diff --git a/.changeset/25501-approval-timeline-step-label.md b/.changeset/25501-approval-timeline-step-label.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ce1842a320b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/25501-approval-timeline-step-label.md
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+---
+'@objectstack/plugin-approvals': patch
+---
+
+fix: the approval request page's Timeline shows each action's step by its label, not the node's machine id
+
+Clause-②: no
+Metadata-protocol: none
+
+The Timeline tab of the `sys_approval_request` record page lists the request's `sys_approval_action` rows. Its step column asked for `step_name`, which holds the Approval node's id (for example `dual_signoff`), so every row showed that id. The column is now `step_label`, the step's label that the service writes on every row and the boot backfill fills on older rows. The strip's step chip (`current_step_label`) and the object's own lists already show this label.
diff --git a/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-request-page.test.ts b/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-request-page.test.ts
index 73eaba5902d..d8d1d74f1e7 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-request-page.test.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-request-page.test.ts
@@ -217,6 +217,23 @@ describe('sys_approval_request detail page — the slot map', () => {
     expect((SysApprovalAction.fields as AnyRec).request_id).toMatchObject({ type: 'lookup', reference: 'sys_approval_request' });
   });
 
+  it('names each Timeline step by its label, step_label, never by the node\'s machine id, step_name', () => {
+    // Both are stored on every `sys_approval_action` row: `step_name` is the
+    // Approval node's id (`dual_signoff`), `step_label` the step's label the
+    // service copies from the request (`actionRow`). The existence check below
+    // cannot tell them apart, since both are declared fields, so the choice is
+    // pinned here, the way the strip's `current_step_label` is.
+    const [timeline] = TAB_ITEMS[1].children as AnyRec[];
+    const columns = timeline.properties.columns as string[];
+    const fields = SysApprovalAction.fields as AnyRec;
+    expect({ label: columns.includes('step_label'), machine: columns.includes('step_name') })
+      .toEqual({ label: true, machine: false });
+    expect(fields.step_label).toMatchObject({ type: 'text', label: 'Approval Step' });
+    // Control: the machine id stays a declared field. It is dropped from the
+    // Timeline, not from the object.
+    expect(fields.step_name).toMatchObject({ type: 'text' });
+  });
+
   it('every field the page names exists on its object', () => {
     const requestFields = Object.keys(SysApprovalRequest.fields);
     const actionFields = Object.keys(SysApprovalAction.fields);
diff --git a/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-request.page.ts b/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-request.page.ts
index a7d3ac80c4d..1b31bf215cb 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-request.page.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/plugin-approvals/src/sys-approval-request.page.ts
@@ -61,7 +61,10 @@ import type { Page } from '@objectstack/spec/ui';
  *    above, so the Details tab does not draw it as a row.
  *  - `tabs` is authored: Details (`record:details`, a bare node: see the
  *    strip above) and Timeline — `sys_approval_action` as a
- *    related list keyed on `request_id`, newest first. The `tabs` slot is
+ *    related list keyed on `request_id`, newest first. Its step column is
+ *    `step_label` (the step's label, stored on every row), not `step_name`
+ *    (the node's machine id, such as `dual_signoff`), as the strip's step
+ *    chip is `current_step_label`. The `tabs` slot is
  *    authored rather than `details` because the console builds the tab strip
  *    from `tabs` when both are present; the details body therefore lives in
  *    the first tab here, and the page authors no `details` slot.
@@ -120,7 +123,7 @@ export const SysApprovalRequestDetailPage: Page = {
                 properties: {
                   objectName: 'sys_approval_action',
                   relationshipField: 'request_id',
-                  columns: ['created_at', 'action', 'actor_id', 'step_name', 'comment', 'attachments'],
+                  columns: ['created_at', 'action', 'actor_id', 'step_label', 'comment', 'attachments'],
                   sort: [{ field: 'created_at', order: 'desc' }],
                   limit: 50,
                   showViewAll: true,