diff --git a/apps/admin/src/app/App.tsx b/apps/admin/src/app/App.tsx
index 4451590..3045dc0 100644
--- a/apps/admin/src/app/App.tsx
+++ b/apps/admin/src/app/App.tsx
@@ -2132,9 +2132,11 @@ export const App = () => {
       <div className="section-heading">
         <div>
           <p className="admin-panel-kicker">Cue draft</p>
-          <h3>{cueDraft.id ? "Edit armed cue" : "Build new cue from preview"}</h3>
+          <h3>{cueDraft.id ? "Editing selected cue" : "Unsaved cue draft"}</h3>
         </div>
-        <span className="source-badge">{cueDraft.id ? `${cueDraft.id}${cueDraftDirty ? " / unsaved" : ""}` : "unsaved"}</span>
+        <span className="source-badge">
+          {cueDraft.id ? `${cueDraft.id}${cueDraftDirty ? " / unsaved changes" : " / saved"}` : "new cue"}
+        </span>
       </div>
       <div className="cue-builder-grid">
         <label className="parameter-field">
@@ -2240,11 +2242,15 @@ export const App = () => {
         </label>
       </div>
       <div className="cue-builder-actions">
-        <button onClick={() => void handleNewCueFromPreview()} disabled={!selectedScene || !previewParams || cueMutationInFlight}>
-          {cueMutationInFlight ? "Working..." : "New"}
+        <button
+          onClick={() => void handleNewCueFromPreview()}
+          disabled={!selectedScene || !previewParams || cueMutationInFlight}
+          title="Create a separate cue using the current preview settings."
+        >
+          {cueMutationInFlight ? "Working..." : "Save as new cue"}
         </button>
         <button onClick={() => void handleSaveCue()} disabled={!canSaveCue}>
-          {cueMutationInFlight ? "Working..." : cueDraft.id && !cueDraftDirty ? "Saved" : cueDraft.id ? "Save" : "Save cue"}
+          {cueMutationInFlight ? "Working..." : cueDraft.id && !cueDraftDirty ? "Saved" : cueDraft.id ? "Save changes" : "Create cue"}
         </button>
         <button onClick={() => void handleCreateCueAfterCurrent()} disabled={!selectedScene || !previewParams || cueMutationInFlight}>
           Insert after
diff --git a/apps/admin/src/app/admin-state.test.ts b/apps/admin/src/app/admin-state.test.ts
index 9be0668..ed680fe 100644
--- a/apps/admin/src/app/admin-state.test.ts
+++ b/apps/admin/src/app/admin-state.test.ts
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ describe("adminReducer library reconciliation", () => {
 });
 
 describe("adminReducer preview and operator controls", () => {
-  it("selects a scene as one clean preview transition", () => {
+  it("keeps selected cue identity when changing its scene/effect context", () => {
     const state = bootState([cue("cue-a", 0, "A")], "cue-a");
     const selected = adminReducer(state, {
       type: "previewSceneSelected",
@@ -211,7 +211,26 @@ describe("adminReducer preview and operator controls", () => {
     expect(selected.previewParams).toBe(otherScene.defaultParams);
     expect(selected.selectedAssetIds).toEqual(["asset-a", "asset-b"]);
     expect(selected.metadataAssetId).toBe("asset-a");
+    expect(selected.cueDraft.id).toBe("cue-a");
+    expect(selected.cueDraftDirty).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("selects a scene as a clean draft when no cue is selected", () => {
+    const state = {
+      ...bootState([cue("cue-a", 0, "A")], "cue-a"),
+      cueDraft: createCueDraft(undefined, scene),
+      cueDraftDirty: false
+    };
+    const selected = adminReducer(state, {
+      type: "previewSceneSelected",
+      scene: otherScene,
+      presetId: "preset-test",
+      params: otherScene.defaultParams,
+      assetIds: ["asset-a"]
+    });
+
     expect(selected.cueDraft.id).toBeNull();
+    expect(selected.cueDraft.notes).toBe(otherScene.name);
     expect(selected.cueDraftDirty).toBe(false);
   });
 
diff --git a/apps/admin/src/app/admin-state.ts b/apps/admin/src/app/admin-state.ts
index 323480c..5d58570 100644
--- a/apps/admin/src/app/admin-state.ts
+++ b/apps/admin/src/app/admin-state.ts
@@ -587,8 +587,13 @@ export const adminReducer = (state: AdminUiState, action: AdminAction): AdminUiS
         metadataAssetId: action.assetIds[0] ?? null,
         previewParams: action.params,
         activePresetId: action.presetId,
-        cueDraft: createCueDraft(undefined, action.scene),
-        cueDraftDirty: false
+        cueDraft: state.cueDraft.id
+          ? {
+              ...state.cueDraft,
+              notes: state.cueDraft.notes || action.scene.name
+            }
+          : createCueDraft(undefined, action.scene),
+        cueDraftDirty: Boolean(state.cueDraft.id)
       };
 
     case "previewCueSelected":