diff --git a/actions/setup/js/create_issue.cjs b/actions/setup/js/create_issue.cjs
index ffae1f4ec31..7efe70c1629 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/create_issue.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/create_issue.cjs
@@ -340,7 +340,7 @@ async function main(config = {}) {
       } else {
         // Check if it looks like a malformed temporary ID
         if (parentWithoutHash.startsWith("aw_")) {
-          core.warning(`Invalid temporary ID format for parent: '${message.parent}'. Temporary IDs must be in format 'aw_' followed by 3 to 8 alphanumeric characters (A-Za-z0-9). Example: 'aw_abc' or 'aw_Test123'`);
+          core.warning(`Invalid temporary ID format for parent: '${message.parent}'. Temporary IDs must be in format 'aw_' followed by 3 to 12 alphanumeric characters (A-Za-z0-9). Example: 'aw_abc' or 'aw_Test123'`);
         } else {
           // It's a real issue number
           const parsed = parseInt(parentWithoutHash, 10);
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/create_pull_request.cjs b/actions/setup/js/create_pull_request.cjs
index 4ac8dc389c8..e17736c9112 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/create_pull_request.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/create_pull_request.cjs
@@ -211,11 +211,11 @@ async function main(config = {}) {
 
       if (!isTemporaryId(normalized)) {
         core.warning(
-          `Skipping create_pull_request: Invalid temporary_id format: '${pullRequestItem.temporary_id}'. Temporary IDs must be in format 'aw_' followed by 3 to 8 alphanumeric characters (A-Za-z0-9). Example: 'aw_abc' or 'aw_Test123'`
+          `Skipping create_pull_request: Invalid temporary_id format: '${pullRequestItem.temporary_id}'. Temporary IDs must be in format 'aw_' followed by 3 to 12 alphanumeric characters (A-Za-z0-9). Example: 'aw_abc' or 'aw_Test123'`
         );
         return {
           success: false,
-          error: `Invalid temporary_id format: '${pullRequestItem.temporary_id}'. Temporary IDs must be in format 'aw_' followed by 3 to 8 alphanumeric characters (A-Za-z0-9). Example: 'aw_abc' or 'aw_Test123'`,
+          error: `Invalid temporary_id format: '${pullRequestItem.temporary_id}'. Temporary IDs must be in format 'aw_' followed by 3 to 12 alphanumeric characters (A-Za-z0-9). Example: 'aw_abc' or 'aw_Test123'`,
         };
       }
 
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/safe_output_topological_sort.test.cjs b/actions/setup/js/safe_output_topological_sort.test.cjs
index cd70013c762..adcf637b981 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/safe_output_topological_sort.test.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/safe_output_topological_sort.test.cjs
@@ -483,7 +483,7 @@ describe("safe_output_topological_sort.cjs", () => {
       messages.push({ type: "create_issue", temporary_id: rootId, title: "Root" });
 
       for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
-        const level1Id = `aw_lv1_${i.toString().padStart(7, "0")}`;
+        const level1Id = `aw_lv1n${i.toString().padStart(7, "0")}`;
         messages.push({
           type: "create_issue",
           temporary_id: level1Id,
@@ -491,7 +491,7 @@ describe("safe_output_topological_sort.cjs", () => {
         });
 
         for (let j = 0; j < 5; j++) {
-          const level2Id = `aw_lv2_${i}_${j.toString().padStart(4, "0")}`;
+          const level2Id = `aw_lv2n${i}n${j.toString().padStart(4, "0")}`;
           messages.push({
             type: "create_issue",
             temporary_id: level2Id,
@@ -507,11 +507,11 @@ describe("safe_output_topological_sort.cjs", () => {
 
       // Verify each level-1 item comes before its level-2 children
       for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
-        const level1Id = `aw_lv1_${i.toString().padStart(7, "0")}`;
+        const level1Id = `aw_lv1n${i.toString().padStart(7, "0")}`;
         const level1Index = sorted.findIndex(m => m.temporary_id === level1Id);
 
         for (let j = 0; j < 5; j++) {
-          const level2Id = `aw_lv2_${i}_${j.toString().padStart(4, "0")}`;
+          const level2Id = `aw_lv2n${i}n${j.toString().padStart(4, "0")}`;
           const level2Index = sorted.findIndex(m => m.temporary_id === level2Id);
           expect(level1Index).toBeLessThan(level2Index);
         }
@@ -520,7 +520,7 @@ describe("safe_output_topological_sort.cjs", () => {
       // Verify root comes before all level-1 items
       const rootIndex = sorted.findIndex(m => m.temporary_id === rootId);
       for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
-        const level1Id = `aw_lv1_${i.toString().padStart(7, "0")}`;
+        const level1Id = `aw_lv1n${i.toString().padStart(7, "0")}`;
         const level1Index = sorted.findIndex(m => m.temporary_id === level1Id);
         expect(rootIndex).toBeLessThan(level1Index);
       }
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/safe_output_unified_handler_manager.cjs b/actions/setup/js/safe_output_unified_handler_manager.cjs
index 67992685397..ad42acbb01b 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/safe_output_unified_handler_manager.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/safe_output_unified_handler_manager.cjs
@@ -759,7 +759,7 @@ function normalizeAndValidateTemporaryId(message, messageType, messageIndex) {
   const withoutHash = trimmed.startsWith("#") ? trimmed.substring(1).trim() : trimmed;
 
   if (!isTemporaryId(withoutHash)) {
-    throw new Error(`${ERR_VALIDATION}: Message ${messageIndex + 1} (${messageType}): invalid temporary_id '${raw}'. Temporary IDs must be 'aw_' followed by 3 to 8 alphanumeric characters (A-Za-z0-9), e.g. 'aw_abc' or 'aw_Test123'`);
+    throw new Error(`${ERR_VALIDATION}: Message ${messageIndex + 1} (${messageType}): invalid temporary_id '${raw}'. Temporary IDs must be 'aw_' followed by 3 to 12 alphanumeric characters (A-Za-z0-9), e.g. 'aw_abc' or 'aw_Test123'`);
   }
 
   // Normalize to the strict bare ID to keep lookups consistent.
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/temporary_id.cjs b/actions/setup/js/temporary_id.cjs
index 20c260b7fae..7d1fc201a2c 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/temporary_id.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/temporary_id.cjs
@@ -25,9 +25,15 @@ const crypto = require("crypto");
 
 /**
  * Regex pattern for matching temporary ID references in text
- * Format: #aw_XXX to #aw_XXXXXXXX (aw_ prefix + 3 to 8 alphanumeric characters)
+ * Format: #aw_XXX to #aw_XXXXXXXXXXXX (aw_ prefix + 3 to 12 alphanumeric characters)
  */
-const TEMPORARY_ID_PATTERN = /#(aw_[A-Za-z0-9]{3,8})/gi;
+const TEMPORARY_ID_PATTERN = /#(aw_[A-Za-z0-9]{3,12})\b/gi;
+
+/**
+ * Regex pattern for detecting candidate #aw_ references (any length, word-boundary delimited)
+ * Used to identify malformed temporary ID references that don't match TEMPORARY_ID_PATTERN
+ */
+const TEMPORARY_ID_CANDIDATE_PATTERN = /#aw_([A-Za-z0-9]+)\b/gi;
 
 /**
  * @typedef {Object} RepoIssuePair
@@ -51,13 +57,13 @@ function generateTemporaryId() {
 }
 
 /**
- * Check if a value is a valid temporary ID (aw_ prefix + 3 to 8 alphanumeric characters)
+ * Check if a value is a valid temporary ID (aw_ prefix + 3 to 12 alphanumeric characters)
  * @param {any} value - The value to check
  * @returns {boolean} True if the value is a valid temporary ID
  */
 function isTemporaryId(value) {
   if (typeof value === "string") {
-    return /^aw_[A-Za-z0-9]{3,8}$/i.test(value);
+    return /^aw_[A-Za-z0-9]{3,12}$/i.test(value);
   }
   return false;
 }
@@ -80,6 +86,16 @@ function normalizeTemporaryId(tempId) {
  * @returns {string} Text with temporary IDs replaced with issue numbers
  */
 function replaceTemporaryIdReferences(text, tempIdMap, currentRepo) {
+  // Detect and warn about malformed #aw_ references that won't be resolved
+  let candidate;
+  TEMPORARY_ID_CANDIDATE_PATTERN.lastIndex = 0;
+  while ((candidate = TEMPORARY_ID_CANDIDATE_PATTERN.exec(text)) !== null) {
+    const tempId = `aw_${candidate[1]}`;
+    if (!isTemporaryId(tempId)) {
+      core.warning(`Malformed temporary ID reference '${candidate[0]}' found in body text. Temporary IDs must be in format '#aw_' followed by 3 to 12 alphanumeric characters (A-Za-z0-9). Example: '#aw_abc' or '#aw_Test123'`);
+    }
+  }
+
   return text.replace(TEMPORARY_ID_PATTERN, (match, tempId) => {
     const resolved = tempIdMap.get(normalizeTemporaryId(tempId));
     if (resolved !== undefined) {
@@ -146,7 +162,7 @@ function getOrGenerateTemporaryId(message, entityType = "item") {
   if (!isTemporaryId(normalized)) {
     return {
       temporaryId: null,
-      error: `Invalid temporary_id format: '${message.temporary_id}'. Temporary IDs must be in format 'aw_' followed by 3 to 8 alphanumeric characters (A-Za-z0-9). Example: 'aw_abc' or 'aw_Test123'`,
+      error: `Invalid temporary_id format: '${message.temporary_id}'. Temporary IDs must be in format 'aw_' followed by 3 to 12 alphanumeric characters (A-Za-z0-9). Example: 'aw_abc' or 'aw_Test123'`,
     };
   }
 
@@ -282,14 +298,14 @@ function resolveIssueNumber(value, temporaryIdMap) {
     return {
       resolved: null,
       wasTemporaryId: false,
-      errorMessage: `Invalid temporary ID format: '${valueStr}'. Temporary IDs must be in format 'aw_' followed by 3 to 8 alphanumeric characters (A-Za-z0-9). Example: 'aw_abc' or 'aw_abc12345'`,
+      errorMessage: `Invalid temporary ID format: '${valueStr}'. Temporary IDs must be in format 'aw_' followed by 3 to 12 alphanumeric characters (A-Za-z0-9). Example: 'aw_abc' or 'aw_abc12345'`,
     };
   }
 
   // It's a real issue number - use context repo as default
   const issueNumber = typeof value === "number" ? value : parseInt(valueWithoutHash, 10);
   if (isNaN(issueNumber) || issueNumber <= 0) {
-    return { resolved: null, wasTemporaryId: false, errorMessage: `Invalid issue number: ${value}. Expected either a valid temporary ID (format: aw_ followed by 3-8 alphanumeric characters) or a numeric issue number.` };
+    return { resolved: null, wasTemporaryId: false, errorMessage: `Invalid issue number: ${value}. Expected either a valid temporary ID (format: aw_ followed by 3-12 alphanumeric characters) or a numeric issue number.` };
   }
 
   const contextRepo = typeof context !== "undefined" ? `${context.repo.owner}/${context.repo.repo}` : "";
@@ -527,6 +543,7 @@ function getCreatedTemporaryId(message) {
 
 module.exports = {
   TEMPORARY_ID_PATTERN,
+  TEMPORARY_ID_CANDIDATE_PATTERN,
   generateTemporaryId,
   isTemporaryId,
   normalizeTemporaryId,
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/temporary_id.test.cjs b/actions/setup/js/temporary_id.test.cjs
index 7af37ce41db..3e1c757ef04 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/temporary_id.test.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/temporary_id.test.cjs
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ describe("temporary_id.cjs", () => {
   });
 
   describe("isTemporaryId", () => {
-    it("should return true for valid aw_ prefixed 3-8 char alphanumeric strings", async () => {
+    it("should return true for valid aw_ prefixed 3-12 char alphanumeric strings", async () => {
       const { isTemporaryId } = await import("./temporary_id.cjs");
       expect(isTemporaryId("aw_abc")).toBe(true);
       expect(isTemporaryId("aw_abc1")).toBe(true);
@@ -48,13 +48,15 @@ describe("temporary_id.cjs", () => {
       expect(isTemporaryId("aw_ABCD")).toBe(true);
       expect(isTemporaryId("aw_xyz9")).toBe(true);
       expect(isTemporaryId("aw_xyz")).toBe(true);
+      expect(isTemporaryId("aw_123456789")).toBe(true); // 9 chars - valid with extended limit
+      expect(isTemporaryId("aw_123456789abc")).toBe(true); // 12 chars - at the limit
     });
 
     it("should return false for invalid strings", async () => {
       const { isTemporaryId } = await import("./temporary_id.cjs");
       expect(isTemporaryId("abc123def456")).toBe(false); // Missing aw_ prefix
       expect(isTemporaryId("aw_ab")).toBe(false); // Too short (2 chars)
-      expect(isTemporaryId("aw_123456789")).toBe(false); // Too long (9 chars)
+      expect(isTemporaryId("aw_1234567890abc")).toBe(false); // Too long (13 chars)
       expect(isTemporaryId("aw_test-id")).toBe(false); // Contains hyphen
       expect(isTemporaryId("aw_id_123")).toBe(false); // Contains underscore
       expect(isTemporaryId("")).toBe(false);
@@ -123,6 +125,52 @@ describe("temporary_id.cjs", () => {
       const text = "Check #aw_ab and #temp:abc123 for details";
       expect(replaceTemporaryIdReferences(text, map, "owner/repo")).toBe("Check #aw_ab and #temp:abc123 for details");
     });
+
+    it("should warn about malformed temporary ID reference that is too short", async () => {
+      const { replaceTemporaryIdReferences } = await import("./temporary_id.cjs");
+      const map = new Map();
+      const text = "Check #aw_ab for details";
+      const result = replaceTemporaryIdReferences(text, map, "owner/repo");
+      expect(result).toBe("Check #aw_ab for details");
+      expect(mockCore.warning).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+      expect(mockCore.warning).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("#aw_ab"));
+    });
+
+    it("should warn about malformed temporary ID reference that is too long", async () => {
+      const { replaceTemporaryIdReferences } = await import("./temporary_id.cjs");
+      const map = new Map();
+      const text = "Check #aw_toolongname123 for details";
+      const result = replaceTemporaryIdReferences(text, map, "owner/repo");
+      expect(result).toBe("Check #aw_toolongname123 for details");
+      expect(mockCore.warning).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+      expect(mockCore.warning).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("#aw_toolongname123"));
+    });
+
+    it("should not warn for valid temporary ID references", async () => {
+      const { replaceTemporaryIdReferences } = await import("./temporary_id.cjs");
+      const map = new Map([["aw_abc123", { repo: "owner/repo", number: 100 }]]);
+      const text = "Check #aw_abc123 for details";
+      replaceTemporaryIdReferences(text, map, "owner/repo");
+      expect(mockCore.warning).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+
+    it("should not warn for valid unresolved temporary ID references", async () => {
+      const { replaceTemporaryIdReferences } = await import("./temporary_id.cjs");
+      const map = new Map();
+      const text = "Check #aw_abc123 for details";
+      replaceTemporaryIdReferences(text, map, "owner/repo");
+      expect(mockCore.warning).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+
+    it("should warn once per malformed reference when multiple are present", async () => {
+      const { replaceTemporaryIdReferences } = await import("./temporary_id.cjs");
+      const map = new Map();
+      const text = "See #aw_ab and #aw_toolongname123 here";
+      replaceTemporaryIdReferences(text, map, "owner/repo");
+      expect(mockCore.warning).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+      expect(mockCore.warning).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("#aw_ab"));
+      expect(mockCore.warning).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("#aw_toolongname123"));
+    });
   });
 
   describe("replaceTemporaryIdReferencesLegacy", () => {
@@ -275,7 +323,7 @@ describe("temporary_id.cjs", () => {
       expect(result.wasTemporaryId).toBe(false);
       expect(result.errorMessage).toContain("Invalid temporary ID format");
       expect(result.errorMessage).toContain("aw_test-id");
-      expect(result.errorMessage).toContain("3 to 8 alphanumeric characters");
+      expect(result.errorMessage).toContain("3 to 12 alphanumeric characters");
     });
 
     it("should return specific error for malformed temporary ID (too short)", async () => {
@@ -291,11 +339,11 @@ describe("temporary_id.cjs", () => {
     it("should return specific error for malformed temporary ID (too long)", async () => {
       const { resolveIssueNumber } = await import("./temporary_id.cjs");
       const map = new Map();
-      const result = resolveIssueNumber("aw_abc123456789", map);
+      const result = resolveIssueNumber("aw_abc1234567890", map); // 13 chars - too long
       expect(result.resolved).toBe(null);
       expect(result.wasTemporaryId).toBe(false);
       expect(result.errorMessage).toContain("Invalid temporary ID format");
-      expect(result.errorMessage).toContain("aw_abc123456789");
+      expect(result.errorMessage).toContain("aw_abc1234567890");
     });
 
     it("should handle temporary ID with # prefix", async () => {
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/update_project.cjs b/actions/setup/js/update_project.cjs
index b176d9e17f6..bd185e9704e 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/update_project.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/update_project.cjs
@@ -703,11 +703,11 @@ async function updateProject(output, temporaryIdMap = new Map(), githubClient =
       // Validate IDs used for draft chaining.
       // Draft issue chaining must use strict temporary IDs to match the unified handler manager.
       if (temporaryId && !isTemporaryId(temporaryId)) {
-        throw new Error(`${ERR_VALIDATION}: Invalid temporary_id format: "${temporaryId}". Expected format: aw_ followed by 3 to 8 alphanumeric characters (e.g., "aw_abc", "aw_Test123").`);
+        throw new Error(`${ERR_VALIDATION}: Invalid temporary_id format: "${temporaryId}". Expected format: aw_ followed by 3 to 12 alphanumeric characters (e.g., "aw_abc", "aw_Test123").`);
       }
 
       if (draftIssueId && !isTemporaryId(draftIssueId)) {
-        throw new Error(`${ERR_VALIDATION}: Invalid draft_issue_id format: "${draftIssueId}". Expected format: aw_ followed by 3 to 8 alphanumeric characters (e.g., "aw_abc", "aw_Test123").`);
+        throw new Error(`${ERR_VALIDATION}: Invalid draft_issue_id format: "${draftIssueId}". Expected format: aw_ followed by 3 to 12 alphanumeric characters (e.g., "aw_abc", "aw_Test123").`);
       }
 
       const draftTitle = typeof output.draft_title === "string" ? output.draft_title.trim() : "";
@@ -939,7 +939,7 @@ async function updateProject(output, temporaryIdMap = new Map(), githubClient =
         } else {
           // Not a temporary ID - validate as numeric
           if (!/^\d+$/.test(sanitizedContentNumber)) {
-            throw new Error(`${ERR_VALIDATION}: Invalid content number "${rawContentNumber}". Provide a positive integer or a valid temporary ID (format: aw_ followed by 3-8 alphanumeric characters).`);
+            throw new Error(`${ERR_VALIDATION}: Invalid content number "${rawContentNumber}". Provide a positive integer or a valid temporary ID (format: aw_ followed by 3-12 alphanumeric characters).`);
           }
           contentNumber = Number.parseInt(sanitizedContentNumber, 10);
         }
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/update_project.test.cjs b/actions/setup/js/update_project.test.cjs
index 52b071eda7c..db1bb9af467 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/update_project.test.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/update_project.test.cjs
@@ -884,12 +884,12 @@ describe("updateProject", () => {
       project: projectUrl,
       content_type: "draft_issue",
       draft_title: "Test Draft",
-      temporary_id: "aw_toolong123",
+      temporary_id: "aw_toolong123456",
     };
 
     queueResponses([repoResponse(), viewerResponse(), orgProjectV2Response(projectUrl, 60, "project-draft")]);
 
-    await expect(updateProject(output)).rejects.toThrow(/Invalid temporary_id format.*aw_ followed by 3 to 8 alphanumeric characters/);
+    await expect(updateProject(output)).rejects.toThrow(/Invalid temporary_id format.*aw_ followed by 3 to 12 alphanumeric characters/);
   });
 
   it("rejects malformed auto-generated draft_issue_id with aw_ prefix", async () => {
@@ -904,7 +904,7 @@ describe("updateProject", () => {
 
     queueResponses([repoResponse(), viewerResponse(), orgProjectV2Response(projectUrl, 60, "project-draft")]);
 
-    await expect(updateProject(output, temporaryIdMap)).rejects.toThrow(/Invalid draft_issue_id format.*aw_ followed by 3 to 8 alphanumeric characters/);
+    await expect(updateProject(output, temporaryIdMap)).rejects.toThrow(/Invalid draft_issue_id format.*aw_ followed by 3 to 12 alphanumeric characters/);
   });
 
   it("rejects draft_issue without title when creating (no draft_issue_id)", async () => {