diff --git a/__tests__/integration/dependabot.test.js b/__tests__/integration/dependabot.test.js
index 5802cb3..bbec3ca 100644
--- a/__tests__/integration/dependabot.test.js
+++ b/__tests__/integration/dependabot.test.js
@@ -229,6 +229,83 @@ describe('dependabot', () => {
       expect(result.matchesTarget).toBe(false);
     });
 
+    // Bug #27 (wave-1 QA finding): the previous JSON.stringify-based equality
+    // check was order-sensitive, so identical configs in different key order
+    // were reported as drift and triggered unnecessary writes (or PRs when
+    // `change_strategy.use_pull_requests: true`). Object-key order must not
+    // matter; array element order must still matter (dependabot.yml
+    // `updates` / `labels` / `allow` / `ignore` lists are intentionally
+    // ordered).
+    it('treats identical configs with different key order as matching (Bug #27)', async () => {
+      _setConfigForTesting({
+        dependabot: {
+          version: 2,
+          updates: [
+            { 'package-ecosystem': 'npm', directory: '/', schedule: { interval: 'weekly' }, labels: ['dependencies'] }
+          ]
+        }
+      });
+      const reorderedCurrent = {
+        updates: [
+          { labels: ['dependencies'], schedule: { interval: 'weekly' }, directory: '/', 'package-ecosystem': 'npm' }
+        ],
+        version: 2
+      };
+      octokit.request.mockResolvedValue({ data: { content: encodeConfig(reorderedCurrent) } });
+      octokit.paginate.mockResolvedValue([]);
+
+      const result = await checkExistingDependabotConfig(octokit, 'o', 'r');
+
+      expect(result.exists).toBe(true);
+      expect(result.matchesTarget).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    it('treats genuinely different configs as not matching', async () => {
+      _setConfigForTesting({
+        dependabot: {
+          version: 2,
+          updates: [
+            { 'package-ecosystem': 'npm', directory: '/', schedule: { interval: 'weekly' }, labels: ['dependencies'] }
+          ]
+        }
+      });
+      const differentValues = {
+        version: 2,
+        updates: [
+          { 'package-ecosystem': 'npm', directory: '/', schedule: { interval: 'daily' }, labels: ['dependencies'] }
+        ]
+      };
+      octokit.request.mockResolvedValue({ data: { content: encodeConfig(differentValues) } });
+      octokit.paginate.mockResolvedValue([]);
+
+      const result = await checkExistingDependabotConfig(octokit, 'o', 'r');
+
+      expect(result.matchesTarget).toBe(false);
+    });
+
+    it('treats arrays with different element order as not matching (intentional)', async () => {
+      _setConfigForTesting({
+        dependabot: {
+          version: 2,
+          updates: [
+            { 'package-ecosystem': 'npm', directory: '/', schedule: { interval: 'weekly' }, labels: ['a', 'b'] }
+          ]
+        }
+      });
+      const reorderedArray = {
+        version: 2,
+        updates: [
+          { 'package-ecosystem': 'npm', directory: '/', schedule: { interval: 'weekly' }, labels: ['b', 'a'] }
+        ]
+      };
+      octokit.request.mockResolvedValue({ data: { content: encodeConfig(reorderedArray) } });
+      octokit.paginate.mockResolvedValue([]);
+
+      const result = await checkExistingDependabotConfig(octokit, 'o', 'r');
+
+      expect(result.matchesTarget).toBe(false);
+    });
+
     it('detects PRs with missing labels', async () => {
       const configYaml = yaml.dump({ version: 2, updates: [{ labels: ['dependencies'] }] });
       const b64 = Buffer.from(configYaml).toString('base64');
diff --git a/src/dependabot.js b/src/dependabot.js
index 88174b4..7bc89e6 100644
--- a/src/dependabot.js
+++ b/src/dependabot.js
@@ -5,6 +5,30 @@ import { upsertRepoFile, createConfigurationPR } from './github-api.js';
 import { detectEcosystems } from './ecosystem-detector.js';
 import { callLocalAI } from './ai-review.js';
 
+/**
+ * Recursively sort object keys so two structurally identical configs serialize
+ * to identical JSON regardless of key insertion order. Arrays preserve element
+ * order (intentional — dependabot.yml `updates`, `labels`, `allow`/`ignore`
+ * lists are order-sensitive). Primitives pass through.
+ *
+ * @param {*} value
+ * @returns {*}
+ */
+function canonicalize(value) {
+  if (Array.isArray(value)) return value.map(canonicalize);
+  if (value && typeof value === 'object') {
+    const out = {};
+    for (const k of Object.keys(value).sort()) out[k] = canonicalize(value[k]);
+    return out;
+  }
+  return value;
+}
+
+/** Key-order-independent deep equal for plain JSON-like configs. */
+function configsEqual(a, b) {
+  return JSON.stringify(canonicalize(a)) === JSON.stringify(canonicalize(b));
+}
+
 function extractLabelsFromConfig(dependabotConfig) {
   if (!dependabotConfig?.updates) return [];
   const labels = new Set();
@@ -105,7 +129,7 @@ async function checkExistingDependabotConfig(octokit, owner, repo) {
       return {
         exists: true,
         currentConfig,
-        matchesTarget: JSON.stringify(currentConfig) === JSON.stringify(targetConfig),
+        matchesTarget: configsEqual(currentConfig, targetConfig),
         labelIssues,
         dependabotPRCount: dependabotPRs.length
       };
@@ -184,7 +208,7 @@ async function checkDependabotConfiguration(octokit, owner, repo) {
         report += yaml.dump(targetConfig) + '\n';
         report += '```\n\n';
 
-        if (JSON.stringify(currentConfig) === JSON.stringify(targetConfig)) {
+        if (configsEqual(currentConfig, targetConfig)) {
           report += '✅ Dependabot configuration matches target!\n';
         } else {
           report +=