diff --git a/instances/jobs.py b/instances/jobs.py
index 2cc43e3c..80f4d9c2 100644
--- a/instances/jobs.py
+++ b/instances/jobs.py
@@ -138,11 +138,16 @@ def clone_data(user, instance, fields):
             if CLONE_POST_KEY_RE.fullmatch(key):
                 data[key] = value.strip()
 
-    if app_settings.CLONE_INSTANCE_AUTO_NAME == "True" and not data["name"]:
-        auto_vname = utils.get_clone_free_names()[0]
-        data["name"] = auto_vname
+    # A user who is not a superuser clones to a free name the form offers, or,
+    # with automatic names, to the first one; a superuser to any name.
+    free_names = utils.get_clone_free_names()
+    auto_name = app_settings.CLONE_INSTANCE_AUTO_NAME == "True"
+    if not user.is_superuser and not auto_name and data["name"] not in free_names:
+        raise util.OperationError(_("Choose the clone's name from the list of free names"))
+    if auto_name and (not data["name"] or not user.is_superuser):
+        data["name"] = free_names[0]
         for disk in instance.config_disks:
-            data[f"disk-{disk['dev']}"] = utils.get_clone_disk_name(disk, instance.name, auto_vname)
+            data[f"disk-{disk['dev']}"] = utils.get_clone_disk_name(disk, instance.name, data["name"])
 
     if not user.is_superuser:
         for disk in instance.config_disks:
@@ -183,7 +188,7 @@ def clone_data(user, instance, fields):
 def vm_claims(compute, name):
     """A job that adds a VM: other VMs stay usable; the VM list reconcile waits."""
     return {claims.compute_key(compute.pk): Claim.SHARED, claims.reconcile_key(compute.pk): Claim.EXCLUSIVE,
-            claims.name_key(compute.pk, name): Claim.EXCLUSIVE}
+            claims.name_key(name): Claim.EXCLUSIVE}
 
 
 def record_vm(op, owner):
@@ -470,6 +475,9 @@ class CloneInstance(Kind):
         instance = _clonable(op.user, op.params["instance"])
         if instance.compute_id != op.intent["compute"]:
             raise util.OperationError("The VM moved to another compute after the job was queued")
+        # a VM found on a host since the job was queued may have taken the name
+        if Instance.objects.filter(name=op.intent["name"]).exists():
+            raise util.OperationError(_("Instance '%(clone_name)s' already exists!") % {"clone_name": op.intent["name"]})
         _check_clone_state(instance.proxy, op.intent["clone"])
 
     def run(self, op, ctx):
diff --git a/instances/tests/test_clone_job.py b/instances/tests/test_clone_job.py
index 239e567d..723c60d9 100644
--- a/instances/tests/test_clone_job.py
+++ b/instances/tests/test_clone_job.py
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ class CloneJobTestCase(TransactionTestCase):
         c = self.compute.pk
         self.assertEqual(set(Claim.objects.values_list("resource", "mode")), {
             (f"compute:{c}", "shared"), (f"reconcile:{c}", "exclusive"),
-            (f"instance:{self.source.uuid}", "exclusive"), (f"name:{c}:copy", "exclusive"),
+            (f"instance:{self.source.uuid}", "exclusive"), ("name:copy", "exclusive"),
             (f"volume:{c}:default/copy.qcow2", "exclusive")})
         self.proxy.clone_instance.assert_not_called()
 
@@ -200,9 +200,17 @@ class LiveCloneJobTestCase(TransactionTestCase):
         self.proxy.live_clone_targets.assert_not_called()
         self.assertFalse(Operation.objects.get(pk=op.pk).intent["live"])
 
+    def test_a_name_taken_since_the_job_was_queued_stops_it(self):
+        op = self.op()
+        other = Compute.objects.create(name="live-d", hostname="192.0.2.33", login="root", password="", type=1)
+        Instance.objects.create(compute=other, name="copy", uuid="cdcdcdcd-9999-1111-2222-333333333333")
+        with self.assertRaisesMessage(OperationError, "already exists"):
+            CloneInstance().precheck(op, None)
+
     def test_a_running_or_paused_vm_takes_the_live_path(self):
         for status in (1, 3):
             with self.subTest(status=status):
+                Instance.objects.filter(name="copy").delete()  # the clone of the run before
                 self.proxy.reset_mock()
                 self.proxy.get_status.return_value = status
                 self.proxy.backup_progress.side_effect = [None]
diff --git a/instances/tests/test_clone_permission.py b/instances/tests/test_clone_permission.py
index 4933b72d..3f189b8e 100644
--- a/instances/tests/test_clone_permission.py
+++ b/instances/tests/test_clone_permission.py
@@ -67,9 +67,10 @@ class ClonePermissionTestCase(TestCase):
 
     @contextmanager
     def mocked_libvirt(self):
+        # the name these tests post is the first free one
         with patch("instances.models.wvmInstance") as mock_wvm, patch(
             "instances.views.utils.check_user_quota", return_value=""
-        ):
+        ), patch("instances.utils.get_clone_free_names", return_value=["clone-vm", "clone-vm2"]):
             proxy = mock_wvm.return_value
             proxy.get_disk_devices.return_value = [SRC_DISK]
             proxy.get_net_devices.return_value = [{"mac": "52:54:00:aa:bb:cc"}]
@@ -174,7 +175,7 @@ class ClonePermissionTestCase(TestCase):
     def test_a_vm_without_a_nic_is_cloned(self):
         for user, auto_name in ((self.superuser, "False"), (self.owner_change, "False"), (self.owner_change, "True")):
             with self.subTest(user.username, auto_name=auto_name), self.mocked_libvirt() as proxy, patch(
-                "instances.views.utils.get_clone_free_names", return_value=["auto-clone"]
+                "instances.views.utils.get_clone_free_names", return_value=["auto-clone", "clone-vm"]
             ):
                 AppSettings.objects.filter(key="CLONE_INSTANCE_AUTO_NAME").update(value=auto_name)
                 proxy.get_net_devices.return_value = []
@@ -239,3 +240,46 @@ class DhcpdConfTestCase(TestCase):
                 response = self.client.get(reverse("instances:guess_clone_name"))
             self.assertEqual(response.json(), {"name": "clone7"})
             self.assertEqual(get_dhcp_mac_address("clone7"), "52:54:00:00:07:07")
+
+
+class CloneNameTestCase(TestCase):
+    """A user who is not a superuser clones to a name the form offers: one of
+    the free names, or with automatic names the first; the server checks it."""
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        AppSettings.objects.filter(key="CLONE_INSTANCE_DEFAULT_PREFIX").update(value="copy")
+        AppSettings.objects.filter(key="CLONE_INSTANCE_AUTO_NAME").update(value="False")
+        self.user = get_user_model().objects.create_user("clone_names", password="pw")
+        self.user.user_permissions.add(Permission.objects.get(codename="clone_instances"))
+        compute = Compute.objects.create(name="names-compute", hostname="192.0.2.40", login="root", password="", type=1)
+        other = Compute.objects.create(name="names-other", hostname="192.0.2.41", login="root", password="", type=1)
+        self.instance = Instance.objects.create(compute=compute, name="src-vm", uuid="45454545-3434-5656-7878-909090909090")
+        UserInstance.objects.create(instance=self.instance, user=self.user, is_change=True)
+        # copy1 is taken on another host: names are the panel's on every host
+        Instance.objects.create(compute=other, name="copy1", uuid="45454545-0000-5656-7878-909090909090")
+        self.client.force_login(self.user)
+
+    def clone(self, name):
+        with patch("instances.models.wvmInstance") as mock_wvm, patch(
+            "instances.views.utils.check_user_quota", return_value=""
+        ):
+            proxy = mock_wvm.return_value
+            proxy.get_disk_devices.return_value = [SRC_DISK]
+            proxy.get_net_devices.return_value = [{"mac": "52:54:00:aa:bb:cc"}]
+            proxy.get_status.return_value = 5
+            self.client.post(reverse("instances:clone", args=[self.instance.id]),
+                             {"name": name, "submission_key": f"key-names-{name}"})
+        op = Operation.objects.first()
+        return op and op.intent["name"]
+
+    def test_a_free_name_from_the_list(self):
+        self.assertEqual(self.clone("copy2"), "copy2")
+
+    def test_any_other_name_is_refused(self):
+        for name in ("copy1", "my-own-name", "", "copy12"):  # taken, not offered, empty, past the ten offered
+            with self.subTest(name=name):
+                self.assertIsNone(self.clone(name))
+
+    def test_automatic_names_ignore_the_posted_name(self):
+        AppSettings.objects.filter(key="CLONE_INSTANCE_AUTO_NAME").update(value="True")
+        self.assertEqual(self.clone("my-own-name"), "copy2")
diff --git a/instances/tests/test_migrate_job.py b/instances/tests/test_migrate_job.py
index 42206289..dcd8b37b 100644
--- a/instances/tests/test_migrate_job.py
+++ b/instances/tests/test_migrate_job.py
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ class MigrateJobTestCase(TransactionTestCase):
     def test_the_worker_migrates_and_moves_the_record(self):
         op = self.queue(live_migrate="true")
         self.assertEqual(set(Claim.objects.values_list("resource", "mode")), {
-            (f"instance:{UUID}", "exclusive"), (f"name:{self.dest.pk}:mig-vm", "exclusive"),
+            (f"instance:{UUID}", "exclusive"), ("name:mig-vm", "exclusive"),
             (f"compute:{self.source.pk}", "shared"), (f"reconcile:{self.source.pk}", "exclusive"),
             (f"compute:{self.dest.pk}", "shared"), (f"reconcile:{self.dest.pk}", "exclusive")})
         self.dest_conn.moveto.assert_not_called()  # nothing ran in the request
diff --git a/operations/claims.py b/operations/claims.py
index 108ab358..bcd79927 100644
--- a/operations/claims.py
+++ b/operations/claims.py
@@ -48,8 +48,9 @@ def volume_key(compute_id, pool, name):
     return f"volume:{compute_id}:{pool}/{name}"
 
 
-def name_key(compute_id, name):
-    return f"name:{compute_id}:{name}"
+def name_key(name):
+    """A VM name is the panel's on every compute (the name checks are global)."""
+    return f"name:{name}"
 
 
 def quota_key(user_id):