diff --git a/src/editor/graph/NodeView.ts b/src/editor/graph/NodeView.ts
index f2bb28a9..94f9c289 100644
--- a/src/editor/graph/NodeView.ts
+++ b/src/editor/graph/NodeView.ts
@@ -488,8 +488,7 @@ function formatLive(output: PortDef, value: Value, project: Project | null): str
 }
 
 function formatValue(value: Value): string {
-  // Whole numbers stay bare to keep nodes narrow; fractions match the field that edits them.
-  if (typeof value === 'number') return Number.isInteger(value) ? String(value) : formatNumber(value);
+  if (typeof value === 'number') return formatNumber(value);
   if (typeof value === 'boolean') return value ? 'true' : 'false';
   // A list can hold hundreds of items – shown whole it would stretch the node across the graph.
   if (isList(value)) {
diff --git a/src/ui/math.ts b/src/ui/math.ts
index b7d479a2..2052c524 100644
--- a/src/ui/math.ts
+++ b/src/ui/math.ts
@@ -12,13 +12,13 @@ export function centreY(containerHeight: number, itemHeight: number): number {
 export const NUMBER_DECIMALS = 3;
 
 /**
- * Always shows `decimals` places, so a value can never look whole when it is not. A value that
- * rounds to zero never carries a minus sign.
+ * Rounds to `decimals` places and drops trailing zeros: `100`, `0.5`, `9.091`. A value that rounds
+ * to zero never carries a minus sign.
  */
 export function formatNumber(value: number, decimals = NUMBER_DECIMALS): string {
-  const zero = (0).toFixed(decimals);
   const text = value.toFixed(decimals);
-  return text === '-' + zero ? zero : text;
+  const trimmed = text.includes('.') ? text.replace(/\.?0+$/, '') : text;
+  return trimmed === '-0' ? '0' : trimmed;
 }
 
 /** Rounds to `decimals` places, which also removes binary-float noise (0.1 × 3 = 0.30000000000000004). */
diff --git a/src/ui/widgets/NumberField.ts b/src/ui/widgets/NumberField.ts
index f7e0a4cf..d43572c5 100644
--- a/src/ui/widgets/NumberField.ts
+++ b/src/ui/widgets/NumberField.ts
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ export interface NumberFieldOptions extends Omit<TextFieldOptions, 'onInput' | '
   /** Increment per scrubbed pixel and per arrow key, and the grid a scrub snaps to. */
   step?: number;
   /**
-   * Decimal places the value is kept *and* shown at (default `NUMBER_DECIMALS`) – the field rounds
-   * to it, so lowering it drops precision rather than hiding it.
+   * Decimal places the value is kept at and shown with at most (default `NUMBER_DECIMALS`) – the
+   * field rounds to it, so lowering it drops precision rather than hiding it.
    */
   decimals?: number;
   /** Fires continuously while scrubbing or typing a valid number. */
diff --git a/tests/ui/math.test.ts b/tests/ui/math.test.ts
index 0a704b2f..cbfc4367 100644
--- a/tests/ui/math.test.ts
+++ b/tests/ui/math.test.ts
@@ -31,11 +31,25 @@ describe('centreY', () => {
 });
 
 describe('formatNumber', () => {
-  it('shows three decimals by default', () => {
+  it('shows at most three decimals by default and drops trailing zeros', () => {
     expect(NUMBER_DECIMALS).toBe(3);
-    expect(formatNumber(100)).toBe('100.000');
-    expect(formatNumber(0.5)).toBe('0.500');
-    expect(formatNumber(-12)).toBe('-12.000');
+    expect(formatNumber(100)).toBe('100');
+    expect(formatNumber(0.5)).toBe('0.5');
+    expect(formatNumber(-12)).toBe('-12');
+    expect(formatNumber(9.0909)).toBe('9.091');
+    expect(formatNumber(2.1)).toBe('2.1');
+  });
+
+  it('keeps the zeros of a whole number', () => {
+    expect(formatNumber(100, 0)).toBe('100');
+    expect(formatNumber(1000)).toBe('1000');
+    expect(formatNumber(-50, 2)).toBe('-50');
+  });
+
+  it('drops the whole fraction once rounding leaves only zeros', () => {
+    expect(formatNumber(2.0004)).toBe('2');
+    expect(formatNumber(1.9996)).toBe('2');
+    expect(formatNumber(0.10004)).toBe('0.1');
   });
 
   it('never hides a fractional value behind a whole number', () => {
@@ -50,13 +64,16 @@ describe('formatNumber', () => {
   });
 
   it('drops the minus sign from a value that displays as zero', () => {
-    expect(formatNumber(-0)).toBe('0.000');
-    expect(formatNumber(-0.0001)).toBe('0.000');
+    expect(formatNumber(-0)).toBe('0');
+    expect(formatNumber(-0.0001)).toBe('0');
+    expect(formatNumber(-0.04, 1)).toBe('0');
   });
 
-  it('honours an explicit precision', () => {
+  it('honours an explicit precision as an upper bound', () => {
     expect(formatNumber(1.25, 1)).toBe('1.3');
     expect(formatNumber(1.25, 0)).toBe('1');
+    expect(formatNumber(1.5, 2)).toBe('1.5');
+    expect(formatNumber(12, 2)).toBe('12');
   });
 
   it('shows a field of integral values without a decimal point at all', () => {
diff --git a/tools/e2e/22-struct.mjs b/tools/e2e/22-struct.mjs
index 4a55e7de..639cb205 100644
--- a/tools/e2e/22-struct.mjs
+++ b/tools/e2e/22-struct.mjs
@@ -46,7 +46,10 @@ export async function structVariable(t) {
   // 22a. The declaration is what the inspector draws: a head that can add fields, a row per field.
   check('a struct variable carries the add-a-field control', (await find('+ Field')) !== null);
   check('and a row for each declared field', (await find('x')) !== null && (await find('tag')) !== null);
-  check('whose value is shown, not a summary of the bundle', (await find('30.000')) !== null);
+  check(
+    'whose value is shown, not a summary of the bundle',
+    (await find('30')) !== null && (await find('30.000')) === null,
+  );
   const assetLefts = await leftsOf(['Name', 'Run in editor', 'x', 'tag']);
   check(
     'a field value starts on the same column as every other row',
diff --git a/tools/e2e/28-shader.mjs b/tools/e2e/28-shader.mjs
index cd95ab5e..27553e7a 100644
--- a/tools/e2e/28-shader.mjs
+++ b/tools/e2e/28-shader.mjs
@@ -378,7 +378,7 @@ export async function shader(t) {
   await showTab('shader');
   check(
     'the Number node draws its value as a setting row',
-    (await json("__gm.shader.nodeSettings('sh-half')"))?.join() === 'Value: 0.500',
+    (await json("__gm.shader.nodeSettings('sh-half')"))?.join() === 'Value: 0.5',
     JSON.stringify(await json("__gm.shader.nodeSettings('sh-half')")),
   );
   await shot('28-number-node');