diff --git a/src/specify_cli/bundler/lib/project.py b/src/specify_cli/bundler/lib/project.py
index c895bf579d..9cf85b71bf 100644
--- a/src/specify_cli/bundler/lib/project.py
+++ b/src/specify_cli/bundler/lib/project.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 from pathlib import Path
 
 from ..._project import _resolve_init_dir_override
+from ...integration_state import clean_integration_key
 from .. import BundlerError
 from .yamlio import ensure_within, load_json
 
@@ -91,12 +92,23 @@ def active_integration(project_root: Path) -> str | None:
         # about resolving a marker that carries only ``default_integration``
         # (hand-edited, or written by anything that follows the canonical
         # reader's shape). ``integration``/``id``/``active`` stay as fallbacks.
-        value = (
-            data.get("default_integration")
-            or data.get("integration")
-            or data.get("id")
-            or data.get("active")
-        )
-        if isinstance(value, str) and value:
-            return value
+        # Clean EACH candidate before selecting it, rather than picking the
+        # first truthy raw value and normalizing only that one. A raw ``or``
+        # chain selects a whitespace-only ``default_integration`` (truthy) and
+        # then normalizes it to ``None``, losing the valid legacy key behind
+        # it -- whereas ``normalize_integration_state`` does
+        # ``clean_integration_key(data.get("default_integration")) or
+        # legacy_key`` and falls through:
+        #     {"default_integration": "   ", "integration": "copilot"}
+        #         raw-then-clean -> None      canonical -> 'copilot'
+        #
+        # Normalizing through the shared helper also fixes the original
+        # divergence: ``isinstance(value, str) and value`` accepted a
+        # whitespace-only key as real -- truthy, so it suppressed the "not
+        # determinable" fallback -- and returned a padded key verbatim, which
+        # matches no registered integration.
+        for field in ("default_integration", "integration", "id", "active"):
+            cleaned = clean_integration_key(data.get(field))
+            if cleaned:
+                return cleaned
     return None
diff --git a/tests/contract/test_bundle_cli.py b/tests/contract/test_bundle_cli.py
index 6db4dab769..1e8c1c2243 100644
--- a/tests/contract/test_bundle_cli.py
+++ b/tests/contract/test_bundle_cli.py
@@ -1075,3 +1075,79 @@ def fake_open_url(url, timeout=None, extra_headers=None, redirect_validator=None
     # Rich may wrap the message across lines; normalise whitespace before checking.
     output_flat = " ".join(result.output.split())
     assert "exceeds maximum size of 100 bytes" in output_flat
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "recorded,expected",
+    [
+        ("copilot", "copilot"),
+        ("  copilot  ", "copilot"),   # padded: previously returned verbatim
+        ("   ", None),               # whitespace-only: previously truthy
+        ("\t\n", None),
+        ("", None),
+        (None, None),
+        (5, None),
+    ],
+    ids=["plain", "padded", "spaces", "tabs", "empty", "null", "non_string"],
+)
+def test_active_integration_matches_the_canonical_key_reader(
+    tmp_path: Path, recorded, expected
+):
+    """`active_integration` must normalize the way the canonical reader does.
+
+    Its own comment says it matches `integration_state`'s reader, but that
+    reader runs every value through `clean_integration_key`, while this one
+    only checked `isinstance(value, str) and value`. A whitespace-only key is
+    truthy, so it was returned as a real integration *and* suppressed the
+    "not determinable" fallback; a padded key was returned verbatim and
+    matches no registered integration.
+    """
+    from specify_cli.bundler.lib.project import active_integration
+
+    project = tmp_path / "proj"
+    (project / ".specify").mkdir(parents=True)
+    (project / ".specify" / "integration.json").write_text(
+        json.dumps({"default_integration": recorded}), encoding="utf-8"
+    )
+
+    assert active_integration(project) == expected
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "recorded,expected",
+    [
+        ({"default_integration": "   ", "integration": "copilot"}, "copilot"),
+        ({"default_integration": "\t\n", "integration": "  copilot  "}, "copilot"),
+        ({"default_integration": 5, "integration": "copilot"}, "copilot"),
+        ({"integration": "   ", "id": "claude"}, "claude"),
+        ({"default_integration": "   ", "integration": "   "}, None),
+        ({"default_integration": "cursor", "integration": "copilot"}, "cursor"),
+    ],
+    ids=[
+        "blank_default",
+        "blank_default_padded_legacy",
+        "non_string_default",
+        "blank_legacy_falls_to_id",
+        "all_blank",
+        "precedence_kept",
+    ],
+)
+def test_active_integration_cleans_each_candidate_before_selecting(
+    tmp_path: Path, recorded, expected
+):
+    """Each candidate must be cleaned before selection, not just the winner.
+
+    A raw `or` chain selects a whitespace-only `default_integration` (truthy)
+    and then normalizes it to None, losing the valid legacy key behind it —
+    while `normalize_integration_state` does
+    `clean_integration_key(default) or legacy_key` and falls through.
+    """
+    from specify_cli.bundler.lib.project import active_integration
+
+    project = tmp_path / "proj"
+    (project / ".specify").mkdir(parents=True)
+    (project / ".specify" / "integration.json").write_text(
+        json.dumps(recorded), encoding="utf-8"
+    )
+
+    assert active_integration(project) == expected