diff --git a/src/db/repositories.ts b/src/db/repositories.ts
index 93623eb0c5..5f8753c5b7 100644
--- a/src/db/repositories.ts
+++ b/src/db/repositories.ts
@@ -7273,12 +7273,18 @@ export function extractLinkedIssueNumbersWithOverflow(text: string, repoFullName
   const normalizedLimit = Math.max(0, Math.floor(limit));
   const target = repoFullName.toLowerCase();
 
+  // Strip inline code spans before scanning: GitHub's own native closing-keyword linker does not treat
+  // backtick-wrapped text as a real "Closes #N" directive, and this repo's own PR template checklist item
+  // contains the literal example text "(e.g. `Closes #123`)" -- without this, every PR that keeps the
+  // unmodified template checklist would spuriously link to issue #123.
+  const withoutCodeSpans = text.replace(/`[^`\n]*`/g, " ");
+
   const linkedIssues: number[] = [];
   const seen = new Set<number>();
   // Matches both GitHub's bare `KEYWORD #N` and fully-qualified `KEYWORD owner/repo#N` closing syntax (#3862) --
   // the qualified form only counts when owner/repo case-insensitively matches THIS repo; a reference to a
   // different repo closes an issue there, not here, and must not spoof a same-repo linked-issue match.
-  for (const match of text.matchAll(/\b(?:close[sd]?|fix(?:e[sd])?|resolve[sd]?)\s+(?:([\w.-]+\/[\w.-]+)#|#)(\d+)\b/gi)) {
+  for (const match of withoutCodeSpans.matchAll(/\b(?:close[sd]?|fix(?:e[sd])?|resolve[sd]?)\s+(?:([\w.-]+\/[\w.-]+)#|#)(\d+)\b/gi)) {
     const owner = match[1];
     if (owner && owner.toLowerCase() !== target) continue;
     const value = Number(match[2]);
diff --git a/test/unit/db-parsers.test.ts b/test/unit/db-parsers.test.ts
index 29299d62a3..848f073c20 100644
--- a/test/unit/db-parsers.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/db-parsers.test.ts
@@ -59,6 +59,15 @@ describe("database row parser hardening", () => {
     expect(extractLinkedIssueNumbers("Fixes #1", "owner/repo", -5)).toEqual([]);
   });
 
+  it("REGRESSION: ignores a closing keyword inside an inline code span, e.g. this repo's own PR template checklist example", () => {
+    // .github/pull_request_template.md literally contains "(e.g. `Closes #123`)" -- every PR that keeps the
+    // unmodified checklist item must NOT spuriously link to issue #123.
+    const templateLine = "- [ ] I linked a currently open issue this PR resolves (e.g. `Closes #123`) — a linked open issue is required for every contributor PR.";
+    expect(extractLinkedIssueNumbers(templateLine, "owner/repo")).toEqual([]);
+    // A real closing keyword elsewhere in the same body still counts.
+    expect(extractLinkedIssueNumbers(`Closes #42\n\n${templateLine}`, "owner/repo")).toEqual([42]);
+  });
+
   it("recognizes the fully-qualified `Fixes owner/repo#N` closing syntax when owner/repo matches this repo (#3862)", () => {
     expect(extractLinkedIssueNumbers("Closes owner/repo#42", "owner/repo")).toEqual([42]);
     // Case-insensitive, matching GitHub's own repo-name matching.