diff --git a/scripts/issue-lifecycle/github.ts b/scripts/issue-lifecycle/github.ts
index 30a37da7d..7a2321f23 100644
--- a/scripts/issue-lifecycle/github.ts
+++ b/scripts/issue-lifecycle/github.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,14 @@ export function makeOctokit(token: string): Octokit {
   return new Octokit({ auth: token });
 }
 
+// GitHub label names are case-insensitive (you cannot have both "Stale" and
+// "stale"), so match them that way — otherwise a label applied with different
+// casing (e.g. the "Stale" label from the PR stale action) is missed.
+export function hasLabel(issue: Issue, label: string): boolean {
+  const target = label.toLowerCase();
+  return issue.labels.some((l) => l.toLowerCase() === target);
+}
+
 export function isBotUser(
   user: { login: string; type: string } | null,
 ): boolean {
diff --git a/scripts/issue-lifecycle/rules/approval-label-sync.ts b/scripts/issue-lifecycle/rules/approval-label-sync.ts
index a7da478c7..199dc752d 100644
--- a/scripts/issue-lifecycle/rules/approval-label-sync.ts
+++ b/scripts/issue-lifecycle/rules/approval-label-sync.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 import { LABELS } from "../config";
-import type { Action, Issue } from "../github";
+import { type Action, hasLabel, type Issue } from "../github";
 
 export function syncApprovalLabel(issue: Issue): Action[] {
-  const hasApproved = issue.labels.includes(LABELS.APPROVED);
-  const hasNotApproved = issue.labels.includes(LABELS.NOT_APPROVED);
+  const hasApproved = hasLabel(issue, LABELS.APPROVED);
+  const hasNotApproved = hasLabel(issue, LABELS.NOT_APPROVED);
   const milestoned = issue.milestone !== null;
   const actions: Action[] = [];
 
diff --git a/scripts/issue-lifecycle/rules/stale-closer.ts b/scripts/issue-lifecycle/rules/stale-closer.ts
index fbfb22609..895f4cb8e 100644
--- a/scripts/issue-lifecycle/rules/stale-closer.ts
+++ b/scripts/issue-lifecycle/rules/stale-closer.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import {
   type Action,
   type Issue,
   type IssueComment,
+  hasLabel,
   isBotUser,
   listIssueComments,
 } from "../github";
@@ -35,12 +36,12 @@ export async function checkStale(
   now: Date = new Date(),
 ): Promise<Action[]> {
   if (issue.milestone !== null) return [];
-  if (issue.labels.includes(LABELS.KEEP_OPEN)) return [];
+  if (hasLabel(issue, LABELS.KEEP_OPEN)) return [];
 
   const comments = await listIssueComments(octokit, issue.number);
   const lastActivityIso = latestNonBotActivityIso(issue, comments);
   const daysSinceActivity = daysBetween(lastActivityIso, now);
-  const hasStaleLabel = issue.labels.includes(LABELS.STALE);
+  const hasStaleLabel = hasLabel(issue, LABELS.STALE);
   const authorLogin = issue.user?.login ?? "there";
 
   if (hasStaleLabel && daysSinceActivity < STALE_WARN_DAYS) {