Fun bot names from persona name pools (#273)

Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

desktop/scripts/check-file-sizes.mjs

@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ const rules = [
 // Exceptions should stay rare and temporary. Prefer splitting files instead.
 const overrides = new Map([
   ["src-tauri/src/managed_agents/personas.rs", 600], // built-in persona system prompts (Solo, Ralph, Strategist) are long string literals
-  ["src-tauri/src/managed_agents/persona_card.rs", 772], // PNG/ZIP persona card codec + provider/model fields + 27 unit tests (~350 lines of tests); rustfmt adds line breaks around long literals/builders
+  ["src-tauri/src/managed_agents/persona_card.rs", 800], // PNG/ZIP persona card codec + provider/model/namePool fields + 27 unit tests (~350 lines of tests); rustfmt adds line breaks around long literals/builders
   ["src/app/AppShell.tsx", 860], // message edit state + handlers + ChannelPane edit prop threading + scrollback pagination + workflows view + memory-leak safeguards
   ["src/features/channels/hooks.ts", 550], // canvas query + mutation hooks + DM hide mutation
   ["src/features/channels/ui/ChannelManagementSheet.tsx", 800],

desktop/src-tauri/src/commands/agent_models.rs

@@ -117,6 +117,12 @@ pub fn update_managed_agent(
 
     let record = find_managed_agent_mut(&mut records, &input.pubkey)?;
 
+    if let Some(name_update) = input.name {
+        let trimmed = name_update.trim().to_string();
+        if !trimmed.is_empty() {
+            record.name = trimmed;
+        }
+    }
     // Tri-state: None = don't touch, Some(None) = clear, Some(Some(v)) = set
     if let Some(model_update) = input.model {
         record.model = model_update;

desktop/src-tauri/src/commands/personas.rs

@@ -57,6 +57,12 @@ pub fn create_persona(
         .lock()
         .map_err(|error| error.to_string())?;
     let mut personas = load_personas(&app)?;
+    let name_pool: Vec<String> = input
+        .name_pool
+        .into_iter()
+        .map(|s| s.trim().to_string())
+        .filter(|s| !s.is_empty())
+        .collect();
     let persona = PersonaRecord {
         id: Uuid::new_v4().to_string(),
         display_name,
@@ -64,6 +70,7 @@ pub fn create_persona(
         system_prompt,
         provider,
         model,
+        name_pool,
         is_builtin: false,
         created_at: now.clone(),
         updated_at: now,
@@ -104,6 +111,12 @@ pub fn update_persona(
     persona.system_prompt = system_prompt;
     persona.provider = provider;
     persona.model = model;
+    persona.name_pool = input
+        .name_pool
+        .into_iter()
+        .map(|s| s.trim().to_string())
+        .filter(|s| !s.is_empty())
+        .collect();
     persona.updated_at = now_iso();
 
     save_personas(&app, &personas)?;
@@ -226,7 +239,7 @@ pub async fn export_persona_to_json(
     state: State<'_, AppState>,
 ) -> Result<bool, String> {
     // Load persona data under lock, then drop lock before dialog.
-    let (display_name, system_prompt, avatar_url, provider, model) = {
+    let (display_name, system_prompt, avatar_url, provider, model, name_pool) = {
         let _store_guard = state
             .managed_agents_store_lock
             .lock()
@@ -242,6 +255,7 @@ pub async fn export_persona_to_json(
             persona.avatar_url.clone(),
             persona.provider.clone(),
             persona.model.clone(),
+            persona.name_pool.clone(),
         )
     };
 
@@ -251,6 +265,7 @@ pub async fn export_persona_to_json(
         avatar_url.as_deref(),
         provider.as_deref(),
         model.as_deref(),
+        &name_pool,
     )?;
 
     let slug = crate::util::slugify(&display_name, "persona", 50);

desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/persona_card.rs

@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ pub struct ParsedPersonaPreview {
     pub avatar_data_url: Option<String>,
     pub provider: Option<String>,
     pub model: Option<String>,
+    #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Vec::is_empty")]
+    pub name_pool: Vec<String>,
     pub source_file: String,
 }
 
@@ -80,6 +82,7 @@ pub fn parse_png_persona(png_bytes: &[u8]) -> Result<ParsedPersonaPreview, Strin
         avatar_data_url,
         provider: fields.provider,
         model: fields.model,
+        name_pool: fields.name_pool,
         source_file: String::new(),
     })
 }
@@ -98,6 +101,7 @@ struct SproutPersonaFields {
     avatar_url: Option<String>,
     provider: Option<String>,
     model: Option<String>,
+    name_pool: Vec<String>,
 }
 
 /// Extract and validate fields from a Sprout persona JSON value
@@ -143,12 +147,24 @@ fn extract_sprout_fields(v: &Value) -> Result<SproutPersonaFields, String> {
         .map(|s| s.trim())
         .filter(|s| !s.is_empty())
         .map(|s| s.to_string());
+    let name_pool = v
+        .get("namePool")
+        .and_then(|v| v.as_array())
+        .map(|arr| {
+            arr.iter()
+                .filter_map(|item| item.as_str())
+                .map(|s| s.trim().to_string())
+                .filter(|s| !s.is_empty())
+                .collect()
+        })
+        .unwrap_or_default();
     Ok(SproutPersonaFields {
         display_name: name,
         system_prompt: prompt,
         avatar_url,
         provider,
         model,
+        name_pool,
     })
 }
 
@@ -192,6 +208,7 @@ fn parse_chara_payload(b64: &str) -> Result<SproutPersonaFields, String> {
         avatar_url: None,
         provider: None,
         model: None,
+        name_pool: Vec::new(),
     })
 }
 
@@ -209,6 +226,7 @@ pub fn parse_json_persona(json_bytes: &[u8]) -> Result<ParsedPersonaPreview, Str
         avatar_data_url: fields.avatar_url,
         provider: fields.provider,
         model: fields.model,
+        name_pool: fields.name_pool,
         source_file: String::new(),
     })
 }
@@ -219,6 +237,7 @@ pub fn encode_persona_json(
     avatar_url: Option<&str>,
     provider: Option<&str>,
     model: Option<&str>,
+    name_pool: &[String],
 ) -> Result<Vec<u8>, String> {
     let mut map = serde_json::Map::new();
     map.insert("version".to_string(), serde_json::json!(1));
@@ -233,6 +252,9 @@ pub fn encode_persona_json(
     if let Some(m) = model {
         map.insert("model".to_string(), serde_json::json!(m));
     }
+    if !name_pool.is_empty() {
+        map.insert("namePool".to_string(), serde_json::json!(name_pool));
+    }
 
     serde_json::to_vec_pretty(&map).map_err(|e| format!("Failed to serialize JSON: {e}"))
 }
@@ -614,6 +636,7 @@ mod tests {
             Some("https://example.com/ada.png"),
             None,
             None,
+            &[],
         )
         .unwrap();
         let result = parse_json_persona(&bytes).unwrap();
@@ -628,7 +651,7 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[test]
     fn parse_json_round_trip_no_avatar() {
-        let bytes = encode_persona_json("Bob", "You are Bob.", None, None, None).unwrap();
+        let bytes = encode_persona_json("Bob", "You are Bob.", None, None, None, &[]).unwrap();
         let result = parse_json_persona(&bytes).unwrap();
         assert_eq!(result.display_name, "Bob");
         assert_eq!(result.system_prompt, "You are Bob.");
@@ -638,8 +661,8 @@ mod tests {
     #[test]
     fn parse_json_round_trip_data_uri_avatar() {
         let data_uri = "data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUg==";
-        let bytes =
-            encode_persona_json("Carol", "You are Carol.", Some(data_uri), None, None).unwrap();
+        let bytes = encode_persona_json("Carol", "You are Carol.", Some(data_uri), None, None, &[])
+            .unwrap();
         let result = parse_json_persona(&bytes).unwrap();
         assert_eq!(result.display_name, "Carol");
         assert_eq!(result.avatar_data_url.as_deref(), Some(data_uri));
@@ -653,6 +676,7 @@ mod tests {
             None,
             Some("goose"),
             Some("claude-sonnet-4"),
+            &[],
         )
         .unwrap();
         let result = parse_json_persona(&bytes).unwrap();
@@ -665,7 +689,7 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[test]
     fn parse_json_round_trip_without_provider_and_model() {
-        let bytes = encode_persona_json("Bob", "You are Bob.", None, None, None).unwrap();
+        let bytes = encode_persona_json("Bob", "You are Bob.", None, None, None, &[]).unwrap();
         let result = parse_json_persona(&bytes).unwrap();
         assert_eq!(result.display_name, "Bob");
         assert!(result.provider.is_none());
@@ -727,8 +751,8 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[test]
     fn parse_zip_with_json() {
-        let j1 = encode_persona_json("Alice", "Prompt A", None, None, None).unwrap();
-        let j2 = encode_persona_json("Bob", "Prompt B", None, None, None).unwrap();
+        let j1 = encode_persona_json("Alice", "Prompt A", None, None, None, &[]).unwrap();
+        let j2 = encode_persona_json("Bob", "Prompt B", None, None, None, &[]).unwrap();
         let zip = make_test_zip(&[("alice.persona.json", &j1), ("bob.persona.json", &j2)]);
         let result = parse_zip_personas(&zip).unwrap();
         assert_eq!(result.personas.len(), 2);
@@ -740,7 +764,8 @@ mod tests {
     #[test]
     fn parse_zip_mixed_png_and_json() {
         let png = make_test_persona_png("PngPersona", "PNG prompt");
-        let json = encode_persona_json("JsonPersona", "JSON prompt", None, None, None).unwrap();
+        let json =
+            encode_persona_json("JsonPersona", "JSON prompt", None, None, None, &[]).unwrap();
         let zip = make_test_zip(&[
             ("persona.png", &png),
             ("persona.json", &json),
@@ -755,8 +780,8 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[test]
     fn parse_zip_ignores_macos_resource_forks() {
-        let j1 = encode_persona_json("Frank", "You are Frank.", None, None, None).unwrap();
-        let j2 = encode_persona_json("Jackie", "You are Jackie.", None, None, None).unwrap();
+        let j1 = encode_persona_json("Frank", "You are Frank.", None, None, None, &[]).unwrap();
+        let j2 = encode_persona_json("Jackie", "You are Jackie.", None, None, None, &[]).unwrap();
         let zip = make_test_zip(&[
             ("frank-costanza.persona.json", &j1),
             ("jackie-chiles.persona.json", &j2),

desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/teams.rs

@@ -217,6 +217,7 @@ mod tests {
             system_prompt: prompt.to_string(),
             provider: None,
             model: None,
+            name_pool: Vec::new(),
             is_builtin: false,
             created_at: "2026-03-20T00:00:00Z".to_string(),
             updated_at: "2026-03-20T00:00:00Z".to_string(),

desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/types.rs

@@ -27,6 +27,10 @@ pub struct PersonaRecord {
     /// Passed to the agent at creation time when deploying from this persona.
     #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
     pub model: Option<String>,
+    /// Pool of short, thematic names for bot instances created from this persona.
+    /// When a new copy is added to a channel, a random unused name is picked from this pool.
+    #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Vec::is_empty")]
+    pub name_pool: Vec<String>,
     #[serde(default)]
     pub is_builtin: bool,
     pub created_at: String,
@@ -177,6 +181,8 @@ pub struct CreatePersonaRequest {
     pub provider: Option<String>,
     #[serde(default)]
     pub model: Option<String>,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub name_pool: Vec<String>,
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Deserialize)]
@@ -190,6 +196,8 @@ pub struct UpdatePersonaRequest {
     pub provider: Option<String>,
     #[serde(default)]
     pub model: Option<String>,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub name_pool: Vec<String>,
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Deserialize)]
@@ -253,6 +261,9 @@ pub struct ManagedAgentPrereqsInfo {
 #[serde(rename_all = "camelCase")]
 pub struct UpdateManagedAgentRequest {
     pub pubkey: String,
+    /// Absent = don't touch. Present = rename the agent.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub name: Option<String>,
     /// Absent = don't touch. null = clear to agent default. "id" = set.
     #[serde(default)]
     pub model: Option<Option<String>>,

desktop/src/features/agents/lib/pickBotName.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+/**
+ * Universal fallback pool of short, distinctive names used when a persona's
+ * own name pool is empty or exhausted.
+ */
+const UNIVERSAL_POOL = [
+  "Alder",
+  "Brook",
+  "Coral",
+  "Dawn",
+  "Echo",
+  "Frost",
+  "Gale",
+  "Heath",
+  "Ivy",
+  "Jade",
+  "Kite",
+  "Luna",
+  "Maple",
+  "Nova",
+  "Opal",
+  "Pyre",
+  "Quartz",
+  "Rune",
+  "Silk",
+  "Thorn",
+  "Umber",
+  "Vale",
+  "Wisp",
+  "Yarn",
+  "Zinc",
+  "Brine",
+  "Cove",
+  "Drift",
+  "Elm",
+  "Fjord",
+];
+
+/**
+ * Pick a random unused name for a bot instance.
+ *
+ * 1. Try the persona's own name pool first.
+ * 2. If exhausted, fall back to the universal pool.
+ * 3. If both are exhausted, append a 2-digit suffix to a random name.
+ */
+export function pickBotName(
+  namePool: string[],
+  usedNames: Set<string>,
+): string {
+  const usedLower = new Set([...usedNames].map((n) => n.toLowerCase()));
+
+  const pick = (pool: readonly string[]) => {
+    const available = pool.filter((n) => !usedLower.has(n.toLowerCase()));
+    if (available.length === 0) return null;
+    return available[Math.floor(Math.random() * available.length)];
+  };
+
+  // Try persona pool first
+  if (namePool.length > 0) {
+    const name = pick(namePool);
+    if (name) return name;
+  }
+
+  // Fallback to universal pool
+  const fallback = pick(UNIVERSAL_POOL);
+  if (fallback) return fallback;
+
+  // Both pools exhausted — pick a random base name and add a suffix
+  const allNames = namePool.length > 0 ? namePool : UNIVERSAL_POOL;
+  const base = allNames[Math.floor(Math.random() * allNames.length)];
+  for (let i = 2; i < 100; i++) {
+    const suffixed = `${base}-${String(i).padStart(2, "0")}`;
+    if (!usedLower.has(suffixed.toLowerCase())) {
+      return suffixed;
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Extremely unlikely fallback
+  return `${base}-${Date.now() % 1000}`;
+}

desktop/src/features/agents/ui/PersonaDialog.tsx

@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ export function PersonaDialog({
   const [systemPrompt, setSystemPrompt] = React.useState("");
   const [provider, setProvider] = React.useState("");
   const [model, setModel] = React.useState("");
+  const [namePoolText, setNamePoolText] = React.useState("");
 
   React.useEffect(() => {
     if (!open || !initialValues) {
@@ -59,6 +60,12 @@ export function PersonaDialog({
     setSystemPrompt(initialValues.systemPrompt);
     setProvider(initialValues.provider ?? "");
     setModel(initialValues.model ?? "");
+    setNamePoolText(
+      ("namePool" in initialValues
+        ? (initialValues as { namePool?: string[] }).namePool
+        : undefined
+      )?.join(", ") ?? "",
+    );
   }, [initialValues, open]);
 
   function handleOpenChange(next: boolean) {
@@ -68,6 +75,7 @@ export function PersonaDialog({
       setSystemPrompt("");
       setProvider("");
       setModel("");
+      setNamePoolText("");
     }
 
     onOpenChange(next);
@@ -78,12 +86,17 @@ export function PersonaDialog({
       return;
     }
 
+    const namePool = namePoolText
+      .split(",")
+      .map((s) => s.trim())
+      .filter(Boolean);
     const baseInput = {
       displayName,
       avatarUrl: avatarUrl.trim() || undefined,
       systemPrompt,
       provider: provider.trim() || undefined,
       model: model.trim() || undefined,
+      namePool: namePool.length > 0 ? namePool : undefined,
     };
 
     if ("id" in initialValues) {
@@ -212,6 +225,29 @@ export function PersonaDialog({
               </p>
             </div>
 
+            <div className="space-y-1.5">
+              <label
+                className="text-sm font-medium"
+                htmlFor="persona-name-pool"
+              >
+                Instance name pool
+              </label>
+              <Input
+                autoCapitalize="none"
+                autoCorrect="off"
+                disabled={isPending}
+                id="persona-name-pool"
+                onChange={(event) => setNamePoolText(event.target.value)}
+                placeholder="Birch, Compass, Ridge, Thistle, ..."
+                spellCheck={false}
+                value={namePoolText}
+              />
+              <p className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">
+                Comma-separated names for bot copies. Each instance gets a
+                random name from this pool. Leave empty to use generic defaults.
+              </p>
+            </div>
+
             {error ? (
               <p className="rounded-2xl border border-destructive/30 bg-destructive/10 px-4 py-3 text-sm text-destructive">
                 {error.message}

desktop/src/features/channels/ui/ChannelMembersBar.tsx

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import {
   usePersonasQuery,
   useRelayAgentsQuery,
 } from "@/features/agents/hooks";
+import { pickBotName } from "@/features/agents/lib/pickBotName";
 import {
   useBotRecents,
   DEFAULT_PERSONA_NAMES,
@@ -68,9 +69,9 @@ export function ChannelMembersBar({
   const { recentIds, pushRecent } = useBotRecents();
   const quickDrop = useQuickBotDrop(channel.id);
 
-  // Track in-flight instance numbers so rapid clicks don't produce duplicates.
+  // Track in-flight instance names so rapid clicks don't produce duplicates.
   // Cleared when the members query refetches with the new member.
-  const inflightCountRef = React.useRef<Record<string, number>>({});
+  const inflightNamesRef = React.useRef<Record<string, string[]>>({});
 
   // Resolve the 3 personas to show in the quick bar.
   // Use recents if available, otherwise fall back to default names.
@@ -99,35 +100,34 @@ export function ChannelMembersBar({
       }
     }
 
-    // Reset in-flight counts when members list updates (the new bot appeared).
-    inflightCountRef.current = {};
+    // Reset in-flight names when members list updates (the new bot appeared).
+    inflightNamesRef.current = {};
 
-    // Compute instance names from current members
+    // Build the set of names already used in this channel
+    const usedNames = new Set(
+      members.map((m) => m.displayName ?? "").filter((n) => n.length > 0),
+    );
+
+    // Compute instance names from persona name pools
     return resolved.map((persona) => {
-      const prefix = `${persona.displayName}::`;
-      let maxNum = 0;
-      for (const member of members) {
-        const label = member.displayName ?? "";
-        if (label.startsWith(prefix)) {
-          const num = Number.parseInt(label.slice(prefix.length), 10);
-          if (!Number.isNaN(num) && num > maxNum) maxNum = num;
-        }
-      }
-      const inflight = inflightCountRef.current[persona.id] ?? 0;
-      const next = maxNum + 1 + inflight;
-      return {
-        persona,
-        instanceName: `${persona.displayName}::${String(next).padStart(2, "0")}`,
-      };
+      // Include in-flight names to avoid duplicates on rapid clicks
+      const inflight = inflightNamesRef.current[persona.id] ?? [];
+      const combinedUsed = new Set(usedNames);
+      for (const n of inflight) combinedUsed.add(n);
+
+      const instanceName = pickBotName(persona.namePool ?? [], combinedUsed);
+      return { persona, instanceName };
     });
   }, [allPersonas, recentIds, members]);
 
   const addBot = quickDrop.addBot;
   const handleQuickAdd = React.useCallback(
     async (persona: AgentPersona, instanceName: string) => {
-      // Optimistically bump the in-flight counter to avoid duplicate names.
-      inflightCountRef.current[persona.id] =
-        (inflightCountRef.current[persona.id] ?? 0) + 1;
+      // Optimistically track the chosen name to avoid duplicates on rapid clicks.
+      inflightNamesRef.current[persona.id] = [
+        ...(inflightNamesRef.current[persona.id] ?? []),
+        instanceName,
+      ];
       pushRecent(persona.id);
       await addBot(persona, instanceName);
     },

desktop/src/features/channels/ui/ChannelPane.tsx

@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ type ChannelPaneProps = {
     emoji: string,
     remove: boolean,
   ) => Promise<void>;
+  /** Map from lowercase pubkey → persona display name for bot members. */
+  personaLookup?: Map<string, string>;
   profiles?: UserProfileLookup;
   replyTargetId: string | null;
   replyTargetMessage: TimelineMessage | null;
@@ -64,6 +66,7 @@ export const ChannelPane = React.memo(function ChannelPane({
   onSend,
   onTargetReached,
   onToggleReaction,
+  personaLookup,
   profiles,
   replyTargetId,
   replyTargetMessage,
@@ -79,6 +82,7 @@ export const ChannelPane = React.memo(function ChannelPane({
         fetchOlder={fetchOlder}
         hasOlderMessages={hasOlderMessages}
         isFetchingOlder={isFetchingOlder}
+        personaLookup={personaLookup}
         profiles={profiles}
         emptyDescription={
           activeChannel?.channelType === "forum"

desktop/src/features/channels/ui/ChannelScreen.tsx

@@ -8,6 +8,10 @@ import { useChannelPaneHandlers } from "@/features/channels/useChannelPaneHandle
 import { useChannelMembersQuery } from "@/features/channels/hooks";
 import { ChannelMembersBar } from "@/features/channels/ui/ChannelMembersBar";
 import { MembersSidebar } from "@/features/channels/ui/MembersSidebar";
+import {
+  useManagedAgentsQuery,
+  usePersonasQuery,
+} from "@/features/agents/hooks";
 import {
   mergeMessages,
   useChannelMessagesQuery,
@@ -140,16 +144,52 @@ export function ChannelScreen({
   const messageProfilesQuery = useUsersBatchQuery(messageProfilePubkeys, {
     enabled: messageProfilePubkeys.length > 0,
   });
-  const messageProfiles = React.useMemo(
-    () =>
+  const managedAgentsQuery = useManagedAgentsQuery();
+  const messageProfiles = React.useMemo(() => {
+    const base =
       mergeCurrentProfileIntoLookup(
         messageProfilesQuery.data?.profiles,
         currentProfile,
-      ),
-    [currentProfile, messageProfilesQuery.data?.profiles],
-  );
+      ) ?? {};
+    // Merge managed agent names so system messages resolve instantly
+    // (without waiting for the relay profile batch query).
+    const agents = managedAgentsQuery.data ?? [];
+    const merged = { ...base };
+    for (const agent of agents) {
+      const key = agent.pubkey.toLowerCase();
+      if (!merged[key]?.displayName) {
+        merged[key] = {
+          ...merged[key],
+          displayName: agent.name,
+          avatarUrl: null,
+          nip05Handle: null,
+        };
+      }
+    }
+    return merged;
+  }, [
+    currentProfile,
+    managedAgentsQuery.data,
+    messageProfilesQuery.data?.profiles,
+  ]);
   const channelMembersQuery = useChannelMembersQuery(activeChannel?.id ?? null);
   const channelMembers = channelMembersQuery.data;
+  const personasQuery = usePersonasQuery();
+  const personaLookup = React.useMemo(() => {
+    const agents = managedAgentsQuery.data ?? [];
+    const personas = personasQuery.data ?? [];
+    const personaById = new Map(personas.map((p) => [p.id, p.displayName]));
+    const lookup = new Map<string, string>();
+    for (const agent of agents) {
+      if (agent.personaId) {
+        const personaName = personaById.get(agent.personaId);
+        if (personaName) {
+          lookup.set(agent.pubkey.toLowerCase(), personaName);
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    return lookup;
+  }, [managedAgentsQuery.data, personasQuery.data]);
   const timelineMessages = React.useMemo(
     () =>
       formatTimelineMessages(
@@ -159,6 +199,7 @@ export function ChannelScreen({
         currentProfile?.avatarUrl ?? null,
         messageProfiles,
         channelMembers,
+        personaLookup,
       ),
     [
       activeChannel,
@@ -166,6 +207,7 @@ export function ChannelScreen({
       currentProfile?.avatarUrl,
       currentPubkey,
       messageProfiles,
+      personaLookup,
       resolvedMessages,
     ],
   );
@@ -403,6 +445,7 @@ export function ChannelScreen({
                 onReply={handleReply}
                 onSend={handleSend}
                 onToggleReaction={effectiveToggleReaction}
+                personaLookup={personaLookup}
                 profiles={messageProfiles}
                 replyTargetId={replyTargetId}
                 replyTargetMessage={replyTargetMessage}

desktop/src/features/channels/ui/QuickBotBar.tsx

@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ export function QuickBotBar({ personas, pending, onAdd }: QuickBotBarProps) {
                 </button>
               </TooltipTrigger>
               <TooltipContent side="bottom" className="text-xs">
-                Add {persona.displayName} → {instanceName}
+                Add {instanceName} ({persona.displayName})
               </TooltipContent>
             </Tooltip>
           );

desktop/src/features/messages/lib/formatTimelineMessages.ts

@@ -114,6 +114,8 @@ export function formatTimelineMessages(
   currentUserAvatarUrl: string | null,
   profiles?: UserProfileLookup,
   members?: ChannelMember[],
+  /** Map from lowercase pubkey → persona display name for bot messages. */
+  personaLookup?: Map<string, string>,
 ): TimelineMessage[] {
   const currentPubkeyLower = currentPubkey?.toLowerCase();
   const roleByPubkey = new Map<string, string>();
@@ -291,6 +293,7 @@ export function formatTimelineMessages(
       });
     const thread = getThreadReference(event.tags);
     const edit = editsByTargetId.get(event.id);
+    const role = roleByPubkey.get(authorPubkey.toLowerCase());
     return {
       id: event.id,
       createdAt: event.created_at,
@@ -302,7 +305,11 @@ export function formatTimelineMessages(
         currentUserAvatarUrl,
         profiles,
       }),
-      role: roleByPubkey.get(authorPubkey.toLowerCase()),
+      role,
+      personaDisplayName:
+        role === "bot"
+          ? personaLookup?.get(authorPubkey.toLowerCase())
+          : undefined,
       time: formatTime(event.created_at),
       body: edit ? edit.content : event.content,
       parentId: thread.parentId,

desktop/src/features/messages/lib/useMentions.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 import * as React from "react";
 
-import { useManagedAgentsQuery } from "@/features/agents/hooks";
+import {
+  useManagedAgentsQuery,
+  usePersonasQuery,
+} from "@/features/agents/hooks";
 import { useChannelMembersQuery } from "@/features/channels/hooks";
 import type { MentionSuggestion } from "@/features/messages/ui/MentionAutocomplete";
 import { detectPrefixQuery } from "@/shared/lib/detectPrefixQuery";
@@ -17,6 +20,7 @@ export function useMentions(channelId: string | null) {
   const membersQuery = useChannelMembersQuery(channelId);
   const members = membersQuery.data;
   const managedAgentsQuery = useManagedAgentsQuery();
+  const personasQuery = usePersonasQuery();
   const managedAgentNamesByPubkey = React.useMemo(
     () =>
       new Map(
@@ -27,20 +31,41 @@ export function useMentions(channelId: string | null) {
       ),
     [managedAgentsQuery.data],
   );
+  const personaNameByPubkey = React.useMemo(() => {
+    const agents = managedAgentsQuery.data ?? [];
+    const personas = personasQuery.data ?? [];
+    const personaById = new Map(personas.map((p) => [p.id, p.displayName]));
+    const lookup = new Map<string, string>();
+    for (const agent of agents) {
+      if (agent.personaId) {
+        const name = personaById.get(agent.personaId);
+        if (name) lookup.set(agent.pubkey.toLowerCase(), name);
+      }
+    }
+    return lookup;
+  }, [managedAgentsQuery.data, personasQuery.data]);
 
   const knownNames = React.useMemo<string[]>(() => {
     if (!members) return [];
     const names: string[] = [];
+    const seen = new Set<string>();
     for (const member of members) {
       const name =
         member.displayName ??
         managedAgentNamesByPubkey.get(member.pubkey.toLowerCase());
       if (name) {
         names.push(name);
+        seen.add(name.toLowerCase());
+      }
+      // Also include persona names so typing @Scout triggers the dropdown
+      const personaName = personaNameByPubkey.get(member.pubkey.toLowerCase());
+      if (personaName && !seen.has(personaName.toLowerCase())) {
+        names.push(personaName);
+        seen.add(personaName.toLowerCase());
       }
     }
     return names;
-  }, [members, managedAgentNamesByPubkey]);
+  }, [members, managedAgentNamesByPubkey, personaNameByPubkey]);
 
   /** Lower-cased version of knownNames, used for case-insensitive prefix matching. */
   const knownNamesLower = React.useMemo<string[]>(
@@ -78,27 +103,31 @@ export function useMentions(channelId: string | null) {
     const lowerQuery = mentionQuery.toLowerCase();
     return (members ?? [])
       .map((member) => {
+        const pubkeyLower = member.pubkey.toLowerCase();
         const fallbackName =
-          managedAgentNamesByPubkey.get(member.pubkey.toLowerCase()) ??
+          managedAgentNamesByPubkey.get(pubkeyLower) ??
           member.pubkey.slice(0, 8);
 
         return {
           member,
           label: member.displayName ?? fallbackName,
+          personaName: personaNameByPubkey.get(pubkeyLower) ?? null,
         };
       })
       .filter(
-        ({ label, member }) =>
+        ({ label, member, personaName }) =>
           label.toLowerCase().includes(lowerQuery) ||
-          member.pubkey.toLowerCase().includes(lowerQuery),
+          member.pubkey.toLowerCase().includes(lowerQuery) ||
+          personaName?.toLowerCase().includes(lowerQuery),
       )
       .slice(0, 8)
-      .map(({ member, label }) => ({
+      .map(({ member, label, personaName }) => ({
         pubkey: member.pubkey,
         displayName: label,
         role: member.role === "admin" ? "admin" : null,
+        personaName,
       }));
-  }, [managedAgentNamesByPubkey, members, mentionQuery]);
+  }, [managedAgentNamesByPubkey, members, mentionQuery, personaNameByPubkey]);
 
   const isMentionOpen = mentionQuery !== null && suggestions.length > 0;
 

desktop/src/features/messages/types.ts

@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ export type TimelineMessage = {
   author: string;
   avatarUrl?: string | null;
   role?: string;
+  /** For bot messages, the display name of the persona this bot was created from. */
+  personaDisplayName?: string;
   time: string;
   body: string;
   parentId?: string | null;

desktop/src/features/messages/ui/MentionAutocomplete.tsx

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ export type MentionSuggestion = {
   pubkey: string;
   displayName: string;
   role?: string | null;
+  personaName?: string | null;
 };
 
 type MentionAutocompleteProps = {
@@ -57,7 +58,11 @@ export const MentionAutocomplete = React.memo(function MentionAutocomplete({
             <span className="truncate font-medium">
               {suggestion.displayName}
             </span>
-            {suggestion.role ? (
+            {suggestion.personaName ? (
+              <span className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">
+                ({suggestion.personaName})
+              </span>
+            ) : suggestion.role ? (
               <span className="rounded-full bg-muted px-2 py-0.5 text-[10px] font-medium uppercase tracking-[0.14em] text-muted-foreground">
                 {suggestion.role}
               </span>

desktop/src/features/messages/ui/MessageRow.tsx

@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@ import { BotIdenticon } from "./BotIdenticon";
 import { MessageActionBar } from "./MessageActionBar";
 import { MessageTimestamp } from "./MessageTimestamp";
 
-/** Returns true if the author name looks like a numbered bot copy (e.g. "Scout::01") */
-function isNumberedBot(author: string, role?: string): boolean {
-  return Boolean(role) && author.includes("::");
+/** Returns true if this message is from a bot instance. */
+function isBotInstance(role?: string): boolean {
+  return role === "bot";
 }
 
 const DiffMessage = React.lazy(() => import("./DiffMessage"));
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ export const MessageRow = React.memo(
           data-testid="message-row"
         >
           <div className="flex shrink-0 items-center gap-1">
-            {isNumberedBot(message.author, message.role) ? (
+            {isBotInstance(message.role) ? (
               <BotIdenticon
                 value={message.author}
                 size={20}
@@ -259,7 +259,11 @@ export const MessageRow = React.memo(
                   {message.author}
                 </h3>
               )}
-              {message.role ? (
+              {message.personaDisplayName ? (
+                <span className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">
+                  {message.personaDisplayName}
+                </span>
+              ) : message.role ? (
                 <p className="rounded-full bg-muted px-2 py-0.5 text-[10px] font-medium uppercase tracking-[0.14em] text-muted-foreground">
                   {message.role}
                 </p>
@@ -353,6 +357,7 @@ export const MessageRow = React.memo(
     prev.message.reactions === next.message.reactions &&
     prev.message.tags === next.message.tags &&
     prev.message.role === next.message.role &&
+    prev.message.personaDisplayName === next.message.personaDisplayName &&
     prev.highlighted === next.highlighted &&
     prev.activeReplyTargetId === next.activeReplyTargetId &&
     prev.profiles === next.profiles,

desktop/src/features/messages/ui/MessageTimeline.tsx

@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ type MessageTimelineProps = {
   fetchOlder?: () => Promise<void>;
   hasOlderMessages?: boolean;
   isFetchingOlder?: boolean;
+  /** Map from lowercase pubkey → persona display name for bot members. */
+  personaLookup?: Map<string, string>;
   profiles?: UserProfileLookup;
   onDelete?: (message: TimelineMessage) => void;
   onEdit?: (message: TimelineMessage) => void;
@@ -47,6 +49,7 @@ export const MessageTimeline = React.memo(function MessageTimeline({
   fetchOlder,
   hasOlderMessages = true,
   isFetchingOlder = false,
+  personaLookup,
   profiles,
   onDelete,
   onEdit,
@@ -158,6 +161,7 @@ export const MessageTimeline = React.memo(function MessageTimeline({
                 onEdit={onEdit}
                 onReply={onReply}
                 onToggleReaction={onToggleReaction}
+                personaLookup={personaLookup}
                 profiles={profiles}
               />
             ) : null}

desktop/src/features/messages/ui/SystemMessageRow.tsx

@@ -23,20 +23,31 @@ function resolveLabel(
   return resolveUserLabel({ pubkey, currentPubkey, profiles });
 }
 
+function resolvePersonaSuffix(
+  pubkey: string | undefined,
+  personaLookup: Map<string, string> | undefined,
+): string {
+  if (!pubkey || !personaLookup) return "";
+  const personaName = personaLookup.get(pubkey.toLowerCase());
+  return personaName ? ` (${personaName})` : "";
+}
+
 function describeSystemEvent(
   payload: SystemMessagePayload,
   currentPubkey: string | undefined,
   profiles: UserProfileLookup | undefined,
+  personaLookup?: Map<string, string>,
 ): string | null {
   const actor = resolveLabel(payload.actor, currentPubkey, profiles);
 
   switch (payload.type) {
     case "member_joined": {
       const target = resolveLabel(payload.target, currentPubkey, profiles);
+      const personaSuffix = resolvePersonaSuffix(payload.target, personaLookup);
       if (payload.actor === payload.target) {
-        return `${actor} joined the channel`;
+        return `${actor}${personaSuffix} joined the channel`;
       }
-      return `${actor} added ${target} to the channel`;
+      return `${actor} added ${target}${personaSuffix} to the channel`;
     }
     case "member_left": {
       return `${actor} left the channel`;
@@ -62,12 +73,15 @@ export function SystemMessageRow({
   time,
   currentPubkey,
   profiles,
+  personaLookup,
 }: {
   body: string;
   createdAt: number;
   time: string;
   currentPubkey?: string;
   profiles?: UserProfileLookup;
+  /** Map from lowercase pubkey → persona display name for bot members. */
+  personaLookup?: Map<string, string>;
 }) {
   let payload: SystemMessagePayload;
   try {
@@ -76,7 +90,12 @@ export function SystemMessageRow({
     return null;
   }
 
-  const description = describeSystemEvent(payload, currentPubkey, profiles);
+  const description = describeSystemEvent(
+    payload,
+    currentPubkey,
+    profiles,
+    personaLookup,
+  );
   if (!description) {
     return null;
   }

desktop/src/features/messages/ui/TimelineMessageList.tsx

@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ type TimelineMessageListProps = {
     emoji: string,
     remove: boolean,
   ) => Promise<void>;
+  /** Map from lowercase pubkey → persona display name for bot members. */
+  personaLookup?: Map<string, string>;
   profiles?: UserProfileLookup;
 };
 
@@ -36,6 +38,7 @@ export const TimelineMessageList = React.memo(function TimelineMessageList({
   onEdit,
   onReply,
   onToggleReaction,
+  personaLookup,
   profiles,
 }: TimelineMessageListProps) {
   const elements: React.ReactNode[] = [];
@@ -60,6 +63,7 @@ export const TimelineMessageList = React.memo(function TimelineMessageList({
           body={message.body}
           createdAt={message.createdAt}
           currentPubkey={currentPubkey}
+          personaLookup={personaLookup}
           profiles={profiles}
           time={message.time}
         />,

desktop/src/shared/api/tauriPersonas.ts

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ type RawParsedPersonaPreview = {
   avatar_data_url: string | null;
   provider: string | null;
   model: string | null;
+  name_pool?: string[];
   source_file: string;
 };
 
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ export type ParsedPersonaPreview = {
   avatarDataUrl: string | null;
   provider: string | null;
   model: string | null;
+  namePool: string[];
   sourceFile: string;
 };
 
@@ -52,6 +54,7 @@ type RawPersona = {
   system_prompt: string;
   provider?: string | null;
   model?: string | null;
+  name_pool?: string[];
   is_builtin: boolean;
   created_at: string;
   updated_at: string;
@@ -65,6 +68,7 @@ function fromRawPersona(persona: RawPersona): AgentPersona {
     systemPrompt: persona.system_prompt,
     provider: persona.provider ?? null,
     model: persona.model ?? null,
+    namePool: persona.name_pool ?? [],
     isBuiltIn: persona.is_builtin,
     createdAt: persona.created_at,
     updatedAt: persona.updated_at,
@@ -86,6 +90,7 @@ export async function createPersona(
         systemPrompt: input.systemPrompt,
         provider: input.provider,
         model: input.model,
+        namePool: input.namePool ?? [],
       },
     }),
   );
@@ -103,6 +108,7 @@ export async function updatePersona(
         systemPrompt: input.systemPrompt,
         provider: input.provider,
         model: input.model,
+        namePool: input.namePool ?? [],
       },
     }),
   );
@@ -127,6 +133,7 @@ export async function parsePersonaFiles(
       avatarDataUrl: p.avatar_data_url,
       provider: p.provider,
       model: p.model,
+      namePool: p.name_pool ?? [],
       sourceFile: p.source_file,
     })),
     skipped: raw.skipped.map((s) => ({

desktop/src/shared/api/types.ts

@@ -404,6 +404,7 @@ export type AgentModelInfo = {
 };
 export type UpdateManagedAgentInput = {
   pubkey: string;
+  name?: string;
   model?: string | null;
   systemPrompt?: string | null;
 };
@@ -416,6 +417,7 @@ export type AgentPersona = {
   provider: string | null;
   /** Preferred model ID (e.g. "gpt-4o", "claude-sonnet-4-20250514"). */
   model: string | null;
+  namePool: string[];
   isBuiltIn: boolean;
   createdAt: string;
   updatedAt: string;
@@ -427,6 +429,7 @@ export type CreatePersonaInput = {
   systemPrompt: string;
   provider?: string;
   model?: string;
+  namePool?: string[];
 };
 
 export type UpdatePersonaInput = {
@@ -436,7 +439,10 @@ export type UpdatePersonaInput = {
   systemPrompt: string;
   provider?: string;
   model?: string;
+  namePool?: string[];
 };
+
+// ── Team types ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 export type AgentTeam = {
   id: string;
   name: string;