diff --git a/.github/actions/apply-review-hold/hold.cjs b/.github/actions/apply-review-hold/hold.cjs
index 5558a01d..2195a147 100644
--- a/.github/actions/apply-review-hold/hold.cjs
+++ b/.github/actions/apply-review-hold/hold.cjs
@@ -132,8 +132,15 @@ function linkedIssue(pull, owner, repo) {
   return refs === null ? null : { number: refs, refs: true };
 }
 
-const names_ = (number) =>
-  new RegExp(`(?<![A-Za-z0-9_#&/])#${number}(?![0-9])`, "u");
+// Whether `text` names pull request `number` as `#<number>`: not part of a
+// longer number, and not after a letter, digit, `_`, `#`, `&`, `/`, `.` or
+// `-`, so `owner/repo#<number>` and `&#<number>;` do not count
+// (claude-code-plugins .github/scripts/pr-merge/merge-holds.mjs:436-438
+// namesPull at #9569's head 6c3b6ae9).
+const namesPull = (text, number) =>
+  new RegExp(`(?:^|[^A-Za-z0-9_#&/.-])#${number}(?:[^0-9]|$)`, "u").test(
+    String(text ?? ""),
+  );
 
 // Whether a trusted person recorded a cost decision for pull request
 // `number`. `prComments` is the pull request's comment list. Reads only
@@ -173,7 +180,9 @@ async function costDecided(github, owner, repo, number, env, prComments) {
       const read = (
         await github.rest.issues.get({ owner, repo, issue_number: issue.number })
       ).data;
-      if (read?.pull_request) return false;
+      // An issue whose number is the Refs number (merge-holds.mjs:484 at
+      // #9569's head 6c3b6ae9), never a pull request.
+      if (read?.number !== issue.number || read.pull_request != null) return false;
     }
     const opened = Date.parse(pull.createdAt);
     const comments = await github.paginate(github.rest.issues.listComments, {
@@ -186,7 +195,7 @@ async function costDecided(github, owner, repo, number, env, prComments) {
       (c) =>
         candidate(c) &&
         Date.parse(c.created_at) > opened &&
-        names_(number).test(String(c.body ?? "")),
+        namesPull(c.body, number),
     ))
       if (await unedited(c)) return true;
   } catch {
@@ -367,4 +376,12 @@ async function run({ github, context, core, env = process.env }) {
   return { hold: true, criteria };
 }
 
-module.exports = { CRITERIA, globToRegExp, linkedIssue, modelHold, refsIssue, run };
+module.exports = {
+  CRITERIA,
+  globToRegExp,
+  linkedIssue,
+  modelHold,
+  namesPull,
+  refsIssue,
+  run,
+};
diff --git a/.github/scripts/apply-review-hold.test.cjs b/.github/scripts/apply-review-hold.test.cjs
index 02e44bca..09c024ec 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/apply-review-hold.test.cjs
+++ b/.github/scripts/apply-review-hold.test.cjs
@@ -9,7 +9,11 @@ const fs = require("node:fs");
 const path = require("node:path");
 const test = require("node:test");
 
-const { globToRegExp, run } = require("../actions/apply-review-hold/hold.cjs");
+const {
+  globToRegExp,
+  namesPull,
+  run,
+} = require("../actions/apply-review-hold/hold.cjs");
 const { makeTemporaryDirectory } = require("./temporary-directories.cjs");
 const { parseWorkflow } = require("./workflow-yaml.cjs");
 
@@ -40,7 +44,8 @@ const TRUST_PATHS = [
 // `comments` are the pull request's (#7); `issueComments` maps another
 // issue number to its comments; `pull` is the GraphQL pull request;
 // `edited` holds the node ids of edited comments; `pullNumbers` the numbers
-// that are pull requests, not issues.
+// that are pull requests, not issues; `misnumbered` the numbers whose read
+// answers another number.
 function fakeGithub({
   files = [],
   changedFiles,
@@ -54,6 +59,7 @@ function fakeGithub({
   },
   edited = new Set(),
   pullNumbers = new Set([7]),
+  misnumbered = new Set(),
 }) {
   const calls = [];
   const refuse = (name) => () => {
@@ -103,6 +109,8 @@ function fakeGithub({
         },
         get: async (params) => {
           calls.push(["issues.get", params]);
+          if (misnumbered.has(params.issue_number))
+            return { data: { number: params.issue_number + 1 } };
           return {
             data: pullNumbers.has(params.issue_number)
               ? { number: params.issue_number, pull_request: {} }
@@ -550,6 +558,16 @@ test("an edited, quoted, older or non-cost decision still holds", async () => {
         },
       },
     ],
+    [
+      "a Refs read that answers another number",
+      {
+        pull: refsPull("Refs: #9436"),
+        misnumbered: new Set([9436]),
+        issueComments: {
+          9436: [decision({ body: "**Decision recorded.** Cost: #7" })],
+        },
+      },
+    ],
     [
       "two Refs issues",
       {
@@ -593,3 +611,43 @@ test("a hold with no cost criterion reads no cost decision", async () => {
     1,
   );
 });
+
+// The same cases merge-holds.mjs namesPull reads, so both halves agree.
+test("a decision names the pull request as #<number> the way merge-holds reads it", () => {
+  for (const [text, named] of [
+    ["approved for #7.", true],
+    ["#7", true],
+    ["(#7)", true],
+    ["##7", false],
+    ["&#7;", false],
+    ["#70", false],
+    ["#77", false],
+    ["o/r#7", false],
+    ["x.#7", false],
+    ["x-#7", false],
+    ["a#7", false],
+    ["_#7", false],
+  ])
+    assert.equal(namesPull(text, 7), named, text);
+});
+
+// #9436: the owner lifted the cost hold at head A; a base-only merge makes
+// head B, and the review holds for cost again. The decision covers B.
+test("a cost decision recorded at an earlier head keeps the cost hold off at a later one", async () => {
+  const later = "b".repeat(40);
+  const atA = decision({
+    body: `**Decision recorded.** Cost: approve the schedule at ${HEAD}.`,
+  });
+  const { core, writes } = await apply(costEnv(["cost"], { HEAD_SHA: later }), {
+    comments: [
+      atA,
+      {
+        id: 2,
+        user: { login: "github-actions[bot]", type: "Bot" },
+        body: `<!-- claude-lane-hold lane=claude-review sha=${HEAD} criteria=cost -->`,
+      },
+    ],
+  });
+  assert.equal(core.outputs.hold, "false");
+  assert.deepEqual(writes, []);
+});