diff --git a/backend/council.py b/backend/council.py
index b7f8839..5069abe 100644
--- a/backend/council.py
+++ b/backend/council.py
@@ -255,6 +255,44 @@ def calculate_aggregate_rankings(
     return aggregate
 
 
+async def generate_conversation_title(user_query: str) -> str:
+    """
+    Generate a short title for a conversation based on the first user message.
+
+    Args:
+        user_query: The first user message
+
+    Returns:
+        A short title (3-5 words)
+    """
+    title_prompt = f"""Generate a very short title (3-5 words maximum) that summarizes the following question.
+The title should be concise and descriptive. Do not use quotes or punctuation in the title.
+
+Question: {user_query}
+
+Title:"""
+
+    messages = [{"role": "user", "content": title_prompt}]
+
+    # Use gemini-2.5-flash for title generation (fast and cheap)
+    response = await query_model("google/gemini-2.5-flash", messages, timeout=30.0)
+
+    if response is None:
+        # Fallback to a generic title
+        return "New Conversation"
+
+    title = response.get('content', 'New Conversation').strip()
+
+    # Clean up the title - remove quotes, limit length
+    title = title.strip('"\'')
+
+    # Truncate if too long
+    if len(title) > 50:
+        title = title[:47] + "..."
+
+    return title
+
+
 async def run_full_council(user_query: str) -> Tuple[List, List, Dict, Dict]:
     """
     Run the complete 3-stage council process.
diff --git a/backend/main.py b/backend/main.py
index cbb836f..e896bf2 100644
--- a/backend/main.py
+++ b/backend/main.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ from typing import List, Dict, Any
 import uuid
 
 from . import storage
-from .council import run_full_council
+from .council import run_full_council, generate_conversation_title
 
 app = FastAPI(title="LLM Council API")
 
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ class ConversationMetadata(BaseModel):
     """Conversation metadata for list view."""
     id: str
     created_at: str
+    title: str
     message_count: int
 
 
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@ class Conversation(BaseModel):
     """Full conversation with all messages."""
     id: str
     created_at: str
+    title: str
     messages: List[Dict[str, Any]]
 
 
@@ -85,9 +87,17 @@ async def send_message(conversation_id: str, request: SendMessageRequest):
     if conversation is None:
         raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="Conversation not found")
 
+    # Check if this is the first message
+    is_first_message = len(conversation["messages"]) == 0
+
     # Add user message
     storage.add_user_message(conversation_id, request.content)
 
+    # If this is the first message, generate a title
+    if is_first_message:
+        title = await generate_conversation_title(request.content)
+        storage.update_conversation_title(conversation_id, title)
+
     # Run the 3-stage council process
     stage1_results, stage2_results, stage3_result, metadata = await run_full_council(
         request.content
diff --git a/backend/storage.py b/backend/storage.py
index dd17a1a..180111d 100644
--- a/backend/storage.py
+++ b/backend/storage.py
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ def create_conversation(conversation_id: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
     conversation = {
         "id": conversation_id,
         "created_at": datetime.utcnow().isoformat(),
+        "title": "New Conversation",
         "messages": []
     }
 
@@ -96,6 +97,7 @@ def list_conversations() -> List[Dict[str, Any]]:
                 conversations.append({
                     "id": data["id"],
                     "created_at": data["created_at"],
+                    "title": data.get("title", "New Conversation"),
                     "message_count": len(data["messages"])
                 })
 
@@ -152,3 +154,19 @@ def add_assistant_message(
     })
 
     save_conversation(conversation)
+
+
+def update_conversation_title(conversation_id: str, title: str):
+    """
+    Update the title of a conversation.
+
+    Args:
+        conversation_id: Conversation identifier
+        title: New title for the conversation
+    """
+    conversation = get_conversation(conversation_id)
+    if conversation is None:
+        raise ValueError(f"Conversation {conversation_id} not found")
+
+    conversation["title"] = title
+    save_conversation(conversation)
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/Sidebar.jsx b/frontend/src/components/Sidebar.jsx
index c189690..1376f4e 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/Sidebar.jsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/Sidebar.jsx
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ export default function Sidebar({
               onClick={() => onSelectConversation(conv.id)}
             >
               <div className="conversation-title">
-                Conversation {conv.id.slice(0, 8)}...
+                {conv.title || 'New Conversation'}
               </div>
               <div className="conversation-meta">
                 {conv.message_count} messages