diff --git a/news/changelog-1.12.md b/news/changelog-1.12.md
index 9d1014a83a..c65a17a99f 100644
--- a/news/changelog-1.12.md
+++ b/news/changelog-1.12.md
@@ -52,6 +52,12 @@ All changes included in 1.12:
 
 - ([#15063](https://github.com/quarto-dev/quarto-cli/issues/15063)): Fix a format extension's own `language` file stopping the render with a "does not exist" error, and its `metadata-files` being ignored. Both now resolve relative to the extension's directory, and per-language files such as `_language-fr.yml` load beside the `language` file. (author: @mcanouil)
 
+## Engines
+
+### `jupyter`
+
+- ([#15281](https://github.com/quarto-dev/quarto-cli/issues/15281)): Fix the `cap-location` cell option in Jupyter notebooks using the `fig-cap-location` value instead of its own. (author: @SAMARTHJAISWAL)
+
 ## Other fixes and improvements
 
 - ([#14389](https://github.com/quarto-dev/quarto-cli/pull/14389)): Add `ar` (Arabic) language translation. The `skip-to-content`, `navigation-*-label`, `scrollable-*-label`, `link-external-newwindow-label`, `announcement-dismiss-label` and `revealjs-menu-button-label` keys use reviewed machine translation. (author: @ezAldinWaez)
diff --git a/src/core/jupyter/jupyter.ts b/src/core/jupyter/jupyter.ts
index 286bfb902c..909be78cab 100644
--- a/src/core/jupyter/jupyter.ts
+++ b/src/core/jupyter/jupyter.ts
@@ -1408,7 +1408,7 @@ async function mdFromCodeCell(
     classes.push(`tbl-column-${cell.options[kCellTblColumn]}`);
   }
   if (typeof cell.options[kCapLoc] === "string") {
-    classes.push(`caption-${cell.options[kFigCapLoc]}`);
+    classes.push(`caption-${cell.options[kCapLoc]}`);
   }
   if (typeof cell.options[kFigCapLoc] === "string") {
     classes.push(`fig-cap-location-${cell.options[kFigCapLoc]}`);
diff --git a/tests/docs/smoke-all/2026/11/12/issue-15281.ipynb b/tests/docs/smoke-all/2026/11/12/issue-15281.ipynb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..930a3cfd4d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/docs/smoke-all/2026/11/12/issue-15281.ipynb
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+{
+ "cells": [
+  {
+   "cell_type": "raw",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "---\n",
+    "title: \"Jupyter cell option cap-location\"\n",
+    "format: html\n",
+    "execute:\n",
+    "  enabled: false\n",
+    "_quarto:\n",
+    "  tests:\n",
+    "    html:\n",
+    "      ensureHtmlElements:\n",
+    "        - ['div#cell-cell-both.cell[data-cap-location=\"top\"]', 'div#cell-cell-cap-only.cell[data-cap-location=\"bottom\"]']\n",
+    "        - ['div.cell[data-cap-location=\"margin\"]', 'div.cell[data-cap-location=\"undefined\"]']\n",
+    "---"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "The `cap-location` cell option sets the `caption-<value>` class from its own value, not from `fig-cap-location`."
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 1,
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/plain": [
+       "1"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 1,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "#| label: cell-both\n",
+    "#| cap-location: top\n",
+    "#| fig-cap-location: margin\n",
+    "1"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 1,
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/plain": [
+       "1"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 1,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "#| label: cell-cap-only\n",
+    "#| cap-location: bottom\n",
+    "1"
+   ]
+  }
+ ],
+ "metadata": {
+  "kernelspec": {
+   "display_name": "Python 3",
+   "language": "python",
+   "name": "python3"
+  },
+  "language_info": {
+   "name": "python"
+  }
+ },
+ "nbformat": 4,
+ "nbformat_minor": 5
+}