diff --git a/server/handlers/cms/data/preview.ts b/server/handlers/cms/data/preview.ts
index 7e2821b4..57644952 100644
--- a/server/handlers/cms/data/preview.ts
+++ b/server/handlers/cms/data/preview.ts
@@ -94,6 +94,9 @@ export async function handleRowPreview(
     return jsonResponse({ error: 'No entry template found for this collection' }, { status: 404 })
   }
   const merged = composeTemplateChain(chain, { kind: 'entry' })
+  // The template chain has no Page for the entry, so composeTemplateChain
+  // can't know its title — the entry's own (draft) title is the real document title.
+  if (typeof draftCells.title === 'string') merged.title = draftCells.title
 
   // Build a synthetic PublishedDataRow with the draft cells merged in.
   // Bindings inside the template (`{currentEntry.body}`, featured-media
diff --git a/server/publish/publicRenderer.ts b/server/publish/publicRenderer.ts
index 19792a7b..a35e0177 100644
--- a/server/publish/publicRenderer.ts
+++ b/server/publish/publicRenderer.ts
@@ -176,6 +176,9 @@ export async function renderPublishedDataRowTemplate(
   const chain = resolveTemplateChain(snapshot.site, { kind: 'entry', tableSlug: row.tableSlug })
   if (chain.length === 0) return null // no entry template → 404 (unchanged behaviour)
   const merged = composeTemplateChain(chain, { kind: 'entry' })
+  // The template chain has no Page for the entry, so composeTemplateChain
+  // can't know its title — the entry's own title is the real document title.
+  if (typeof row.cells.title === 'string') merged.title = row.cells.title
 
   // Seed the entry stack with the published row + route frame from the request
   // URL. Loop interceptors push/pop iteration items on top of this stack;
diff --git a/src/core/templates/templateCompose.ts b/src/core/templates/templateCompose.ts
index 95bda45a..628c1f0e 100644
--- a/src/core/templates/templateCompose.ts
+++ b/src/core/templates/templateCompose.ts
@@ -140,7 +140,11 @@ export function composeTemplateChain(chain: Page[], terminal: TerminalContent):
   return {
     id: innermost.id, // identifies "what was rendered" for the publish.html filter
     slug: innermost.slug,
-    title: innermost.title,
+    // The terminal page's own title is the document's real title — the
+    // wrapping template's title is chrome, never `<title>` content. Entry
+    // terminals have no Page here; their caller overrides `title` from the
+    // published row after composing.
+    title: terminal.kind === 'page' ? terminal.page.title : innermost.title,
     rootNodeId: acc.rootId,
     nodes: acc.nodes,
   }