diff --git a/internal/api/attachments.go b/internal/api/attachments.go
index 862f544..5a2cfff 100644
--- a/internal/api/attachments.go
+++ b/internal/api/attachments.go
@@ -186,9 +186,24 @@ func (a *apiServer) handleCreatePasteMultipart(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Re
 		case "burn_after_read":
 			p.BurnAfterRead = v == "true" || v == "1" || v == "on"
 		case "burn_after_reads":
-			if n, err := strconv.Atoi(v); err == nil {
-				p.BurnAfterReads = &n
+			if v == "" { // absent value: unset, like the JSON path's omitempty
+				continue
 			}
+			n, err := strconv.Atoi(v)
+			if err != nil {
+				// malformed burn_after_reads is a 400, not a silently-dropped
+				// budget: same 400-with-code shape the JSON path uses for
+				// invalid values (which fail unmarshal into the int field).
+				writeErrCode(w, 400, "burn_invalid", "burn_after_reads must be a positive number")
+				return
+			}
+			// negative values are invalid too: same 400 burn_invalid shape
+			// as the JSON path (validate.go:92), identical message text.
+			if err := parseBurnAfterReads(n); err != nil {
+				writeErrCode(w, 400, "burn_invalid", err.Error())
+				return
+			}
+			p.BurnAfterReads = &n
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/internal/web/static/app.css b/internal/web/static/app.css
index b6f9634..bcbf27d 100644
--- a/internal/web/static/app.css
+++ b/internal/web/static/app.css
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ body {
 
 /* new paste page */
 .deck {
-  display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 300px; gap: 16px;
+  display: grid; grid-template-columns: minmax(0, 1fr) 300px; gap: 16px;
   padding: 16px 20px 20px; height: calc(100vh - 76px);
   max-width: 1400px; margin: 0 auto;
 }
diff --git a/internal/web/templates/layout.html b/internal/web/templates/layout.html
index 61eeca0..80cf025 100644
--- a/internal/web/templates/layout.html
+++ b/internal/web/templates/layout.html
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 {{define "head"}}
 <meta charset="utf-8">
+<title>{{ pageTitle . }} · Palette</title>
 <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
 <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/app.css">
 <link rel="icon" type="image/svg+xml" href="/static/favicon.svg">
diff --git a/internal/web/web.go b/internal/web/web.go
index 049817d..36f7692 100644
--- a/internal/web/web.go
+++ b/internal/web/web.go
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ func New() (*UI, error) {
 		"humanSize":   humanSize,
 		"version":     func() string { return Version },   // #93: topbar version label
 		"defaultDark": func() bool { return DefaultDark }, // #127: server-configured default
+		"pageTitle":   pageTitle,                          // page <title> labels
 	}
 	t, err := template.New("").Funcs(funcs).ParseFS(tmplFS, "templates/*.html")
 	if err != nil {
@@ -82,6 +83,38 @@ func New() (*UI, error) {
 	return &UI{tmpl: t}, nil
 }
 
+// pageTitle returns the <title> label for the rendered page. Page data is
+// always a map with a "Page" key set by the handlers.
+func pageTitle(data any) string {
+	m, _ := data.(map[string]any)
+	page, _ := m["Page"].(string)
+	id, _ := m["ID"].(string)
+	title, _ := m["Title"].(string)
+	switch page {
+	case "new":
+		return "New paste"
+	case "public":
+		return "Public pastes"
+	case "saved":
+		return "Saved"
+	case "settings":
+		return "Settings"
+	case "paste":
+		if title != "" {
+			return title
+		}
+		return "Paste " + id
+	case "unlock":
+		return "Unlock " + id
+	case "can":
+		return "Can " + id
+	case "notfound":
+		return "Not found"
+	default:
+		return "Palette"
+	}
+}
+
 func humanSize(n int) string {
 	if n < 1024 {
 		return fmt.Sprintf("%d B", n)