diff --git a/src/utils/branch-template.ts b/src/utils/branch-template.ts
index fecfacd2..f9fac933 100644
--- a/src/utils/branch-template.ts
+++ b/src/utils/branch-template.ts
@@ -72,6 +72,21 @@ export function applyBranchTemplate(
   return result;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Collapses empty path segments produced when a template variable resolves to
+ * an empty string. For example, an issue title with no alphanumeric characters
+ * (emoji-only, CJK-only, or punctuation-only) makes `{{description}}` empty, so
+ * a template like `{{prefix}}{{description}}/{{entityNumber}}` yields
+ * `claude//123`. Consecutive slashes — and a leading or trailing slash — are
+ * rejected by `validateBranchName`, which aborts the whole run, so normalize
+ * them into a valid branch name instead of crashing.
+ */
+function collapseEmptyPathSegments(branchName: string): string {
+  return branchName
+    .replace(/\/{2,}/g, "/") // collapse runs of slashes left by empty segments
+    .replace(/^\/+|\/+$/g, ""); // drop leading/trailing slashes
+}
+
 /**
  * Generates a branch name from the provided `template` and set of `variables`. Uses a default format if the template is empty or produces an empty result.
  */
@@ -97,7 +112,9 @@ export function generateBranchName(
   };
 
   if (template?.trim()) {
-    const branchName = applyBranchTemplate(template, variables);
+    const branchName = collapseEmptyPathSegments(
+      applyBranchTemplate(template, variables),
+    );
 
     // Some templates could produce empty results- validate
     if (branchName.trim().length > 0) return branchName;
diff --git a/test/branch-template.test.ts b/test/branch-template.test.ts
index 418eaaea..dbb7d52a 100644
--- a/test/branch-template.test.ts
+++ b/test/branch-template.test.ts
@@ -291,5 +291,68 @@ describe("branch template utilities", () => {
       expect(result).toMatch(/^fix\/pr-456-\d{8}-\d{4}$/);
       expect(result.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(50);
     });
+
+    // Regression: a title with no ASCII-alphanumeric content makes
+    // {{description}} sanitize to an empty string. Around a slash separator this
+    // previously produced "claude//123", which validateBranchName rejects
+    // ("cannot contain consecutive slashes"), aborting the entire run.
+    it("should collapse the double slash from an empty description (emoji-only title)", () => {
+      const template = "{{prefix}}{{description}}/{{entityNumber}}";
+      const result = generateBranchName(
+        template,
+        "claude/",
+        "issue",
+        123,
+        undefined,
+        undefined,
+        "🎉🎉🎉",
+      );
+
+      expect(result).toBe("claude/123");
+    });
+
+    it("should collapse the double slash for a CJK-only title", () => {
+      const template = "{{prefix}}{{description}}/{{entityNumber}}";
+      const result = generateBranchName(
+        template,
+        "claude/",
+        "issue",
+        123,
+        undefined,
+        undefined,
+        "日本語のタイトル",
+      );
+
+      expect(result).toBe("claude/123");
+    });
+
+    it("should drop a trailing slash left by an empty trailing segment", () => {
+      const template = "{{prefix}}{{entityNumber}}/{{description}}";
+      const result = generateBranchName(
+        template,
+        "claude/",
+        "issue",
+        123,
+        undefined,
+        undefined,
+        "!!! ???",
+      );
+
+      expect(result).toBe("claude/123");
+    });
+
+    it("should produce a name that passes validateBranchName when a segment is empty", () => {
+      const result = generateBranchName(
+        "{{prefix}}{{description}}/{{entityNumber}}",
+        "claude/",
+        "issue",
+        123,
+        undefined,
+        undefined,
+        "🎉",
+      );
+
+      expect(() => validateBranchName(result)).not.toThrow();
+    });
   });
 });