diff --git a/frontend/common/types/responses.ts b/frontend/common/types/responses.ts
index 799b3da75e66..045e15506eb1 100644
--- a/frontend/common/types/responses.ts
+++ b/frontend/common/types/responses.ts
@@ -595,6 +595,16 @@ export type FeatureStateValue = {
   type: 'int' | 'unicode' | 'bool' | 'float'
 }
 
+// The trait shape from the core API, which keys its type as `value_type`
+// where feature states use `type`.
+export type TraitValue = {
+  boolean_value: boolean | null
+  float_value?: number | null
+  integer_value: number | null
+  string_value: string | null
+  value_type: 'int' | 'unicode' | 'bool' | 'float'
+}
+
 export type MultivariateOption = {
   id: number
   uuid: string
diff --git a/frontend/common/utils/__tests__/featureStateToValue.test.ts b/frontend/common/utils/__tests__/featureStateToValue.test.ts
index 3708551480e5..edc72c8d4592 100644
--- a/frontend/common/utils/__tests__/featureStateToValue.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/common/utils/__tests__/featureStateToValue.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { featureStateToValue } from 'common/utils/featureStateToValue'
+import type { FlagsmithValue, TraitValue } from 'common/types/responses'
 
 describe('featureStateToValue', () => {
   it.each([
@@ -10,10 +11,51 @@ describe('featureStateToValue', () => {
     expect(featureStateToValue(nested as never)).toBe(expected)
   })
 
-  it('reads value_type when present (core traits)', () => {
-    expect(
-      featureStateToValue({ integer_value: 3, value_type: 'int' } as never),
-    ).toBe(3)
+  // Typed rather than cast, so these fail to compile if TraitValue drifts.
+  it.each<[string, TraitValue, FlagsmithValue]>([
+    [
+      'int',
+      {
+        boolean_value: null,
+        integer_value: 3,
+        string_value: null,
+        value_type: 'int',
+      },
+      3,
+    ],
+    [
+      'float',
+      {
+        boolean_value: null,
+        float_value: 2.5,
+        integer_value: null,
+        string_value: null,
+        value_type: 'float',
+      },
+      2.5,
+    ],
+    [
+      'bool',
+      {
+        boolean_value: false,
+        integer_value: null,
+        string_value: null,
+        value_type: 'bool',
+      },
+      false,
+    ],
+    [
+      'unicode',
+      {
+        boolean_value: null,
+        integer_value: null,
+        string_value: 'power_users',
+        value_type: 'unicode',
+      },
+      'power_users',
+    ],
+  ])('reads value_type on a core trait (%s)', (_label, trait, expected) => {
+    expect(featureStateToValue(trait)).toBe(expected)
   })
 
   it('normalises a missing int/float to null', () => {
diff --git a/frontend/common/utils/featureStateToValue.ts b/frontend/common/utils/featureStateToValue.ts
index 730b47e336e9..9cc57ea71435 100644
--- a/frontend/common/utils/featureStateToValue.ts
+++ b/frontend/common/utils/featureStateToValue.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
-import type { FeatureStateValue, FlagsmithValue } from 'common/types/responses'
+import type {
+  FeatureStateValue,
+  FlagsmithValue,
+  TraitValue,
+} from 'common/types/responses'
 
 /**
  * Flattens a feature state (or core trait) value into its typed scalar.
@@ -10,7 +14,7 @@ import type { FeatureStateValue, FlagsmithValue } from 'common/types/responses'
  * their unit tests) don't pull the Flux stores in through `utils.tsx`.
  */
 export function featureStateToValue(
-  value: FlagsmithValue | FeatureStateValue | undefined,
+  value: FlagsmithValue | FeatureStateValue | TraitValue | undefined,
 ): FlagsmithValue {
   if (value === null || value === undefined) {
     return null
@@ -19,9 +23,7 @@ export function featureStateToValue(
     return value
   }
   // `value_type` is the type key on core traits; `type` on feature states.
-  const type =
-    (value as { value_type?: FeatureStateValue['type'] }).value_type ??
-    value.type
+  const type = 'value_type' in value ? value.value_type : value.type
   switch (type) {
     case 'bool':
       return value.boolean_value
diff --git a/frontend/common/utils/utils.tsx b/frontend/common/utils/utils.tsx
index 30df0c6165ae..d6564ec2b618 100644
--- a/frontend/common/utils/utils.tsx
+++ b/frontend/common/utils/utils.tsx
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
   ProjectFlag,
   SegmentCondition,
   Tag,
+  TraitValue,
   UserPermissions,
 } from 'common/types/responses'
 import flagsmith from '@flagsmith/flagsmith'
@@ -883,7 +884,7 @@ const Utils = Object.assign({}, BaseUtils, {
       type: 'unicode',
     }
   },
-  valueToTrait(value: FlagsmithValue) {
+  valueToTrait(value: FlagsmithValue): TraitValue {
     const val = Utils.getTypedValue(value)
 
     if (typeof val === 'boolean') {