diff --git a/web/src/components/session-wizard/SessionWizard.tsx b/web/src/components/session-wizard/SessionWizard.tsx
index 199ea7651..9b61ad572 100644
--- a/web/src/components/session-wizard/SessionWizard.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/session-wizard/SessionWizard.tsx
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { fetchAgents, fetchGroups, fetchDockerStatus, fetchProfiles, fetchSettin
 import { StepIndicator } from "./StepIndicator";
 import type { StepDef, StepId } from "./StepIndicator";
 import { ProjectStep } from "./steps/ProjectStep";
+import { SessionStep } from "./steps/SessionStep";
 import { AgentStep } from "./steps/AgentStep";
 import { ReviewStep } from "./steps/ReviewStep";
 import { applyBranchOverride, getSubmittedBranch } from "./sessionNames";
@@ -13,6 +14,7 @@ export interface WizardData {
   title: string;
   worktreeBranch: string;
   worktreeBranchDirty: boolean;
+  useWorktree: boolean;
   group: string;
   tool: string;
   profile: string;
@@ -54,6 +56,7 @@ type Action =
 
 const initialData: WizardData = {
   path: "", title: "", worktreeBranch: "", worktreeBranchDirty: false,
+  useWorktree: true,
   group: "", tool: "claude", profile: "",
   yoloMode: false, sandboxEnabled: false, sandboxImage: "", extraEnv: [],
   advancedEnabled: false, profileDirty: false,
@@ -114,11 +117,12 @@ function reducer(state: WizardState, action: Action): WizardState {
   }
 }
 
-// Wizard: project path → agent/settings → review
+// Wizard: project path → session (title + worktree) → agent → review
 function computeSteps(_data: WizardData): StepDef[] {
   return [
     { id: "project", label: "Project" },
-    { id: "agent", label: "Settings" },
+    { id: "session", label: "Session" },
+    { id: "agent", label: "Agent" },
     { id: "review", label: "Review" },
   ];
 }
@@ -156,7 +160,7 @@ export function SessionWizard({ onClose, onCreated, prefill }: Props) {
     : initialData;
 
   const [state, dispatch] = useReducer(reducer, {
-    currentStep: prefill?.skipToReview ? 2 : (prefill?.path ? 1 : 0),
+    currentStep: prefill?.skipToReview ? 3 : (prefill?.path ? 1 : 0),
     data: prefillData, isSubmitting: false, error: null,
     agents: [], groups: [], profiles: [], dockerAvailable: false,
   });
@@ -201,8 +205,8 @@ export function SessionWizard({ onClose, onCreated, prefill }: Props) {
       path: d.path, tool: d.tool,
       title: d.title || undefined, group: d.group || undefined,
       yolo_mode: d.yoloMode,
-      worktree_branch: getSubmittedBranch(d.title, d.worktreeBranch),
-      create_new_branch: true,
+      worktree_branch: d.useWorktree ? getSubmittedBranch(d.title, d.worktreeBranch) : undefined,
+      create_new_branch: d.useWorktree,
       sandbox: d.sandboxEnabled,
       sandbox_image: d.sandboxEnabled ? d.sandboxImage : undefined,
       extra_env: d.sandboxEnabled && d.extraEnv.length > 0 ? d.extraEnv.filter(Boolean) : undefined,
@@ -224,6 +228,8 @@ export function SessionWizard({ onClose, onCreated, prefill }: Props) {
     switch (currentStepDef?.id) {
       case "project":
         return <ProjectStep data={state.data} onChange={handleChange} initialTab={prefill?.initialTab} />;
+      case "session":
+        return <SessionStep data={state.data} onChange={handleChange} />;
       case "agent":
         return (
           <AgentStep
diff --git a/web/src/components/session-wizard/StepIndicator.tsx b/web/src/components/session-wizard/StepIndicator.tsx
index f214a48b1..e9e6c3ed6 100644
--- a/web/src/components/session-wizard/StepIndicator.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/session-wizard/StepIndicator.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-export type StepId = "project" | "agent" | "container" | "advanced" | "review";
+export type StepId = "project" | "session" | "agent" | "container" | "advanced" | "review";
 
 export interface StepDef {
   id: StepId;
diff --git a/web/src/components/session-wizard/steps/AgentStep.tsx b/web/src/components/session-wizard/steps/AgentStep.tsx
index f2c68dd62..54531bebd 100644
--- a/web/src/components/session-wizard/steps/AgentStep.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/session-wizard/steps/AgentStep.tsx
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ interface WizardData {
   tool: string;
   title: string;
   worktreeBranch: string;
+  useWorktree: boolean;
   profile: string;
   profileDirty: boolean;
   sandboxEnabled: boolean;
@@ -16,7 +17,6 @@ interface WizardData {
   customInstruction: string;
   extraArgs: string;
   commandOverride: string;
-  group: string;
   [key: string]: unknown;
 }
 
@@ -191,7 +191,10 @@ export function AgentStep({ data, onChange, agents, profiles, dockerAvailable, o
       </div>
 
       {isHostOnly && (
-        <p className="text-xs text-status-warning mt-3 mb-3">{selectedAgent?.name} can only run on the host. Container option is disabled.</p>
+        <p className="text-xs text-status-warning mt-3 mb-3">
+          {selectedAgent?.name} can only run on the host. Container is disabled
+          {data.useWorktree ? "; go back and turn off “Create a worktree” too." : "."}
+        </p>
       )}
 
       {/* Advanced settings (collapsible) */}
@@ -207,31 +210,6 @@ export function AgentStep({ data, onChange, agents, profiles, dockerAvailable, o
 
       {showAdvanced && (
         <div className="mt-2 space-y-4 border-t border-surface-700/30 pt-4">
-          {/* Session title / branch */}
-          <div>
-            <label className="block text-sm text-text-dim mb-1.5">Session title</label>
-            <input
-              type="text"
-              value={data.title}
-              onChange={(e) => onChange("title", e.target.value)}
-              placeholder="Shown in Agent of Empires"
-              className="w-full bg-surface-900 border border-surface-700 rounded-lg px-3 py-2.5 text-base font-mono text-text-primary placeholder:text-text-dim focus:border-brand-600 focus:outline-none"
-            />
-            <p className="text-xs text-text-dim mt-1">Shown in the dashboard and session lists. Renaming it later does not rename the git branch.</p>
-          </div>
-
-          <div>
-            <label className="block text-sm text-text-dim mb-1.5">Branch name</label>
-            <input
-              type="text"
-              value={data.worktreeBranch}
-              onChange={(e) => onChange("worktreeBranch", e.target.value)}
-              placeholder="Uses session title if empty"
-              className="w-full bg-surface-900 border border-surface-700 rounded-lg px-3 py-2.5 text-base font-mono text-text-primary placeholder:text-text-dim focus:border-brand-600 focus:outline-none"
-            />
-            <p className="text-xs text-text-dim mt-1">Git branch and worktree name. Clearing it switches back to the session title. Leave both title and branch empty to auto-generate.</p>
-          </div>
-
           {/* Container config (if sandbox enabled) */}
           {data.sandboxEnabled && (
             <>
@@ -309,18 +287,6 @@ export function AgentStep({ data, onChange, agents, profiles, dockerAvailable, o
               className="w-full bg-surface-900 border border-surface-700 rounded-lg px-3 py-2.5 text-sm font-mono text-text-primary placeholder:text-text-dim focus:border-brand-600 focus:outline-none"
             />
           </div>
-
-          {/* Group */}
-          <div>
-            <label className="block text-sm text-text-dim mb-1.5">Group</label>
-            <input
-              type="text"
-              value={data.group}
-              onChange={(e) => onChange("group", e.target.value)}
-              placeholder="Optional session group"
-              className="w-full bg-surface-900 border border-surface-700 rounded-lg px-3 py-2.5 text-sm font-mono text-text-primary placeholder:text-text-dim focus:border-brand-600 focus:outline-none"
-            />
-          </div>
         </div>
       )}
     </div>
diff --git a/web/src/components/session-wizard/steps/ReviewStep.tsx b/web/src/components/session-wizard/steps/ReviewStep.tsx
index 729aad5a5..fe4bc5980 100644
--- a/web/src/components/session-wizard/steps/ReviewStep.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/session-wizard/steps/ReviewStep.tsx
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
 import type { StepDef, StepId } from "../StepIndicator";
 import { getReviewSummary } from "../sessionNames";
 
-interface WizardData { path: string; title: string; worktreeBranch: string; group: string; tool: string; profile: string; profileDirty: boolean; yoloMode: boolean; sandboxEnabled: boolean; sandboxImage: string; extraArgs: string; customInstruction: string; commandOverride: string; [key: string]: unknown; }
+interface WizardData { path: string; title: string; worktreeBranch: string; useWorktree: boolean; group: string; tool: string; profile: string; profileDirty: boolean; yoloMode: boolean; sandboxEnabled: boolean; sandboxImage: string; extraArgs: string; customInstruction: string; commandOverride: string; [key: string]: unknown; }
 interface Props { data: WizardData; onChange: (field: string, value: unknown) => void; isSubmitting: boolean; error: string | null; onSubmit: () => void; onJumpTo: (stepId: StepId) => void; steps: StepDef[]; }
 
 const isMac = typeof navigator !== "undefined" && /Mac|iPhone|iPad/.test(navigator.userAgent);
@@ -122,14 +122,18 @@ export function ReviewStep({ data, onChange, isSubmitting, error, onSubmit, onJu
           placeholder="Auto-generated"
           onChange={(v) => onChange("title", v)}
         />
-        <EditableRow
-          label="Branch"
-          value={data.worktreeBranch}
-          displayValue={summary.branch}
-          placeholder="Auto-generated"
-          onChange={(v) => onChange("worktreeBranch", v)}
-          accent
-        />
+        {data.useWorktree ? (
+          <EditableRow
+            label="Branch / worktree"
+            value={data.worktreeBranch}
+            displayValue={summary.branch}
+            placeholder="Auto-generated"
+            onChange={(v) => onChange("worktreeBranch", v)}
+            accent
+          />
+        ) : (
+          <Row label="Worktree" value="None — runs in repo folder" />
+        )}
         <Row label="Agent" value={data.tool || "(not set)"} stepId="agent" onJumpTo={onJumpTo} />
         {data.profile && (
           <Row label="Profile" value={data.profileDirty ? `${data.profile} (Custom)` : data.profile} stepId="agent" onJumpTo={onJumpTo} accent />
diff --git a/web/src/components/session-wizard/steps/SessionStep.tsx b/web/src/components/session-wizard/steps/SessionStep.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..11dfa7e2a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/components/session-wizard/steps/SessionStep.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+interface WizardData {
+  title: string;
+  worktreeBranch: string;
+  useWorktree: boolean;
+  group: string;
+  tool: string;
+  [key: string]: unknown;
+}
+
+interface Props {
+  data: WizardData;
+  onChange: (field: string, value: unknown) => void;
+}
+
+function Toggle({ checked, onChange, disabled }: { checked: boolean; onChange: (v: boolean) => void; disabled?: boolean }) {
+  return (
+    <button
+      type="button"
+      role="switch"
+      aria-checked={checked}
+      disabled={disabled}
+      onClick={() => !disabled && onChange(!checked)}
+      className={`relative inline-flex h-7 w-12 shrink-0 items-center rounded-full transition-colors duration-200 focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-2 focus-visible:outline-brand-600 ${
+        disabled ? "opacity-40 cursor-not-allowed" : "cursor-pointer"
+      } ${checked ? "bg-brand-600" : "bg-surface-700"}`}
+    >
+      <span
+        className={`inline-block h-5 w-5 rounded-full bg-white shadow-sm transition-transform duration-200 ${
+          checked ? "translate-x-6" : "translate-x-1"
+        }`}
+      />
+    </button>
+  );
+}
+
+export function SessionStep({ data, onChange }: Props) {
+  return (
+    <div>
+      <h2 className="text-lg font-semibold text-text-primary mb-1">Name your session</h2>
+      <p className="text-sm text-text-muted mb-5">Give it a title and decide whether to work in a git worktree.</p>
+
+      <div className="mb-5">
+        <label className="block text-sm text-text-dim mb-1.5">Session title</label>
+        <input
+          type="text"
+          value={data.title}
+          onChange={(e) => onChange("title", e.target.value)}
+          placeholder="Auto-generated if empty"
+          className="w-full bg-surface-900 border border-surface-700 rounded-lg px-3 py-2.5 text-base font-mono text-text-primary placeholder:text-text-dim focus:border-brand-600 focus:outline-none"
+        />
+        <p className="text-xs text-text-dim mt-1">Shown in the dashboard. Renaming it later does not rename the git branch.</p>
+      </div>
+
+      <label
+        className="flex items-center justify-between gap-3 p-3 bg-surface-900 border border-surface-700 rounded-lg cursor-pointer mb-3"
+        onClick={() => onChange("useWorktree", !data.useWorktree)}
+      >
+        <div className="flex-1">
+          <div className="text-sm font-medium text-text-primary">Create a worktree</div>
+          <div className="text-xs text-text-dim mt-0.5 leading-snug">
+            Run the agent in a new git worktree branched off the current HEAD. Off = run directly in the repo folder.
+          </div>
+        </div>
+        <Toggle
+          checked={data.useWorktree}
+          onChange={(v) => onChange("useWorktree", v)}
+        />
+      </label>
+
+      {data.useWorktree && (
+        <div className="mb-5">
+          <label className="block text-sm text-text-dim mb-1.5">Branch / worktree name</label>
+          <input
+            type="text"
+            value={data.worktreeBranch}
+            onChange={(e) => onChange("worktreeBranch", e.target.value)}
+            placeholder="Uses session title if empty"
+            className="w-full bg-surface-900 border border-surface-700 rounded-lg px-3 py-2.5 text-base font-mono text-text-primary placeholder:text-text-dim focus:border-brand-600 focus:outline-none"
+          />
+          <p className="text-xs text-text-dim mt-1">The branch name is also the worktree directory name. Leave blank to use the session title.</p>
+        </div>
+      )}
+
+      <div>
+        <label className="block text-sm text-text-dim mb-1.5">Group</label>
+        <input
+          type="text"
+          value={data.group}
+          onChange={(e) => onChange("group", e.target.value)}
+          placeholder="Optional, for organizing related sessions"
+          className="w-full bg-surface-900 border border-surface-700 rounded-lg px-3 py-2.5 text-sm font-mono text-text-primary placeholder:text-text-dim focus:border-brand-600 focus:outline-none"
+        />
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  );
+}