diff --git a/src/services/unified-session-service.ts b/src/services/unified-session-service.ts
index 3126c666..ccd13976 100644
--- a/src/services/unified-session-service.ts
+++ b/src/services/unified-session-service.ts
@@ -212,6 +212,44 @@ export function mergeUnifiedSessions(sources: UnifiedSources): UnifiedSessionIte
     if (m.remote !== undefined) item.remote = m.remote;
   }
 
+  // firstPrompt backfill (COD-140): the only source that sets firstPrompt is the
+  // transcript-history view, keyed by the Claude transcript file's UUID. A live/persisted
+  // row keyed by its Codeman id only inherits firstPrompt when that id happens to equal an
+  // on-disk transcript UUID. When it doesn't (stale/wrong claudeSessionId, post-/clear new
+  // uuid, resumed/attached/worktree session, transcript not yet flushed), the row shows
+  // "(no prompt captured)" even though a real transcript for that working dir exists under a
+  // different UUID. Backfill from the already-passed history: first try the claudeSessionId
+  // join, then the newest transcript in the same workingDir. Never overwrite a non-empty
+  // firstPrompt (so rows keyed to their own transcript are untouched).
+  const firstPromptByUuid = new Map<string, string>();
+  const firstPromptByWorkingDir = new Map<string, { prompt: string; ms: number }>();
+  for (const h of sources.history ?? []) {
+    if (!h.firstPrompt) continue;
+    firstPromptByUuid.set(h.sessionId, h.firstPrompt);
+    if (h.workingDir) {
+      const ms = Date.parse(h.lastModified);
+      const ts = Number.isNaN(ms) ? -Infinity : ms;
+      const existing = firstPromptByWorkingDir.get(h.workingDir);
+      if (!existing || ts > existing.ms) {
+        firstPromptByWorkingDir.set(h.workingDir, { prompt: h.firstPrompt, ms: ts });
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  for (const item of map.values()) {
+    if (item.firstPrompt) continue; // never overwrite an existing non-empty prompt
+    if (item.claudeSessionId) {
+      const byUuid = firstPromptByUuid.get(item.claudeSessionId);
+      if (byUuid) {
+        item.firstPrompt = byUuid;
+        continue;
+      }
+    }
+    if (item.workingDir) {
+      const byDir = firstPromptByWorkingDir.get(item.workingDir);
+      if (byDir) item.firstPrompt = byDir.prompt;
+    }
+  }
+
   // Meaningfulness floor: keep real rows, drop bare lifecycle/mux-only noise.
   const kept: UnifiedSessionItem[] = [];
   for (const item of map.values()) {
diff --git a/test/services/unified-session-service.test.ts b/test/services/unified-session-service.test.ts
index e08880c5..36fab474 100644
--- a/test/services/unified-session-service.test.ts
+++ b/test/services/unified-session-service.test.ts
@@ -163,6 +163,112 @@ describe('mergeUnifiedSessions', () => {
     expect(merged).toHaveLength(1);
     expect(merged[0].projectKey).toBe('-repo-alpha');
   });
+
+  // COD-140: firstPrompt backfill — live sessions whose Codeman id does not match an
+  // on-disk transcript UUID still surface a first prompt (by claudeSessionId join, then
+  // by newest transcript in the same workingDir).
+  it('backfills firstPrompt onto a live session by claudeSessionId join (uuid-join)', () => {
+    const merged = mergeUnifiedSessions({
+      live: [{ id: 'codeman-1', status: 'working', claudeSessionId: 'uuid-A', workingDir: '/w' }],
+      history: [
+        {
+          sessionId: 'uuid-A',
+          workingDir: '/w',
+          sizeBytes: 5000,
+          lastModified: '2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z',
+          firstPrompt: 'fix the bug',
+        },
+      ],
+    });
+    const live = merged.find((m) => m.sessionId === 'codeman-1');
+    expect(live).toBeDefined();
+    expect(live!.firstPrompt).toBe('fix the bug');
+    // The upstream unified-service alias map (COD-160/161) folds a history row keyed
+    // by the Claude conversation UUID into the owning live session (claudeSessionId
+    // join), so it does NOT surface as a separate item — the firstPrompt reaches the
+    // live row above rather than a duplicate uuid-A entry.
+    const hist = merged.find((m) => m.sessionId === 'uuid-A');
+    expect(hist).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it('falls back to the workingDir transcript when no uuid join exists (workingDir fallback)', () => {
+    const merged = mergeUnifiedSessions({
+      live: [{ id: 'codeman-2', status: 'working', claudeSessionId: 'uuid-missing', workingDir: '/w2' }],
+      history: [
+        {
+          sessionId: 'uuid-other',
+          workingDir: '/w2',
+          sizeBytes: 5000,
+          lastModified: '2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z',
+          firstPrompt: 'borrowed prompt',
+        },
+      ],
+    });
+    const live = merged.find((m) => m.sessionId === 'codeman-2');
+    expect(live).toBeDefined();
+    expect(live!.firstPrompt).toBe('borrowed prompt');
+  });
+
+  it('uses the newest transcript per workingDir for the fallback (newest-wins)', () => {
+    const merged = mergeUnifiedSessions({
+      live: [{ id: 'codeman-3', status: 'working', claudeSessionId: 'uuid-missing', workingDir: '/w3' }],
+      history: [
+        {
+          sessionId: 'uuid-old',
+          workingDir: '/w3',
+          sizeBytes: 5000,
+          lastModified: '2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z',
+          firstPrompt: 'older prompt',
+        },
+        {
+          sessionId: 'uuid-new',
+          workingDir: '/w3',
+          sizeBytes: 6000,
+          lastModified: '2026-02-01T00:00:00.000Z',
+          firstPrompt: 'newer prompt',
+        },
+      ],
+    });
+    const live = merged.find((m) => m.sessionId === 'codeman-3');
+    expect(live).toBeDefined();
+    expect(live!.firstPrompt).toBe('newer prompt');
+  });
+
+  it('never overwrites a firstPrompt that already merged from the session own transcript (no overwrite)', () => {
+    const merged = mergeUnifiedSessions({
+      live: [{ id: 'self-uuid', status: 'working', claudeSessionId: 'self-uuid', workingDir: '/w4' }],
+      history: [
+        // the session's own transcript (keyed by its id) — provides the real prompt
+        {
+          sessionId: 'self-uuid',
+          workingDir: '/w4',
+          sizeBytes: 5000,
+          lastModified: '2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z',
+          firstPrompt: 'own prompt',
+        },
+        // a newer sibling transcript in the same dir that must NOT clobber it
+        {
+          sessionId: 'sibling-uuid',
+          workingDir: '/w4',
+          sizeBytes: 6000,
+          lastModified: '2026-03-01T00:00:00.000Z',
+          firstPrompt: 'sibling prompt',
+        },
+      ],
+    });
+    const self = merged.find((m) => m.sessionId === 'self-uuid');
+    expect(self).toBeDefined();
+    expect(self!.firstPrompt).toBe('own prompt');
+  });
+
+  it('leaves firstPrompt undefined when there is no transcript at all (no transcript)', () => {
+    const merged = mergeUnifiedSessions({
+      live: [{ id: 'codeman-5', status: 'working', claudeSessionId: 'uuid-none', workingDir: '/empty' }],
+    });
+    const live = merged.find((m) => m.sessionId === 'codeman-5');
+    expect(live).toBeDefined();
+    expect(live!.firstPrompt).toBeUndefined();
+  });
 });
 
 describe('filterAndPaginate', () => {