diff --git a/apps/mesh/src/shared/utils/group-connections.ts b/apps/mesh/src/shared/utils/group-connections.ts
index d222a46fdf..1e577edaca 100644
--- a/apps/mesh/src/shared/utils/group-connections.ts
+++ b/apps/mesh/src/shared/utils/group-connections.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,27 @@
 import type { ConnectionEntity } from "@decocms/mesh-sdk";
 import { getConnectionSlug } from "./connection-slug";
 
+/**
+ * Strip auto-generated instance suffixes like "(2)" or "(a1b2)" from a title.
+ * Matches 1-6 character parenthesized suffixes at the end of the string.
+ */
+const INSTANCE_SUFFIX_RE = /\s*\([^)]{1,6}\)\s*$/;
+
+/**
+ * Returns the canonical display title for a connection.
+ * Checks metadata.displayName first (set at install time, never changes),
+ * then falls back to stripping instance suffixes from the title.
+ */
+export function getConnectionDisplayTitle(
+  connection: ConnectionEntity,
+): string {
+  const metadata = connection.metadata as Record<string, unknown> | null;
+  if (metadata?.displayName && typeof metadata.displayName === "string") {
+    return metadata.displayName;
+  }
+  return connection.title.replace(INSTANCE_SUFFIX_RE, "");
+}
+
 export interface ConnectionGroup {
   type: "group";
   key: string;
@@ -16,8 +37,14 @@ export interface SingleConnection {
 
 export type GroupedItem = SingleConnection | ConnectionGroup;
 
+/**
+ * Groups connections by their slug (app_name or derived from URL/title).
+ * Accepts an optional registry title lookup so group/single cards show
+ * the canonical registry name instead of the (possibly renamed) instance title.
+ */
 export function groupConnections(
   connections: ConnectionEntity[],
+  registryTitles?: Map<string, string>,
 ): GroupedItem[] {
   const buckets = new Map<string, ConnectionEntity[]>();
   for (const c of connections) {
@@ -40,6 +67,8 @@ export function groupConnections(
 
     const bucket = buckets.get(key)!;
     const first = bucket[0]!;
+    const registryTitle = first.app_name && registryTitles?.get(first.app_name);
+
     if (bucket.length === 1) {
       items.push({ type: "single", connection: first });
     } else {
@@ -47,9 +76,7 @@ export function groupConnections(
         type: "group",
         key,
         icon: first.icon,
-        title: first.app_name
-          ? first.title.replace(/\s*\(\d+\)\s*$/, "")
-          : first.title,
+        title: registryTitle || getConnectionDisplayTitle(first),
         connections: bucket,
       });
     }
diff --git a/apps/mesh/src/web/components/chat/input.tsx b/apps/mesh/src/web/components/chat/input.tsx
index b2c1943867..ba00147bbb 100644
--- a/apps/mesh/src/web/components/chat/input.tsx
+++ b/apps/mesh/src/web/components/chat/input.tsx
@@ -11,8 +11,10 @@ import { cn } from "@deco/ui/lib/utils.ts";
 import {
   getWellKnownDecopilotVirtualMCP,
   isDecopilot,
+  useConnections,
   useProjectContext,
 } from "@decocms/mesh-sdk";
+
 import { useNavigateToAgent } from "@/web/hooks/use-navigate-to-agent";
 import {
   ArrowUp,
@@ -56,6 +58,26 @@ import { question004Sound } from "@deco/ui/lib/question-004.ts";
 import { AddConnectionDialog } from "@/web/views/virtual-mcp/add-connection-dialog";
 import { ConnectionsBanner } from "./connections-banner";
 
+function HomeConnectionsDialog({
+  open,
+  onOpenChange,
+}: {
+  open: boolean;
+  onOpenChange: (open: boolean) => void;
+}) {
+  const existingConnections = useConnections();
+  const existingConnectionIds = new Set(existingConnections.map((c) => c.id));
+  return (
+    <AddConnectionDialog
+      open={open}
+      onOpenChange={onOpenChange}
+      addedConnectionIds={existingConnectionIds}
+      onAdd={() => onOpenChange(false)}
+      defaultTab="all"
+    />
+  );
+}
+
 // ============================================================================
 // VirtualMCPBadge - Internal component for displaying selected virtual MCP
 // ============================================================================
@@ -648,13 +670,12 @@ export function ChatInput({
         </div>
       </div>
 
-      <AddConnectionDialog
-        open={connectionsOpen}
-        onOpenChange={setConnectionsOpen}
-        addedConnectionIds={new Set()}
-        onAdd={() => {}}
-        defaultTab="all"
-      />
+      {showConnectionsBanner && (
+        <HomeConnectionsDialog
+          open={connectionsOpen}
+          onOpenChange={setConnectionsOpen}
+        />
+      )}
     </>
   );
 }
diff --git a/apps/mesh/src/web/components/details/connection/index.tsx b/apps/mesh/src/web/components/details/connection/index.tsx
index 481cb5cc7f..ddcf6e7346 100644
--- a/apps/mesh/src/web/components/details/connection/index.tsx
+++ b/apps/mesh/src/web/components/details/connection/index.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { generatePrefixedId } from "@/shared/utils/generate-id";
+import { getConnectionDisplayTitle } from "@/shared/utils/group-connections";
 import { EmptyState } from "@/web/components/empty-state.tsx";
 import { ErrorBoundary } from "@/web/components/error-boundary";
 import { recordToEnvVars } from "@/web/components/env-vars-editor";
@@ -424,12 +425,7 @@ function ConnectionInspectorViewWithConnection({
         <BreadcrumbSeparator />
         <BreadcrumbItem>
           <BreadcrumbPage>
-            {(() => {
-              const first = siblings[0] ?? connection;
-              return first.app_name
-                ? first.title.replace(/\s*\(\d+\)\s*$/, "")
-                : first.title;
-            })()}
+            {getConnectionDisplayTitle(siblings[0] ?? connection)}
           </BreadcrumbPage>
         </BreadcrumbItem>
       </BreadcrumbList>
@@ -562,12 +558,7 @@ function ConnectionInspectorViewWithConnection({
         <div className="flex flex-col h-full overflow-hidden">
           <ConnectionDetailHeader
             connection={connection}
-            displayTitle={(() => {
-              const first = siblings[0] ?? connection;
-              return first.app_name
-                ? first.title.replace(/\s*\(\d+\)\s*$/, "")
-                : first.title;
-            })()}
+            displayTitle={getConnectionDisplayTitle(siblings[0] ?? connection)}
           />
           <div className="flex-1 overflow-auto @container">
             <div className="grid grid-cols-1 @3xl:grid-cols-2 gap-5 p-6">
@@ -585,7 +576,7 @@ function ConnectionInspectorViewWithConnection({
                     setIsAddingInstance(true);
                     try {
                       const base = siblings[0] ?? connection;
-                      const baseName = base.title.replace(/\s*\(\d+\)\s*$/, "");
+                      const baseName = getConnectionDisplayTitle(base);
                       const nextNumber = siblings.length + 1;
                       const newTitle = `${baseName} (${nextNumber})`;
                       const newId = generatePrefixedId("conn");
@@ -606,7 +597,7 @@ function ConnectionInspectorViewWithConnection({
                         connection_headers: base.connection_headers ?? null,
                         oauth_config: null,
                         configuration_state: base.configuration_state ?? null,
-                        metadata: null,
+                        metadata: base.metadata ?? null,
                         tools: null,
                         bindings: null,
                         status: "inactive",
diff --git a/apps/mesh/src/web/routes/orgs/connections.tsx b/apps/mesh/src/web/routes/orgs/connections.tsx
index 46f74cff5b..11c1529b7d 100644
--- a/apps/mesh/src/web/routes/orgs/connections.tsx
+++ b/apps/mesh/src/web/routes/orgs/connections.tsx
@@ -113,6 +113,7 @@ import type {
 } from "@/tools/connection/schema";
 import { EnvVarsEditor } from "@/web/components/env-vars-editor";
 import {
+  buildRegistryTitleMap,
   extractConnectionData,
   getRegistryItemAppName,
 } from "@/web/utils/extract-connection-data";
@@ -136,6 +137,7 @@ import {
 
 import {
   groupConnections,
+  getConnectionDisplayTitle,
   type ConnectionGroup,
 } from "@/shared/utils/group-connections";
 
@@ -552,6 +554,9 @@ function CatalogItemCard({
   const icon =
     item.server?.icons?.[0]?.src ||
     getGitHubAvatarUrl(item.server?.repository) ||
+    item.icon ||
+    item.image ||
+    item.logo ||
     null;
   const appInstances = allConnections.filter(
     (c) => c.connection_type !== "VIRTUAL" && c.app_name === appName,
@@ -695,8 +700,6 @@ function ConnectionResults({
     return true;
   });
 
-  const grouped = groupConnections(filteredConnections);
-
   const toggleSelect = (id: string) => {
     setSelectedIds((prev) => {
       const next = new Set(prev);
@@ -716,6 +719,8 @@ function ConnectionResults({
     listState.searchTerm,
   );
   const registryItems = mergedDiscovery.items;
+  const registryTitles = buildRegistryTitleMap(registryItems);
+  const grouped = groupConnections(filteredConnections, registryTitles);
 
   const catalogSentinelRef = useInfiniteScroll(
     mergedDiscovery.loadMore,
@@ -1054,7 +1059,13 @@ function ConnectionResults({
                 return (
                   <ConnectionCard
                     key={connection.id}
-                    connection={connection}
+                    connection={{
+                      ...connection,
+                      title:
+                        (connection.app_name &&
+                          registryTitles.get(connection.app_name)) ||
+                        getConnectionDisplayTitle(connection),
+                    }}
                     fallbackIcon={<Container />}
                     onClick={() =>
                       selectionMode
diff --git a/apps/mesh/src/web/utils/extract-connection-data.ts b/apps/mesh/src/web/utils/extract-connection-data.ts
index 693a260f5f..b88f578382 100644
--- a/apps/mesh/src/web/utils/extract-connection-data.ts
+++ b/apps/mesh/src/web/utils/extract-connection-data.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,34 @@ export function getRegistryItemAppName(
   return meshMeta?.appName || item.server?.name || null;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Build a map from app_name → display title from a list of registry items.
+ * Used so connected cards can show the same title as the store catalog.
+ */
+export function buildRegistryTitleMap(
+  items: Pick<RegistryItem, "_meta" | "server" | "title" | "name" | "id">[],
+): Map<string, string> {
+  const map = new Map<string, string>();
+  for (const item of items) {
+    const appName = getRegistryItemAppName(item);
+    if (!appName || map.has(appName)) continue;
+    const meshMeta = item._meta?.["mcp.mesh"] as
+      | Record<string, string>
+      | undefined;
+    const title =
+      meshMeta?.friendlyName ||
+      meshMeta?.friendly_name ||
+      item.server?.title ||
+      item.title ||
+      item.server?.name ||
+      item.name ||
+      item.id ||
+      "";
+    if (title) map.set(appName, title);
+  }
+  return map;
+}
+
 /**
  * Get a display name for a remote endpoint
  * Uses the hostname (without common suffixes) as the display name
@@ -204,6 +232,7 @@ export function extractConnectionData(
     configuration_scopes: configScopes ?? null,
     metadata: {
       source: "store",
+      displayName: baseName,
       registry_item_id: item.id,
       verified: meshMeta?.verified ?? false,
       scopeName: meshMeta?.scopeName ?? null,
diff --git a/apps/mesh/src/web/views/virtual-mcp/add-connection-dialog.tsx b/apps/mesh/src/web/views/virtual-mcp/add-connection-dialog.tsx
index 2b1a0e26dd..839b00e847 100644
--- a/apps/mesh/src/web/views/virtual-mcp/add-connection-dialog.tsx
+++ b/apps/mesh/src/web/views/virtual-mcp/add-connection-dialog.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-import { groupConnections } from "@/shared/utils/group-connections";
+import {
+  groupConnections,
+  getConnectionDisplayTitle,
+} from "@/shared/utils/group-connections";
 import { CollectionSearch } from "@/web/components/collections/collection-search.tsx";
 import { CollectionTabs } from "@/web/components/collections/collection-tabs.tsx";
 import { CreateConnectionDialog } from "@/web/components/connections/create-connection-dialog.tsx";
@@ -14,6 +17,7 @@ import {
 import { KEYS } from "@/web/lib/query-keys";
 import { authClient } from "@/web/lib/auth-client";
 import {
+  buildRegistryTitleMap,
   extractConnectionData,
   getRegistryItemAppName,
 } from "@/web/utils/extract-connection-data";
@@ -176,7 +180,6 @@ function AddConnectionDialogContent({
     connectionsData?.pages.flatMap(
       (p: CollectionListOutput<ConnectionEntity>) => p?.items ?? [],
     ) ?? [];
-  const grouped = groupConnections(allConnections);
 
   // Build set of connected app names to deduplicate catalog items
   const connectedAppNames = new Set(
@@ -190,6 +193,9 @@ function AddConnectionDialogContent({
     deferredSearch,
   );
 
+  const registryTitles = buildRegistryTitleMap(mergedDiscovery.items);
+  const grouped = groupConnections(allConnections, registryTitles);
+
   const catalogSentinelRef = useInfiniteScroll(
     mergedDiscovery.loadMore,
     mergedDiscovery.hasMore,
@@ -296,6 +302,9 @@ function AddConnectionDialogContent({
     const icon =
       item.server?.icons?.[0]?.src ||
       getGitHubAvatarUrl(item.server?.repository) ||
+      item.icon ||
+      item.image ||
+      item.logo ||
       null;
 
     return (
@@ -373,7 +382,8 @@ function AddConnectionDialogContent({
             const c = item.connection;
             return renderConnectedApp(
               c.id,
-              c.title,
+              (c.app_name && registryTitles.get(c.app_name)) ||
+                getConnectionDisplayTitle(c),
               c.icon,
               c.description ?? null,
               [c],
@@ -471,7 +481,7 @@ export function AddConnectionDialog({
   const handleCloneAndAdd = async (base: ConnectionEntity) => {
     setConnectingItemId(base.app_name ?? base.id);
     try {
-      const baseName = base.title.replace(/\s*\(\d+\)\s*$/, "");
+      const baseName = getConnectionDisplayTitle(base);
       const newTitle = `${baseName} (${Date.now().toString(36).slice(-4)})`;
 
       const created = await connectionActions.create.mutateAsync({
@@ -484,6 +494,7 @@ export function AddConnectionDialog({
         app_name: base.app_name ?? null,
         app_id: base.app_id ?? null,
         connection_headers: base.connection_headers ?? null,
+        metadata: base.metadata ?? null,
       });
       const id = created.id;
 
diff --git a/apps/mesh/src/web/views/virtual-mcp/index.tsx b/apps/mesh/src/web/views/virtual-mcp/index.tsx
index 028cf77ddd..ac73f3a4e5 100644
--- a/apps/mesh/src/web/views/virtual-mcp/index.tsx
+++ b/apps/mesh/src/web/views/virtual-mcp/index.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { generatePrefixedId } from "@/shared/utils/generate-id";
+import { getConnectionDisplayTitle } from "@/shared/utils/group-connections";
 import type { VirtualMCPEntity } from "@/tools/virtual/schema";
 import { getUIResourceUri } from "@/mcp-apps/types.ts";
 import { useChatTask } from "@/web/components/chat/context";
@@ -1185,7 +1186,7 @@ function VirtualMcpDetailViewWithData({
       };
       if (!base) return;
 
-      const baseName = base.title.replace(/\s*\(.*?\)\s*$/, "");
+      const baseName = getConnectionDisplayTitle(base);
       const newId = generatePrefixedId("conn");
       // Temporary title — will be updated with email suffix after OAuth if available
       const tempTitle = `${baseName} (${Date.now().toString(36).slice(-4)})`;
@@ -1201,6 +1202,7 @@ function VirtualMcpDetailViewWithData({
         app_name: base.app_name ?? null,
         app_id: base.app_id ?? null,
         connection_headers: base.connection_headers ?? null,
+        metadata: base.metadata ?? null,
       });
 
       // Handle OAuth if needed