diff --git a/components/chain-table.tsx b/components/chain-table.tsx
index ff268f2..d1d7554 100644
--- a/components/chain-table.tsx
+++ b/components/chain-table.tsx
@@ -237,13 +237,15 @@ export function ChainTableBody({
 
 	return (
 		<div data-testid="chain-table" className="relative flex h-full min-h-0 flex-col">
-			{/* THE shared top bar (standardization ruling): title at the standard
-			    size, drag mechanics, sidebar reopen, traffic-light gutter — the
-			    same element as every chat surface. Search + close
-			    carve out with lh-no-drag (the mask law: later in the DOM). */}
+			{/* THE shared top bar (standardization ruling): drag mechanics,
+			    sidebar reopen, traffic-light gutter — the same element as every
+			    chat surface. NO TITLE (owner round 11, 2026-10-05): the serif
+			    title register is RESERVED — it always names a session; the
+			    chain table names nothing, so its bar carries counts + search +
+			    close only. Search + close carve out with lh-no-drag (the mask
+			    law: later in the DOM). */}
 			<TopBar>
-				<span className="min-w-0 flex-1 truncate font-title text-3xl tracking-tight">Chains</span>
-				<span className="shrink-0 text-xs text-muted-foreground">
+				<span className="min-w-0 flex-1 truncate text-xs text-muted-foreground">
 					{chains.length} {chains.length === 1 ? "chain" : "chains"} · {nodes.length} {nodes.length === 1 ? "node" : "nodes"}
 				</span>
 				<div className="relative shrink-0">
diff --git a/components/new-session.tsx b/components/new-session.tsx
index fdeb468..a7b19d0 100644
--- a/components/new-session.tsx
+++ b/components/new-session.tsx
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { useRouter } from "next/navigation";
 import { Conversation, ConversationContent, ConversationEmptyState } from "@/components/ai-elements/conversation";
 import { Composer } from "@/components/composer";
 import { DictationBar, joinDictation, useDictation } from "@/components/dictation";
-import { TopBar } from "@/components/top-bar";
+import { SidebarToggle } from "@/components/sidebar";
 import { SetupDialog } from "@/components/setup-dialog";
 import { useStrongKeyless, useZeroKeys, ZeroKeysPill } from "@/components/setup-cta";
 import { StatsBar } from "@/components/stats-bar";
@@ -144,17 +144,19 @@ export function DraftShell({
 		}
 	}, [dictation.active]);
 	return (
-		<div className="flex h-dvh">
+		/* CHROME-LESS CREATION SURFACE (owner round 11, 2026-10-05): the
+		 * drafts join home's register — no TopBar, no title (the serif title
+		 * always names a session; a draft has none). Home's proven pattern
+		 * verbatim: a drag mask first in the DOM, a floating reopen toggle
+		 * (the only pointer-events-auto spot), the empty state carrying the
+		 * orientation. The chain picker then owns the column top exactly
+		 * like the graph view's — no stacked bars. */
+		<div className="relative flex h-dvh">
+			{/* Window-drag strip — deliberately FIRST in the DOM (the mask
+			    law: no-drag subtraction resolves by DOM order, so every
+			    carved control later in the tree subtracts correctly). */}
+			<div className="lh-drag absolute inset-x-0 top-0 h-13" aria-hidden="true" />
 			<div className="flex min-w-0 flex-1 flex-col">
-				{/* The shared top bar (standardization ruling, 2026-09-29): one
-			    element, every surface — h-15, drag, sidebar reopen, lights
-			    gutter. h-15 (60px) matches the sidebar's wordmark band. */}
-			<TopBar>
-				<div className="min-w-0 flex-1 truncate font-title text-3xl tracking-tight">
-					{mode === "practice" ? "New practice session" : "New session"}
-				</div>
-			</TopBar>
-
 				<div className="relative flex min-h-0 flex-1">
 					{/* The pointer-events pattern (953b22b): the sticky wrapper is
 					    pointer-events-none so nothing here blocks the empty-state
@@ -237,6 +239,14 @@ export function DraftShell({
 					{overlay}
 				</div>
 			</div>
+			{/* The floating reopen toggle — pointer-events-none except the
+			    toggle itself (home's pattern), painted AFTER the overlay's
+			    column so nothing of it blocks the canvas area. */}
+			<header className="pointer-events-none absolute inset-x-0 top-0 flex items-center gap-2 px-3 py-2">
+				<div className="pointer-events-auto">
+					<SidebarToggle />
+				</div>
+			</header>
 		</div>
 	);
 }
diff --git a/components/top-bar.tsx b/components/top-bar.tsx
index 7ac13ed..ec4a18b 100644
--- a/components/top-bar.tsx
+++ b/components/top-bar.tsx
@@ -23,7 +23,10 @@
  * - border-b border-border px-3, gap-3 rhythm.
  *
  * The consumer brings the title (font-title text-3xl tracking-tight) and
- * any right-side controls. `drag={false}` is the one escape hatch —
+ * any right-side controls. THE TITLE LAW (owner round 11, 2026-10-05):
+ * the serif title ALWAYS names a session — chrome-less creation surfaces
+ * (home, both /chat/new drafts) and the chain table render NO title.
+ * `drag={false}` is the one escape hatch —
  * chat's rename mode (app-region:drag would eat the mousedown that
  * exits the input; owner ask).
  *
diff --git a/tests/render-chain-table.test.tsx b/tests/render-chain-table.test.tsx
index c1ec76e..60ad1aa 100644
--- a/tests/render-chain-table.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/render-chain-table.test.tsx
@@ -125,12 +125,13 @@ describe("ChainTableBody — clusters (the outermost layer)", () => {
 });
 
 describe("ChainTableBody — THE shared TopBar + the lines law (owner, round 2)", () => {
-	it("the body renders the standardized top bar: h-15, lh-drag, select-none, standard title size, close X", () => {
+	it("the body renders the standardized top bar: h-15, lh-drag, select-none, NO title (serif = session name, always), close X", () => {
 		const html = render();
 		assert.ok(html.includes("lh-drag"), "the window-drag band");
-		assert.ok(html.includes("select-none"), "dragging never highlights the title");
+		assert.ok(html.includes("select-none"), "dragging never highlights the bar");
 		assert.ok(html.includes("h-15"), "the standard height");
-		assert.ok(html.includes('font-title text-3xl tracking-tight">Chains<'), "the standard title size");
+		assert.ok(!html.includes(">Chains<"), "NO title (owner round 11): the serif register always names a session");
+		assert.ok(html.includes("chain"), "the counts remain");
 		assert.ok(html.includes('data-testid="chain-table-close"'), "the close X");
 		assert.ok(html.includes('data-testid="chain-table-search"'), "the search input");
 	});