diff --git a/packages/objectql/src/engine.ts b/packages/objectql/src/engine.ts
index 922b00e266..570507337e 100644
--- a/packages/objectql/src/engine.ts
+++ b/packages/objectql/src/engine.ts
@@ -1927,7 +1927,9 @@ export class ObjectQL implements IDataEngine {
           fields: _findSchema.fields as any,
           searchableFields: (_findSchema as any).searchableFields,
           requestedFields: _reqFields,
-          displayField: (_findSchema as any).displayNameField,
+          // [ADR-0079] `nameField` is the canonical primary-title pointer;
+          // `displayNameField` is the deprecated alias (still honored).
+          displayField: (_findSchema as any).nameField ?? (_findSchema as any).displayNameField,
         });
         if (_searchFilter) {
           ast.where = ast.where ? { $and: [ast.where, _searchFilter] } : _searchFilter;
diff --git a/packages/objectql/src/registry.ts b/packages/objectql/src/registry.ts
index 01ec0a3a62..4cbf178b28 100644
--- a/packages/objectql/src/registry.ts
+++ b/packages/objectql/src/registry.ts
@@ -567,6 +567,21 @@ export class SchemaRegistry {
     // applySystemFields().
     schema = applySystemFields(schema, { multiTenant: this.multiTenant });
 
+    // TODO(ADR-0079): wire `provisionPrimary` (from `@objectstack/spec/data`)
+    // HERE — this is the object materialization seam. It should run for
+    // `ownership === 'own'` only (extensions must not synthesize a title) and
+    // AFTER `applySystemFields` (so a synthesized `name` co-exists with system
+    // columns). NOT wired yet on purpose: `provisionPrimary` SYNTHESIZES a real
+    // `name` text field when nothing is title-eligible, which the driver's
+    // `syncSchema` would materialize as a new DB column on dozens of title-less
+    // system/append-only tables (e.g. sys_record_share, sys_member) that today
+    // rely on `titleFormat`. Enabling that is a schema-migration-bearing change
+    // and must be staged behind the ADR-0079 required-title refine. Until then
+    // the canonical pointer is resolved on read via `resolveDisplayField`.
+    // To wire the DESIGNATE-only half safely (set nameField when derivable,
+    // never synthesize), split `provisionPrimary` or add a `{ synthesize:false }`
+    // option and call it here for own-objects.
+
     const shortName = schema.name;
     const fqn = computeFQN(namespace, shortName);
 
diff --git a/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-email-template.object.ts b/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-email-template.object.ts
index 77aaec3d01..113076a678 100644
--- a/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-email-template.object.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-email-template.object.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ export const SysEmailTemplate = ObjectSchema.create({
   managedBy: 'config',
   description: 'Outbound email template (subject + body + variables) resolved by name+locale',
   displayNameField: 'label',
+  nameField: 'label', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{label}',
   compactLayout: ['name', 'label', 'category', 'locale', 'active'],
 
diff --git a/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-email.object.ts b/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-email.object.ts
index 90c620e0be..a9cfbfb91d 100644
--- a/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-email.object.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-email.object.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ export const SysEmail = ObjectSchema.create({
   managedBy: 'append-only',
   description: 'Outbound email delivery log',
   displayNameField: 'subject',
+  nameField: 'subject', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{subject}',
   compactLayout: ['subject', 'to', 'status', 'sent_at'],
 
diff --git a/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-job-queue.object.ts b/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-job-queue.object.ts
index 708701e2a6..3e55aec576 100644
--- a/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-job-queue.object.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-job-queue.object.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ export const SysJobQueue = ObjectSchema.create({
   managedBy: 'system',
   description: 'Durable job/message queue including dead letters',
   displayNameField: 'queue',
+  nameField: 'queue', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{queue} #{id}',
   compactLayout: ['queue', 'status', 'attempts', 'scheduled_for', 'last_error'],
 
diff --git a/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-job-run.object.ts b/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-job-run.object.ts
index fce4f7e6d2..dae3eeff5c 100644
--- a/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-job-run.object.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-job-run.object.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ export const SysJobRun = ObjectSchema.create({
   managedBy: 'append-only',
   description: 'Background job execution audit trail',
   displayNameField: 'job_name',
+  nameField: 'job_name', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{job_name} @ {started_at}',
   compactLayout: ['job_name', 'status', 'started_at', 'duration_ms', 'attempt'],
 
diff --git a/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-job.object.ts b/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-job.object.ts
index ca61d0d9eb..34789680d6 100644
--- a/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-job.object.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-job.object.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ export const SysJob = ObjectSchema.create({
   managedBy: 'system',
   description: 'Catalogue of registered background jobs',
   displayNameField: 'name',
+  nameField: 'name', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{name}',
   compactLayout: ['name', 'schedule_type', 'active', 'last_run_at', 'last_status'],
 
diff --git a/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-notification.object.ts b/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-notification.object.ts
index 17fff61221..242fd806ee 100644
--- a/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-notification.object.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-notification.object.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ export const SysNotification = ObjectSchema.create({
   managedBy: 'system',
   description: 'Notification events — one row per emit() (ADR-0030 Layer 2 ingress)',
   displayNameField: 'topic',
+  nameField: 'topic', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{topic}',
   compactLayout: ['topic', 'severity', 'source_object', 'created_at'],
 
diff --git a/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-saved-report.object.ts b/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-saved-report.object.ts
index 28f1a0bb82..9bd4481645 100644
--- a/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-saved-report.object.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-objects/src/audit/sys-saved-report.object.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ export const SysSavedReport = ObjectSchema.create({
   managedBy: 'platform',
   description: 'Persisted ObjectQL report definition — re-runnable and schedulable',
   displayNameField: 'name',
+  nameField: 'name', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{name}',
   compactLayout: ['name', 'object_name', 'format', 'owner_id', 'updated_at'],
 
diff --git a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-api-key.object.ts b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-api-key.object.ts
index e8e337807f..8586ff4760 100644
--- a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-api-key.object.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-api-key.object.ts
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ export const SysApiKey = ObjectSchema.create({
   },
   description: 'API keys for programmatic access',
   displayNameField: 'name',
+  nameField: 'name', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{name}',
   compactLayout: ['name', 'prefix', 'user_id', 'expires_at', 'revoked'],
 
diff --git a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-business-unit.object.ts b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-business-unit.object.ts
index 849c7589eb..2eed6e1193 100644
--- a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-business-unit.object.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-business-unit.object.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ export const SysBusinessUnit = ObjectSchema.create({
   managedBy: 'platform',
   description: 'Canonical Business Unit tree — hierarchical org/data-partition node (company / division / department / region / office). ADR-0057 D2.',
   displayNameField: 'name',
+  nameField: 'name', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{name}',
   compactLayout: ['name', 'kind', 'parent_business_unit_id', 'manager_user_id'],
 
diff --git a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-device-code.object.ts b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-device-code.object.ts
index 4cc6c287b0..7f856a8daa 100644
--- a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-device-code.object.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-device-code.object.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ export const SysDeviceCode = ObjectSchema.create({
     docsUrl: 'https://docs.objectstack.ai/adr/0010-metadata-protection',
   },
   description: 'OAuth 2.0 Device Authorization Grant (RFC 8628) pending requests',
+  nameField: 'user_code', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (single-field titleFormat)
   titleFormat: '{user_code}',
   compactLayout: ['user_code', 'status', 'client_id', 'expires_at'],
 
diff --git a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-oauth-application.object.ts b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-oauth-application.object.ts
index ef3b6bf9ce..906f105fea 100644
--- a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-oauth-application.object.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-oauth-application.object.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ export const SysOauthApplication = ObjectSchema.create({
   },
   description: 'Registered OAuth/OIDC client applications',
   displayNameField: 'name',
+  nameField: 'name', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{name}',
   compactLayout: ['name', 'client_id', 'type', 'disabled'],
 
diff --git a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-organization.object.ts b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-organization.object.ts
index edb31b2294..7f6946bad2 100644
--- a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-organization.object.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-organization.object.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ export const SysOrganization = ObjectSchema.create({
   },
   description: 'Organizations for multi-tenant grouping',
   displayNameField: 'name',
+  nameField: 'name', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{name}',
   compactLayout: ['name', 'slug'],
 
diff --git a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-scim-provider.object.ts b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-scim-provider.object.ts
index 3fd52248d5..312174dc38 100644
--- a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-scim-provider.object.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-scim-provider.object.ts
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ export const SysScimProvider = ObjectSchema.create({
   },
   description: 'SCIM 2.0 connections (bearer tokens) external IdPs use to provision/deprovision this environment\'s users',
   displayNameField: 'provider_id',
+  nameField: 'provider_id', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{provider_id}',
   compactLayout: ['provider_id', 'organization_id'],
 
diff --git a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-session.object.ts b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-session.object.ts
index d9501cde76..646af30308 100644
--- a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-session.object.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-session.object.ts
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ export const SysSession = ObjectSchema.create({
   },
   description: 'Active user sessions',
   displayNameField: 'user_id',
+  nameField: 'user_id', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: 'Session — {user_id}',
   compactLayout: ['user_id', 'ip_address', 'expires_at'],
 
diff --git a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-sso-provider.object.ts b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-sso-provider.object.ts
index b6c601699a..b6812b91d5 100644
--- a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-sso-provider.object.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-sso-provider.object.ts
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ export const SysSsoProvider = ObjectSchema.create({
   },
   description: 'External SSO identity providers (OIDC / SAML) this environment federates login to',
   displayNameField: 'provider_id',
+  nameField: 'provider_id', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{provider_id}',
   compactLayout: ['provider_id', 'issuer', 'domain'],
 
diff --git a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-team.object.ts b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-team.object.ts
index 2ae512dfcf..1b572d1cd3 100644
--- a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-team.object.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-team.object.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ export const SysTeam = ObjectSchema.create({
   },
   description: 'Teams within organizations for fine-grained grouping',
   displayNameField: 'name',
+  nameField: 'name', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{name}',
   compactLayout: ['name', 'organization_id'],
 
diff --git a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-user-preference.object.ts b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-user-preference.object.ts
index da18854213..c57c98bae9 100644
--- a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-user-preference.object.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-user-preference.object.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ export const SysUserPreference = ObjectSchema.create({
   // surface in Setup is a support/diagnostic view only.
   managedBy: 'system',
   description: 'Per-user key-value preferences (theme, locale, etc.)',
+  nameField: 'key', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (single-field titleFormat)
   titleFormat: '{key}',
   compactLayout: ['user_id', 'key'],
 
diff --git a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-user.object.ts b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-user.object.ts
index e60cf51511..22726b2f19 100644
--- a/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-user.object.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-objects/src/identity/sys-user.object.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ export const SysUser = ObjectSchema.create({
   },
   description: 'User accounts for authentication',
   displayNameField: 'name',
+  nameField: 'name', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{name}',
   compactLayout: ['name', 'email', 'email_verified'],
 
diff --git a/packages/platform-objects/src/system/sys-setting.object.ts b/packages/platform-objects/src/system/sys-setting.object.ts
index d13f05b034..3e4a651864 100644
--- a/packages/platform-objects/src/system/sys-setting.object.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-objects/src/system/sys-setting.object.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ export const SysSetting = ObjectSchema.create({
   managedBy: 'system',
   description: 'Generic K/V store backing the SettingsManifest contract.',
   displayNameField: 'key',
+  nameField: 'key', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{namespace}.{key}',
   compactLayout: ['namespace', 'key', 'scope', 'updated_at'],
 
diff --git a/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/approval-service.ts b/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/approval-service.ts
index 33fdbb05ad..ee18d72d25 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/approval-service.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/approval-service.ts
@@ -1419,7 +1419,9 @@ export class ApprovalService implements IApprovalService {
     try {
       const schema: any = (this.engine as any).getSchema?.(object);
       const fields = schema?.fields ?? {};
-      const declared = schema?.displayNameField;
+      // [ADR-0079] `nameField` is the canonical primary-title pointer;
+      // `displayNameField` is the deprecated alias (still honored).
+      const declared = schema?.nameField ?? schema?.displayNameField;
       if (declared && declared !== 'id' && fields[declared]) return declared;
       for (const cand of ['name', 'title', 'subject', 'label']) {
         if (fields[cand]) return cand;
diff --git a/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-action.object.ts b/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-action.object.ts
index 915e48d8e3..4d7e9399d1 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-action.object.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-action.object.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ export const SysApprovalAction = ObjectSchema.create({
   managedBy: 'append-only',
   description: 'Append-only audit trail for approval actions',
   displayNameField: 'id',
+  nameField: 'id', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{action} · {step_name}',
   compactLayout: ['request_id', 'step_name', 'action', 'actor_id', 'created_at'],
 
diff --git a/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-approver.object.ts b/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-approver.object.ts
index 55c55f1b08..01275610ef 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-approver.object.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-approver.object.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ export const SysApprovalApprover = ObjectSchema.create({
   managedBy: 'system',
   description: 'Normalized pending-approver rows for indexed inbox queries',
   displayNameField: 'id',
+  nameField: 'id', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{approver} · {request_id}',
   compactLayout: ['request_id', 'approver', 'created_at'],
 
diff --git a/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-request.object.ts b/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-request.object.ts
index f976a08765..1a8fb74c85 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-request.object.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-request.object.ts
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ export const SysApprovalRequest = ObjectSchema.create({
   managedBy: 'system',
   description: 'Live approval instance tracked per submission',
   displayNameField: 'id',
+  nameField: 'id', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{process_name} · {record_id}',
   compactLayout: ['process_name', 'object_name', 'record_id', 'status', 'current_step', 'submitter_id', 'updated_at'],
 
diff --git a/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-token.object.ts b/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-token.object.ts
index 5051d4703d..3eac233a88 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-token.object.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-token.object.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ export const SysApprovalToken = ObjectSchema.create({
   managedBy: 'system',
   description: 'Single-use tokens behind actionable approval links',
   displayNameField: 'id',
+  nameField: 'id', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
 
   fields: {
     id: Field.text({ label: 'Token ID', required: true, readonly: true, group: 'System' }),
diff --git a/packages/plugins/plugin-audit/src/objects/sys-activity.object.ts b/packages/plugins/plugin-audit/src/objects/sys-activity.object.ts
index 93543f0811..ab164f60d9 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/plugin-audit/src/objects/sys-activity.object.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/plugin-audit/src/objects/sys-activity.object.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ export const SysActivity = ObjectSchema.create({
   managedBy: 'append-only',
   description: 'Recent activity stream entries (lightweight, denormalized)',
   displayNameField: 'summary',
+  nameField: 'summary', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{type} · {summary}',
   compactLayout: ['timestamp', 'type', 'actor_name', 'summary'],
 
diff --git a/packages/plugins/plugin-audit/src/objects/sys-audit-log.object.ts b/packages/plugins/plugin-audit/src/objects/sys-audit-log.object.ts
index 3bc8c9fcf8..83c23c2e82 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/plugin-audit/src/objects/sys-audit-log.object.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/plugin-audit/src/objects/sys-audit-log.object.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ export const SysAuditLog = ObjectSchema.create({
   managedBy: 'append-only',
   description: 'Immutable audit trail for platform events',
   displayNameField: 'action',
+  nameField: 'action', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{action} · {object_name}',
   compactLayout: ['created_at', 'action', 'object_name', 'record_id', 'user_id'],
 
diff --git a/packages/plugins/plugin-audit/src/objects/sys-comment.object.ts b/packages/plugins/plugin-audit/src/objects/sys-comment.object.ts
index 0ed7a9898f..bfdd0d5947 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/plugin-audit/src/objects/sys-comment.object.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/plugin-audit/src/objects/sys-comment.object.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ export const SysComment = ObjectSchema.create({
   managedBy: 'platform',
   description: 'Threaded comments attached to records via thread_id',
   displayNameField: 'body',
+  nameField: 'body', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{author_name}: {body}',
   compactLayout: ['created_at', 'author_name', 'body'],
 
diff --git a/packages/plugins/plugin-security/src/objects/sys-capability.object.ts b/packages/plugins/plugin-security/src/objects/sys-capability.object.ts
index d22ddf356a..0fa21fe9a6 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/plugin-security/src/objects/sys-capability.object.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/plugin-security/src/objects/sys-capability.object.ts
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ export const SysCapability = ObjectSchema.create({
   },
   description: 'Authorization capability definitions (ADR-0066 D1). Referenced by name from permission-set systemPermissions and resource requiredPermissions.',
   displayNameField: 'label',
+  nameField: 'label', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{label}',
   compactLayout: ['label', 'name', 'scope', 'managed_by', 'active'],
 
diff --git a/packages/plugins/plugin-security/src/objects/sys-permission-set.object.ts b/packages/plugins/plugin-security/src/objects/sys-permission-set.object.ts
index 8209db94bd..0fba1f35df 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/plugin-security/src/objects/sys-permission-set.object.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/plugin-security/src/objects/sys-permission-set.object.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ export const SysPermissionSet = ObjectSchema.create({
   },
   description: 'Named permission groupings for fine-grained access control',
   displayNameField: 'label',
+  nameField: 'label', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{label}',
   compactLayout: ['label', 'name', 'active'],
 
diff --git a/packages/plugins/plugin-security/src/objects/sys-role.object.ts b/packages/plugins/plugin-security/src/objects/sys-role.object.ts
index ac0fd9e229..01759f8002 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/plugin-security/src/objects/sys-role.object.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/plugin-security/src/objects/sys-role.object.ts
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ export const SysRole = ObjectSchema.create({
   },
   description: 'Role definitions for RBAC access control',
   displayNameField: 'label',
+  nameField: 'label', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{label}',
   compactLayout: ['label', 'name', 'active', 'is_default'],
 
diff --git a/packages/plugins/plugin-sharing/src/objects/sys-sharing-rule.object.ts b/packages/plugins/plugin-sharing/src/objects/sys-sharing-rule.object.ts
index efe86be085..fea3661178 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/plugin-sharing/src/objects/sys-sharing-rule.object.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/plugin-sharing/src/objects/sys-sharing-rule.object.ts
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ export const SysSharingRule = ObjectSchema.create({
   userActions: { create: true, edit: true, delete: true, import: false },
   description: 'Declarative sharing rule that auto-materialises sys_record_share grants. Authored via defineSharingRule() in code or the Studio criteria builder.',
   displayNameField: 'name',
+  nameField: 'name', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{label}',
   compactLayout: ['name', 'object_name', 'recipient_type', 'recipient_id', 'access_level', 'active'],
 
diff --git a/packages/plugins/plugin-webhooks/src/sys-webhook.object.ts b/packages/plugins/plugin-webhooks/src/sys-webhook.object.ts
index 7a7cb340d8..45ef97770b 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/plugin-webhooks/src/sys-webhook.object.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/plugin-webhooks/src/sys-webhook.object.ts
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ export const SysWebhook = ObjectSchema.create({
   userActions: { create: true, edit: true, delete: true, import: false },
   description: 'Outbound HTTP webhook subscription. Authored via defineWebhook() in code or the Studio editor; executed by the HTTP connector plugin.',
   displayNameField: 'name',
+  nameField: 'name', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{label}',
   compactLayout: ['name', 'object_name', 'url', 'active', 'updated_at'],
 
diff --git a/packages/services/service-automation/src/sys-automation-run.object.ts b/packages/services/service-automation/src/sys-automation-run.object.ts
index 8b610a4298..e4703fa566 100644
--- a/packages/services/service-automation/src/sys-automation-run.object.ts
+++ b/packages/services/service-automation/src/sys-automation-run.object.ts
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ export const SysAutomationRun = ObjectSchema.create({
   managedBy: 'system',
   description: 'Durable state of a suspended automation flow run (ADR-0019)',
   displayNameField: 'id',
+  nameField: 'id', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
   titleFormat: '{flow_name} · {node_id}',
   compactLayout: ['flow_name', 'node_id', 'status', 'correlation', 'started_at', 'updated_at'],
 
diff --git a/packages/services/service-messaging/src/objects/http-delivery.object.ts b/packages/services/service-messaging/src/objects/http-delivery.object.ts
index 54333a3c85..18b2e52541 100644
--- a/packages/services/service-messaging/src/objects/http-delivery.object.ts
+++ b/packages/services/service-messaging/src/objects/http-delivery.object.ts
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ export const HttpDelivery = ObjectSchema.create({
     description:
         'Durable outbox row for one outbound-HTTP attempt (ADR-0018). Managed by @objectstack/service-messaging; do not write directly.',
     displayNameField: 'id',
+    nameField: 'id', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (mirrors deprecated displayNameField)
     titleFormat: '{label} → {url}',
     compactLayout: ['source', 'url', 'status', 'attempts', 'next_retry_at'],
 
diff --git a/packages/services/service-messaging/src/objects/inbox-message.object.ts b/packages/services/service-messaging/src/objects/inbox-message.object.ts
index 4946f3ff0f..5046468cd4 100644
--- a/packages/services/service-messaging/src/objects/inbox-message.object.ts
+++ b/packages/services/service-messaging/src/objects/inbox-message.object.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ export const InboxMessage = ObjectSchema.create({
     pluralLabel: 'Inbox Messages',
     icon: 'inbox',
     description: 'User-facing in-app notification rows materialized by the inbox messaging channel.',
+    nameField: 'title', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (single-field titleFormat)
     titleFormat: '{title}',
     compactLayout: ['title', 'user_id', 'severity', 'created_at'],
 
diff --git a/packages/services/service-storage/src/objects/system-file.object.ts b/packages/services/service-storage/src/objects/system-file.object.ts
index e794583a45..8a4a263687 100644
--- a/packages/services/service-storage/src/objects/system-file.object.ts
+++ b/packages/services/service-storage/src/objects/system-file.object.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ export const SystemFile = ObjectSchema.create({
   pluralLabel: 'System Files',
   icon: 'file',
   description: 'Storage service file metadata (fileId ↔ key mapping)',
+  nameField: 'name', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (single-field titleFormat)
   titleFormat: '{name}',
   compactLayout: ['name', 'mime_type', 'size', 'status', 'created_at'],
 
diff --git a/packages/services/service-storage/src/objects/system-upload-session.object.ts b/packages/services/service-storage/src/objects/system-upload-session.object.ts
index dadd1b7201..5452095916 100644
--- a/packages/services/service-storage/src/objects/system-upload-session.object.ts
+++ b/packages/services/service-storage/src/objects/system-upload-session.object.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ export const SystemUploadSession = ObjectSchema.create({
   pluralLabel: 'System Upload Sessions',
   icon: 'upload-cloud',
   description: 'Resumable multipart upload sessions tracked by service-storage',
+  nameField: 'filename', // [ADR-0079] canonical primary-title pointer (single-field titleFormat)
   titleFormat: '{filename}',
   compactLayout: ['filename', 'status', 'uploaded_chunks', 'total_chunks', 'expires_at'],
 
diff --git a/packages/spec/api-surface.json b/packages/spec/api-surface.json
index f55cb6d72f..fd77a2d6ec 100644
--- a/packages/spec/api-surface.json
+++ b/packages/spec/api-surface.json
@@ -199,6 +199,7 @@
     "Dimension (type)",
     "DimensionSchema (const)",
     "DimensionType (const)",
+    "DisplayNameObjectMeta (interface)",
     "Document (type)",
     "DocumentSchema (const)",
     "DocumentSchemaValidation (type)",
@@ -346,6 +347,7 @@
     "ObjectOwnership (type)",
     "ObjectOwnershipEnum (const)",
     "ObjectSchema (const)",
+    "ObjectTitleCompleteness (interface)",
     "OperatorKey (type)",
     "PoolConfig (type)",
     "PoolConfigSchema (const)",
@@ -367,6 +369,7 @@
     "RenderedAutonumber (interface)",
     "ReplicationConfig (type)",
     "ReplicationConfigSchema (const)",
+    "ResolveRecordDisplayNameOptions (interface)",
     "ResolvedHook (type)",
     "SQLDialect (type)",
     "SQLDialectSchema (const)",
@@ -418,9 +421,13 @@
     "StateMachineValidationSchema (const)",
     "StringOperatorSchema (const)",
     "SubscriptionEventType (type)",
+    "TITLE_ELIGIBLE (const)",
+    "TITLE_ELIGIBLE_TYPES (const)",
+    "TITLE_INELIGIBLE_TYPES (const)",
     "TenancyConfig (type)",
     "TenancyConfigSchema (const)",
     "TimeUpdateInterval (const)",
+    "TitleEligibleFieldDef (interface)",
     "TransformType (const)",
     "VALID_AST_OPERATORS (const)",
     "ValidationRule (type)",
@@ -449,14 +456,19 @@
     "isDateMacroToken (function)",
     "isFilterAST (function)",
     "isIncoherentAggregate (function)",
+    "isTitleEligible (function)",
     "missingFieldValues (function)",
     "objectForm (const)",
+    "objectTitleCompleteness (function)",
     "parseAutonumberFormat (function)",
     "parseDateMacroParam (function)",
     "parseFilterAST (function)",
+    "provisionPrimary (function)",
     "referencedFields (function)",
     "renderAutonumber (function)",
     "resolveCrudAffordances (function)",
+    "resolveDisplayField (function)",
+    "resolveRecordDisplayName (function)",
     "sequenceWidth (function)",
     "suggestFieldType (function)"
   ],
diff --git a/packages/spec/liveness/object.json b/packages/spec/liveness/object.json
index f4cf3c6976..09c04f1345 100644
--- a/packages/spec/liveness/object.json
+++ b/packages/spec/liveness/object.json
@@ -25,7 +25,11 @@
     },
     "displayNameField": {
       "status": "live",
-      "note": "objectui RecordDetailView."
+      "note": "Deprecated alias of nameField (ADR-0079); still read by objectui RecordDetailView + resolveDisplayField back-compat."
+    },
+    "nameField": {
+      "status": "live",
+      "note": "ADR-0079 canonical record-title pointer; read by data/display-name.ts resolveDisplayField/resolveRecordDisplayName, objectql search displayField, and plugin-approvals."
     },
     "titleFormat": {
       "status": "live",
diff --git a/packages/spec/src/ai/solution-blueprint.zod.ts b/packages/spec/src/ai/solution-blueprint.zod.ts
index d7e0009921..8b104fb4e2 100644
--- a/packages/spec/src/ai/solution-blueprint.zod.ts
+++ b/packages/spec/src/ai/solution-blueprint.zod.ts
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@ export const BlueprintObjectSchema = lazySchema(() => z.object({
   label: z.string().optional().describe('Human-readable singular label'),
   description: z.string().optional().describe('What this object represents'),
   fields: z.array(BlueprintFieldSchema).describe('Fields to create on the object'),
+  nameField: z.string().regex(SNAKE_CASE).optional()
+    .describe('The record title field — which field holds the human-readable name shown on cards, lookup chips, breadcrumbs and search (ADR-0079). Set it to the object\'s text label field (e.g. "product_name"). For a numbered entity (invoice/ticket), set it to a formula field that composes number + name (e.g. "{order_no} · {customer}"). Omitting it lets the platform auto-pick a text field, but declaring it is strongly preferred.'),
 }));
 export type BlueprintObject = z.infer<typeof BlueprintObjectSchema>;
 
diff --git a/packages/spec/src/data/display-name.test.ts b/packages/spec/src/data/display-name.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..18ead6b190
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/spec/src/data/display-name.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,259 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2026 ObjectStack. Licensed under the Apache-2.0 license.
+
+import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
+import {
+  isTitleEligible,
+  resolveDisplayField,
+  resolveRecordDisplayName,
+  provisionPrimary,
+  objectTitleCompleteness,
+  TITLE_ELIGIBLE,
+  TITLE_ELIGIBLE_TYPES,
+  TITLE_INELIGIBLE_TYPES,
+} from './display-name';
+
+describe('isTitleEligible', () => {
+  it('accepts text-ish types', () => {
+    for (const type of ['text', 'textarea', 'email', 'url', 'markdown', 'html', 'richtext']) {
+      expect(isTitleEligible({ type })).toBe(true);
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('excludes the ineligible type set (date/number/boolean/media/relational/choice/system)', () => {
+    const excluded = [
+      'date', 'datetime', 'time',
+      'number', 'currency', 'percent',
+      'boolean', 'toggle',
+      'file', 'image', 'avatar', 'attachment', 'signature',
+      'json', 'code', 'composite', 'repeater', 'record', 'vector',
+      'geolocation', 'location',
+      'select', 'multiselect', 'multi_select', 'radio', 'checkboxes', 'tags', 'color', 'rating', 'slider', 'progress',
+      'lookup', 'master_detail', 'tree', 'user',
+      'autonumber', 'password', 'secret',
+    ];
+    for (const type of excluded) {
+      expect(isTitleEligible({ type }), `${type} should be ineligible`).toBe(false);
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('email IS eligible but phone is NOT', () => {
+    expect(isTitleEligible({ type: 'email' })).toBe(true);
+    expect(isTitleEligible({ type: 'phone' })).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('formula eligible only when result type (returnType) is text', () => {
+    expect(isTitleEligible({ type: 'formula', returnType: 'text' })).toBe(true);
+    expect(isTitleEligible({ type: 'formula', returnType: 'number' })).toBe(false);
+    expect(isTitleEligible({ type: 'formula', returnType: 'date' })).toBe(false);
+    expect(isTitleEligible({ type: 'formula' })).toBe(false); // unknown result type
+  });
+
+  it('formula also reads valueType as a fallback', () => {
+    expect(isTitleEligible({ type: 'formula', valueType: 'text' })).toBe(true);
+    expect(isTitleEligible({ type: 'formula', valueType: 'number' })).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('unknown/new field types are ineligible (fail-closed allowlist)', () => {
+    expect(isTitleEligible({ type: 'some_future_widget' })).toBe(false);
+    expect(isTitleEligible({})).toBe(false);
+    expect(isTitleEligible(undefined)).toBe(false);
+    expect(isTitleEligible(null)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('eligible/ineligible sets do not overlap', () => {
+    for (const t of TITLE_ELIGIBLE_TYPES) expect(TITLE_INELIGIBLE_TYPES.has(t)).toBe(false);
+    expect(TITLE_ELIGIBLE).toBe(TITLE_ELIGIBLE_TYPES);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('resolveDisplayField — explicit pointer precedence', () => {
+  it('prefers nameField over displayNameField over derivation', () => {
+    expect(resolveDisplayField({
+      nameField: 'a', displayNameField: 'b',
+      fields: { a: { type: 'text' }, b: { type: 'text' }, name: { type: 'text' } },
+    })).toBe('a');
+  });
+
+  it('falls back to displayNameField (deprecated alias) when nameField absent', () => {
+    expect(resolveDisplayField({
+      displayNameField: 'b',
+      fields: { b: { type: 'text' }, name: { type: 'text' } },
+    })).toBe('b');
+  });
+
+  it('honors an explicit pointer even when the target is not title-eligible', () => {
+    // author asserted it — eligibility gates DERIVATION only
+    expect(resolveDisplayField({ nameField: 'amount', fields: { amount: { type: 'currency' } } })).toBe('amount');
+  });
+
+  it('returns undefined for null/empty meta', () => {
+    expect(resolveDisplayField(undefined)).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(resolveDisplayField({})).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(resolveDisplayField({ fields: {} })).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+});
+
+describe('resolveDisplayField — derivation ranking', () => {
+  it('tier 1: name-ish exact wins over a non-name title-eligible field', () => {
+    expect(resolveDisplayField({
+      fields: { description: { type: 'text' }, title: { type: 'text' } },
+    })).toBe('title');
+  });
+
+  it('tier 1: `name` beats `title`/`subject` regardless of declaration order', () => {
+    expect(resolveDisplayField({
+      fields: { subject: { type: 'text' }, title: { type: 'text' }, name: { type: 'text' } },
+    })).toBe('name');
+  });
+
+  it('tier 1: full_name / display_name are recognized exacts', () => {
+    expect(resolveDisplayField({ fields: { display_name: { type: 'text' }, foo: { type: 'text' } } })).toBe('display_name');
+    expect(resolveDisplayField({ fields: { foo: { type: 'text' }, full_name: { type: 'text' } } })).toBe('full_name');
+  });
+
+  it('tier 2: name-ish affix (*_name, *_title, name_*) beats a generic field', () => {
+    expect(resolveDisplayField({
+      fields: { notes: { type: 'text' }, account_name: { type: 'text' } },
+    })).toBe('account_name');
+    expect(resolveDisplayField({
+      fields: { notes: { type: 'text' }, job_title: { type: 'text' } },
+    })).toBe('job_title');
+    expect(resolveDisplayField({
+      fields: { notes: { type: 'text' }, name_en: { type: 'text' } },
+    })).toBe('name_en');
+  });
+
+  it('tier 1 outranks tier 2 (exact `name` beats `*_name` affix)', () => {
+    expect(resolveDisplayField({
+      fields: { company_name: { type: 'text' }, name: { type: 'text' } },
+    })).toBe('name');
+  });
+
+  it('tier 3: first title-eligible field by declaration order when no name-ish field', () => {
+    expect(resolveDisplayField({
+      fields: {
+        created: { type: 'datetime' },   // ineligible
+        amount: { type: 'currency' },    // ineligible
+        notes: { type: 'text' },         // first eligible
+        extra: { type: 'text' },
+      },
+    })).toBe('notes');
+  });
+
+  it('derives a formula→text field when nothing else is eligible', () => {
+    expect(resolveDisplayField({
+      fields: { qty: { type: 'number' }, computed_label: { type: 'formula', returnType: 'text' } },
+    })).toBe('computed_label');
+  });
+
+  it('returns undefined when no field is title-eligible', () => {
+    expect(resolveDisplayField({
+      fields: { amount: { type: 'currency' }, when: { type: 'date' }, status: { type: 'select' }, ref: { type: 'lookup' } },
+    })).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+});
+
+describe('resolveRecordDisplayName', () => {
+  const meta = { fields: { name: { type: 'text' } } };
+
+  it('uses the resolved display field value', () => {
+    expect(resolveRecordDisplayName(meta, { id: '7', name: 'Acme' })).toBe('Acme');
+  });
+
+  it('viewTitleField overrides the resolved field', () => {
+    expect(resolveRecordDisplayName(meta, { id: '7', name: 'Acme', code: 'AC-1' }, { viewTitleField: 'code' })).toBe('AC-1');
+  });
+
+  it('falls back to `Record #<id>` on null/empty value (never bare "Untitled")', () => {
+    expect(resolveRecordDisplayName(meta, { id: '7', name: '' })).toBe('Record #7');
+    expect(resolveRecordDisplayName(meta, { id: '7', name: '   ' })).toBe('Record #7');
+    expect(resolveRecordDisplayName(meta, { id: '7' })).toBe('Record #7');
+  });
+
+  it('uses _id when id is absent', () => {
+    expect(resolveRecordDisplayName(meta, { _id: 'abc' })).toBe('Record #abc');
+  });
+
+  it('floors to `Record #` with no id rather than throwing or "Untitled"', () => {
+    expect(resolveRecordDisplayName(meta, {})).toBe('Record #');
+    expect(resolveRecordDisplayName(meta, null)).toBe('Record #');
+  });
+
+  it('non-string values stringify', () => {
+    expect(resolveRecordDisplayName({ fields: { count: { type: 'text' } } }, { count: 42 })).toBe('42');
+  });
+});
+
+describe('provisionPrimary', () => {
+  it('DESIGNATES an existing derivable title (sets nameField, no synthesis)', () => {
+    const out = provisionPrimary({ fields: { title: { type: 'text' }, notes: { type: 'text' } } });
+    expect(out.nameField).toBe('title');
+    expect(Object.keys(out.fields!)).toEqual(['title', 'notes']); // no field added
+  });
+
+  it('respects an explicit pointer (designates nameField from displayNameField alias)', () => {
+    const out = provisionPrimary({ displayNameField: 'subject', fields: { subject: { type: 'text' } } });
+    expect(out.nameField).toBe('subject');
+  });
+
+  it('SYNTHESIZES a `name` text field when nothing is title-eligible', () => {
+    const out = provisionPrimary({ fields: { amount: { type: 'currency' }, when: { type: 'date' } } });
+    expect(out.nameField).toBe('name');
+    expect(out.fields!.name).toMatchObject({ type: 'text' });
+    expect(Object.keys(out.fields!)).toContain('amount');
+  });
+
+  it('synthesizes `name` for an object with no fields at all', () => {
+    const out = provisionPrimary({ name: 'thing' });
+    expect(out.nameField).toBe('name');
+    expect(out.fields!.name).toMatchObject({ type: 'text' });
+  });
+
+  it('is idempotent — a second pass is a no-op and returns the same instance', () => {
+    const once = provisionPrimary({ fields: { title: { type: 'text' } } });
+    const twice = provisionPrimary(once);
+    expect(twice).toBe(once);
+    expect(twice.nameField).toBe('title');
+
+    const synthOnce = provisionPrimary({ fields: { amount: { type: 'currency' } } });
+    const synthTwice = provisionPrimary(synthOnce);
+    expect(synthTwice.nameField).toBe('name');
+    expect(Object.keys(synthTwice.fields!).filter((k) => k === 'name')).toHaveLength(1);
+  });
+
+  it('does not mutate the input object', () => {
+    const input = { fields: { amount: { type: 'currency' } } };
+    const out = provisionPrimary(input);
+    expect(input.nameField).toBeUndefined();
+    expect((input.fields as Record<string, unknown>).name).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(out).not.toBe(input);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('objectTitleCompleteness', () => {
+  it('explicit — pointer present and field exists', () => {
+    expect(objectTitleCompleteness({ nameField: 'title', fields: { title: { type: 'text' } } }))
+      .toEqual({ status: 'explicit', field: 'title' });
+  });
+
+  it('explicit via deprecated displayNameField alias', () => {
+    expect(objectTitleCompleteness({ displayNameField: 'subject', fields: { subject: { type: 'text' } } }))
+      .toEqual({ status: 'explicit', field: 'subject' });
+  });
+
+  it('synthesized — pointer set but the field is not in fields (runtime must materialize)', () => {
+    expect(objectTitleCompleteness({ nameField: 'name', fields: { amount: { type: 'currency' } } }))
+      .toEqual({ status: 'synthesized', field: 'name' });
+  });
+
+  it('derived — no pointer but a title-eligible field is derivable', () => {
+    expect(objectTitleCompleteness({ fields: { notes: { type: 'text' } } }))
+      .toEqual({ status: 'derived', field: 'notes' });
+  });
+
+  it('none — no pointer and nothing derivable', () => {
+    expect(objectTitleCompleteness({ fields: { amount: { type: 'currency' }, when: { type: 'date' } } }))
+      .toEqual({ status: 'none' });
+    expect(objectTitleCompleteness(undefined)).toEqual({ status: 'none' });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/spec/src/data/display-name.ts b/packages/spec/src/data/display-name.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..34cc2034e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/spec/src/data/display-name.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,293 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2026 ObjectStack. Licensed under the Apache-2.0 license.
+
+/**
+ * ADR-0079 — Record display-name contract.
+ *
+ * A record's human title is a STRUCTURAL INVARIANT: every object has exactly one
+ * primary title field, which is a real STORED field (text / autonumber / formula
+ * whose result is text). This module is the single source of truth for:
+ *   - which field types may back a title (`isTitleEligible` / `TITLE_ELIGIBLE`),
+ *   - how the primary title field is resolved (`resolveDisplayField`) — explicit
+ *     pointer first (`nameField`, then the deprecated `displayNameField` alias),
+ *     then a deterministic derivation,
+ *   - how a single record's display name is rendered (`resolveRecordDisplayName`)
+ *     with a stable `Record #<id>` floor — NEVER a bare "Untitled",
+ *   - a pure transform that GUARANTEES a primary exists (`provisionPrimary`),
+ *   - and a completeness classifier for lint/quality reporting
+ *     (`objectTitleCompleteness`).
+ *
+ * Pure + framework-agnostic (no Zod, no engine). Shared by authoring, the
+ * approval/notification display-enrichment path, objectql search field
+ * resolution, and build-time lint.
+ *
+ * NOTE on the schema: `nameField` is the canonical pointer (pairs with
+ * `recordName` — the Salesforce Name/Record-Name model). `displayNameField` is
+ * accepted as a DEPRECATED ALIAS at the schema level (mapped onto `nameField`).
+ * Both are still read here so this resolver works against metadata that has not
+ * yet been normalized.
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Minimal structural shape of a field definition this module needs to judge
+ * title-eligibility. Intentionally loose — callers pass `Data.Field`,
+ * `sys_metadata` rows, or hand-built fakes.
+ */
+export interface TitleEligibleFieldDef {
+  type?: string;
+  /**
+   * For `formula` fields: the declared result type. The framework field schema
+   * carries this as `returnType` (number/text/boolean/date); `valueType` is also
+   * accepted for forward/cross-repo compatibility. A formula is title-eligible
+   * ONLY when this is `text`.
+   */
+  returnType?: string;
+  valueType?: string;
+  [k: string]: unknown;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Minimal structural shape of an object's metadata this module reads.
+ * `fields` is a name-keyed map (declaration order = `Object.keys` order, which
+ * the framework preserves for the `record` field type and object materialization).
+ */
+export interface DisplayNameObjectMeta {
+  /** Canonical primary-title pointer (ADR-0079). */
+  nameField?: string;
+  /** Deprecated alias for `nameField`; still honored as a fallback. */
+  displayNameField?: string;
+  fields?: Record<string, TitleEligibleFieldDef> | undefined;
+  [k: string]: unknown;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Field types that are NEVER a record title — they carry no human-readable
+ * short label (dates, numbers, booleans, media, structured/relational values,
+ * choice tokens, and system/auto values). `autonumber` is excluded from
+ * *derivation* here: an autonumber is a valid primary only when an author
+ * points at it explicitly (it pairs with `recordName.type='autonumber'`), not
+ * something we silently pick. `formula` is conditionally eligible — see
+ * `isTitleEligible`.
+ *
+ * `phone` is deliberately excluded (a phone number is not a title); `email` IS
+ * eligible (commonly the human handle on identity-ish objects).
+ */
+export const TITLE_INELIGIBLE_TYPES: ReadonlySet<string> = new Set([
+  // Date & time
+  'date', 'datetime', 'time',
+  // Numbers
+  'number', 'currency', 'percent',
+  // Logic
+  'boolean', 'toggle',
+  // Media / files / attachments
+  'file', 'image', 'avatar', 'video', 'audio', 'attachment', 'signature', 'qrcode',
+  // Structured / untyped
+  'json', 'code', 'composite', 'repeater', 'record', 'address', 'vector',
+  // Geo
+  'geolocation', 'location',
+  // Choice tokens (machine values, not titles)
+  'select', 'multiselect', 'multi_select', 'radio', 'checkboxes', 'checkbox', 'tags', 'color', 'rating', 'slider', 'progress',
+  // Relational
+  'lookup', 'master_detail', 'tree', 'user',
+  // System / auto / derived
+  'autonumber', 'password', 'secret',
+  // Phone is not a title (email IS — handled in the eligible set)
+  'phone',
+]);
+
+/**
+ * Text-ish field types that ARE title-eligible. Used as a positive allowlist so
+ * an UNKNOWN/new field type does not accidentally become a title (fail-closed).
+ * `formula` is handled separately (eligible only when its result type is text).
+ */
+export const TITLE_ELIGIBLE_TYPES: ReadonlySet<string> = new Set([
+  'text', 'textarea', 'email', 'url', 'markdown', 'html', 'richtext',
+]);
+
+/**
+ * Convenience alias for `TITLE_ELIGIBLE_TYPES` named in ADR-0079 as the
+ * `TITLE_ELIGIBLE` rule.
+ */
+export const TITLE_ELIGIBLE = TITLE_ELIGIBLE_TYPES;
+
+/**
+ * Is `fieldDef` a field that can back a record's human title?
+ *
+ * Eligible: text-ish types (`text`, `textarea`, `email`, `url`, `markdown`,
+ * `html`, `richtext`) and a `formula` whose result type (`returnType`, or
+ * `valueType`) is `text`. Everything else — explicitly the
+ * {@link TITLE_INELIGIBLE_TYPES} set — is ineligible. Unknown types are
+ * ineligible (fail-closed against the positive allowlist).
+ */
+export function isTitleEligible(fieldDef: TitleEligibleFieldDef | undefined | null): boolean {
+  if (!fieldDef) return false;
+  const type = fieldDef.type;
+  if (!type) return false;
+  if (type === 'formula') {
+    const rt = fieldDef.returnType ?? fieldDef.valueType;
+    return rt === 'text';
+  }
+  if (TITLE_INELIGIBLE_TYPES.has(type)) return false;
+  return TITLE_ELIGIBLE_TYPES.has(type);
+}
+
+/** Exact name-ish field names (case-insensitive), highest derivation priority. */
+const NAME_ISH_EXACT: ReadonlySet<string> = new Set([
+  'name', 'title', 'subject', 'label', 'full_name', 'display_name',
+]);
+
+/** Affix tokens that make a field name "name-ish" (e.g. `first_name`, `job_title`, `name_en`). */
+const NAME_ISH_AFFIX_SUFFIX = ['_name', '_title'];
+const NAME_ISH_AFFIX_PREFIX = ['name_'];
+
+function isNameIshExact(fieldName: string): boolean {
+  return NAME_ISH_EXACT.has(fieldName.toLowerCase());
+}
+
+function isNameIshAffix(fieldName: string): boolean {
+  const lower = fieldName.toLowerCase();
+  if (NAME_ISH_EXACT.has(lower)) return false; // exact handled at a higher tier
+  return (
+    NAME_ISH_AFFIX_SUFFIX.some((s) => lower.endsWith(s)) ||
+    NAME_ISH_AFFIX_PREFIX.some((p) => lower.startsWith(p))
+  );
+}
+
+/**
+ * Derive the title field from the object's fields when no explicit pointer is
+ * set. Ranking (highest first), restricted to title-eligible fields:
+ *   1. name-ish EXACT  — `name`/`title`/`subject`/`label`/`full_name`/`display_name`
+ *   2. name-ish AFFIX  — `*_name` / `*_title` / `name_*`
+ *   3. first title-eligible field by declaration order
+ * Returns `undefined` when no field is title-eligible.
+ */
+function deriveDisplayField(fields: Record<string, TitleEligibleFieldDef> | undefined): string | undefined {
+  if (!fields) return undefined;
+  const names = Object.keys(fields);
+
+  // Tier 1: name-ish exact, in the EXACT priority order (name > title > subject > …)
+  // so `name` wins over `title` when both exist, independent of declaration order.
+  const exactOrder = ['name', 'title', 'subject', 'label', 'full_name', 'display_name'];
+  for (const wanted of exactOrder) {
+    for (const fname of names) {
+      if (fname.toLowerCase() === wanted && isTitleEligible(fields[fname])) return fname;
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Tier 2: name-ish affix, by declaration order.
+  for (const fname of names) {
+    if (isNameIshAffix(fname) && isTitleEligible(fields[fname])) return fname;
+  }
+
+  // Tier 3: first title-eligible field by declaration order.
+  for (const fname of names) {
+    if (!isNameIshExact(fname) && isTitleEligible(fields[fname])) return fname;
+  }
+
+  return undefined;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Resolve the object's primary title field name:
+ *   `nameField` (canonical) ?? `displayNameField` (deprecated alias) ?? derived.
+ *
+ * An explicit pointer is honored even if it is not currently title-eligible
+ * (the author asserted it; eligibility gates only DERIVATION). Returns
+ * `undefined` when there is no explicit pointer and nothing derivable.
+ */
+export function resolveDisplayField(objectMeta: DisplayNameObjectMeta | undefined | null): string | undefined {
+  if (!objectMeta) return undefined;
+  const explicit = objectMeta.nameField ?? objectMeta.displayNameField;
+  if (explicit) return explicit;
+  return deriveDisplayField(objectMeta.fields);
+}
+
+/** Options for {@link resolveRecordDisplayName}. */
+export interface ResolveRecordDisplayNameOptions {
+  /**
+   * A view-declared title field that OVERRIDES the object's resolved display
+   * field for this render (e.g. a list view choosing a different column as the
+   * row label). When set, the record's value at this field is used directly.
+   */
+  viewTitleField?: string;
+}
+
+function isEmptyish(v: unknown): boolean {
+  return v == null || (typeof v === 'string' && v.trim() === '');
+}
+
+/**
+ * Render a single record's human display name.
+ *
+ *   opts.viewTitleField ? record[viewTitleField] : record[resolveDisplayField(meta)]
+ *
+ * Falls back to a stable `Record #<id>` floor (using `record.id` or `record._id`)
+ * when the resolved value is null/empty. NEVER returns a bare "Untitled".
+ */
+export function resolveRecordDisplayName(
+  objectMeta: DisplayNameObjectMeta | undefined | null,
+  record: Record<string, unknown> | undefined | null,
+  opts?: ResolveRecordDisplayNameOptions,
+): string {
+  const rec = record ?? {};
+  const field = opts?.viewTitleField ?? resolveDisplayField(objectMeta);
+  const value = field ? (rec as Record<string, unknown>)[field] : undefined;
+  if (!isEmptyish(value)) return String(value);
+  const id = (rec as Record<string, unknown>).id ?? (rec as Record<string, unknown>)._id;
+  return `Record #${id ?? ''}`.trimEnd();
+}
+
+/**
+ * Pure transform guaranteeing the object has a primary title field.
+ *
+ * - If a title can be resolved/derived, set `nameField` to it (idempotent — a
+ *   second call is a no-op).
+ * - Otherwise SYNTHESIZE a `name` text field (added to `fields`) and set
+ *   `nameField: 'name'`.
+ *
+ * Returns a NEW object (does not mutate the input). The deprecated
+ * `displayNameField` is left untouched for back-compat; `nameField` becomes the
+ * authoritative pointer.
+ */
+export function provisionPrimary<T extends DisplayNameObjectMeta>(objectMeta: T): T {
+  const resolved = resolveDisplayField(objectMeta);
+  if (resolved) {
+    if (objectMeta.nameField === resolved) return objectMeta; // already canonical — no-op
+    return { ...objectMeta, nameField: resolved };
+  }
+  // Nothing eligible — synthesize a primary `name` text field.
+  const fields = { ...(objectMeta.fields ?? {}) };
+  if (!fields.name) {
+    fields.name = { type: 'text', label: 'Name', required: true } as TitleEligibleFieldDef;
+  }
+  return { ...objectMeta, fields, nameField: 'name' };
+}
+
+/** Result of {@link objectTitleCompleteness}. */
+export interface ObjectTitleCompleteness {
+  /**
+   * - `explicit`    — an explicit pointer (`nameField`/`displayNameField`) is set.
+   * - `derived`     — no explicit pointer, but a title-eligible field was derivable.
+   * - `synthesized` — `nameField` points at a field NOT present in `fields`
+   *   (e.g. a synthesized/expected `name`); the runtime must materialize it.
+   * - `none`        — no pointer and nothing derivable. Lint/quality should flag.
+   */
+  status: 'explicit' | 'derived' | 'synthesized' | 'none';
+  /** The resolved field name when one exists. */
+  field?: string;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Classify how an object's title is satisfied, for lint / quality reporting.
+ * Does not mutate; mirrors `resolveDisplayField` precedence.
+ */
+export function objectTitleCompleteness(objectMeta: DisplayNameObjectMeta | undefined | null): ObjectTitleCompleteness {
+  if (!objectMeta) return { status: 'none' };
+  const explicit = objectMeta.nameField ?? objectMeta.displayNameField;
+  if (explicit) {
+    const present = !!objectMeta.fields && Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(objectMeta.fields, explicit);
+    return { status: present ? 'explicit' : 'synthesized', field: explicit };
+  }
+  const derived = deriveDisplayField(objectMeta.fields);
+  if (derived) return { status: 'derived', field: derived };
+  return { status: 'none' };
+}
diff --git a/packages/spec/src/data/index.ts b/packages/spec/src/data/index.ts
index 84afb283be..7450ac7771 100644
--- a/packages/spec/src/data/index.ts
+++ b/packages/spec/src/data/index.ts
@@ -43,6 +43,12 @@ export * from './analytics.zod';
 // and build-time coherence validation.
 export * from './aggregation-policy';
 
+// Record display-name contract (ADR-0079) — title eligibility, primary-field
+// resolution/derivation, record display-name rendering, primary provisioning,
+// and title-completeness classification. Shared by authoring, display
+// enrichment, search field resolution, and lint.
+export * from './display-name';
+
 // Feed & Activity Protocol
 export * from './feed.zod';
 
diff --git a/packages/spec/src/data/object.test.ts b/packages/spec/src/data/object.test.ts
index 8dbbd902d0..9ab4e047bf 100644
--- a/packages/spec/src/data/object.test.ts
+++ b/packages/spec/src/data/object.test.ts
@@ -606,6 +606,46 @@ describe('ObjectSchema - displayNameField', () => {
     });
     expect(result.displayNameField).toBeUndefined();
   });
+
+  // ADR-0079: `nameField` is the canonical pointer; `displayNameField` is a
+  // deprecated alias that the schema maps onto `nameField` on parse.
+  it('should accept the canonical nameField pointer', () => {
+    const result = ObjectSchema.parse({
+      name: 'ticket',
+      fields: { title: { type: 'text' } },
+      nameField: 'title',
+    });
+    expect(result.nameField).toBe('title');
+  });
+
+  it('should map deprecated displayNameField onto nameField (back-compat alias)', () => {
+    const result = ObjectSchema.parse({
+      name: 'ticket',
+      fields: { title: { type: 'text' } },
+      displayNameField: 'title',
+    });
+    expect(result.nameField).toBe('title');
+    expect(result.displayNameField).toBe('title'); // preserved for cross-repo consumers
+  });
+
+  it('should map the alias through ObjectSchema.create() as well', () => {
+    const result = ObjectSchema.create({
+      name: 'ticket',
+      fields: { title: { type: 'text' } },
+      displayNameField: 'title',
+    });
+    expect(result.nameField).toBe('title');
+  });
+
+  it('explicit nameField takes precedence over displayNameField alias', () => {
+    const result = ObjectSchema.parse({
+      name: 'ticket',
+      fields: { a: { type: 'text' }, b: { type: 'text' } },
+      nameField: 'a',
+      displayNameField: 'b',
+    });
+    expect(result.nameField).toBe('a');
+  });
 });
 
 describe('ObjectSchema - recordName', () => {
diff --git a/packages/spec/src/data/object.zod.ts b/packages/spec/src/data/object.zod.ts
index 395f0e0188..5d3f5c9351 100644
--- a/packages/spec/src/data/object.zod.ts
+++ b/packages/spec/src/data/object.zod.ts
@@ -547,7 +547,23 @@ const ObjectSchemaBase = z.object({
   /**
    * Display & UI Hints (Data-Layer)
    */
-  displayNameField: z.string().optional().describe('Field to use as the record display name (e.g., "name", "title"). Defaults to "name" if present.'),
+  /**
+   * [ADR-0079] Canonical pointer to the object's PRIMARY title field — the one
+   * real stored field (text / autonumber / formula→text) that is a record's
+   * human name. Pairs with `recordName` (the Salesforce Name / Record-Name
+   * model). Optional at the schema level for now (a hard required-refine is
+   * staged so existing title-less metadata still parses). Resolve / derive via
+   * `resolveDisplayField` from `@objectstack/spec/data` (display-name.ts), which
+   * falls back to the deprecated `displayNameField` alias and then a derivation.
+   */
+  nameField: z.string().optional().describe('[ADR-0079] Canonical primary title field — the stored field used as the record display name (e.g. "name", "title"). Pairs with recordName.'),
+  /**
+   * @deprecated [ADR-0079] Renamed to `nameField`. Still ACCEPTED as an alias:
+   * the schema copies `displayNameField` onto `nameField` on parse when
+   * `nameField` is absent (both are preserved on the parsed output for
+   * cross-repo back-compat). New metadata should set `nameField`.
+   */
+  displayNameField: z.string().optional().describe('[DEPRECATED → nameField] Field to use as the record display name (e.g., "name", "title"). Accepted as an alias for nameField.'),
   recordName: z.object({
     type: z.enum(['text', 'autonumber']).describe('Record name type: text (user-entered) or autonumber (system-generated)'),
     displayFormat: z.string().optional().describe('Auto-number format pattern (e.g., "CASE-{0000}", "INV-{YYYY}-{0000}")'),
@@ -835,10 +851,43 @@ function unknownKeyError(objectName: unknown, unknownKeys: string[], knownKeys:
 type NoExcessObjectKeys<T> = T &
   Record<Exclude<keyof T, keyof z.input<typeof ObjectSchemaBase>>, never>;
 
+/**
+ * [ADR-0079] Back-compat alias normalization: an object authored with the
+ * deprecated `displayNameField` key still parses by mapping it onto the
+ * canonical `nameField` when `nameField` is absent. `displayNameField` is
+ * PRESERVED on the output (cross-repo consumers / older tests still read it).
+ * Non-object inputs pass through untouched (Zod raises the real type error).
+ */
+function normalizeNameFieldAlias(input: unknown): unknown {
+  if (!input || typeof input !== 'object' || Array.isArray(input)) return input;
+  const obj = input as Record<string, unknown>;
+  if (obj.nameField == null && typeof obj.displayNameField === 'string') {
+    return { ...obj, nameField: obj.displayNameField };
+  }
+  return input;
+}
+
 /**
  * Enhanced ObjectSchema with Factory
  */
-export const ObjectSchema = lazySchema(() => Object.assign(ObjectSchemaBase, {
+export const ObjectSchema = lazySchema(() => {
+  // Capture the ORIGINAL ZodObject parse/safeParse before `Object.assign`
+  // mutates `ObjectSchemaBase` in place (assign returns the same object, so
+  // overriding `.parse` on the result would otherwise recurse into itself).
+  const baseParse = ObjectSchemaBase.parse.bind(ObjectSchemaBase);
+  const baseSafeParse = ObjectSchemaBase.safeParse.bind(ObjectSchemaBase);
+  return Object.assign(ObjectSchemaBase, {
+  /**
+   * [ADR-0079] Parse with deprecated-`displayNameField`→`nameField` alias
+   * normalization applied first. Wraps the captured original ZodObject parse,
+   * so `.shape` / `.create()`'s internal `ObjectSchemaBase.parse` keep working.
+   */
+  parse(data: unknown, params?: Parameters<typeof ObjectSchemaBase.parse>[1]) {
+    return baseParse(normalizeNameFieldAlias(data), params);
+  },
+  safeParse(data: unknown, params?: Parameters<typeof ObjectSchemaBase.safeParse>[1]) {
+    return baseSafeParse(normalizeNameFieldAlias(data), params);
+  },
   /**
    * Type-safe factory for creating business object definitions.
    * 
@@ -875,9 +924,14 @@ export const ObjectSchema = lazySchema(() => Object.assign(ObjectSchemaBase, {
       ...cfg,
       label: cfg.label ?? snakeCaseToLabel(cfg.name as string),
     };
+    // [ADR-0079] `ObjectSchemaBase.parse` here is the alias-normalizing override
+    // assigned just below (Object.assign mutates the base in place), so the
+    // deprecated `displayNameField`→`nameField` mapping is applied for create()
+    // too — no need to normalize again at this call site.
     return ObjectSchemaBase.parse(withDefaults) as Omit<ServiceObject, 'fields'> & Pick<T, 'fields'>;
   },
-}));
+  });
+});
 
 export type ServiceObject = z.infer<typeof ObjectSchemaBase>;
 export type ServiceObjectInput = z.input<typeof ObjectSchemaBase>;