diff --git a/packages/server/src/server/session.ts b/packages/server/src/server/session.ts
index 829e6a396..0ee412286 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/server/session.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/server/session.ts
@@ -2441,11 +2441,12 @@ export class Session {
       const trimmed = customName?.trim() ?? "";
       const nextCustomName = trimmed.length === 0 ? null : trimmed;
 
-      await this.projectRegistry.upsert({
+      const updated = {
         ...existing,
         customName: nextCustomName,
         updatedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
-      });
+      };
+      await this.projectRegistry.upsert(updated);
 
       this.emit({
         type: "project.rename.response",
@@ -2458,6 +2459,10 @@ export class Session {
         },
       });
 
+      // Emit a project.update so clients that track the project as an empty
+      // project (no workspaces yet) receive the resolved name immediately.
+      this.emitProjectUpdate({ kind: "upsert", project: updated });
+
       // Re-emit descriptors for every workspace under this project so the new
       // resolved name lands in the UI immediately.
       const workspaces = await this.workspaceRegistry.list();
diff --git a/packages/server/src/server/session.workspaces.test.ts b/packages/server/src/server/session.workspaces.test.ts
index cd2b94e17..2b38acba4 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/server/session.workspaces.test.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/server/session.workspaces.test.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import path from "node:path";
 import { afterEach, expect, test, vi } from "vitest";
 import { z } from "zod";
 
+import { CLIENT_CAPS } from "@getpaseo/protocol/client-capabilities";
 import { createTestLogger } from "../test-utils/test-logger.js";
 import { Session } from "./session.js";
 import type { SessionOptions } from "./session.js";
@@ -157,6 +158,7 @@ interface SessionTestAccess {
     workspaceIds: Iterable<string>,
     options?: { skipReconcile?: boolean },
   ): Promise<void>;
+  updateClientCapabilities(capabilities: Record<string, unknown> | null): void;
   emit(message: unknown): void;
   onMessage(message: unknown): void;
   paseoHome: string;
@@ -7055,6 +7057,42 @@ test("project.rename.request stores customName and emits an updated workspace de
   });
 });
 
+test("project.rename.request updates a project with no workspaces", async () => {
+  const emitted: SessionOutboundMessage[] = [];
+  const session = asTestSession(
+    createSessionForWorkspaceTests({ onMessage: (message) => emitted.push(message) }),
+  );
+  session.updateClientCapabilities({ [CLIENT_CAPS.projectUpdates]: true });
+
+  const project = createPersistedProjectRecord({
+    projectId: "prj_empty",
+    rootPath: REPO_CWD,
+    kind: "non_git",
+    displayName: "repo",
+    createdAt: "2026-07-20T12:00:00.000Z",
+    updatedAt: "2026-07-20T12:00:00.000Z",
+  });
+  session.projectRegistry.get = async () => project;
+  session.projectRegistry.upsert = async () => project;
+  session.workspaceRegistry.list = async () => [];
+
+  await session.handleMessage({
+    type: "project.rename.request",
+    projectId: project.projectId,
+    customName: "Renamed empty project",
+    requestId: "req-rename-empty",
+  });
+
+  expect(findByType(emitted, "project.update")?.payload).toMatchObject({
+    kind: "upsert",
+    project: {
+      projectId: project.projectId,
+      projectDisplayName: "Renamed empty project",
+      projectCustomName: "Renamed empty project",
+    },
+  });
+});
+
 test("project.rename.request with whitespace-only customName clears the override", async () => {
   const emitted: SessionOutboundMessage[] = [];
   const session = asTestSession(