diff --git a/packages/core/src/session/context.ts b/packages/core/src/session/context.ts
index c23f6265272a..42ae72d053af 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/session/context.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/session/context.ts
@@ -95,21 +95,27 @@ const layer = Layer.effect(
       const agent = yield* agents.get(Agent.ID.make("title"))
       if (!agent) return
       const primary = yield* resolveModel(session).pipe(Effect.orElseSucceed(() => undefined))
-      const info = yield* Effect.gen(function* () {
-        if (agent.model) return yield* model.get(agent.model.providerID, agent.model.id)
+      const candidate = yield* Effect.gen(function* () {
+        if (agent.model) {
+          const info = yield* model.get(agent.model.providerID, agent.model.id)
+          return info && { info, variant: agent.model.variant ?? minimalVariant(info) }
+        }
         if (!primary) return
-        return yield* model.small(primary.ref.providerID)
+        const small = yield* model.small(primary.ref.providerID)
+        if (small) return { info: small, variant: minimalVariant(small) }
+        // Without a lower variant, the primary model at its selected variant is already the fallback.
+        const info = yield* model.get(primary.ref.providerID, primary.ref.id)
+        const variant = info && lowerVariant(info, primary.ref.variant)
+        return variant && { info, variant }
       })
-      const variant =
-        agent.model?.variant ?? MINIMAL_REASONING_VARIANTS.find((id) => info?.variants.some((item) => item.id === id))
       const preferred =
-        info &&
+        candidate &&
         (yield* resolveModel({
           ...session,
           model: Model.Ref.make({
-            providerID: info.providerID,
-            id: info.id,
-            ...(variant ? { variant } : {}),
+            providerID: candidate.info.providerID,
+            id: candidate.info.id,
+            ...(candidate.variant ? { variant: candidate.variant } : {}),
           }),
         }).pipe(Effect.orElseSucceed(() => undefined)))
       const selected = preferred ?? primary
@@ -184,6 +190,18 @@ const layer = Layer.effect(
 /** Variant IDs that minimize reasoning output, in preference order. */
 const MINIMAL_REASONING_VARIANTS = ["none", "minimal", "low"].map((id) => Model.VariantID.make(id))
 
+const minimalVariant = (info: Model.Info) =>
+  MINIMAL_REASONING_VARIANTS.find((id) => info.variants.some((item) => item.id === id))
+
+/**
+ * `none` and `minimal` always reduce reasoning. `low` can enable reasoning on a model whose default
+ * does not reason, so it is only used when it ranks below the variant the session selected.
+ */
+const lowerVariant = (info: Model.Info, selected: Model.VariantID | undefined) => {
+  const rank = (id: Model.VariantID | undefined) => info.variants.findIndex((item) => item.id === id)
+  return MINIMAL_REASONING_VARIANTS.find((id) => rank(id) !== -1 && (id !== "low" || rank(id) < rank(selected)))
+}
+
 export const node = makeLocationNode({
   service: Service,
   layer,
diff --git a/packages/core/test/session-title.test.ts b/packages/core/test/session-title.test.ts
index 82a1f4ee73a6..a508f97b4dce 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/session-title.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/session-title.test.ts
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ import { testEffect } from "./lib/effect"
 
 let requests: LLMRequest[] = []
 let selectedSmall: Model.Info | undefined
+let selectedPrimary: Model.Info | undefined
 let selections: Array<Session.Info["model"]> = []
 const model = LanguageModel.make({
   id: "title-model",
@@ -102,6 +103,7 @@ const models = Layer.mock(SessionRunnerModel.Service)({
 })
 const smallModels = Layer.mock(Model.Service, {
   small: () => Effect.succeed(selectedSmall),
+  get: (_providerID, modelID) => Effect.succeed(modelID === selectedPrimary?.id ? selectedPrimary : undefined),
 })
 const it = testEffect(
   AppNodeBuilder.build(
@@ -183,6 +185,7 @@ const lowSmall = Model.Info.make({
 beforeEach(() => {
   requests = []
   selectedSmall = undefined
+  selectedPrimary = undefined
   selections = []
   titleStream = successfulTitle
 })
@@ -343,6 +346,95 @@ it.effect("falls back to the primary model when the small model fails", () =>
   }),
 )
 
+const primaryRef = (variant?: string) =>
+  Model.Ref.make({
+    providerID: Provider.ID.make("test"),
+    id: Model.ID.make("title-model"),
+    ...(variant ? { variant: Model.VariantID.make(variant) } : {}),
+  })
+const primaryInfo = (variants: string[]) =>
+  Model.Info.make({
+    ...Model.Info.default(Provider.ID.make("test"), Model.ID.make("title-model")),
+    variants: variants.map((id) => ({ id: Model.VariantID.make(id) })),
+  })
+
+const titleAttempts = (sessionID: Session.ID, text: string, variant?: string) =>
+  Effect.gen(function* () {
+    yield* enableTitleAgent
+    yield* insertSession(sessionID, undefined, undefined, primaryRef(variant))
+    yield* prompt(sessionID, text)
+    const attempted: Model.Ref[] = []
+    const hooks = yield* PluginHooks.Service
+    yield* hooks.register("session", "model.request", (event) =>
+      Effect.sync(() => {
+        attempted.push(event.model)
+      }),
+    )
+    const title = yield* SessionTitle.Service
+    yield* title.generate(sessionID)
+    const store = yield* SessionStore.Service
+    return { attempted: attempted.map((model) => String(model.variant)), title: (yield* store.get(sessionID))?.title }
+  })
+
+it.effect("uses the primary model at its lowest variant without a small model", () =>
+  Effect.gen(function* () {
+    selectedPrimary = primaryInfo(["none", "low", "high"])
+    const result = yield* titleAttempts(
+      Session.ID.make("ses_title_primary_lowest"),
+      "Title with the lowest variant",
+      "high",
+    )
+    expect(result.attempted).toEqual(["none"])
+    expect(result.title).toBe("Generated Title")
+  }),
+)
+
+it.effect("falls back to the selected primary variant when the lowest variant fails", () =>
+  Effect.gen(function* () {
+    titleStream = () =>
+      requests.length === 1 ? Stream.make(LLMEvent.providerError({ message: "Variant rejected" })) : successfulTitle()
+    selectedPrimary = primaryInfo(["low", "high"])
+    const result = yield* titleAttempts(
+      Session.ID.make("ses_title_primary_fallback"),
+      "Fall back to the selection",
+      "high",
+    )
+    expect(result.attempted).toEqual(["low", "high"])
+    expect(result.title).toBe("Generated Title")
+  }),
+)
+
+it.effect("uses the selected primary variant when no lower variant exists", () =>
+  Effect.gen(function* () {
+    selectedPrimary = primaryInfo(["high", "max"])
+    const result = yield* titleAttempts(Session.ID.make("ses_title_primary_selected"), "No lower variant here", "high")
+    expect(result.attempted).toEqual(["high"])
+    expect(result.title).toBe("Generated Title")
+  }),
+)
+
+it.effect("keeps the primary default variant instead of a low variant that may enable reasoning", () =>
+  Effect.gen(function* () {
+    selectedPrimary = primaryInfo(["low", "high"])
+    const result = yield* titleAttempts(
+      Session.ID.make("ses_title_primary_default"),
+      "Default may not reason",
+      undefined,
+    )
+    expect(result.attempted).toEqual(["default"])
+    expect(result.title).toBe("Generated Title")
+  }),
+)
+
+it.effect("uses the primary none variant from its default variant", () =>
+  Effect.gen(function* () {
+    selectedPrimary = primaryInfo(["none", "low", "high"])
+    const result = yield* titleAttempts(Session.ID.make("ses_title_primary_none"), "Disable reasoning", undefined)
+    expect(result.attempted).toEqual(["none"])
+    expect(result.title).toBe("Generated Title")
+  }),
+)
+
 it.effect("generates from the first user message after later messages exist", () =>
   Effect.gen(function* () {
     yield* enableTitleAgent