diff --git a/desktop/src/features/chats/lib/chatWorkBranch.test.mjs b/desktop/src/features/chats/lib/chatWorkBranch.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cdf9339f10
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/src/features/chats/lib/chatWorkBranch.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import test from "node:test";
+
+import {
+  deriveChatWorkBranch,
+  parseBranchFromCommand,
+} from "./chatWorkBranch.ts";
+
+function toolItem(command, overrides = {}) {
+  return {
+    id: overrides.id ?? command,
+    type: "tool",
+    renderClass: "generic",
+    descriptor: { category: "shell" },
+    title: "Ran command",
+    toolName: "shell",
+    buzzToolName: null,
+    status: "completed",
+    args: { command },
+    result: "",
+    isError: false,
+    timestamp: "2026-07-04T00:00:00Z",
+    startedAt: "2026-07-04T00:00:00Z",
+    completedAt: null,
+    channelId: overrides.channelId ?? "chat-1",
+    turnId: overrides.turnId ?? "turn-1",
+  };
+}
+
+test("worktree add with -b names the new branch", () => {
+  assert.equal(
+    parseBranchFromCommand("git worktree add ../wt/feature -b feature-x"),
+    "feature-x",
+  );
+});
+
+test("worktree add with existing branch uses the second positional", () => {
+  assert.equal(
+    parseBranchFromCommand("git worktree add ../wt/fix fix-panel"),
+    "fix-panel",
+  );
+});
+
+test("worktree add with only a path uses the basename", () => {
+  assert.equal(
+    parseBranchFromCommand("git worktree add /tmp/worktrees/chat-panel"),
+    "chat-panel",
+  );
+});
+
+test("checkout -b and switch -c name the branch", () => {
+  assert.equal(
+    parseBranchFromCommand("git checkout -b kenny/new-panel"),
+    "kenny/new-panel",
+  );
+  assert.equal(parseBranchFromCommand("git switch -c wip"), "wip");
+});
+
+test("plain switch to an existing branch counts", () => {
+  assert.equal(parseBranchFromCommand("git switch main"), "main");
+});
+
+test("compound commands take the last branch operation", () => {
+  assert.equal(
+    parseBranchFromCommand(
+      "cd /repo && git fetch origin && git worktree add ../wt -b first && git -C ../wt checkout -b second",
+    ),
+    "second",
+  );
+});
+
+test("file checkouts, detached heads, and non-git commands are ignored", () => {
+  assert.equal(parseBranchFromCommand("git checkout -- src/app.ts"), null);
+  assert.equal(parseBranchFromCommand("git checkout src/a.ts src/b.ts"), null);
+  assert.equal(parseBranchFromCommand("git checkout deadbeefcafe"), null);
+  assert.equal(parseBranchFromCommand("cargo build --release"), null);
+  assert.equal(parseBranchFromCommand("echo git checkout"), null);
+});
+
+test("deriveChatWorkBranch returns the latest branch across the transcript", () => {
+  const transcript = [
+    toolItem("ls -la", { id: "1" }),
+    toolItem("git worktree add ../wt -b first-branch", { id: "2" }),
+    { id: "3", type: "lifecycle", renderClass: "status" },
+    toolItem("git checkout -b second-branch", { id: "4" }),
+    toolItem("cargo test", { id: "5" }),
+  ];
+  assert.equal(deriveChatWorkBranch(transcript), "second-branch");
+});
+
+test("deriveChatWorkBranch is null without branch activity", () => {
+  assert.equal(deriveChatWorkBranch([toolItem("pnpm test")]), null);
+});
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/chats/lib/chatWorkBranch.ts b/desktop/src/features/chats/lib/chatWorkBranch.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8e74a9a55f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/src/features/chats/lib/chatWorkBranch.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+import type { TranscriptItem } from "@/features/agents/ui/agentSessionTypes";
+import { getToolString } from "@/features/agents/ui/agentSessionUtils";
+
+/**
+ * Derive the branch the chat's agent is currently working on from its shell
+ * activity: the latest `git worktree add` / `git checkout` / `git switch`
+ * that names a branch wins. This is what lets the work panel show a branch
+ * as soon as the agent sets up a worktree — before any PR exists to report
+ * `head.ref`.
+ */
+export function deriveChatWorkBranch(
+  transcript: readonly TranscriptItem[],
+): string | null {
+  let branch: string | null = null;
+  for (const item of transcript) {
+    if (item.type !== "tool") {
+      continue;
+    }
+    const command = getToolString(item.args, ["command"]);
+    if (!command) {
+      continue;
+    }
+    const parsed = parseBranchFromCommand(command);
+    if (parsed) {
+      branch = parsed;
+    }
+  }
+  return branch;
+}
+
+/** Latest branch named by any segment of a (possibly compound) command. */
+export function parseBranchFromCommand(command: string): string | null {
+  let branch: string | null = null;
+  for (const segment of command.split(/&&|\|\||;|\n/)) {
+    const parsed = parseBranchFromSegment(segment.trim());
+    if (parsed) {
+      branch = parsed;
+    }
+  }
+  return branch;
+}
+
+function parseBranchFromSegment(segment: string): string | null {
+  const tokens = tokenize(segment);
+  const gitIndex = tokens.indexOf("git");
+  if (gitIndex === -1) {
+    return null;
+  }
+  // Skip `git -C <path> …` style global flags between `git` and the verb.
+  let verbIndex = gitIndex + 1;
+  while (verbIndex < tokens.length && tokens[verbIndex].startsWith("-")) {
+    verbIndex += tokens[verbIndex] === "-C" ? 2 : 1;
+  }
+  const verb = tokens[verbIndex];
+  const rest = tokens.slice(verbIndex + 1);
+
+  if (verb === "worktree" && rest[0] === "add") {
+    return parseWorktreeAdd(rest.slice(1));
+  }
+  if (verb === "checkout" || verb === "switch") {
+    return parseCheckoutOrSwitch(rest);
+  }
+  return null;
+}
+
+function parseWorktreeAdd(args: string[]): string | null {
+  const flagged = valueOfFlag(args, ["-b", "-B"]);
+  if (flagged) {
+    return flagged;
+  }
+  const positional = args.filter((token) => !token.startsWith("-"));
+  if (positional.length >= 2) {
+    // `git worktree add <path> <branch>` — a commit-ish second arg (sha)
+    // isn't a branch name worth showing.
+    return looksLikeSha(positional[1]) ? null : positional[1];
+  }
+  if (positional.length === 1) {
+    // `git worktree add <path>` creates a branch named after the basename.
+    const parts = positional[0].split("/").filter(Boolean);
+    return parts[parts.length - 1] || null;
+  }
+  return null;
+}
+
+function parseCheckoutOrSwitch(args: string[]): string | null {
+  const flagged = valueOfFlag(args, ["-b", "-B", "-c", "-C"]);
+  if (flagged) {
+    return flagged;
+  }
+  // Plain `git checkout <branch>` / `git switch <branch>`: only a single
+  // non-flag argument reads as a branch move — more args means file paths,
+  // and `--` restores files, and a bare sha is a detached head.
+  if (args.includes("--")) {
+    return null;
+  }
+  const positional = args.filter((token) => !token.startsWith("-"));
+  if (positional.length !== 1 || looksLikeSha(positional[0])) {
+    return null;
+  }
+  return positional[0];
+}
+
+function valueOfFlag(args: string[], flags: string[]): string | null {
+  for (let index = 0; index < args.length; index += 1) {
+    if (flags.includes(args[index])) {
+      const value = args[index + 1];
+      if (value && !value.startsWith("-")) {
+        return value;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  return null;
+}
+
+function looksLikeSha(token: string): boolean {
+  return /^[0-9a-f]{7,40}$/i.test(token);
+}
+
+function tokenize(segment: string): string[] {
+  return segment
+    .split(/\s+/)
+    .map((token) => token.replace(/^['"]|['"]$/g, ""))
+    .filter((token) => token.length > 0);
+}
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/chats/ui/ChatDetail.tsx b/desktop/src/features/chats/ui/ChatDetail.tsx
index 00ce76f7c9..5a1edd530e 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/chats/ui/ChatDetail.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/features/chats/ui/ChatDetail.tsx
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import {
   NO_PROJECT_SELECTION_ID,
 } from "@/features/chats/lib/chatSetup";
 import { ChatActivityTranscript } from "@/features/chats/ui/ChatActivityTranscript";
+import { deriveChatWorkBranch } from "@/features/chats/lib/chatWorkBranch";
 import { ChatWorkPanel } from "@/features/chats/ui/ChatWorkPanel";
 import { isHumanFacingAssistantText } from "@/features/chats/ui/chatActivityText";
 import { entranceClassForCreatedAt } from "@/features/chats/ui/messageEntrance";
@@ -144,6 +145,12 @@ export function ChatDetail({
       }),
     [defaultAgent?.pubkey, messages, scopedTranscript],
   );
+  // Branch the agent is on, straight from its worktree/checkout commands —
+  // the work panel shows it live, before any PR exists to report head.ref.
+  const workBranch = React.useMemo(
+    () => deriveChatWorkBranch(scopedTranscript),
+    [scopedTranscript],
+  );
   const selectedProject = React.useMemo(
     () => chatProjectForMetadata(metadata),
     [metadata],
@@ -625,6 +632,7 @@ export function ChatDetail({
           </div>
         </div>
         <ChatWorkPanel
+          branch={workBranch}
           chatId={chat.id}
           onAutomationPrompt={(content) => void onSend(content, [])}
           open={showWorkPanel}
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/chats/ui/ChatWorkPanel.tsx b/desktop/src/features/chats/ui/ChatWorkPanel.tsx
index 1ac9f3a566..5d7a7fe373 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/chats/ui/ChatWorkPanel.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/features/chats/ui/ChatWorkPanel.tsx
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import {
 } from "@/shared/lib/githubPullRequest";
 import { parseSupportedLinkPreview } from "@/shared/lib/linkPreview";
 import { cn } from "@/shared/lib/cn";
+import { AnimatedTitleText } from "@/shared/ui/animated-title-text";
 import { Checkbox } from "@/shared/ui/checkbox";
 import { GithubPullRequestCard } from "@/shared/ui/link-preview-attachment";
 
@@ -36,11 +37,14 @@ const CHIP_CLASS =
  * chat's agent automatically (deduped per head sha / open-thread watermark).
  */
 export function ChatWorkPanel({
+  branch = null,
   chatId,
   onAutomationPrompt,
   open = true,
   prHref,
 }: {
+  /** Live branch from the agent's worktree/checkout activity, if any. */
+  branch?: string | null;
   chatId: string;
   onAutomationPrompt?: (content: string) => void;
   open?: boolean;
@@ -55,6 +59,9 @@ export function ChatWorkPanel({
   const commentStateQuery = useGithubCommentStateQuery(ref);
   const openThreads = commentStateQuery.data?.openThreads ?? 0;
   const automation = useChatWorkAutomation(chatId);
+  // Live activity wins over the PR's head ref: the agent may have moved to a
+  // new worktree since opening the PR, and activity updates immediately.
+  const currentBranch = branch?.trim() || pr?.headRef?.trim() || null;
 
   // Automation: prompt the agent on CI failure / newly-open review threads.
   // Watermarks in storage keep this to one nudge per failing sha and per
@@ -101,13 +108,15 @@ export function ChatWorkPanel({
         <div className="flex flex-col gap-2">
           <div className={CHIP_CLASS}>
             <GitBranch className="h-3.5 w-3.5 shrink-0 text-muted-foreground" />
-            {pr?.headRef?.trim() ? (
-              <span className="min-w-0 truncate font-mono">
-                {pr.headRef.trim()}
-              </span>
-            ) : (
-              <span className="text-muted-foreground">No current branch</span>
-            )}
+            {/* Swaps with the title animation when the agent moves to a new
+                worktree/branch (or the placeholder resolves to a branch). */}
+            <AnimatedTitleText
+              className={cn(
+                "min-w-0",
+                currentBranch ? "font-mono" : "text-muted-foreground",
+              )}
+              text={currentBranch ?? "No current branch"}
+            />
           </div>
           {preview ? (
             <GithubPullRequestCard className="w-full" preview={preview} />