diff --git a/.github/workflows/needs-boundary.yml b/.github/workflows/needs-boundary.yml
index 68c2577d83..b9bf8cd254 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/needs-boundary.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/needs-boundary.yml
@@ -25,13 +25,12 @@ jobs:
         env:
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
           N: ${{ github.event.issue.number }}
-          BODY: ${{ github.event.issue.body }}
-          REFUSED: ${{ contains(github.event.issue.labels.*.name, 'shape-refused') }}
-          STATE: ${{ github.event.issue.state }}
         run: |
           printf '#include "gen/c/policy/issue_shape.c"\n#include <stdio.h>\nint main(void){static char b[1<<20],o[1<<16];unsigned r=check_issue((uint8_t*)b,fread(b,1,sizeof b,stdin),(uint8_t*)o,sizeof o);fputs(o,stdout);return r?1:0;}\n' > shape.c
           cc -O1 -w -o shape shape.c
-          if printenv BODY | ./shape > why.txt; then
+          gh issue view "$N" -R "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" --json body,state,labels > now.json # the issue as it is now, not the payload: a run queued 38 min closed #10897 after an edit had fixed it (#11007)
+          STATE=$(jq -r '.state | ascii_downcase' now.json); REFUSED=$(jq -r 'any(.labels[]; .name == "shape-refused")' now.json)
+          if jq -j '.body // ""' now.json | ./shape > why.txt; then
             if [ "$REFUSED" = true ]; then gh issue edit "$N" --remove-label shape-refused && gh issue reopen "$N" -c "The shape check passes now (specs/policy/issue_shape.t27); reopened."; fi
           elif [ "$STATE" = open ]; then
             { echo "Closed by the issue-shape gate (specs/policy/issue_shape.t27, #7498): an issue must have the template's sections. Edit the body; an edit that passes reopens it."; echo; sed 's/^/- /' why.txt; } > msg.md