 });
 
+test('sanitizeLayout preserves a user-chosen pane name', () => {
+  const { m } = freshModule();
+  const l = m.sanitizeLayout({
+    name: 'named panes',
+    tabs: [{ name: 'work', panes: [{ cmd: 'claude', name: 'API server', cwd: '/Users/me/proj' }] }],
+  });
+  assert.ok(l);
+  const p = l.tabs[0].panes[0];
+  assert.equal(p.name, 'API server');
+  assert.equal(p.cmd, 'claude');
+  assert.equal(p.cwd, '/Users/me/proj');
+});
+
+test('sanitizeLayout drops a pane name with control characters', () => {
+  const { m } = freshModule();
+  assert.equal(
+    m.sanitizeLayout({ name: 'bad', tabs: [{ name: 't', panes: [{ cmd: '', name: 'evil\x07name' }] }] }),
+    null
+  );
+});
+
+test('sanitizeLayout omits an empty pane name instead of storing it', () => {
+  const { m } = freshModule();
+  const l = m.sanitizeLayout({ name: 'blank', tabs: [{ name: 't', panes: [{ cmd: 'claude', name: '   ' }] }] });
+  assert.ok(l);
+  assert.equal('name' in l.tabs[0].panes[0], false);
+});
+
 test('sanitizeLayout preserves per-pane prefill and cwd', () => {
   const { m } = freshModule();
   const l = m.sanitizeLayout({