diff --git a/nisse-dev/src/nisse_dev/control.py b/nisse-dev/src/nisse_dev/control.py
index fe9be26..2b56541 100644
--- a/nisse-dev/src/nisse_dev/control.py
+++ b/nisse-dev/src/nisse_dev/control.py
@@ -23,7 +23,14 @@ from typing import Any, Protocol
 
 from nisse_dev.cancel import Cancel
 from nisse_dev.canonical import GateOpened, PlanSubmitted, UserMessage
-from nisse_dev.gates import Approved, Gate, Ignored, PlanRevision, Rejected
+from nisse_dev.gates import (
+    Approved,
+    Gate,
+    Ignored,
+    PlanRevision,
+    Rejected,
+    command_form,
+)
 from nisse_dev.git import GitError
 from nisse_dev.gitea import GiteaError
 from nisse_dev.llm import RoleMap
@@ -165,6 +172,12 @@ class StubAgent:
         return SubmitPlan(f"[stub] {gate} plan for {project}{notes}")
 
 
+def _project_name(text: str) -> str:
+    """The name in 'use <name>', as written: only the command word is
+    case-insensitive."""
+    return text.strip().rstrip(".!")[len("use") :].strip()
+
+
 def _fresh_data() -> dict[str, Any]:
     return {
         "revs": {},
@@ -331,7 +344,7 @@ class Orchestrator:
         if msg.sender not in self._operators:
             return
         text = msg.text.strip()
-        if text == "stop":
+        if command_form(text) == "stop":
             # Straight to the flag, not behind the work in the queue: the
             # work is what it has to reach (A4).
             if self._worker.busy:
@@ -434,9 +447,10 @@ class Orchestrator:
         state = self._store.get_state()
         current = state.state if state else IDLE
         text = msg.text.strip()
-        if text == "status":
+        command = command_form(text)
+        if command == "status":
             self._send_status(current)
-        elif text == "abandon":
+        elif command == "abandon":
             # Like status, a command in every waiting state: it takes
             # precedence over reading the word as an answer or feedback.
             if current == IDLE:
@@ -444,8 +458,8 @@ class Orchestrator:
             else:
                 self._abandon(msg.sender)
         elif current == IDLE:
-            if text.startswith("use "):
-                self._begin_project(text[4:].strip())
+            if command.startswith("use "):
+                self._begin_project(_project_name(text))
             else:
                 self._transport.send_message("no active project; say 'use <project>'")
         elif current in (AWAIT_ARCH_SIGNOFF, AWAIT_MILESTONE_SIGNOFF):
@@ -592,7 +606,7 @@ class Orchestrator:
         name, rev = gate_data["name"], gate_data["rev"]
         milestone = self._data["milestone"]
         if gate_data["approved"]:
-            if text == f"start milestone {milestone}":
+            if command_form(text) == f"start milestone {milestone}":
                 self._transition(
                     EXECUTING, cause=f"operator command: start milestone {milestone}"
                 )
@@ -941,14 +955,15 @@ class Orchestrator:
             )
 
     def _handle_pr_open(self, text: str) -> None:
-        if text == "next milestone":
+        command = command_form(text)
+        if command == "next milestone":
             self._unwatch("review")
             self._data["milestone"] = int(self._data.get("milestone", 1)) + 1
             self._data["gate"] = None
             self._data["pr"] = None
             self._transition(MILESTONE_PLANNING, cause="operator: next milestone")
             self._run_planning_turn(f"milestone-{self._data['milestone']}")
-        elif text == "project complete":
+        elif command == "project complete":
             self.stop_watching()
             self._data = {**_fresh_data()}
             self._project = None
@@ -1022,9 +1037,9 @@ class Orchestrator:
         if pending is None:
             # Reached only if state was forced externally or a pending item
             # was lost; starting over must still work from here.
-            if text.startswith("use "):
+            if command_form(text).startswith("use "):
                 self.stop_watching()
-                self._begin_project(text[4:].strip())
+                self._begin_project(_project_name(text))
                 return
             self._transport.send_message(
                 "waiting for direction, but I have no pending item to resume; "
@@ -1061,7 +1076,7 @@ class Orchestrator:
         """Answer to the question a restart asks (A3 step 7). Never a blind
         resume: 'continue' re-runs the interrupted planning turn, or returns
         an interrupted milestone to its approved plan to be started again."""
-        choice = text.strip().rstrip(".!").lower()
+        choice = command_form(text)
         if choice not in ("continue", "re-plan", "replan"):
             self._data["pending"] = pending
             self._transport.ask_question(_BOOT_CHOICES)
diff --git a/nisse-dev/src/nisse_dev/gates.py b/nisse-dev/src/nisse_dev/gates.py
index eb66853..420ae39 100644
--- a/nisse-dev/src/nisse_dev/gates.py
+++ b/nisse-dev/src/nisse_dev/gates.py
@@ -50,6 +50,14 @@ class Ignored:
 _APPROVE_RE = re.compile(r"^approve(?:\s+(rev-\d+))?$")
 
 
+def command_form(text: str) -> str:
+    """How a message reads as a command: case, surrounding whitespace, runs
+    of inner whitespace and trailing '.' or '!' do not matter, so a phone's
+    "Approve." is still an approval. Only for matching; what the operator
+    wrote is what gets recorded and passed on."""
+    return " ".join(text.strip().rstrip(".!").split()).lower()
+
+
 class Gate:
     def __init__(self, revision: PlanRevision, operators: AbstractSet[str]) -> None:
         self._revision = revision
@@ -61,7 +69,7 @@ class Gate:
         if sender not in self._operators:
             return Ignored(notice=None)
         text = text.strip()
-        match = _APPROVE_RE.match(text)
+        match = _APPROVE_RE.match(command_form(text))
         if match is None:
             return Rejected(feedback=text, approver=sender, channel=channel)
         named = match.group(1)
diff --git a/nisse-dev/tests/test_control.py b/nisse-dev/tests/test_control.py
index 2c08c2c..9a2c222 100644
--- a/nisse-dev/tests/test_control.py
+++ b/nisse-dev/tests/test_control.py
@@ -269,3 +269,17 @@ def test_use_starts_over_when_nothing_is_pending(h: Harness) -> None:
     h.store.transition(AWAIT_INPUT, cause="forced", project="demo", data={})
     h.transport.receive("don", "use demo")
     assert h.state == AWAIT_ARCH_SIGNOFF
+
+
+def test_commands_ignore_case_but_the_project_name_keeps_it(h: Harness) -> None:
+    h.transport.receive("don", "Use Demo.")
+    assert h.state == AWAIT_ARCH_SIGNOFF
+    assert h.store.get_state().project == "Demo"
+    h.transport.receive("don", "Status")
+    assert "AWAIT_ARCH_SIGNOFF" in h.outbound_texts()[-1]
+    h.transport.receive("don", "Approve")
+    h.transport.receive("don", "Approve.")
+    h.transport.receive("don", "Start Milestone 1")
+    assert h.state == PR_OPEN
+    h.transport.receive("don", "Project Complete!")
+    assert h.state == IDLE
diff --git a/nisse-dev/tests/test_gates.py b/nisse-dev/tests/test_gates.py
index f76ff16..e3928fc 100644
--- a/nisse-dev/tests/test_gates.py
+++ b/nisse-dev/tests/test_gates.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import pytest
+
 from nisse_dev.gates import Approved, Gate, Ignored, PlanRevision, Rejected
 
 REVISION = PlanRevision(gate="arch", rev=2, content="the plan")
@@ -46,3 +48,22 @@ def test_approve_with_trailing_words_is_rejection() -> None:
     # typed word approve, nothing else).
     result = gate().evaluate("don", "approve, but rename the module", "transport")
     assert isinstance(result, Rejected)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "text", ["Approve", "APPROVE", "Approve.", "approve!", "  Approve  rev-2 "]
+)
+def test_approval_ignores_case_and_trailing_punctuation(text: str) -> None:
+    # A phone keyboard's "Approve" used to count as rejection feedback (#64).
+    assert isinstance(gate().evaluate("don", text, channel="transport"), Approved)
+
+
+def test_a_capitalised_stale_approval_is_still_refused() -> None:
+    result = gate().evaluate("don", "Approve REV-1", channel="transport")
+    assert isinstance(result, Ignored)
+
+
+def test_a_sentence_containing_approve_is_still_feedback() -> None:
+    result = gate().evaluate("don", "I approve of most of it", channel="transport")
+    assert isinstance(result, Rejected)
+    assert result.feedback == "I approve of most of it"
diff --git a/nisse-dev/tests/test_stop.py b/nisse-dev/tests/test_stop.py
index 23cdb19..4b86534 100644
--- a/nisse-dev/tests/test_stop.py
+++ b/nisse-dev/tests/test_stop.py
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ import threading
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Any
 
+import pytest
+
 from nisse_dev.cancel import STOPPED_RESULT, Cancel
 from nisse_dev.canonical import AssistantText, ToolCall, ToolResult, UserMessage
 from nisse_dev.control import (
@@ -207,7 +209,8 @@ class BlocksUntilStopped:
         return ExecutorOutcome("completed", "never stopped")
 
 
-def test_stop_reaches_work_running_on_the_worker(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("word", ["stop", "Stop!", " STOP "])
+def test_stop_reaches_work_running_on_the_worker(tmp_path: Path, word: str) -> None:
     # The bug this design fixes: the work used to run on the transport's own
     # thread, so no message, stop included, was read until it finished.
     worker = SerialWorker()
@@ -231,7 +234,7 @@ def test_stop_reaches_work_running_on_the_worker(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     assert executor.running.wait(5)
 
     transport.receive("don", "status")  # delivered while the milestone runs
-    transport.receive("don", "stop")
+    transport.receive("don", word)  # a phone may capitalise it (#64)
     worker.call(lambda: None)  # wait for the stop to be recorded
 
     texts = [m.text for m in transport.outbound]