diff --git a/src/app/features/albums/AlbumView.tsx b/src/app/features/albums/AlbumView.tsx
index 20c1e27c..e60f9533 100644
--- a/src/app/features/albums/AlbumView.tsx
+++ b/src/app/features/albums/AlbumView.tsx
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ export function AlbumView({ room, onTimeline }: AlbumViewProps) {
     );
   } else if (encrypted)
     body = <Text>This zone is encrypted, so its albums cannot be listed here.</Text>;
-  else if (albums.length === 0) body = <Text>No albums yet.</Text>;
+  else if (albums.length === 0 && path.length === 0) body = <Text>No albums yet.</Text>;
   else {
     const here = listFolder(albums, path);
     body = (
diff --git a/src/app/features/albums/albumFolders.test.ts b/src/app/features/albums/albumFolders.test.ts
index 4d896604..9a9be53e 100644
--- a/src/app/features/albums/albumFolders.test.ts
+++ b/src/app/features/albums/albumFolders.test.ts
@@ -69,6 +69,10 @@ describe('listFolder', () => {
     const odd = [album('$u', '///')];
     expect(names(listFolder(odd, []))).toEqual({ folders: [], albums: ['$u=///'] });
     expect(names(listFolder(odd, ['x']))).toEqual({ folders: [], albums: [] });
+    expect(names(listFolder([album('$w', '  ')], []))).toEqual({
+      folders: [],
+      albums: ['$w=Untitled album'],
+    });
   });
 
   it('server-supplied names like "constructor" are folders, not prototype hits', () => {
diff --git a/src/app/features/albums/albumFolders.ts b/src/app/features/albums/albumFolders.ts
index 18424fe4..a74d363f 100644
--- a/src/app/features/albums/albumFolders.ts
+++ b/src/app/features/albums/albumFolders.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 // Pure: folders are albums whose title is a `/`-separated path (docs/commons-files-desk.md, "Folders").
 // No wire change: the album is still one thread root; the folder tree is only how the list is grouped.
-import { Album } from './buildAlbums';
+import { Album, UNTITLED } from './buildAlbums';
 
 /** A path as segments. Empty segments and surrounding space drop out; `.` and `..` are ordinary names, never navigation. */
 export const splitPath = (title: string): string[] =>
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ export const listFolder = (albums: readonly Album[], at: string[]): FolderListin
     const segs = splitPath(album.title);
     if (segs.length === 0) {
       // An untitled or all-slash title lives at the root under the title as written.
-      if (at.length === 0) direct.push({ album, leaf: album.title });
+      if (at.length === 0) direct.push({ album, leaf: album.title.trim() || UNTITLED });
       return;
     }
     if (!startsWith(segs, at)) return;