diff --git a/agent/title_generator.py b/agent/title_generator.py
index aae407fbaa3e..f865aa02d022 100644
--- a/agent/title_generator.py
+++ b/agent/title_generator.py
@@ -9,8 +9,6 @@ import threading
 from typing import Callable, Optional
 
 from agent.auxiliary_client import call_llm
-from hermes_cli.config import load_config_readonly
-from utils import is_truthy_value
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -53,6 +51,12 @@ def _title_language() -> str:
 def _auto_title_enabled() -> bool:
     """Return whether automatic session title generation is enabled."""
     try:
+        # Lazy imports, matching _title_language(): title_generator is imported
+        # from agent code paths where a module-level hermes_cli import risks
+        # circularity, and the read-only loader avoids config-migration writes.
+        from hermes_cli.config import load_config_readonly
+        from utils import is_truthy_value
+
         config = load_config_readonly()
         title_config = (config.get("auxiliary") or {}).get("title_generation") or {}
         return is_truthy_value(title_config.get("enabled"), default=True)
@@ -263,10 +267,6 @@ def maybe_auto_title(
     if not session_db or not session_id or not user_message or not assistant_response:
         return
 
-    if not _auto_title_enabled():
-        logger.debug("Auto-title skipped: auxiliary.title_generation.enabled=false")
-        return
-
     # Count user messages in history to detect first exchange.
     # conversation_history includes the exchange that just happened,
     # so for a first exchange we expect exactly 1 user message
@@ -275,6 +275,12 @@ def maybe_auto_title(
     if user_msg_count > 2:
         return
 
+    # Config read comes after the cheap first-exchange guard so the file
+    # isn't touched on every subsequent turn of a long session.
+    if not _auto_title_enabled():
+        logger.debug("Auto-title skipped: auxiliary.title_generation.enabled=false")
+        return
+
     thread = threading.Thread(
         target=auto_title_session,
         args=(session_db, session_id, user_message, assistant_response),
diff --git a/cli-config.yaml.example b/cli-config.yaml.example
index a040c1a24935..2049b4426a54 100644
--- a/cli-config.yaml.example
+++ b/cli-config.yaml.example
@@ -526,6 +526,14 @@ prompt_caching:
 #     model: ""
 #     timeout: 30
 #
+#   # Automatic session title generation after the first exchange
+#   title_generation:
+#     enabled: true          # set false to disable auto-title generation
+#     provider: "auto"
+#     model: ""
+#     timeout: 30
+#     language: ""           # empty = match the user's language; or e.g. "English"
+#
 #   # Session search — summarizes matching past sessions
 #   session_search:
 #     provider: "auto"
diff --git a/scripts/release.py b/scripts/release.py
index d6ffb4d26026..4b96072c87d3 100755
--- a/scripts/release.py
+++ b/scripts/release.py
@@ -364,6 +364,7 @@ AUTHOR_MAP = {
     "290859878+synapsesx@users.noreply.github.com": "synapsesx",
     "157689911+itsflownium@users.noreply.github.com": "itsflownium",
     "dirtyren@users.noreply.github.com": "dirtyren",
+    "s96919@gmail.com": "s96919",
     "yakimenkoleksander228@gmail.com": "doxe0x",
     "a54983334@163.com": "Code-suphub",
     "78542984+Code-suphub@users.noreply.github.com": "Code-suphub",
diff --git a/tests/agent/test_title_generator.py b/tests/agent/test_title_generator.py
index fc63fbd56540..50aa01951abe 100644
--- a/tests/agent/test_title_generator.py
+++ b/tests/agent/test_title_generator.py
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ class TestGenerateTitle:
         config = {"auxiliary": {"title_generation": {"enabled": False}}}
 
         with (
-            patch("agent.title_generator.load_config_readonly", return_value=config),
+            patch("hermes_cli.config.load_config_readonly", return_value=config),
             patch("agent.title_generator.call_llm") as mock_call_llm,
         ):
             assert generate_title("question", "answer") is None
@@ -369,7 +369,7 @@ class TestMaybeAutoTitle:
         config = {"auxiliary": {"title_generation": {"enabled": False}}}
 
         with (
-            patch("agent.title_generator.load_config_readonly", return_value=config),
+            patch("hermes_cli.config.load_config_readonly", return_value=config),
             patch("agent.title_generator.auto_title_session") as mock_auto,
         ):
             maybe_auto_title(db, "sess-1", "hello", "hi there", history)