diff --git a/packages/app/src/projects/workspace-structure.test.ts b/packages/app/src/projects/workspace-structure.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3f32c2201
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/app/src/projects/workspace-structure.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import type { WorkspaceDescriptor } from "@/stores/session-store";
+import { buildWorkspaceStructureProjects } from "./workspace-structure";
+
+function workspace(input: {
+  id: string;
+  projectName: string;
+  projectCustomName: string | null;
+}): WorkspaceDescriptor {
+  return {
+    id: input.id,
+    projectId: `project-${input.id}`,
+    projectGroupKey: "remote:github.com/acme/app",
+    projectDisplayName: input.projectName,
+    projectCustomName: input.projectCustomName,
+    projectRootPath: `/repo/${input.id}`,
+    workspaceDirectory: `/repo/${input.id}`,
+    projectKind: "git",
+    workspaceKind: "local_checkout",
+    name: "main",
+    status: "done",
+    statusEnteredAt: null,
+    archivingAt: null,
+    diffStat: null,
+    scripts: [],
+  };
+}
+
+describe("buildWorkspaceStructureProjects", () => {
+  it("promotes a later grouped host's custom project name", () => {
+    const projects = buildWorkspaceStructureProjects({
+      sessions: [
+        {
+          serverId: "host-a",
+          workspaces: [workspace({ id: "a", projectName: "acme/app", projectCustomName: null })],
+        },
+        {
+          serverId: "host-b",
+          workspaces: [
+            workspace({ id: "b", projectName: "acme/app", projectCustomName: "My App" }),
+          ],
+        },
+      ],
+    });
+
+    expect(projects).toEqual([
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        projectKey: "remote:github.com/acme/app",
+        projectName: "My App",
+      }),
+    ]);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/app/src/projects/workspace-structure.ts b/packages/app/src/projects/workspace-structure.ts
index 059385c0c..8d6feba43 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/projects/workspace-structure.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/projects/workspace-structure.ts
@@ -123,6 +123,7 @@ export function buildWorkspaceStructureProjects(input: {
     {
       projectKey: string;
       projectName: string;
+      hasCustomName: boolean;
       projectKind: WorkspaceDescriptor["projectKind"];
       iconWorkingDir: string;
       hosts: Map<string, WorkspaceStructureHostPlacement>;
@@ -153,6 +154,7 @@ export function buildWorkspaceStructureProjects(input: {
             emptyProject.projectCustomName ??
             emptyProject.projectDisplayName ??
             projectDisplayNameFromProjectId(projectKey),
+          hasCustomName: Boolean(emptyProject.projectCustomName),
           projectKind: emptyProject.projectKind,
           iconWorkingDir: emptyProject.projectRootPath,
           hosts: new Map([[session.serverId, placement]]),
@@ -161,6 +163,10 @@ export function buildWorkspaceStructureProjects(input: {
         continue;
       }
 
+      if (emptyProject.projectCustomName && !existing.hasCustomName) {
+        existing.projectName = emptyProject.projectCustomName;
+        existing.hasCustomName = true;
+      }
       existing.hosts.set(session.serverId, placement);
     }
 
@@ -180,6 +186,7 @@ export function buildWorkspaceStructureProjects(input: {
             workspace.projectCustomName ??
             workspace.projectDisplayName ??
             projectDisplayNameFromProjectId(projectKey),
+          hasCustomName: Boolean(workspace.projectCustomName),
           projectKind: workspace.projectKind,
           iconWorkingDir: workspace.projectRootPath,
           hosts: new Map([
@@ -204,6 +211,10 @@ export function buildWorkspaceStructureProjects(input: {
         continue;
       }
 
+      if (workspace.projectCustomName && !existing.hasCustomName) {
+        existing.projectName = workspace.projectCustomName;
+        existing.hasCustomName = true;
+      }
       existing.hosts.set(session.serverId, {
         serverId: session.serverId,
         projectId: workspace.projectId,