diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index 3994e64..cea3c2f 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -30,7 +30,8 @@ type Message struct {
 // Conversation represents a parsed conversation
 type Conversation struct {
 	SessionID      string    `json:"session_id"`
-	Title          string    `json:"title"` // custom-title (user-set) or ai-title
+	Title          string    `json:"title"`           // custom-title (user-set) or ai-title
+	IsCustomTitle  bool      `json:"is_custom_title"` // true only when Title came from a user-set custom-title
 	Cwd            string    `json:"cwd"`
 	FirstTimestamp string    `json:"first_timestamp"`
 	LastTimestamp  string    `json:"last_timestamp"`
@@ -360,12 +361,13 @@ func (m model) formatListItem(item listItem, selected bool) string {
 		project = project[:19] + "..."
 	}
 
-	// Mark named sessions (custom/ai title) so they're distinguishable from
-	// rows that fall back to the first user message. ponytail: the glyph is
-	// ambiguous-width, so a named row may sit one cell narrow on CJK-width
-	// terminals - cosmetic only, truncate is rune-safe.
+	// Mark only user-set custom titles. Claude auto-generates an ai-title for
+	// almost every session, so marking any title would flag nearly every row;
+	// the ✎ should mean "you named this". ponytail: the glyph is ambiguous-width,
+	// so a marked row may sit one cell narrow on CJK-width terminals - cosmetic
+	// only, truncate is rune-safe.
 	topic := getTopic(item.conv)
-	if item.conv.Title != "" {
+	if item.conv.IsCustomTitle {
 		topic = "✎ " + topic
 	}
 	topic = truncate(topic, 40)
@@ -662,6 +664,7 @@ func parseConversationFile(path string, cutoff time.Time, maxSize int64) (*Conve
 
 		if raw.Type == "custom-title" {
 			conv.Title = raw.CustomTitle // user-set name wins over ai-title
+			conv.IsCustomTitle = raw.CustomTitle != ""
 		} else if raw.Type == "ai-title" {
 			if conv.Title == "" {
 				conv.Title = raw.AiTitle
diff --git a/main_test.go b/main_test.go
index 9fa0207..cf022f7 100644
--- a/main_test.go
+++ b/main_test.go
@@ -343,11 +343,35 @@ func TestParseConversationFileTitle(t *testing.T) {
 	if conv.Title != "my custom name" {
 		t.Errorf("Title = %q, want %q", conv.Title, "my custom name")
 	}
+	if !conv.IsCustomTitle {
+		t.Error("IsCustomTitle should be true when a custom-title is present")
+	}
 	if got := getTopic(*conv); got != "my custom name" {
 		t.Errorf("getTopic = %q, want title %q", got, "my custom name")
 	}
 }
 
+func TestParseConversationFileAiTitleNotCustom(t *testing.T) {
+	tmpDir := t.TempDir()
+	testFile := filepath.Join(tmpDir, "ai-titled.jsonl")
+	content := `{"type":"ai-title","aiTitle":"auto name","sessionId":"ai-titled"}
+{"type":"user","cwd":"/test","message":{"content":"hello"},"timestamp":"2024-01-15T10:00:00Z"}
+`
+	if err := os.WriteFile(testFile, []byte(content), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to write test file: %v", err)
+	}
+	conv, err := parseConversationFile(testFile, time.Time{}, 0)
+	if err != nil || conv == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("parseConversationFile failed: %v", err)
+	}
+	if conv.Title != "auto name" {
+		t.Errorf("Title = %q, want %q", conv.Title, "auto name")
+	}
+	if conv.IsCustomTitle {
+		t.Error("IsCustomTitle must be false for an ai-title (auto-generated)")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestGetTopicFallsBackToFirstMessage(t *testing.T) {
 	conv := Conversation{Messages: []Message{{Role: "user", Text: "first msg"}}}
 	if got := getTopic(conv); got != "first msg" {
@@ -703,23 +727,35 @@ func TestFormatListItem(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestFormatListItemNamedSessionMarker(t *testing.T) {
-	named := listItem{conv: Conversation{
+	custom := listItem{conv: Conversation{
 		SessionID:     "s1",
 		Title:         "Refactor auth flow",
+		IsCustomTitle: true,
 		LastTimestamp: "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
 		Messages:      []Message{{Role: "user", Text: "hi"}},
 	}}
-	unnamed := listItem{conv: Conversation{
+	// ai-title: has a Title but it's auto-generated - must NOT get the marker.
+	aiTitled := listItem{conv: Conversation{
 		SessionID:     "s2",
+		Title:         "Some auto generated title",
+		IsCustomTitle: false,
+		LastTimestamp: "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
+		Messages:      []Message{{Role: "user", Text: "hi"}},
+	}}
+	fallback := listItem{conv: Conversation{
+		SessionID:     "s3",
 		LastTimestamp: "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
 		Messages:      []Message{{Role: "user", Text: "just a first message"}},
 	}}
-	m := initialModel([]listItem{named, unnamed}, "", nil)
+	m := initialModel([]listItem{custom, aiTitled, fallback}, "", nil)
 
-	if got := m.formatListItem(named, false); !strings.Contains(got, "✎ Refactor auth flow") {
-		t.Errorf("named session should show the marker, got %q", got)
+	if got := m.formatListItem(custom, false); !strings.Contains(got, "✎ Refactor auth flow") {
+		t.Errorf("user-set custom title should show the marker, got %q", got)
+	}
+	if got := m.formatListItem(aiTitled, false); strings.Contains(got, "✎") {
+		t.Errorf("auto ai-title must NOT show the marker, got %q", got)
 	}
-	if got := m.formatListItem(unnamed, false); strings.Contains(got, "✎") {
+	if got := m.formatListItem(fallback, false); strings.Contains(got, "✎") {
 		t.Errorf("first-message fallback should not show the marker, got %q", got)
 	}
 }