diff --git a/app/index.js b/app/index.js
index 0b8b7515..7bf09f49 100644
--- a/app/index.js
+++ b/app/index.js
@@ -194,11 +194,6 @@ app.on('ready', () => installDevExtensions(isDev).then(() => {
           rpc.emit('session data', {uid, data});
         });
 
-        session.on('title', title => {
-          win.setTitle(title);
-          rpc.emit('session title', {uid, title});
-        });
-
         session.on('exit', () => {
           rpc.emit('session exit', {uid});
           sessions.delete(uid);
@@ -206,30 +201,6 @@ app.on('ready', () => installDevExtensions(isDev).then(() => {
       });
     });
 
-    // TODO: this goes away when we are able to poll
-    // for the title ourselves, instead of relying
-    // on Session and focus/blur to subscribe
-    rpc.on('focus', ({uid}) => {
-      const session = sessions.get(uid);
-      if (typeof session !== 'undefined' && typeof session.lastTitle !== 'undefined') {
-        win.setTitle(session.lastTitle);
-      }
-      if (session) {
-        session.focus();
-      } else {
-        console.log('session not found by', uid);
-      }
-    });
-    rpc.on('blur', ({uid}) => {
-      const session = sessions.get(uid);
-
-      if (session) {
-        session.blur();
-      } else {
-        console.log('session not found by', uid);
-      }
-    });
-
     rpc.on('exit', ({uid}) => {
       const session = sessions.get(uid);
       if (session) {
diff --git a/app/session.js b/app/session.js
index 41cac284..9f75439f 100644
--- a/app/session.js
+++ b/app/session.js
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-const {exec} = require('child_process');
 const {EventEmitter} = require('events');
 const {StringDecoder} = require('string_decoder');
 
@@ -21,8 +20,6 @@ try {
   );
 }
 
-const TITLE_POLL_INTERVAL = 500;
-
 const envFromConfig = config.getConfig().env || {};
 
 module.exports = class Session extends EventEmitter {
@@ -62,60 +59,6 @@ module.exports = class Session extends EventEmitter {
     });
 
     this.shell = shell || defaultShell;
-    this.getTitle();
-  }
-
-  focus() {
-    this.subscribed = true;
-    this.getTitle();
-  }
-
-  blur() {
-    this.subscribed = false;
-    clearTimeout(this.titlePoll);
-  }
-
-  getTitle() {
-    if (process.platform === 'win32') {
-      return;
-    }
-
-    if (this.fetching) {
-      return;
-    }
-    this.fetching = true;
-
-    let tty = this.pty.stdout.ttyname;
-    tty = tty.replace(/^\/dev\/tty/, '');
-
-    // try to exclude grep from the results
-    // by grepping for `[s]001` instead of `s001`
-    tty = `[${tty[0]}]${tty.substr(1)}`;
-
-    // TODO: limit the concurrency of how many processes we run?
-    // TODO: only tested on mac
-    exec(`ps uxac | grep ${tty} | head -n 1`, (err, out) => {
-      this.fetching = false;
-      if (this.ended) {
-        return;
-      }
-      if (err) {
-        return;
-      }
-      let title = out.split(' ').pop();
-      if (title) {
-        title = title.replace(/^\(/, '');
-        title = title.replace(/\)?\n$/, '');
-        if (title !== this.lastTitle) {
-          this.emit('title', title);
-          this.lastTitle = title;
-        }
-      }
-
-      if (this.subscribed) {
-        this.titlePoll = setTimeout(() => this.getTitle(), TITLE_POLL_INTERVAL);
-      }
-    });
   }
 
   exit() {
@@ -142,7 +85,6 @@ module.exports = class Session extends EventEmitter {
     }
     this.emit('exit');
     this.ended = true;
-    this.blur();
   }
 
 };
diff --git a/lib/actions/sessions.js b/lib/actions/sessions.js
index 34c986d0..7fc0dec1 100644
--- a/lib/actions/sessions.js
+++ b/lib/actions/sessions.js
@@ -15,8 +15,7 @@ import {
   SESSION_USER_DATA,
   SESSION_URL_SET,
   SESSION_URL_UNSET,
-  SESSION_SET_XTERM_TITLE,
-  SESSION_SET_PROCESS_TITLE
+  SESSION_SET_XTERM_TITLE
 } from '../constants/sessions';
 
 export function addSession({uid, shell, pid, cols, rows, splitDirection}) {
@@ -127,14 +126,6 @@ export function clearActiveSession() {
   };
 }
 
-export function setSessionProcessTitle(uid, title) {
-  return {
-    type: SESSION_SET_PROCESS_TITLE,
-    uid,
-    title
-  };
-}
-
 export function setSessionXtermTitle(uid, title) {
   return {
     type: SESSION_SET_XTERM_TITLE,
diff --git a/lib/components/term.js b/lib/components/term.js
index 1378e362..4f8a1ff8 100644
--- a/lib/components/term.js
+++ b/lib/components/term.js
@@ -69,6 +69,10 @@ export default class Term extends Component {
       this.term.modifierKeys = props.modifierKeys;
       // this.term.CursorNode_ is available at this point.
       this.term.setCursorShape(props.cursorShape);
+
+      // emit onTitle event when hterm instance
+      // wants to set the title of its tab
+      this.term.setWindowTitle = props.onTitle;
     };
     this.term.decorate(this.termRef);
     this.term.installKeyboard();
diff --git a/lib/constants/sessions.js b/lib/constants/sessions.js
index 940a2bf6..aed788a1 100644
--- a/lib/constants/sessions.js
+++ b/lib/constants/sessions.js
@@ -11,5 +11,4 @@ export const SESSION_USER_DATA = 'SESSION_USER_DATA';
 export const SESSION_URL_SET = 'SESSION_URL_SET';
 export const SESSION_URL_UNSET = 'SESSION_URL_UNSET';
 export const SESSION_SET_XTERM_TITLE = 'SESSION_SET_XTERM_TITLE';
-export const SESSION_SET_PROCESS_TITLE = 'SESSION_SET_PROCESS_TITLE';
 export const SESSION_SET_CWD = 'SESSION_SET_CWD';
diff --git a/lib/index.js b/lib/index.js
index 55908f4d..d896e202 100644
--- a/lib/index.js
+++ b/lib/index.js
@@ -52,10 +52,6 @@ rpc.on('session data send', ({uid, data}) => {
   store_.dispatch(sessionActions.sendSessionData(uid, data));
 });
 
-rpc.on('session title', ({uid, title}) => {
-  store_.dispatch(sessionActions.setSessionProcessTitle(uid, title));
-});
-
 rpc.on('session exit', ({uid}) => {
   store_.dispatch(termGroupActions.ptyExitTermGroup(uid));
 });
diff --git a/lib/reducers/sessions.js b/lib/reducers/sessions.js
index 512b1e63..586037fe 100644
--- a/lib/reducers/sessions.js
+++ b/lib/reducers/sessions.js
@@ -10,8 +10,7 @@ import {
   SESSION_URL_SET,
   SESSION_URL_UNSET,
   SESSION_RESIZE,
-  SESSION_SET_XTERM_TITLE,
-  SESSION_SET_PROCESS_TITLE
+  SESSION_SET_XTERM_TITLE
 } from '../constants/sessions';
 
 const initialState = Immutable({
@@ -94,7 +93,6 @@ const reducer = (state = initialState, action) => {
       return deleteSession(state, action.uid);
 
     case SESSION_SET_XTERM_TITLE:
-    case SESSION_SET_PROCESS_TITLE:
       return state.setIn(['sessions', action.uid, 'title'], action.title);
 
     case SESSION_RESIZE: