diff --git a/lib/redact-patterns.ts b/lib/redact-patterns.ts
index 76b81f3d27..95d9791294 100644
--- a/lib/redact-patterns.ts
+++ b/lib/redact-patterns.ts
@@ -138,6 +138,36 @@ function looksLikeWallet(span: string): boolean {
   return span.length >= 26 && span.length <= 62;
 }
 
+// Compact log/backup stamps (`20260727202423` = YYYYMMDDHHMMSS) are bare digit
+// runs that the phone regex happily eats. Only a SEPARATOR-FREE 14-digit span
+// qualifies: E.164 tops out at 15 digits and real numbers carry a + or spacing,
+// so rejecting this shape costs no phone coverage.
+function looksLikeCompactTimestamp(span: string): boolean {
+  if (!/^\d{14}$/.test(span)) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  const n = (from: number, to: number) => Number(span.slice(from, to));
+  const [year, month, day, hour, minute, second] = [
+    n(0, 4),
+    n(4, 6),
+    n(6, 8),
+    n(8, 10),
+    n(10, 12),
+    n(12, 14),
+  ];
+  return (
+    year >= 1900 &&
+    year <= 2999 &&
+    month >= 1 &&
+    month <= 12 &&
+    day >= 1 &&
+    day <= 31 &&
+    hour <= 23 &&
+    minute <= 59 &&
+    second <= 59
+  );
+}
+
 // ── Placeholder suppression (per-matched-span, NOT per-line) ─────────────────
 
 /**
@@ -431,7 +461,8 @@ export const PATTERNS: RedactPattern[] = [
     regex: /(?<![\w.])(\+?[1-9]\d{0,2}[ \-.]?\(?\d{2,4}\)?[ \-.]?\d{3,4}[ \-.]?\d{3,4})(?![\w.])/,
     autoRedactable: true,
     redactToken: "<REDACTED-PHONE>",
-    validate: (span) => span.replace(/\D/g, "").length >= 10,
+    validate: (span) =>
+      span.replace(/\D/g, "").length >= 10 && !looksLikeCompactTimestamp(span),
   },
   {
     id: "pii.ssn",
diff --git a/test/redact-engine.test.ts b/test/redact-engine.test.ts
index b52c630d54..d4b9d1fffb 100644
--- a/test/redact-engine.test.ts
+++ b/test/redact-engine.test.ts
@@ -185,8 +185,9 @@ describe("PII patterns", () => {
       scan("bob@acme.co", { repoVisibility: "private", repoPublicEmails: ["bob@acme.co"] }).findings,
     ).toHaveLength(0);
   });
-  test("phone E.164", () => {
+  test("phone E.164 flags, skips compact timestamps", () => {
     expect(ids("call +14155550123 now")).toContain("pii.phone.e164");
+    expect(ids("backup stamp 20260727202423 ran late")).not.toContain("pii.phone.e164");
   });
   test("ssn flags valid, skips 000 octet", () => {
     expect(ids("ssn 123-45-6789")).toContain("pii.ssn");