diff --git a/src/components/AppShell.vue b/src/components/AppShell.vue
index 4f4bcf6..c1cf7fa 100644
--- a/src/components/AppShell.vue
+++ b/src/components/AppShell.vue
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 <script setup lang="ts">
+import { computed } from 'vue';
 import ContactDestination from './ContactDestination.vue';
 import ExperienceTimeline from './ExperienceTimeline.vue';
 import InfrastructureDiagram from './InfrastructureDiagram.vue';
@@ -7,9 +8,25 @@ import ProjectCard from './ProjectCard.vue';
 import ProjectCaseStudy from './ProjectCaseStudy.vue';
 import SiteNavigation from './SiteNavigation.vue';
 import ToolkitGrid from './ToolkitGrid.vue';
-import type { PortfolioContent } from '@/content/types';
+import type { PortfolioContent, SectionId } from '@/content/types';
 
-defineProps<{ content: Readonly<PortfolioContent> }>();
+const props = defineProps<{ content: Readonly<PortfolioContent> }>();
+
+const canonicalSectionIds = [
+  'start', 'profile', 'experience', 'infrastructure', 'selected-builds', 'additional-work', 'toolkit', 'contact',
+] as const satisfies readonly SectionId[];
+
+const navigationById = computed(() => new Map(props.content.navigation.map((item) => [item.id, item])));
+
+const sectionLabel = (id: SectionId): string => {
+  const item = navigationById.value.get(id);
+  if (item === undefined) {
+    throw new Error(`Missing canonical navigation label: ${id}`);
+  }
+  return item.label;
+};
+
+const canonicalNavigation = computed(() => canonicalSectionIds.map((id) => ({ id, label: sectionLabel(id) })));
 </script>
 
 <template>
@@ -17,15 +34,15 @@ defineProps<{ content: Readonly<PortfolioContent> }>();
   <header>
     <h1>{{ content.identity.name }}</h1>
     <p>{{ content.identity.role }}</p>
-    <SiteNavigation :items="content.navigation" />
+    <SiteNavigation :items="canonicalNavigation" />
   </header>
 
   <main id="portfolio-content">
-    <PortfolioSection id="start" :index="1" :eyebrow="content.navigation[0]!.label.toUpperCase()" :heading="content.navigation[0]!.label.toUpperCase()">
+    <PortfolioSection id="start" :index="1" :eyebrow="sectionLabel('start').toUpperCase()" :heading="sectionLabel('start').toUpperCase()">
       <p>{{ content.identity.valueProposition }}</p>
     </PortfolioSection>
 
-    <PortfolioSection id="profile" :index="2" :eyebrow="content.navigation[1]!.label.toUpperCase()" :heading="content.navigation[1]!.label.toUpperCase()">
+    <PortfolioSection id="profile" :index="2" :eyebrow="sectionLabel('profile').toUpperCase()" :heading="sectionLabel('profile').toUpperCase()">
       <p>{{ content.profile.introduction }}</p>
       <dl>
         <template v-for="fact in content.profile.screeningFacts" :key="fact.label">
@@ -35,27 +52,27 @@ defineProps<{ content: Readonly<PortfolioContent> }>();
       </dl>
     </PortfolioSection>
 
-    <PortfolioSection id="experience" :index="3" :eyebrow="content.navigation[2]!.label.toUpperCase()" :heading="content.navigation[2]!.label.toUpperCase()">
+    <PortfolioSection id="experience" :index="3" :eyebrow="sectionLabel('experience').toUpperCase()" :heading="sectionLabel('experience').toUpperCase()">
       <ExperienceTimeline :experience="content.experience" :systems-operations="content.systemsOperations" />
     </PortfolioSection>
 
-    <PortfolioSection id="infrastructure" :index="4" :eyebrow="content.navigation[3]!.label.toUpperCase()" :heading="content.navigation[3]!.label.toUpperCase()">
+    <PortfolioSection id="infrastructure" :index="4" :eyebrow="sectionLabel('infrastructure').toUpperCase()" :heading="sectionLabel('infrastructure').toUpperCase()">
       <InfrastructureDiagram :infrastructure="content.infrastructure" />
     </PortfolioSection>
 
-    <PortfolioSection id="selected-builds" :index="5" :eyebrow="content.navigation[4]!.label.toUpperCase()" :heading="content.navigation[4]!.label.toUpperCase()">
+    <PortfolioSection id="selected-builds" :index="5" :eyebrow="sectionLabel('selected-builds').toUpperCase()" :heading="sectionLabel('selected-builds').toUpperCase()">
       <ProjectCaseStudy v-for="project in content.projects.selected" :key="project.id" :project="project" />
     </PortfolioSection>
 
-    <PortfolioSection id="additional-work" :index="6" :eyebrow="content.navigation[5]!.label.toUpperCase()" :heading="content.navigation[5]!.label.toUpperCase()">
+    <PortfolioSection id="additional-work" :index="6" :eyebrow="sectionLabel('additional-work').toUpperCase()" :heading="sectionLabel('additional-work').toUpperCase()">
       <ProjectCard v-for="project in content.projects.additional" :key="project.id" :project="project" />
     </PortfolioSection>
 
-    <PortfolioSection id="toolkit" :index="7" :eyebrow="content.navigation[6]!.label.toUpperCase()" :heading="content.navigation[6]!.label.toUpperCase()">
+    <PortfolioSection id="toolkit" :index="7" :eyebrow="sectionLabel('toolkit').toUpperCase()" :heading="sectionLabel('toolkit').toUpperCase()">
       <ToolkitGrid :groups="content.toolkit" />
     </PortfolioSection>
 
-    <PortfolioSection id="contact" :index="8" :eyebrow="content.navigation[7]!.label.toUpperCase()" :heading="content.navigation[7]!.label.toUpperCase()">
+    <PortfolioSection id="contact" :index="8" :eyebrow="sectionLabel('contact').toUpperCase()" :heading="sectionLabel('contact').toUpperCase()">
       <footer>
         <ContactDestination :contact="content.contact" :identity="content.identity" />
       </footer>
diff --git a/tests/unit/AppShell.test.ts b/tests/unit/AppShell.test.ts
index c55a5a6..74534e3 100644
--- a/tests/unit/AppShell.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/AppShell.test.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { resolve } from 'node:path';
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
 import { validateProductionInputs } from '@/content/schemas';
 import { render } from '@/entry-server';
+import type { SectionId } from '@/content/types';
 
 const fixture = (name: string): unknown =>
   JSON.parse(readFileSync(resolve(process.cwd(), 'tests/fixtures', name), 'utf8'));
@@ -15,8 +16,12 @@ const validInputs = validateProductionInputs(
 );
 
 const renderedDocument = async (): Promise<Document> => {
+  return renderedDocumentFor(validInputs);
+};
+
+const renderedDocumentFor = async (inputs: typeof validInputs): Promise<Document> => {
   const document = globalThis.document.implementation.createHTMLDocument('Portfolio');
-  document.body.innerHTML = await render('/', validInputs);
+  document.body.innerHTML = await render('/', inputs);
   return document;
 };
 
@@ -52,6 +57,33 @@ describe('semantic portfolio document', () => {
     expect(document.body.textContent).toContain('For a current CV or role-specific information, contact me directly.');
   });
 
+  it('binds navigation and section labels to their canonical IDs when content navigation is reordered', async () => {
+    const content = fixture('portfolio-content.valid.json') as {
+      navigation: Array<{ id: SectionId; label: string }>;
+    };
+    const navigationById = new Map(content.navigation.map((item) => [item.id, item]));
+    const reorderedIds: readonly SectionId[] = [
+      'contact', 'toolkit', 'additional-work', 'selected-builds', 'infrastructure', 'experience', 'profile', 'start',
+    ];
+    content.navigation = reorderedIds.map((id) => navigationById.get(id)!);
+    const reorderedInputs = validateProductionInputs(
+      content,
+      fixture('asset-manifest.valid.json'),
+      fixture('site-config.preview.json'),
+      new URL('file:///prepared-assets/'),
+    );
+
+    const document = await renderedDocumentFor(reorderedInputs);
+
+    expect([...document.querySelectorAll('main > section > h2')].map((heading) => heading.textContent)).toEqual([
+      'START', 'PROFILE', 'EXPERIENCE', 'INFRASTRUCTURE', 'SELECTED BUILDS', 'ADDITIONAL WORK', 'TOOLKIT', 'CONTACT',
+    ]);
+    expect([...document.querySelectorAll('nav a')].map((link) => [link.getAttribute('href'), link.textContent])).toEqual([
+      ['#start', 'Start'], ['#profile', 'Profile'], ['#experience', 'Experience'], ['#infrastructure', 'Infrastructure'],
+      ['#selected-builds', 'Selected builds'], ['#additional-work', 'Additional work'], ['#toolkit', 'Toolkit'], ['#contact', 'Contact'],
+    ]);
+  });
+
   it('includes systems and software evidence in server-rendered content', async () => {
     const document = await renderedDocument();