diff --git a/deployment/cre/jobs/types/job_spec.go b/deployment/cre/jobs/types/job_spec.go
index ed03ba6a336..a15d7e4d052 100644
--- a/deployment/cre/jobs/types/job_spec.go
+++ b/deployment/cre/jobs/types/job_spec.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package job_types
 
 import (
+	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
@@ -13,14 +14,45 @@ import (
 type JobSpecInput map[string]any
 
 func (j JobSpecInput) UnmarshalTo(target any) error {
-	bytes, err := yaml.Marshal(j)
+	sanitized := convertJSONNumbers(map[string]any(j))
+	bytes, err := yaml.Marshal(sanitized)
 	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to marshal job spec input to json: %w", err)
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to marshal job spec input to yaml: %w", err)
 	}
-
 	return yaml.Unmarshal(bytes, target)
 }
 
+func convertJSONNumbers(m map[string]any) map[string]any {
+	out := make(map[string]any, len(m))
+	for k, v := range m {
+		out[k] = convertValue(v)
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+func convertValue(v any) any {
+	switch val := v.(type) {
+	case json.Number:
+		if i, err := val.Int64(); err == nil {
+			return i
+		}
+		if f, err := val.Float64(); err == nil {
+			return f
+		}
+		return val.String()
+	case map[string]any:
+		return convertJSONNumbers(val)
+	case []any:
+		out := make([]any, len(val))
+		for i, item := range val {
+			out[i] = convertValue(item)
+		}
+		return out
+	default:
+		return v
+	}
+}
+
 func (j JobSpecInput) UnmarshalFrom(source any) error {
 	bytes, err := yaml.Marshal(source)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/deployment/cre/jobs/types/job_spec_test.go b/deployment/cre/jobs/types/job_spec_test.go
index 1cacb68e02f..a570857c9eb 100644
--- a/deployment/cre/jobs/types/job_spec_test.go
+++ b/deployment/cre/jobs/types/job_spec_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package job_types_test
 
 import (
+	"encoding/json"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
@@ -120,3 +121,68 @@ func TestJobSpecInput_ToStandardCapabilityJob(t *testing.T) {
 		assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "cannot unmarshal !!str")
 	})
 }
+
+func TestUnmarshalTo_JSONNumberIntFields(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	type DON struct {
+		Name     string   `yaml:"name"`
+		F        int      `yaml:"f"`
+		Handlers []string `yaml:"handlers"`
+	}
+
+	type GatewayInput struct {
+		GatewayRequestTimeoutSec int    `yaml:"gatewayRequestTimeoutSec"`
+		DONs                     []DON  `yaml:"dons"`
+		SomeString               string `yaml:"someString"`
+	}
+
+	// Simulate the exact values that arrive after the YAML->JSON->UseNumber() pipeline.
+	// In the real pipeline, YamlNodeToAny converts YAML integers to json.Number,
+	// then json.Marshal -> env var -> json.Decoder.UseNumber() preserves them as json.Number.
+	input := job_types.JobSpecInput{
+		"gatewayRequestTimeoutSec": json.Number("70"),
+		"someString":               "hello",
+		"dons": []any{
+			map[string]any{
+				"name":     "some_don",
+				"f":        json.Number("1"),
+				"handlers": []any{"http-capabilities", "web-api-capabilities"},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	var target GatewayInput
+	err := input.UnmarshalTo(&target)
+	require.NoError(t, err, "UnmarshalTo should handle json.Number values in int fields")
+
+	assert.Equal(t, 70, target.GatewayRequestTimeoutSec)
+	assert.Equal(t, "hello", target.SomeString)
+	require.Len(t, target.DONs, 1)
+	assert.Equal(t, "some_don", target.DONs[0].Name)
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, target.DONs[0].F)
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{"http-capabilities", "web-api-capabilities"}, target.DONs[0].Handlers)
+}
+
+// TestUnmarshalTo_NativeIntFields verifies the happy path where map values
+// are already native Go ints (e.g. when constructed in Go code rather than
+// through the JSON pipeline). This should always pass.
+func TestUnmarshalTo_NativeIntFields(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	type Target struct {
+		Count   int    `yaml:"count"`
+		Message string `yaml:"message"`
+	}
+
+	input := job_types.JobSpecInput{
+		"count":   42,
+		"message": "test",
+	}
+
+	var target Target
+	err := input.UnmarshalTo(&target)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, 42, target.Count)
+	assert.Equal(t, "test", target.Message)
+}