diff --git a/get-shit-done/bin/lib/core.cjs b/get-shit-done/bin/lib/core.cjs
index 3e035f89..bfcdaad3 100644
--- a/get-shit-done/bin/lib/core.cjs
+++ b/get-shit-done/bin/lib/core.cjs
@@ -1334,9 +1334,19 @@ function getRoadmapPhaseInternal(cwd, phaseNum) {
 
   try {
     const content = extractCurrentMilestone(fs.readFileSync(roadmapPath, 'utf-8'), cwd);
-    const escapedPhase = escapeRegex(phaseNum.toString());
-    // Match both numeric (Phase 1:) and custom (Phase PROJ-42:) headers
-    const phasePattern = new RegExp(`#{2,4}\\s*Phase\\s+${escapedPhase}:\\s*([^\\n]+)`, 'i');
+    // Strip leading zeros from purely numeric phase numbers so "03" matches "Phase 3:"
+    // in canonical ROADMAP headings. Non-numeric IDs (e.g. "PROJ-42") are kept as-is.
+    const normalized = /^\d+$/.test(String(phaseNum))
+      ? String(phaseNum).replace(/^0+(?=\d)/, '')
+      : String(phaseNum);
+    const escapedPhase = escapeRegex(normalized);
+    // Match both numeric and custom (Phase PROJ-42:) headers.
+    // For purely numeric phases allow optional leading zeros so both "Phase 1:" and
+    // "Phase 01:" are matched regardless of whether the ROADMAP uses padded numbers.
+    const isNumeric = /^\d+$/.test(String(phaseNum));
+    const phasePattern = isNumeric
+      ? new RegExp(`#{2,4}\\s*Phase\\s+0*${escapedPhase}:\\s*([^\\n]+)`, 'i')
+      : new RegExp(`#{2,4}\\s*Phase\\s+${escapedPhase}:\\s*([^\\n]+)`, 'i');
     const headerMatch = content.match(phasePattern);
     if (!headerMatch) return null;
 
@@ -1509,6 +1519,50 @@ function getMilestoneInfo(cwd) {
   try {
     const roadmap = fs.readFileSync(path.join(planningDir(cwd), 'ROADMAP.md'), 'utf-8');
 
+    // 0. Prefer STATE.md milestone: frontmatter as the authoritative source.
+    // This prevents falling through to a regex that may match an old heading
+    // when the active milestone's 🚧 marker is inside a <summary> tag without
+    // **bold** formatting (bug #2409).
+    let stateVersion = null;
+    if (cwd) {
+      try {
+        const statePath = path.join(planningDir(cwd), 'STATE.md');
+        if (fs.existsSync(statePath)) {
+          const stateRaw = fs.readFileSync(statePath, 'utf-8');
+          const m = stateRaw.match(/^milestone:\s*(.+)/m);
+          if (m) stateVersion = m[1].trim();
+        }
+      } catch { /* intentionally empty */ }
+    }
+
+    if (stateVersion) {
+      // Look up the name for this version in ROADMAP.md
+      const escapedVer = escapeRegex(stateVersion);
+      // Match heading-format: ## Roadmap v2.9: Name  or  ## v2.9 Name
+      const headingMatch = roadmap.match(
+        new RegExp(`##[^\\n]*${escapedVer}[:\\s]+([^\\n(]+)`, 'i')
+      );
+      if (headingMatch) {
+        // If the heading line contains ✅ the milestone is already shipped.
+        // Fall through to normal detection so the NEW active milestone is returned
+        // instead of the stale shipped one still recorded in STATE.md.
+        if (!headingMatch[0].includes('✅')) {
+          return { version: stateVersion, name: headingMatch[1].trim() };
+        }
+        // Shipped milestone — do not early-return; fall through to normal detection below.
+      } else {
+        // Match list-format: 🚧 **v2.9 Name** or 🚧 v2.9 Name
+        const listMatch = roadmap.match(
+          new RegExp(`🚧\\s*\\*?\\*?${escapedVer}\\s+([^*\\n]+)`, 'i')
+        );
+        if (listMatch) {
+          return { version: stateVersion, name: listMatch[1].trim() };
+        }
+        // Version found in STATE.md but no name match in ROADMAP — return bare version
+        return { version: stateVersion, name: 'milestone' };
+      }
+    }
+
     // First: check for list-format roadmaps using 🚧 (in-progress) marker
     // e.g. "- 🚧 **v2.1 Belgium** — Phases 24-28 (in progress)"
     // e.g. "- 🚧 **v1.2.1 Tech Debt** — Phases 1-8 (in progress)"
@@ -1520,11 +1574,14 @@ function getMilestoneInfo(cwd) {
       };
     }
 
-    // Second: heading-format roadmaps — strip shipped milestones in <details> blocks
+    // Second: heading-format roadmaps — strip shipped milestones.
+    // <details> blocks are stripped by stripShippedMilestones; heading-format ✅ markers
+    // are excluded by the negative lookahead below so a stale STATE.md version (or any
+    // shipped ✅ heading) never wins over the first non-shipped milestone heading.
     const cleaned = stripShippedMilestones(roadmap);
-    // Extract version and name from the same ## heading for consistency
+    // Negative lookahead skips headings that contain ✅ (shipped milestone marker).
     // Supports 2+ segment versions: v1.2, v1.2.1, v2.0.1, etc.
-    const headingMatch = cleaned.match(/## .*v(\d+(?:\.\d+)+)[:\s]+([^\n(]+)/);
+    const headingMatch = cleaned.match(/## (?!.*✅).*v(\d+(?:\.\d+)+)[:\s]+([^\n(]+)/);
     if (headingMatch) {
       return {
         version: 'v' + headingMatch[1],
diff --git a/tests/core.test.cjs b/tests/core.test.cjs
index 16213535..fde86fc1 100644
--- a/tests/core.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/core.test.cjs
@@ -600,6 +600,108 @@ describe('getMilestoneInfo', () => {
     assert.strictEqual(info.version, 'v1.0');
     assert.strictEqual(info.name, 'milestone');
   });
+
+  // Bug #2409: getMilestoneInfo must prefer STATE.md milestone: field over regex matching
+  test('uses STATE.md milestone frontmatter when 🚧 is inside <summary> tag without bold (bug #2409)', () => {
+    // STATE.md says v2.9, ROADMAP has 🚧 v2.9 inside <summary> (not bolded) — no bold regex match
+    const roadmap = [
+      '# Milestones',
+      '',
+      '- ✅ v2.2 Old Features — shipped 2026-04-03',
+      '- 🚧 v2.9 Full-Pass Verification',
+      '',
+      '<details>',
+      '<summary>🚧 v2.9 Full-Pass Verification & Bug Fixing — IN PROGRESS</summary>',
+      '',
+      '## Roadmap v2.9: Full-Pass Verification & Bug Fixing',
+      '',
+      '### Phase 1: Verification',
+      '',
+      '</details>',
+      '',
+      '## Phase Details (v2.2 — Old Features)',
+      '',
+      '### Phase 1: Old Stuff',
+    ].join('\n');
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'ROADMAP.md'), roadmap);
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'STATE.md'),
+      '---\nmilestone: v2.9\n---\n\n# State\n'
+    );
+
+    const info = getMilestoneInfo(tmpDir);
+    assert.strictEqual(info.version, 'v2.9',
+      'should return v2.9 from STATE.md, not v2.2 from a stale heading match');
+    assert.ok(info.name.includes('Full-Pass') || info.name.includes('Verification'),
+      `name should reference the v2.9 milestone, got: "${info.name}"`);
+  });
+
+  test('STATE.md milestone takes precedence over first ## heading match (bug #2409)', () => {
+    // ROADMAP with multiple ## headings — without STATE.md anchoring, first match wins
+    const roadmap = [
+      '## Phase Details (v1.5–v2.1)',
+      '',
+      '## Roadmap v2.2: Old Milestone',
+      '',
+      '## Roadmap v2.9: Current Milestone',
+      '',
+      '### Phase 1: Alpha',
+    ].join('\n');
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'ROADMAP.md'), roadmap);
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'STATE.md'),
+      '---\nmilestone: v2.9\n---\n\n# State\n'
+    );
+
+    const info = getMilestoneInfo(tmpDir);
+    assert.strictEqual(info.version, 'v2.9',
+      'should read v2.9 from STATE.md, not v2.2 from first ## heading');
+    assert.strictEqual(info.name, 'Current Milestone');
+  });
+
+  // Bug found in code review of PR #2458: stateVersion early-return doesn't check if shipped
+  test('falls through to new active milestone when STATE.md version is already shipped (✅ heading)', () => {
+    // STATE.md still says v1.0 (stale), but v1.0 is marked ✅ in ROADMAP.md.
+    // getMilestoneInfo must NOT return v1.0; it must fall through and detect v2.0.
+    const roadmap = [
+      '## v1.0 ✅ Initial Release: Done',
+      '',
+      '### Phase 1: Setup',
+      '',
+      '## v2.0: Active Milestone',
+      '',
+      '### Phase 2: Build',
+    ].join('\n');
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'ROADMAP.md'), roadmap);
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'STATE.md'),
+      '---\nmilestone: v1.0\n---\n\n# State\n'
+    );
+
+    const info = getMilestoneInfo(tmpDir);
+    assert.strictEqual(info.version, 'v2.0',
+      'should return v2.0 (active milestone), not v1.0 (stale shipped milestone from STATE.md)');
+    assert.strictEqual(info.name, 'Active Milestone');
+  });
+
+  test('falls through when STATE.md version matches ✅ heading in alternate position formats', () => {
+    // ✅ can appear before the version: ## ✅ v1.0 Old Name
+    const roadmap = [
+      '## ✅ v1.0 Old Name',
+      '',
+      '## v2.0: New Stuff',
+    ].join('\n');
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'ROADMAP.md'), roadmap);
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'STATE.md'),
+      '---\nmilestone: v1.0\n---\n\n# State\n'
+    );
+
+    const info = getMilestoneInfo(tmpDir);
+    assert.strictEqual(info.version, 'v2.0',
+      'should return v2.0, not stale v1.0 with ✅ prefix in heading');
+    assert.strictEqual(info.name, 'New Stuff');
+  });
 });
 
 // ─── searchPhaseInDir ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -790,6 +892,41 @@ describe('getRoadmapPhaseInternal', () => {
     // Should not include Phase 2 content
     assert.ok(!result.section.includes('Phase 2: API'));
   });
+
+  // Bug #2391: zero-padded phase numbers ("03") must match unpadded ROADMAP headings ("Phase 3:")
+  test('matches zero-padded phase number against unpadded ROADMAP heading (bug #2391)', () => {
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'ROADMAP.md'),
+      '### Phase 3: Rotation Engine\n**Goal**: Build rotation\n**Requirements**: ROTA-01\n'
+    );
+    const result = getRoadmapPhaseInternal(tmpDir, '03');
+    assert.ok(result !== null, 'should find the phase with zero-padded input "03"');
+    assert.strictEqual(result.found, true);
+    assert.strictEqual(result.phase_name, 'Rotation Engine');
+    assert.strictEqual(result.goal, 'Build rotation');
+  });
+
+  test('matches double-zero-padded phase number against unpadded ROADMAP heading (bug #2391)', () => {
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'ROADMAP.md'),
+      '### Phase 7: Final\n**Goal**: Ship it\n'
+    );
+    const result = getRoadmapPhaseInternal(tmpDir, '007');
+    assert.ok(result !== null, 'should find the phase with "007"');
+    assert.strictEqual(result.found, true);
+    assert.strictEqual(result.phase_name, 'Final');
+  });
+
+  test('unpadded lookup still works after fix (regression check)', () => {
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'ROADMAP.md'),
+      '### Phase 3: Rotation Engine\n**Goal**: Build rotation\n'
+    );
+    const result = getRoadmapPhaseInternal(tmpDir, '3');
+    assert.ok(result !== null);
+    assert.strictEqual(result.found, true);
+    assert.strictEqual(result.phase_name, 'Rotation Engine');
+  });
 });
 
 // ─── getMilestonePhaseFilter ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
diff --git a/tests/init.test.cjs b/tests/init.test.cjs
index 96307891..d5b75ca7 100644
--- a/tests/init.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/init.test.cjs
@@ -422,6 +422,66 @@ describe('init commands ignore archived phases from prior milestones sharing a n
   });
 });
 
+// ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Bug #2391: zero-padded phase numbers must not bypass archived-phase guard
+// ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+describe('init plan-phase zero-padded phase number (bug #2391)', () => {
+  let tmpDir;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    tmpDir = createTempProject();
+    // Current milestone ROADMAP has Phase 3 (unpadded heading)
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'ROADMAP.md'),
+      '# v2.0 Roadmap\n\n### Phase 3: Rotation Engine + Availability\n**Goal**: Rotation\n**Requirements**: ROTA-01, ROTA-02\n**Plans:** TBD\n'
+    );
+    // Prior milestone archive has a shipped Phase 3 with different content
+    const archivedDir = path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'milestones', 'v1.0-phases', '03-plant-collection-and-rooms');
+    fs.mkdirSync(archivedDir, { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(archivedDir, '03-CONTEXT.md'), '# OLD v1.0 Phase 3 context');
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(archivedDir, '03-RESEARCH.md'), '# OLD v1.0 Phase 3 research');
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    cleanup(tmpDir);
+  });
+
+  test('zero-padded "03" returns current ROADMAP phase, not archived v1.0 phase', () => {
+    const result = runGsdTools('init plan-phase 03', tmpDir);
+    assert.ok(result.success, `Command failed: ${result.error}`);
+
+    const output = JSON.parse(result.output);
+    assert.strictEqual(output.phase_found, true);
+    assert.strictEqual(output.phase_name, 'Rotation Engine + Availability',
+      'phase_name must come from current ROADMAP.md, not the archived v1.0 phase');
+    assert.strictEqual(output.phase_dir, null,
+      'phase_dir must be null — current milestone has no directory yet');
+    assert.strictEqual(output.has_context, false,
+      'has_context must not inherit archived v1.0 artifacts');
+    assert.strictEqual(output.has_research, false,
+      'has_research must not inherit archived v1.0 artifacts');
+    assert.ok(!output.context_path || !output.context_path.includes('v1.0'),
+      'context_path must not point at archived v1.0 file');
+    assert.strictEqual(output.phase_req_ids, 'ROTA-01, ROTA-02');
+  });
+
+  test('unpadded "3" and zero-padded "03" return identical phase identity', () => {
+    const result3 = runGsdTools('init plan-phase 3', tmpDir);
+    const result03 = runGsdTools('init plan-phase 03', tmpDir);
+    assert.ok(result3.success && result03.success, 'both commands must succeed');
+
+    const out3 = JSON.parse(result3.output);
+    const out03 = JSON.parse(result03.output);
+    assert.strictEqual(out03.phase_name, out3.phase_name,
+      'phase_name must be identical regardless of padding');
+    assert.strictEqual(out03.phase_slug, out3.phase_slug,
+      'phase_slug must be identical regardless of padding');
+    assert.strictEqual(out03.phase_req_ids, out3.phase_req_ids,
+      'phase_req_ids must be identical regardless of padding');
+  });
+});
+
 // ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 // cmdInitTodos (INIT-01)
 // ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────