diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 1568496abf9..b1856e72159 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 
 Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 
+## Unreleased
+
 ## 2026.2.22 (Unreleased)
 
 ### Changes
@@ -29,6 +31,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 
 ### Fixes
 
+- Config/Memory: allow `"mistral"` in `agents.defaults.memorySearch.provider` and `agents.defaults.memorySearch.fallback` schema validation. (#14934) Thanks @ThomsenDrake.
 - Security/Feishu: enforce ID-only allowlist matching for DM/group sender authorization, normalize Feishu ID prefixes during checks, and ignore mutable display names so display-name collisions cannot satisfy allowlist entries. This ships in the next npm release. Thanks @jiseoung for reporting.
 - Feishu/Commands: in group chats, command authorization now falls back to top-level `channels.feishu.allowFrom` when per-group `allowFrom` is not set, so `/command` no longer gets blocked by an unintended empty allowlist. (#23756)
 - Feishu/Plugins: restore bundled Feishu SDK availability for global installs and strip `openclaw: workspace:*` from plugin `devDependencies` during plugin-version sync so npm-installed Feishu plugins do not fail dependency install. (#23611, #23645, #23603)
@@ -56,6 +59,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Telegram/Polling: clear Telegram webhooks (`deleteWebhook`) before starting long-poll `getUpdates`, including retry handling for transient cleanup failures.
 - Telegram/Webhook: add `channels.telegram.webhookPort` config support and pass it through plugin startup wiring to the monitor listener.
 - Telegram/Media: send a user-facing Telegram reply when media download fails (non-size errors) instead of silently dropping the message.
+- Agents/Media: route tool-result `MEDIA:` extraction through shared parser validation so malformed prose like `MEDIA:-prefixed ...` is no longer treated as a local file path (prevents Telegram ENOENT tool-error overrides). (#18780) Thanks @HOYALIM.
 - Logging: cap single log-file size with `logging.maxFileBytes` (default 500 MB) and suppress additional writes after cap hit to prevent disk exhaustion from repeated error storms.
 - Memory/Remote HTTP: centralize remote memory HTTP calls behind a shared guarded helper (`withRemoteHttpResponse`) so embeddings and batch flows use one request/release path.
 - Memory/Embeddings: apply configured remote-base host pinning (`allowedHostnames`) across OpenAI/Voyage/Gemini embedding requests to keep private/self-hosted endpoints working without cross-host drift. (#18198) Thanks @ianpcook.
@@ -79,8 +83,11 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Channels/Delivery: remove hardcoded WhatsApp delivery fallbacks; require explicit/session channel context or auto-pick the sole configured channel when unambiguous. (#23357) Thanks @lbo728.
 - ACP/Gateway: wait for gateway hello before opening ACP requests, and fail fast on pre-hello connect failures to avoid startup hangs and early `gateway not connected` request races. (#23390) Thanks @janckerchen.
 - Gateway/Auth: preserve `OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PASSWORD` env override precedence for remote gateway call credentials after shared resolver refactors, preventing stale configured remote passwords from overriding runtime secret rotation.
+- Gateway/Auth: preserve shared-token `gateway token mismatch` auth errors when `auth.token` fallback device-token checks fail, and reserve `device token mismatch` guidance for explicit `auth.deviceToken` failures.
 - Gateway/Tools: when agent tools pass an allowlisted `gatewayUrl` override, resolve local override tokens from env/config fallback but keep remote overrides strict to `gateway.remote.token`, preventing local token leakage to remote targets.
 - Gateway/Client: keep cached device-auth tokens on `device token mismatch` closes when the client used explicit shared token/password credentials, avoiding accidental pairing-token churn during explicit-auth failures.
+- Node host/Exec: keep strict Windows allowlist behavior for `cmd.exe /c` shell-wrapper runs, and return explicit approval guidance when blocked (`SYSTEM_RUN_DENIED: allowlist miss`).
+- Control UI: show pairing-required guidance (commands + mobile tokenized URL reminder) when the dashboard disconnects with `1008 pairing required`.
 - Security/Audit: add `openclaw security audit` detection for open group policies that expose runtime/filesystem tools without sandbox/workspace guards (`security.exposure.open_groups_with_runtime_or_fs`).
 - Security/Audit: make `gateway.real_ip_fallback_enabled` severity conditional for loopback trusted-proxy setups (warn for loopback-only `trustedProxies`, critical when non-loopback proxies are trusted). (#23428) Thanks @bmendonca3.
 - Security/Exec env: block request-scoped `HOME` and `ZDOTDIR` overrides in host exec env sanitizers (Node + macOS), preventing shell startup-file execution before allowlist-evaluated command bodies. This ships in the next npm release. Thanks @tdjackey for reporting.
@@ -95,6 +102,8 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Telegram/Network: default Node 22+ DNS result ordering to `ipv4first` for Telegram fetch paths and add `OPENCLAW_TELEGRAM_DNS_RESULT_ORDER`/`channels.telegram.network.dnsResultOrder` overrides to reduce IPv6-path fetch failures. (#5405) Thanks @Glucksberg.
 - Telegram/Forward bursts: coalesce forwarded text+media updates through a dedicated forward lane debounce window that works with default inbound debounce config, while keeping forwarded control commands immediate. (#19476) thanks @napetrov.
 - Telegram/Streaming: preserve archived draft preview mapping after flush and clean superseded reasoning preview bubbles so multi-message preview finals no longer cross-edit or orphan stale messages under send/rotation races. (#23202) Thanks @obviyus.
+- Telegram/Replies: scope messaging-tool text/media dedupe to same-target sends only, so cross-target tool sends can no longer silently suppress Telegram final replies.
+- Telegram/Replies: normalize `file://` and local-path media variants during messaging dedupe so equivalent media paths do not produce duplicate Telegram replies.
 - Telegram/Replies: extract forwarded-origin context from unified reply targets (`reply_to_message` and `external_reply`) so forward+comment metadata is preserved across partial reply shapes. (#9720) thanks @mcaxtr.
 - Telegram/Polling: persist a safe update-offset watermark bounded by pending updates so crash/restart cannot skip queued lower `update_id` updates after out-of-order completion. (#23284) thanks @frankekn.
 - Telegram/Polling: force-restart stuck runner instances when recoverable unhandled network rejections escape the polling task path, so polling resumes instead of silently stalling. (#19721) Thanks @jg-noncelogic.
@@ -116,6 +125,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Agents/Fallbacks: treat JSON payloads with `type: "api_error"` + `"Internal server error"` as transient failover errors so Anthropic 500-style failures trigger model fallback. (#23193) Thanks @jarvis-lane.
 - Agents/Google: sanitize non-base64 `thought_signature`/`thoughtSignature` values from assistant replay transcripts for native Google Gemini requests while preserving valid signatures and tool-call order. (#23457) Thanks @echoVic.
 - Agents/Transcripts: validate assistant tool-call names (syntax/length + registered tool allowlist) before transcript persistence and during replay sanitization so malformed failover tool names no longer poison sessions with repeated provider HTTP 400 errors. (#23324) Thanks @johnsantry.
+- Agents/Mistral: sanitize tool-call IDs in the embedded agent loop and generate strict provider-safe pending tool-call IDs, preventing Mistral strict9 `HTTP 400` failures on tool continuations. (#23698) Thanks @echoVic.
 - Agents/Compaction: strip stale assistant usage snapshots from pre-compaction turns when replaying history after a compaction summary so context-token estimation no longer reuses pre-compaction totals and immediately re-triggers destructive follow-up compactions. (#19127) Thanks @tedwatson.
 - Agents/Replies: emit a default completion acknowledgement (`✅ Done.`) when runs execute tools successfully but return no final assistant text, preventing silent no-reply turns after tool-only completions. (#22834) Thanks @Oldshue.
 - Agents/Subagents: honor `tools.subagents.tools.alsoAllow` and explicit subagent `allow` entries when resolving built-in subagent deny defaults, so explicitly granted tools (for example `sessions_send`) are no longer blocked unless re-denied in `tools.subagents.tools.deny`. (#23359) Thanks @goren-beehero.
diff --git a/docs/cli/nodes.md b/docs/cli/nodes.md
index 59c8a342d35..1bc8fd90c2c 100644
--- a/docs/cli/nodes.md
+++ b/docs/cli/nodes.md
@@ -69,5 +69,7 @@ Flags:
 - `--invoke-timeout <ms>`: node invoke timeout (default `30000`).
 - `--needs-screen-recording`: require screen recording permission.
 - `--raw <command>`: run a shell string (`/bin/sh -lc` or `cmd.exe /c`).
+  In allowlist mode on Windows node hosts, `cmd.exe /c` shell-wrapper runs require approval
+  (allowlist entry alone does not auto-allow the wrapper form).
 - `--agent <id>`: agent-scoped approvals/allowlists (defaults to configured agent).
 - `--ask <off|on-miss|always>`, `--security <deny|allowlist|full>`: overrides.
diff --git a/docs/nodes/index.md b/docs/nodes/index.md
index 430d07299db..21dd651f554 100644
--- a/docs/nodes/index.md
+++ b/docs/nodes/index.md
@@ -279,6 +279,7 @@ Notes:
 - `system.notify` respects notification permission state on the macOS app.
 - `system.run` supports `--cwd`, `--env KEY=VAL`, `--command-timeout`, and `--needs-screen-recording`.
 - For shell wrappers (`bash|sh|zsh ... -c/-lc`), request-scoped `--env` values are reduced to an explicit allowlist (`TERM`, `LANG`, `LC_*`, `COLORTERM`, `NO_COLOR`, `FORCE_COLOR`).
+- On Windows node hosts in allowlist mode, shell-wrapper runs via `cmd.exe /c` require approval (allowlist entry alone does not auto-allow the wrapper form).
 - `system.notify` supports `--priority <passive|active|timeSensitive>` and `--delivery <system|overlay|auto>`.
 - Node hosts ignore `PATH` overrides and strip dangerous startup/shell keys (`DYLD_*`, `LD_*`, `NODE_OPTIONS`, `PYTHON*`, `PERL*`, `RUBYOPT`, `SHELLOPTS`, `PS4`). If you need extra PATH entries, configure the node host service environment (or install tools in standard locations) instead of passing `PATH` via `--env`.
 - On macOS node mode, `system.run` is gated by exec approvals in the macOS app (Settings → Exec approvals).
diff --git a/docs/nodes/troubleshooting.md b/docs/nodes/troubleshooting.md
index ce815cdf00e..c8ba10bac49 100644
--- a/docs/nodes/troubleshooting.md
+++ b/docs/nodes/troubleshooting.md
@@ -86,6 +86,8 @@ If pairing is fine but `system.run` fails, fix exec approvals/allowlist.
 - `LOCATION_BACKGROUND_UNAVAILABLE` → app is backgrounded but only While Using permission exists.
 - `SYSTEM_RUN_DENIED: approval required` → exec request needs explicit approval.
 - `SYSTEM_RUN_DENIED: allowlist miss` → command blocked by allowlist mode.
+  On Windows node hosts, shell-wrapper forms like `cmd.exe /c ...` are treated as allowlist misses in
+  allowlist mode unless approved via ask flow.
 
 ## Fast recovery loop
 
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-helpers/errors.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-helpers/errors.ts
index 9e0ceb050de..68ee31f3fa5 100644
--- a/src/agents/pi-embedded-helpers/errors.ts
+++ b/src/agents/pi-embedded-helpers/errors.ts
@@ -614,6 +614,7 @@ const ERROR_PATTERNS = {
     "tool_use_id",
     "messages.1.content.1.tool_use.id",
     "invalid request format",
+    /tool call id was.*must be/i,
   ],
 } as const;
 
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner.test.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner.test.ts
index 84f48af9722..b28b43360a9 100644
--- a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner.test.ts
+++ b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner.test.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,23 @@ import "./test-helpers/fast-coding-tools.js";
 import { afterAll, beforeAll, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import type { OpenClawConfig } from "../config/config.js";
 
+function createMockUsage(input: number, output: number) {
+  return {
+    input,
+    output,
+    cacheRead: 0,
+    cacheWrite: 0,
+    totalTokens: input + output,
+    cost: {
+      input: 0,
+      output: 0,
+      cacheRead: 0,
+      cacheWrite: 0,
+      total: 0,
+    },
+  };
+}
+
 vi.mock("@mariozechner/pi-coding-agent", async () => {
   const actual = await vi.importActual<typeof import("@mariozechner/pi-coding-agent")>(
     "@mariozechner/pi-coding-agent",
@@ -40,20 +57,7 @@ vi.mock("@mariozechner/pi-ai", async () => {
     api: model.api,
     provider: model.provider,
     model: model.id,
-    usage: {
-      input: 1,
-      output: 1,
-      cacheRead: 0,
-      cacheWrite: 0,
-      totalTokens: 2,
-      cost: {
-        input: 0,
-        output: 0,
-        cacheRead: 0,
-        cacheWrite: 0,
-        total: 0,
-      },
-    },
+    usage: createMockUsage(1, 1),
     timestamp: Date.now(),
   });
 
@@ -65,20 +69,7 @@ vi.mock("@mariozechner/pi-ai", async () => {
     api: model.api,
     provider: model.provider,
     model: model.id,
-    usage: {
-      input: 0,
-      output: 0,
-      cacheRead: 0,
-      cacheWrite: 0,
-      totalTokens: 0,
-      cost: {
-        input: 0,
-        output: 0,
-        cacheRead: 0,
-        cacheWrite: 0,
-        total: 0,
-      },
-    },
+    usage: createMockUsage(0, 0),
     timestamp: Date.now(),
   });
 
@@ -314,20 +305,7 @@ describe.concurrent("runEmbeddedPiAgent", () => {
         api: "openai-responses",
         provider: "openai",
         model: "mock-1",
-        usage: {
-          input: 1,
-          output: 1,
-          cacheRead: 0,
-          cacheWrite: 0,
-          totalTokens: 2,
-          cost: {
-            input: 0,
-            output: 0,
-            cacheRead: 0,
-            cacheWrite: 0,
-            total: 0,
-          },
-        },
+        usage: createMockUsage(1, 1),
         timestamp: Date.now(),
       });
 
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/extra-params.openrouter-cache-control.test.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/extra-params.openrouter-cache-control.test.ts
index 15cd10f5e79..71af916ccac 100644
--- a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/extra-params.openrouter-cache-control.test.ts
+++ b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/extra-params.openrouter-cache-control.test.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,32 @@ import { createAssistantMessageEventStream } from "@mariozechner/pi-ai";
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import { applyExtraParamsToAgent } from "./extra-params.js";
 
+type StreamPayload = {
+  messages: Array<{
+    role: string;
+    content: unknown;
+  }>;
+};
+
+function runOpenRouterPayload(payload: StreamPayload, modelId: string) {
+  const baseStreamFn: StreamFn = (_model, _context, options) => {
+    options?.onPayload?.(payload);
+    return createAssistantMessageEventStream();
+  };
+  const agent = { streamFn: baseStreamFn };
+
+  applyExtraParamsToAgent(agent, undefined, "openrouter", modelId);
+
+  const model = {
+    api: "openai-completions",
+    provider: "openrouter",
+    id: modelId,
+  } as Model<"openai-completions">;
+  const context: Context = { messages: [] };
+
+  void agent.streamFn?.(model, context, {});
+}
+
 describe("extra-params: OpenRouter Anthropic cache_control", () => {
   it("injects cache_control into system message for OpenRouter Anthropic models", () => {
     const payload = {
@@ -12,22 +38,8 @@ describe("extra-params: OpenRouter Anthropic cache_control", () => {
         { role: "user", content: "Hello" },
       ],
     };
-    const baseStreamFn: StreamFn = (_model, _context, options) => {
-      options?.onPayload?.(payload);
-      return createAssistantMessageEventStream();
-    };
-    const agent = { streamFn: baseStreamFn };
 
-    applyExtraParamsToAgent(agent, undefined, "openrouter", "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6");
-
-    const model = {
-      api: "openai-completions",
-      provider: "openrouter",
-      id: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6",
-    } as Model<"openai-completions">;
-    const context: Context = { messages: [] };
-
-    void agent.streamFn?.(model, context, {});
+    runOpenRouterPayload(payload, "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6");
 
     expect(payload.messages[0].content).toEqual([
       { type: "text", text: "You are a helpful assistant.", cache_control: { type: "ephemeral" } },
@@ -47,22 +59,8 @@ describe("extra-params: OpenRouter Anthropic cache_control", () => {
         },
       ],
     };
-    const baseStreamFn: StreamFn = (_model, _context, options) => {
-      options?.onPayload?.(payload);
-      return createAssistantMessageEventStream();
-    };
-    const agent = { streamFn: baseStreamFn };
 
-    applyExtraParamsToAgent(agent, undefined, "openrouter", "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6");
-
-    const model = {
-      api: "openai-completions",
-      provider: "openrouter",
-      id: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6",
-    } as Model<"openai-completions">;
-    const context: Context = { messages: [] };
-
-    void agent.streamFn?.(model, context, {});
+    runOpenRouterPayload(payload, "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6");
 
     const content = payload.messages[0].content as Array<Record<string, unknown>>;
     expect(content[0]).toEqual({ type: "text", text: "Part 1" });
@@ -77,23 +75,19 @@ describe("extra-params: OpenRouter Anthropic cache_control", () => {
     const payload = {
       messages: [{ role: "system", content: "You are a helpful assistant." }],
     };
-    const baseStreamFn: StreamFn = (_model, _context, options) => {
-      options?.onPayload?.(payload);
-      return createAssistantMessageEventStream();
-    };
-    const agent = { streamFn: baseStreamFn };
 
-    applyExtraParamsToAgent(agent, undefined, "openrouter", "google/gemini-3-pro");
-
-    const model = {
-      api: "openai-completions",
-      provider: "openrouter",
-      id: "google/gemini-3-pro",
-    } as Model<"openai-completions">;
-    const context: Context = { messages: [] };
-
-    void agent.streamFn?.(model, context, {});
+    runOpenRouterPayload(payload, "google/gemini-3-pro");
 
     expect(payload.messages[0].content).toBe("You are a helpful assistant.");
   });
+
+  it("leaves payload unchanged when no system message exists", () => {
+    const payload = {
+      messages: [{ role: "user", content: "Hello" }],
+    };
+
+    runOpenRouterPayload(payload, "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6");
+
+    expect(payload.messages[0].content).toBe("Hello");
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run.ts
index 0a810a38a6d..1347354e3c4 100644
--- a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run.ts
+++ b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { randomBytes } from "node:crypto";
 import fs from "node:fs/promises";
 import type { ThinkLevel } from "../../auto-reply/thinking.js";
 import { generateSecureToken } from "../../infra/secure-random.js";
@@ -1122,7 +1123,7 @@ export async function runEmbeddedPiAgent(
               pendingToolCalls: attempt.clientToolCall
                 ? [
                     {
-                      id: `call_${Date.now()}`,
+                      id: randomBytes(5).toString("hex").slice(0, 9),
                       name: attempt.clientToolCall.name,
                       arguments: JSON.stringify(attempt.clientToolCall.params),
                     },
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.ts
index d8ba48e1564..d0892148bc2 100644
--- a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.ts
+++ b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.ts
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ import {
 } from "../../skills.js";
 import { buildSystemPromptParams } from "../../system-prompt-params.js";
 import { buildSystemPromptReport } from "../../system-prompt-report.js";
+import { sanitizeToolCallIdsForCloudCodeAssist } from "../../tool-call-id.js";
 import { resolveTranscriptPolicy } from "../../transcript-policy.js";
 import { DEFAULT_BOOTSTRAP_FILENAME } from "../../workspace.js";
 import { isRunnerAbortError } from "../abort.js";
@@ -771,6 +772,32 @@ export async function runEmbeddedAttempt(
         };
       }
 
+      // Mistral (and other strict providers) reject tool call IDs that don't match their
+      // format requirements (e.g. [a-zA-Z0-9]{9}). sanitizeSessionHistory only processes
+      // historical messages at attempt start, but the agent loop's internal tool call →
+      // tool result cycles bypass that path. Wrap streamFn so every outbound request
+      // sees sanitized tool call IDs.
+      if (transcriptPolicy.sanitizeToolCallIds && transcriptPolicy.toolCallIdMode) {
+        const inner = activeSession.agent.streamFn;
+        const mode = transcriptPolicy.toolCallIdMode;
+        activeSession.agent.streamFn = (model, context, options) => {
+          const ctx = context as unknown as { messages?: unknown };
+          const messages = ctx?.messages;
+          if (!Array.isArray(messages)) {
+            return inner(model, context, options);
+          }
+          const sanitized = sanitizeToolCallIdsForCloudCodeAssist(messages as AgentMessage[], mode);
+          if (sanitized === messages) {
+            return inner(model, context, options);
+          }
+          const nextContext = {
+            ...(context as unknown as Record<string, unknown>),
+            messages: sanitized,
+          } as unknown;
+          return inner(model, nextContext as typeof context, options);
+        };
+      }
+
       if (anthropicPayloadLogger) {
         activeSession.agent.streamFn = anthropicPayloadLogger.wrapStreamFn(
           activeSession.agent.streamFn,
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-subscribe.tools.media.test.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-subscribe.tools.media.test.ts
index 3452830f271..a07ed71473d 100644
--- a/src/agents/pi-embedded-subscribe.tools.media.test.ts
+++ b/src/agents/pi-embedded-subscribe.tools.media.test.ts
@@ -175,6 +175,18 @@ describe("extractToolResultMediaPaths", () => {
     expect(extractToolResultMediaPaths(result)).toEqual([]);
   });
 
+  it("does not treat malformed MEDIA:-prefixed prose as a file path", () => {
+    const result = {
+      content: [
+        {
+          type: "text",
+          text: "MEDIA:-prefixed paths (lenient whitespace) when loading outbound media",
+        },
+      ],
+    };
+    expect(extractToolResultMediaPaths(result)).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
   it("still extracts MEDIA: at line start after other text lines", () => {
     const result = {
       content: [
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-subscribe.tools.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-subscribe.tools.ts
index 996e0c10c6c..f162d0cbd76 100644
--- a/src/agents/pi-embedded-subscribe.tools.ts
+++ b/src/agents/pi-embedded-subscribe.tools.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { getChannelPlugin, normalizeChannelId } from "../channels/plugins/index.js";
 import { normalizeTargetForProvider } from "../infra/outbound/target-normalization.js";
-import { MEDIA_TOKEN_RE } from "../media/parse.js";
+import { splitMediaFromOutput } from "../media/parse.js";
 import { truncateUtf16Safe } from "../utils.js";
 import { collectTextContentBlocks } from "./content-blocks.js";
 import { type MessagingToolSend } from "./pi-embedded-messaging.js";
@@ -203,7 +203,8 @@ export function extractToolResultMediaPaths(result: unknown): string[] {
     return [];
   }
 
-  // Extract MEDIA: paths from text content blocks.
+  // Extract MEDIA: paths from text content blocks using the shared parser so
+  // directive matching and validation stay in sync with outbound reply parsing.
   const paths: string[] = [];
   let hasImageContent = false;
   for (const item of content) {
@@ -216,24 +217,9 @@ export function extractToolResultMediaPaths(result: unknown): string[] {
       continue;
     }
     if (entry.type === "text" && typeof entry.text === "string") {
-      // Only parse lines that start with MEDIA: (after trimming) to avoid
-      // false-matching placeholders like <media:audio> or mid-line mentions.
-      // Mirrors the line-start guard in splitMediaFromOutput (media/parse.ts).
-      for (const line of entry.text.split("\n")) {
-        if (!line.trimStart().startsWith("MEDIA:")) {
-          continue;
-        }
-        MEDIA_TOKEN_RE.lastIndex = 0;
-        let match: RegExpExecArray | null;
-        while ((match = MEDIA_TOKEN_RE.exec(line)) !== null) {
-          const p = match[1]
-            ?.replace(/^[`"'[{(]+/, "")
-            .replace(/[`"'\]})\\,]+$/, "")
-            .trim();
-          if (p && p.length <= 4096) {
-            paths.push(p);
-          }
-        }
+      const parsed = splitMediaFromOutput(entry.text);
+      if (parsed.mediaUrls?.length) {
+        paths.push(...parsed.mediaUrls);
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-payloads.test.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-payloads.test.ts
index a8238969585..88f7d41a4c9 100644
--- a/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-payloads.test.ts
+++ b/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-payloads.test.ts
@@ -43,4 +43,32 @@ describe("buildReplyPayloads media filter integration", () => {
     // Text filter removes the payload entirely (text matched), so nothing remains.
     expect(replyPayloads).toHaveLength(0);
   });
+
+  it("does not dedupe text for cross-target messaging sends", () => {
+    const { replyPayloads } = buildReplyPayloads({
+      ...baseParams,
+      payloads: [{ text: "hello world!" }],
+      messageProvider: "telegram",
+      originatingTo: "telegram:123",
+      messagingToolSentTexts: ["hello world!"],
+      messagingToolSentTargets: [{ tool: "discord", provider: "discord", to: "channel:C1" }],
+    });
+
+    expect(replyPayloads).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(replyPayloads[0]?.text).toBe("hello world!");
+  });
+
+  it("does not dedupe media for cross-target messaging sends", () => {
+    const { replyPayloads } = buildReplyPayloads({
+      ...baseParams,
+      payloads: [{ text: "photo", mediaUrl: "file:///tmp/photo.jpg" }],
+      messageProvider: "telegram",
+      originatingTo: "telegram:123",
+      messagingToolSentMediaUrls: ["file:///tmp/photo.jpg"],
+      messagingToolSentTargets: [{ tool: "slack", provider: "slack", to: "channel:C1" }],
+    });
+
+    expect(replyPayloads).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(replyPayloads[0]?.mediaUrl).toBe("file:///tmp/photo.jpg");
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-payloads.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-payloads.ts
index ddc3bb0b154..a1de8c1d163 100644
--- a/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-payloads.ts
+++ b/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-payloads.ts
@@ -91,14 +91,24 @@ export function buildReplyPayloads(params: {
     originatingTo: params.originatingTo,
     accountId: params.accountId,
   });
-  const dedupedPayloads = filterMessagingToolDuplicates({
-    payloads: replyTaggedPayloads,
-    sentTexts: messagingToolSentTexts,
-  });
-  const mediaFilteredPayloads = filterMessagingToolMediaDuplicates({
-    payloads: dedupedPayloads,
-    sentMediaUrls: params.messagingToolSentMediaUrls ?? [],
-  });
+  // Only dedupe against messaging tool sends for the same origin target.
+  // Cross-target sends (for example posting to another channel) must not
+  // suppress the current conversation's final reply.
+  // If target metadata is unavailable, keep legacy dedupe behavior.
+  const dedupeMessagingToolPayloads =
+    suppressMessagingToolReplies || messagingToolSentTargets.length === 0;
+  const dedupedPayloads = dedupeMessagingToolPayloads
+    ? filterMessagingToolDuplicates({
+        payloads: replyTaggedPayloads,
+        sentTexts: messagingToolSentTexts,
+      })
+    : replyTaggedPayloads;
+  const mediaFilteredPayloads = dedupeMessagingToolPayloads
+    ? filterMessagingToolMediaDuplicates({
+        payloads: dedupedPayloads,
+        sentMediaUrls: params.messagingToolSentMediaUrls ?? [],
+      })
+    : dedupedPayloads;
   // Filter out payloads already sent via pipeline or directly during tool flush.
   const filteredPayloads = shouldDropFinalPayloads
     ? []
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner.misc.runreplyagent.test.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner.misc.runreplyagent.test.ts
index 66dac19a2e0..5d04655525c 100644
--- a/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner.misc.runreplyagent.test.ts
+++ b/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner.misc.runreplyagent.test.ts
@@ -876,6 +876,19 @@ describe("runReplyAgent messaging tool suppression", () => {
     expect(result).toMatchObject({ text: "hello world!" });
   });
 
+  it("keeps final reply when text matches a cross-target messaging send", async () => {
+    runEmbeddedPiAgentMock.mockResolvedValueOnce({
+      payloads: [{ text: "hello world!" }],
+      messagingToolSentTexts: ["hello world!"],
+      messagingToolSentTargets: [{ tool: "discord", provider: "discord", to: "channel:C1" }],
+      meta: {},
+    });
+
+    const result = await createRun("slack");
+
+    expect(result).toMatchObject({ text: "hello world!" });
+  });
+
   it("delivers replies when account ids do not match", async () => {
     runEmbeddedPiAgentMock.mockResolvedValueOnce({
       payloads: [{ text: "hello world!" }],
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/reply-payloads.test.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/reply-payloads.test.ts
index 160eed93aa6..0c52903a98c 100644
--- a/src/auto-reply/reply/reply-payloads.test.ts
+++ b/src/auto-reply/reply/reply-payloads.test.ts
@@ -58,4 +58,20 @@ describe("filterMessagingToolMediaDuplicates", () => {
     });
     expect(result).toBe(payloads);
   });
+
+  it("dedupes equivalent file and local path variants", () => {
+    const result = filterMessagingToolMediaDuplicates({
+      payloads: [{ text: "hello", mediaUrl: "/tmp/photo.jpg" }],
+      sentMediaUrls: ["file:///tmp/photo.jpg"],
+    });
+    expect(result).toEqual([{ text: "hello", mediaUrl: undefined, mediaUrls: undefined }]);
+  });
+
+  it("dedupes encoded file:// paths against local paths", () => {
+    const result = filterMessagingToolMediaDuplicates({
+      payloads: [{ text: "hello", mediaUrl: "/tmp/photo one.jpg" }],
+      sentMediaUrls: ["file:///tmp/photo%20one.jpg"],
+    });
+    expect(result).toEqual([{ text: "hello", mediaUrl: undefined, mediaUrls: undefined }]);
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/reply-payloads.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/reply-payloads.ts
index 5c320d502f0..41906f1227f 100644
--- a/src/auto-reply/reply/reply-payloads.ts
+++ b/src/auto-reply/reply/reply-payloads.ts
@@ -100,16 +100,35 @@ export function filterMessagingToolMediaDuplicates(params: {
   payloads: ReplyPayload[];
   sentMediaUrls: string[];
 }): ReplyPayload[] {
+  const normalizeMediaForDedupe = (value: string): string => {
+    const trimmed = value.trim();
+    if (!trimmed) {
+      return "";
+    }
+    if (!trimmed.toLowerCase().startsWith("file://")) {
+      return trimmed;
+    }
+    try {
+      const parsed = new URL(trimmed);
+      if (parsed.protocol === "file:") {
+        return decodeURIComponent(parsed.pathname || "");
+      }
+    } catch {
+      // Keep fallback below for non-URL-like inputs.
+    }
+    return trimmed.replace(/^file:\/\//i, "");
+  };
+
   const { payloads, sentMediaUrls } = params;
   if (sentMediaUrls.length === 0) {
     return payloads;
   }
-  const sentSet = new Set(sentMediaUrls);
+  const sentSet = new Set(sentMediaUrls.map(normalizeMediaForDedupe).filter(Boolean));
   return payloads.map((payload) => {
     const mediaUrl = payload.mediaUrl;
     const mediaUrls = payload.mediaUrls;
-    const stripSingle = mediaUrl && sentSet.has(mediaUrl);
-    const filteredUrls = mediaUrls?.filter((u) => !sentSet.has(u));
+    const stripSingle = mediaUrl && sentSet.has(normalizeMediaForDedupe(mediaUrl));
+    const filteredUrls = mediaUrls?.filter((u) => !sentSet.has(normalizeMediaForDedupe(u)));
     if (!stripSingle && (!mediaUrls || filteredUrls?.length === mediaUrls.length)) {
       return payload; // No change
     }
diff --git a/src/browser/bridge-server.auth.test.ts b/src/browser/bridge-server.auth.test.ts
index 38e1ff51f49..685f43b060a 100644
--- a/src/browser/bridge-server.auth.test.ts
+++ b/src/browser/bridge-server.auth.test.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,23 @@ function buildResolvedConfig(): ResolvedBrowserConfig {
 describe("startBrowserBridgeServer auth", () => {
   const servers: Array<{ stop: () => Promise<void> }> = [];
 
+  async function expectAuthFlow(
+    authConfig: { authToken?: string; authPassword?: string },
+    headers: Record<string, string>,
+  ) {
+    const bridge = await startBrowserBridgeServer({
+      resolved: buildResolvedConfig(),
+      ...authConfig,
+    });
+    servers.push({ stop: () => stopBrowserBridgeServer(bridge.server) });
+
+    const unauth = await fetch(`${bridge.baseUrl}/`);
+    expect(unauth.status).toBe(401);
+
+    const authed = await fetch(`${bridge.baseUrl}/`, { headers });
+    expect(authed.status).toBe(200);
+  }
+
   afterEach(async () => {
     while (servers.length) {
       const s = servers.pop();
@@ -45,35 +62,14 @@ describe("startBrowserBridgeServer auth", () => {
   });
 
   it("rejects unauthenticated requests when authToken is set", async () => {
-    const bridge = await startBrowserBridgeServer({
-      resolved: buildResolvedConfig(),
-      authToken: "secret-token",
-    });
-    servers.push({ stop: () => stopBrowserBridgeServer(bridge.server) });
-
-    const unauth = await fetch(`${bridge.baseUrl}/`);
-    expect(unauth.status).toBe(401);
-
-    const authed = await fetch(`${bridge.baseUrl}/`, {
-      headers: { Authorization: "Bearer secret-token" },
-    });
-    expect(authed.status).toBe(200);
+    await expectAuthFlow({ authToken: "secret-token" }, { Authorization: "Bearer secret-token" });
   });
 
   it("accepts x-openclaw-password when authPassword is set", async () => {
-    const bridge = await startBrowserBridgeServer({
-      resolved: buildResolvedConfig(),
-      authPassword: "secret-password",
-    });
-    servers.push({ stop: () => stopBrowserBridgeServer(bridge.server) });
-
-    const unauth = await fetch(`${bridge.baseUrl}/`);
-    expect(unauth.status).toBe(401);
-
-    const authed = await fetch(`${bridge.baseUrl}/`, {
-      headers: { "x-openclaw-password": "secret-password" },
-    });
-    expect(authed.status).toBe(200);
+    await expectAuthFlow(
+      { authPassword: "secret-password" },
+      { "x-openclaw-password": "secret-password" },
+    );
   });
 
   it("requires auth params", async () => {
diff --git a/src/browser/chrome.default-browser.test.ts b/src/browser/chrome.default-browser.test.ts
index d81ad878616..ccfdb2fc19f 100644
--- a/src/browser/chrome.default-browser.test.ts
+++ b/src/browser/chrome.default-browser.test.ts
@@ -17,33 +17,42 @@ import { execFileSync } from "node:child_process";
 import * as fs from "node:fs";
 
 describe("browser default executable detection", () => {
-  beforeEach(() => {
-    vi.clearAllMocks();
-  });
+  const launchServicesPlist = "com.apple.launchservices.secure.plist";
+  const chromeExecutablePath = "/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome";
 
-  it("prefers default Chromium browser on macOS", () => {
+  function mockMacDefaultBrowser(bundleId: string, appPath = ""): void {
     vi.mocked(execFileSync).mockImplementation((cmd, args) => {
       const argsStr = Array.isArray(args) ? args.join(" ") : "";
       if (cmd === "/usr/bin/plutil" && argsStr.includes("LSHandlers")) {
-        return JSON.stringify([
-          { LSHandlerURLScheme: "http", LSHandlerRoleAll: "com.google.Chrome" },
-        ]);
+        return JSON.stringify([{ LSHandlerURLScheme: "http", LSHandlerRoleAll: bundleId }]);
       }
       if (cmd === "/usr/bin/osascript" && argsStr.includes("path to application id")) {
-        return "/Applications/Google Chrome.app";
+        return appPath;
       }
       if (cmd === "/usr/bin/defaults") {
         return "Google Chrome";
       }
       return "";
     });
+  }
+
+  function mockChromeExecutableExists(): void {
     vi.mocked(fs.existsSync).mockImplementation((p) => {
       const value = String(p);
-      if (value.includes("com.apple.launchservices.secure.plist")) {
+      if (value.includes(launchServicesPlist)) {
         return true;
       }
-      return value.includes("/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome");
+      return value.includes(chromeExecutablePath);
     });
+  }
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.clearAllMocks();
+  });
+
+  it("prefers default Chromium browser on macOS", () => {
+    mockMacDefaultBrowser("com.google.Chrome", "/Applications/Google Chrome.app");
+    mockChromeExecutableExists();
 
     const exe = resolveBrowserExecutableForPlatform(
       {} as Parameters<typeof resolveBrowserExecutableForPlatform>[0],
@@ -55,22 +64,8 @@ describe("browser default executable detection", () => {
   });
 
   it("falls back when default browser is non-Chromium on macOS", () => {
-    vi.mocked(execFileSync).mockImplementation((cmd, args) => {
-      const argsStr = Array.isArray(args) ? args.join(" ") : "";
-      if (cmd === "/usr/bin/plutil" && argsStr.includes("LSHandlers")) {
-        return JSON.stringify([
-          { LSHandlerURLScheme: "http", LSHandlerRoleAll: "com.apple.Safari" },
-        ]);
-      }
-      return "";
-    });
-    vi.mocked(fs.existsSync).mockImplementation((p) => {
-      const value = String(p);
-      if (value.includes("com.apple.launchservices.secure.plist")) {
-        return true;
-      }
-      return value.includes("Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome");
-    });
+    mockMacDefaultBrowser("com.apple.Safari");
+    mockChromeExecutableExists();
 
     const exe = resolveBrowserExecutableForPlatform(
       {} as Parameters<typeof resolveBrowserExecutableForPlatform>[0],
diff --git a/src/browser/chrome.test.ts b/src/browser/chrome.test.ts
index 1f57e72d6a9..84839e98ce0 100644
--- a/src/browser/chrome.test.ts
+++ b/src/browser/chrome.test.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,15 @@ async function readJson(filePath: string): Promise<Record<string, unknown>> {
   return JSON.parse(raw) as Record<string, unknown>;
 }
 
+async function readDefaultProfileFromLocalState(
+  userDataDir: string,
+): Promise<Record<string, unknown>> {
+  const localState = await readJson(path.join(userDataDir, "Local State"));
+  const profile = localState.profile as Record<string, unknown>;
+  const infoCache = profile.info_cache as Record<string, unknown>;
+  return infoCache.Default as Record<string, unknown>;
+}
+
 describe("browser chrome profile decoration", () => {
   let fixtureRoot = "";
   let fixtureCount = 0;
@@ -53,10 +62,7 @@ describe("browser chrome profile decoration", () => {
 
     const expectedSignedArgb = ((0xff << 24) | 0xff4500) >> 0;
 
-    const localState = await readJson(path.join(userDataDir, "Local State"));
-    const profile = localState.profile as Record<string, unknown>;
-    const infoCache = profile.info_cache as Record<string, unknown>;
-    const def = infoCache.Default as Record<string, unknown>;
+    const def = await readDefaultProfileFromLocalState(userDataDir);
 
     expect(def.name).toBe(DEFAULT_OPENCLAW_BROWSER_PROFILE_NAME);
     expect(def.shortcut_name).toBe(DEFAULT_OPENCLAW_BROWSER_PROFILE_NAME);
@@ -84,10 +90,7 @@ describe("browser chrome profile decoration", () => {
   it("best-effort writes name when color is invalid", async () => {
     const userDataDir = await createUserDataDir();
     decorateOpenClawProfile(userDataDir, { color: "lobster-orange" });
-    const localState = await readJson(path.join(userDataDir, "Local State"));
-    const profile = localState.profile as Record<string, unknown>;
-    const infoCache = profile.info_cache as Record<string, unknown>;
-    const def = infoCache.Default as Record<string, unknown>;
+    const def = await readDefaultProfileFromLocalState(userDataDir);
 
     expect(def.name).toBe(DEFAULT_OPENCLAW_BROWSER_PROFILE_NAME);
     expect(def.profile_color_seed).toBeUndefined();
diff --git a/src/channels/plugins/plugins-core.test.ts b/src/channels/plugins/plugins-core.test.ts
index d7108070737..37ab09f6432 100644
--- a/src/channels/plugins/plugins-core.test.ts
+++ b/src/channels/plugins/plugins-core.test.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import type { TelegramProbe } from "../../telegram/probe.js";
 import type { TelegramTokenResolution } from "../../telegram/token.js";
 import {
   createChannelTestPluginBase,
+  createMSTeamsTestPluginBase,
   createOutboundTestPlugin,
   createTestRegistry,
 } from "../../test-utils/channel-plugins.js";
@@ -131,20 +132,7 @@ const msteamsOutbound: ChannelOutboundAdapter = {
 };
 
 const msteamsPlugin: ChannelPlugin = {
-  id: "msteams",
-  meta: {
-    id: "msteams",
-    label: "Microsoft Teams",
-    selectionLabel: "Microsoft Teams (Bot Framework)",
-    docsPath: "/channels/msteams",
-    blurb: "Bot Framework; enterprise support.",
-    aliases: ["teams"],
-  },
-  capabilities: { chatTypes: ["direct"] },
-  config: {
-    listAccountIds: () => [],
-    resolveAccount: () => ({}),
-  },
+  ...createMSTeamsTestPluginBase(),
   outbound: msteamsOutbound,
 };
 
diff --git a/src/cli/deps.test.ts b/src/cli/deps.test.ts
index 34c28cece57..3cba4d63ad8 100644
--- a/src/cli/deps.test.ts
+++ b/src/cli/deps.test.ts
@@ -50,6 +50,16 @@ vi.mock("../imessage/send.js", () => {
 });
 
 describe("createDefaultDeps", () => {
+  function expectUnusedModulesNotLoaded(exclude: keyof typeof moduleLoads): void {
+    const keys = Object.keys(moduleLoads) as Array<keyof typeof moduleLoads>;
+    for (const key of keys) {
+      if (key === exclude) {
+        continue;
+      }
+      expect(moduleLoads[key]).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    }
+  }
+
   beforeEach(() => {
     vi.clearAllMocks();
   });
@@ -71,11 +81,7 @@ describe("createDefaultDeps", () => {
 
     expect(moduleLoads.telegram).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     expect(sendFns.telegram).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
-    expect(moduleLoads.whatsapp).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
-    expect(moduleLoads.discord).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
-    expect(moduleLoads.slack).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
-    expect(moduleLoads.signal).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
-    expect(moduleLoads.imessage).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expectUnusedModulesNotLoaded("telegram");
   });
 
   it("reuses module cache after first dynamic import", async () => {
diff --git a/src/commands/models.list.test.ts b/src/commands/models.list.test.ts
index b46d0a4a18b..5b1f6f44547 100644
--- a/src/commands/models.list.test.ts
+++ b/src/commands/models.list.test.ts
@@ -104,6 +104,17 @@ function makeRuntime() {
   };
 }
 
+function expectModelRegistryUnavailable(
+  runtime: ReturnType<typeof makeRuntime>,
+  expectedDetail: string,
+) {
+  expect(runtime.error).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  expect(runtime.error.mock.calls[0]?.[0]).toContain("Model registry unavailable:");
+  expect(runtime.error.mock.calls[0]?.[0]).toContain(expectedDetail);
+  expect(runtime.log).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  expect(process.exitCode).toBe(1);
+}
+
 beforeEach(() => {
   previousExitCode = process.exitCode;
   process.exitCode = undefined;
@@ -432,12 +443,8 @@ describe("models list/status", () => {
     const runtime = makeRuntime();
     await modelsListCommand({ json: true }, runtime);
 
-    expect(runtime.error).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
-    expect(runtime.error.mock.calls[0]?.[0]).toContain("Model registry unavailable:");
-    expect(runtime.error.mock.calls[0]?.[0]).toContain("model discovery failed");
+    expectModelRegistryUnavailable(runtime, "model discovery failed");
     expect(runtime.error.mock.calls[0]?.[0]).not.toContain("configured models may appear missing");
-    expect(runtime.log).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
-    expect(process.exitCode).toBe(1);
   });
 
   it("models list fails fast when registry model discovery is unavailable", async () => {
@@ -452,11 +459,7 @@ describe("models list/status", () => {
     modelRegistryState.available = [];
     await modelsListCommand({ json: true }, runtime);
 
-    expect(runtime.error).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
-    expect(runtime.error.mock.calls[0]?.[0]).toContain("Model registry unavailable:");
-    expect(runtime.error.mock.calls[0]?.[0]).toContain("model discovery unavailable");
-    expect(runtime.log).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
-    expect(process.exitCode).toBe(1);
+    expectModelRegistryUnavailable(runtime, "model discovery unavailable");
   });
 
   it("loadModelRegistry throws when model discovery is unavailable", async () => {
diff --git a/src/config/sessions.cache.test.ts b/src/config/sessions.cache.test.ts
index cc3c6cb75a4..a77b1fdc2ea 100644
--- a/src/config/sessions.cache.test.ts
+++ b/src/config/sessions.cache.test.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,22 @@ import {
   saveSessionStore,
 } from "./sessions.js";
 
+function createSessionEntry(overrides: Partial<SessionEntry> = {}): SessionEntry {
+  return {
+    sessionId: "id-1",
+    updatedAt: Date.now(),
+    displayName: "Test Session 1",
+    ...overrides,
+  };
+}
+
+function createSingleSessionStore(
+  entry: SessionEntry = createSessionEntry(),
+  key = "session:1",
+): Record<string, SessionEntry> {
+  return { [key]: entry };
+}
+
 describe("Session Store Cache", () => {
   let fixtureRoot = "";
   let caseId = 0;
@@ -43,13 +59,7 @@ describe("Session Store Cache", () => {
   });
 
   it("should load session store from disk on first call", async () => {
-    const testStore: Record<string, SessionEntry> = {
-      "session:1": {
-        sessionId: "id-1",
-        updatedAt: Date.now(),
-        displayName: "Test Session 1",
-      },
-    };
+    const testStore = createSingleSessionStore();
 
     // Write test data
     await saveSessionStore(storePath, testStore);
@@ -60,13 +70,7 @@ describe("Session Store Cache", () => {
   });
 
   it("should cache session store on first load when file is unchanged", async () => {
-    const testStore: Record<string, SessionEntry> = {
-      "session:1": {
-        sessionId: "id-1",
-        updatedAt: Date.now(),
-        displayName: "Test Session 1",
-      },
-    };
+    const testStore = createSingleSessionStore();
 
     await saveSessionStore(storePath, testStore);
 
@@ -84,17 +88,15 @@ describe("Session Store Cache", () => {
   });
 
   it("should not allow cached session mutations to leak across loads", async () => {
-    const testStore: Record<string, SessionEntry> = {
-      "session:1": {
-        sessionId: "id-1",
-        updatedAt: Date.now(),
+    const testStore = createSingleSessionStore(
+      createSessionEntry({
         cliSessionIds: { openai: "sess-1" },
         skillsSnapshot: {
           prompt: "skills",
           skills: [{ name: "alpha" }],
         },
-      },
-    };
+      }),
+    );
 
     await saveSessionStore(storePath, testStore);
 
@@ -110,13 +112,7 @@ describe("Session Store Cache", () => {
   });
 
   it("should refresh cache when store file changes on disk", async () => {
-    const testStore: Record<string, SessionEntry> = {
-      "session:1": {
-        sessionId: "id-1",
-        updatedAt: Date.now(),
-        displayName: "Test Session 1",
-      },
-    };
+    const testStore = createSingleSessionStore();
 
     await saveSessionStore(storePath, testStore);
 
@@ -138,13 +134,7 @@ describe("Session Store Cache", () => {
   });
 
   it("should invalidate cache on write", async () => {
-    const testStore: Record<string, SessionEntry> = {
-      "session:1": {
-        sessionId: "id-1",
-        updatedAt: Date.now(),
-        displayName: "Test Session 1",
-      },
-    };
+    const testStore = createSingleSessionStore();
 
     await saveSessionStore(storePath, testStore);
 
@@ -172,13 +162,7 @@ describe("Session Store Cache", () => {
     process.env.OPENCLAW_SESSION_CACHE_TTL_MS = "0";
     clearSessionStoreCacheForTest();
 
-    const testStore: Record<string, SessionEntry> = {
-      "session:1": {
-        sessionId: "id-1",
-        updatedAt: Date.now(),
-        displayName: "Test Session 1",
-      },
-    };
+    const testStore = createSingleSessionStore();
 
     await saveSessionStore(storePath, testStore);
 
@@ -187,13 +171,10 @@ describe("Session Store Cache", () => {
     expect(loaded1).toEqual(testStore);
 
     // Modify file on disk
-    const modifiedStore: Record<string, SessionEntry> = {
-      "session:2": {
-        sessionId: "id-2",
-        updatedAt: Date.now(),
-        displayName: "Test Session 2",
-      },
-    };
+    const modifiedStore = createSingleSessionStore(
+      createSessionEntry({ sessionId: "id-2", displayName: "Test Session 2" }),
+      "session:2",
+    );
     fs.writeFileSync(storePath, JSON.stringify(modifiedStore, null, 2));
 
     // Second load - should read from disk (cache disabled)
diff --git a/src/config/types.agent-defaults.ts b/src/config/types.agent-defaults.ts
index aa3fbe41958..60b623db563 100644
--- a/src/config/types.agent-defaults.ts
+++ b/src/config/types.agent-defaults.ts
@@ -1,15 +1,11 @@
 import type { ChannelId } from "../channels/plugins/types.js";
+import type { AgentModelConfig, AgentSandboxConfig } from "./types.agents-shared.js";
 import type {
   BlockStreamingChunkConfig,
   BlockStreamingCoalesceConfig,
   HumanDelayConfig,
   TypingMode,
 } from "./types.base.js";
-import type {
-  SandboxBrowserSettings,
-  SandboxDockerSettings,
-  SandboxPruneSettings,
-} from "./types.sandbox.js";
 import type { MemorySearchConfig } from "./types.tools.js";
 
 export type AgentModelEntryConfig = {
@@ -248,40 +244,12 @@ export type AgentDefaultsConfig = {
     /** Auto-archive sub-agent sessions after N minutes (default: 60). */
     archiveAfterMinutes?: number;
     /** Default model selection for spawned sub-agents (string or {primary,fallbacks}). */
-    model?: string | { primary?: string; fallbacks?: string[] };
+    model?: AgentModelConfig;
     /** Default thinking level for spawned sub-agents (e.g. "off", "low", "medium", "high"). */
     thinking?: string;
   };
   /** Optional sandbox settings for non-main sessions. */
-  sandbox?: {
-    /** Enable sandboxing for sessions. */
-    mode?: "off" | "non-main" | "all";
-    /**
-     * Agent workspace access inside the sandbox.
-     * - "none": do not mount the agent workspace into the container; use a sandbox workspace under workspaceRoot
-     * - "ro": mount the agent workspace read-only; disables write/edit tools
-     * - "rw": mount the agent workspace read/write; enables write/edit tools
-     */
-    workspaceAccess?: "none" | "ro" | "rw";
-    /**
-     * Session tools visibility for sandboxed sessions.
-     * - "spawned": only allow session tools to target the current session and sessions spawned from it (default)
-     * - "all": allow session tools to target any session
-     */
-    sessionToolsVisibility?: "spawned" | "all";
-    /** Container/workspace scope for sandbox isolation. */
-    scope?: "session" | "agent" | "shared";
-    /** Legacy alias for scope ("session" when true, "shared" when false). */
-    perSession?: boolean;
-    /** Root directory for sandbox workspaces. */
-    workspaceRoot?: string;
-    /** Docker-specific sandbox settings. */
-    docker?: SandboxDockerSettings;
-    /** Optional sandboxed browser settings. */
-    browser?: SandboxBrowserSettings;
-    /** Auto-prune sandbox containers. */
-    prune?: SandboxPruneSettings;
-  };
+  sandbox?: AgentSandboxConfig;
 };
 
 export type AgentCompactionMode = "default" | "safeguard";
diff --git a/src/config/types.agents-shared.ts b/src/config/types.agents-shared.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..152c8973c11
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/config/types.agents-shared.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+import type {
+  SandboxBrowserSettings,
+  SandboxDockerSettings,
+  SandboxPruneSettings,
+} from "./types.sandbox.js";
+
+export type AgentModelConfig =
+  | string
+  | {
+      /** Primary model (provider/model). */
+      primary?: string;
+      /** Per-agent model fallbacks (provider/model). */
+      fallbacks?: string[];
+    };
+
+export type AgentSandboxConfig = {
+  mode?: "off" | "non-main" | "all";
+  /** Agent workspace access inside the sandbox. */
+  workspaceAccess?: "none" | "ro" | "rw";
+  /**
+   * Session tools visibility for sandboxed sessions.
+   * - "spawned": only allow session tools to target sessions spawned from this session (default)
+   * - "all": allow session tools to target any session
+   */
+  sessionToolsVisibility?: "spawned" | "all";
+  /** Container/workspace scope for sandbox isolation. */
+  scope?: "session" | "agent" | "shared";
+  /** Legacy alias for scope ("session" when true, "shared" when false). */
+  perSession?: boolean;
+  workspaceRoot?: string;
+  /** Docker-specific sandbox settings. */
+  docker?: SandboxDockerSettings;
+  /** Optional sandboxed browser settings. */
+  browser?: SandboxBrowserSettings;
+  /** Auto-prune sandbox settings. */
+  prune?: SandboxPruneSettings;
+};
diff --git a/src/config/types.agents.ts b/src/config/types.agents.ts
index 478e14e526b..11dd9bf4a2b 100644
--- a/src/config/types.agents.ts
+++ b/src/config/types.agents.ts
@@ -1,23 +1,10 @@
 import type { ChatType } from "../channels/chat-type.js";
 import type { AgentDefaultsConfig } from "./types.agent-defaults.js";
+import type { AgentModelConfig, AgentSandboxConfig } from "./types.agents-shared.js";
 import type { HumanDelayConfig, IdentityConfig } from "./types.base.js";
 import type { GroupChatConfig } from "./types.messages.js";
-import type {
-  SandboxBrowserSettings,
-  SandboxDockerSettings,
-  SandboxPruneSettings,
-} from "./types.sandbox.js";
 import type { AgentToolsConfig, MemorySearchConfig } from "./types.tools.js";
 
-export type AgentModelConfig =
-  | string
-  | {
-      /** Primary model (provider/model). */
-      primary?: string;
-      /** Per-agent model fallbacks (provider/model). */
-      fallbacks?: string[];
-    };
-
 export type AgentConfig = {
   id: string;
   default?: boolean;
@@ -38,30 +25,10 @@ export type AgentConfig = {
     /** Allow spawning sub-agents under other agent ids. Use "*" to allow any. */
     allowAgents?: string[];
     /** Per-agent default model for spawned sub-agents (string or {primary,fallbacks}). */
-    model?: string | { primary?: string; fallbacks?: string[] };
-  };
-  sandbox?: {
-    mode?: "off" | "non-main" | "all";
-    /** Agent workspace access inside the sandbox. */
-    workspaceAccess?: "none" | "ro" | "rw";
-    /**
-     * Session tools visibility for sandboxed sessions.
-     * - "spawned": only allow session tools to target sessions spawned from this session (default)
-     * - "all": allow session tools to target any session
-     */
-    sessionToolsVisibility?: "spawned" | "all";
-    /** Container/workspace scope for sandbox isolation. */
-    scope?: "session" | "agent" | "shared";
-    /** Legacy alias for scope ("session" when true, "shared" when false). */
-    perSession?: boolean;
-    workspaceRoot?: string;
-    /** Docker-specific sandbox overrides for this agent. */
-    docker?: SandboxDockerSettings;
-    /** Optional sandboxed browser overrides for this agent. */
-    browser?: SandboxBrowserSettings;
-    /** Auto-prune overrides for this agent. */
-    prune?: SandboxPruneSettings;
+    model?: AgentModelConfig;
   };
+  /** Optional per-agent sandbox overrides. */
+  sandbox?: AgentSandboxConfig;
   tools?: AgentToolsConfig;
 };
 
diff --git a/src/config/types.channel-messaging-common.ts b/src/config/types.channel-messaging-common.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..5d927884bd6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/config/types.channel-messaging-common.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+import type {
+  BlockStreamingCoalesceConfig,
+  DmPolicy,
+  GroupPolicy,
+  MarkdownConfig,
+} from "./types.base.js";
+import type { ChannelHeartbeatVisibilityConfig } from "./types.channels.js";
+import type { DmConfig } from "./types.messages.js";
+
+export type CommonChannelMessagingConfig = {
+  /** Optional display name for this account (used in CLI/UI lists). */
+  name?: string;
+  /** Optional provider capability tags used for agent/runtime guidance. */
+  capabilities?: string[];
+  /** Markdown formatting overrides (tables). */
+  markdown?: MarkdownConfig;
+  /** Allow channel-initiated config writes (default: true). */
+  configWrites?: boolean;
+  /** If false, do not start this account. Default: true. */
+  enabled?: boolean;
+  /** Direct message access policy (default: pairing). */
+  dmPolicy?: DmPolicy;
+  /** Optional allowlist for inbound DM senders. */
+  allowFrom?: Array<string | number>;
+  /** Default delivery target for CLI --deliver when no explicit --reply-to is provided. */
+  defaultTo?: string;
+  /** Optional allowlist for group/channel senders. */
+  groupAllowFrom?: Array<string | number>;
+  /** Group/channel message handling policy. */
+  groupPolicy?: GroupPolicy;
+  /** Max group/channel messages to keep as history context (0 disables). */
+  historyLimit?: number;
+  /** Max DM turns to keep as history context. */
+  dmHistoryLimit?: number;
+  /** Per-DM config overrides keyed by sender ID. */
+  dms?: Record<string, DmConfig>;
+  /** Outbound text chunk size (chars). */
+  textChunkLimit?: number;
+  /** Chunking mode: "length" (default) splits by size; "newline" splits on every newline. */
+  chunkMode?: "length" | "newline";
+  blockStreaming?: boolean;
+  /** Merge streamed block replies before sending. */
+  blockStreamingCoalesce?: BlockStreamingCoalesceConfig;
+  /** Heartbeat visibility settings for this channel. */
+  heartbeat?: ChannelHeartbeatVisibilityConfig;
+  /** Outbound response prefix override for this channel/account. */
+  responsePrefix?: string;
+  /** Max outbound media size in MB. */
+  mediaMaxMb?: number;
+};
diff --git a/src/config/types.irc.ts b/src/config/types.irc.ts
index eff575d1918..61794523195 100644
--- a/src/config/types.irc.ts
+++ b/src/config/types.irc.ts
@@ -1,24 +1,7 @@
-import type {
-  BlockStreamingCoalesceConfig,
-  DmPolicy,
-  GroupPolicy,
-  MarkdownConfig,
-} from "./types.base.js";
-import type { ChannelHeartbeatVisibilityConfig } from "./types.channels.js";
-import type { DmConfig } from "./types.messages.js";
+import type { CommonChannelMessagingConfig } from "./types.channel-messaging-common.js";
 import type { GroupToolPolicyBySenderConfig, GroupToolPolicyConfig } from "./types.tools.js";
 
-export type IrcAccountConfig = {
-  /** Optional display name for this account (used in CLI/UI lists). */
-  name?: string;
-  /** Optional provider capability tags used for agent/runtime guidance. */
-  capabilities?: string[];
-  /** Markdown formatting overrides (tables). */
-  markdown?: MarkdownConfig;
-  /** Allow channel-initiated config writes (default: true). */
-  configWrites?: boolean;
-  /** If false, do not start this IRC account. Default: true. */
-  enabled?: boolean;
+export type IrcAccountConfig = CommonChannelMessagingConfig & {
   /** IRC server hostname (example: irc.libera.chat). */
   host?: string;
   /** IRC server port (default: 6697 with TLS, otherwise 6667). */
@@ -52,34 +35,8 @@ export type IrcAccountConfig = {
   };
   /** Auto-join channel list at connect (example: ["#openclaw"]). */
   channels?: string[];
-  /** Direct message access policy (default: pairing). */
-  dmPolicy?: DmPolicy;
-  /** Optional allowlist for inbound DM senders. */
-  allowFrom?: Array<string | number>;
-  /** Default delivery target for CLI --deliver when no explicit --reply-to is provided. */
-  defaultTo?: string;
-  /** Optional allowlist for IRC channel senders. */
-  groupAllowFrom?: Array<string | number>;
-  /**
-   * Controls how channel messages are handled:
-   * - "open": channels bypass allowFrom; mention-gating applies
-   * - "disabled": block all channel messages entirely
-   * - "allowlist": only allow channel messages from senders in groupAllowFrom/allowFrom
-   */
-  groupPolicy?: GroupPolicy;
-  /** Max channel messages to keep as history context (0 disables). */
-  historyLimit?: number;
-  /** Max DM turns to keep as history context. */
-  dmHistoryLimit?: number;
-  /** Per-DM config overrides keyed by sender ID. */
-  dms?: Record<string, DmConfig>;
   /** Outbound text chunk size (chars). Default: 350. */
   textChunkLimit?: number;
-  /** Chunking mode: "length" (default) splits by size; "newline" splits on every newline. */
-  chunkMode?: "length" | "newline";
-  blockStreaming?: boolean;
-  /** Merge streamed block replies before sending. */
-  blockStreamingCoalesce?: BlockStreamingCoalesceConfig;
   groups?: Record<
     string,
     {
@@ -94,12 +51,6 @@ export type IrcAccountConfig = {
   >;
   /** Optional mention patterns specific to IRC channel messages. */
   mentionPatterns?: string[];
-  /** Heartbeat visibility settings for this channel. */
-  heartbeat?: ChannelHeartbeatVisibilityConfig;
-  /** Outbound response prefix override for this channel/account. */
-  responsePrefix?: string;
-  /** Max outbound media size in MB. */
-  mediaMaxMb?: number;
 };
 
 export type IrcConfig = {
diff --git a/src/config/types.signal.ts b/src/config/types.signal.ts
index 8103b409906..cf45fa34025 100644
--- a/src/config/types.signal.ts
+++ b/src/config/types.signal.ts
@@ -1,26 +1,9 @@
-import type {
-  BlockStreamingCoalesceConfig,
-  DmPolicy,
-  GroupPolicy,
-  MarkdownConfig,
-} from "./types.base.js";
-import type { ChannelHeartbeatVisibilityConfig } from "./types.channels.js";
-import type { DmConfig } from "./types.messages.js";
+import type { CommonChannelMessagingConfig } from "./types.channel-messaging-common.js";
 
 export type SignalReactionNotificationMode = "off" | "own" | "all" | "allowlist";
 export type SignalReactionLevel = "off" | "ack" | "minimal" | "extensive";
 
-export type SignalAccountConfig = {
-  /** Optional display name for this account (used in CLI/UI lists). */
-  name?: string;
-  /** Optional provider capability tags used for agent/runtime guidance. */
-  capabilities?: string[];
-  /** Markdown formatting overrides (tables). */
-  markdown?: MarkdownConfig;
-  /** Allow channel-initiated config writes (default: true). */
-  configWrites?: boolean;
-  /** If false, do not start this Signal account. Default: true. */
-  enabled?: boolean;
+export type SignalAccountConfig = CommonChannelMessagingConfig & {
   /** Optional explicit E.164 account for signal-cli. */
   account?: string;
   /** Optional full base URL for signal-cli HTTP daemon. */
@@ -39,34 +22,8 @@ export type SignalAccountConfig = {
   ignoreAttachments?: boolean;
   ignoreStories?: boolean;
   sendReadReceipts?: boolean;
-  /** Direct message access policy (default: pairing). */
-  dmPolicy?: DmPolicy;
-  allowFrom?: Array<string | number>;
-  /** Default delivery target for CLI --deliver when no explicit --reply-to is provided. */
-  defaultTo?: string;
-  /** Optional allowlist for Signal group senders (E.164). */
-  groupAllowFrom?: Array<string | number>;
-  /**
-   * Controls how group messages are handled:
-   * - "open": groups bypass allowFrom, no extra gating
-   * - "disabled": block all group messages
-   * - "allowlist": only allow group messages from senders in groupAllowFrom/allowFrom
-   */
-  groupPolicy?: GroupPolicy;
-  /** Max group messages to keep as history context (0 disables). */
-  historyLimit?: number;
-  /** Max DM turns to keep as history context. */
-  dmHistoryLimit?: number;
-  /** Per-DM config overrides keyed by user ID. */
-  dms?: Record<string, DmConfig>;
   /** Outbound text chunk size (chars). Default: 4000. */
   textChunkLimit?: number;
-  /** Chunking mode: "length" (default) splits by size; "newline" splits on every newline. */
-  chunkMode?: "length" | "newline";
-  blockStreaming?: boolean;
-  /** Merge streamed block replies before sending. */
-  blockStreamingCoalesce?: BlockStreamingCoalesceConfig;
-  mediaMaxMb?: number;
   /** Reaction notification mode (off|own|all|allowlist). Default: own. */
   reactionNotifications?: SignalReactionNotificationMode;
   /** Allowlist for reaction notifications when mode is allowlist. */
@@ -84,10 +41,6 @@ export type SignalAccountConfig = {
    * - "extensive": Agent can react liberally
    */
   reactionLevel?: SignalReactionLevel;
-  /** Heartbeat visibility settings for this channel. */
-  heartbeat?: ChannelHeartbeatVisibilityConfig;
-  /** Outbound response prefix override for this channel/account. */
-  responsePrefix?: string;
 };
 
 export type SignalConfig = {
diff --git a/src/config/zod-schema.agent-runtime.ts b/src/config/zod-schema.agent-runtime.ts
index 507ec4c0fc1..4cd90203766 100644
--- a/src/config/zod-schema.agent-runtime.ts
+++ b/src/config/zod-schema.agent-runtime.ts
@@ -490,7 +490,13 @@ export const MemorySearchSchema = z
       .strict()
       .optional(),
     provider: z
-      .union([z.literal("openai"), z.literal("local"), z.literal("gemini"), z.literal("voyage")])
+      .union([
+        z.literal("openai"),
+        z.literal("local"),
+        z.literal("gemini"),
+        z.literal("voyage"),
+        z.literal("mistral"),
+      ])
       .optional(),
     remote: z
       .object({
@@ -516,6 +522,7 @@ export const MemorySearchSchema = z
         z.literal("gemini"),
         z.literal("local"),
         z.literal("voyage"),
+        z.literal("mistral"),
         z.literal("none"),
       ])
       .optional(),
diff --git a/src/gateway/server.auth.test.ts b/src/gateway/server.auth.test.ts
index 22c0e472508..a9b1b97c14a 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server.auth.test.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server.auth.test.ts
@@ -993,6 +993,42 @@ describe("gateway server auth/connect", () => {
     restoreGatewayToken(prevToken);
   });
 
+  test("keeps shared token mismatch reason when token fallback device-token check fails", async () => {
+    const { server, ws, port, prevToken } = await startServerWithClient("secret");
+    await ensurePairedDeviceTokenForCurrentIdentity(ws);
+
+    ws.close();
+
+    const ws2 = await openWs(port);
+    const res2 = await connectReq(ws2, { token: "wrong" });
+    expect(res2.ok).toBe(false);
+    expect(res2.error?.message ?? "").toContain("gateway token mismatch");
+    expect(res2.error?.message ?? "").not.toContain("device token mismatch");
+
+    ws2.close();
+    await server.close();
+    restoreGatewayToken(prevToken);
+  });
+
+  test("reports device token mismatch when explicit auth.deviceToken is wrong", async () => {
+    const { server, ws, port, prevToken } = await startServerWithClient("secret");
+    await ensurePairedDeviceTokenForCurrentIdentity(ws);
+
+    ws.close();
+
+    const ws2 = await openWs(port);
+    const res2 = await connectReq(ws2, {
+      skipDefaultAuth: true,
+      deviceToken: "not-a-valid-device-token",
+    });
+    expect(res2.ok).toBe(false);
+    expect(res2.error?.message ?? "").toContain("device token mismatch");
+
+    ws2.close();
+    await server.close();
+    restoreGatewayToken(prevToken);
+  });
+
   test("keeps shared-secret lockout separate from device-token auth", async () => {
     const { server, port, prevToken, deviceToken } =
       await startRateLimitedTokenServerWithPairedDeviceToken();
diff --git a/src/gateway/server.models-voicewake-misc.test.ts b/src/gateway/server.models-voicewake-misc.test.ts
index 5554fd10f4c..99e3b945e8e 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server.models-voicewake-misc.test.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server.models-voicewake-misc.test.ts
@@ -442,12 +442,11 @@ describe("gateway server misc", () => {
     await autoServer.close();
 
     const updated = JSON.parse(await fs.readFile(configPath, "utf-8")) as Record<string, unknown>;
-    const plugins = updated.plugins as Record<string, unknown> | undefined;
-    const entries = plugins?.entries as Record<string, unknown> | undefined;
-    const discord = entries?.discord as Record<string, unknown> | undefined;
-    expect(discord?.enabled).toBe(true);
-    expect((updated.channels as Record<string, unknown> | undefined)?.discord).toMatchObject({
+    const channels = updated.channels as Record<string, unknown> | undefined;
+    const discord = channels?.discord as Record<string, unknown> | undefined;
+    expect(discord).toMatchObject({
       token: "token-123",
+      enabled: true,
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/auth-context.ts b/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/auth-context.ts
index 4354f05000c..70cac275a86 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/auth-context.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/auth-context.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ type HandshakeConnectAuth = {
   password?: string;
 };
 
+export type DeviceTokenCandidateSource = "explicit-device-token" | "shared-token-fallback";
+
 export type ConnectAuthState = {
   authResult: GatewayAuthResult;
   authOk: boolean;
@@ -24,6 +26,7 @@ export type ConnectAuthState = {
   sharedAuthOk: boolean;
   sharedAuthProvided: boolean;
   deviceTokenCandidate?: string;
+  deviceTokenCandidateSource?: DeviceTokenCandidateSource;
 };
 
 function trimToUndefined(value: string | undefined): string | undefined {
@@ -45,14 +48,19 @@ function resolveSharedConnectAuth(
   return { token, password };
 }
 
-function resolveDeviceTokenCandidate(
-  connectAuth: HandshakeConnectAuth | null | undefined,
-): string | undefined {
+function resolveDeviceTokenCandidate(connectAuth: HandshakeConnectAuth | null | undefined): {
+  token?: string;
+  source?: DeviceTokenCandidateSource;
+} {
   const explicitDeviceToken = trimToUndefined(connectAuth?.deviceToken);
   if (explicitDeviceToken) {
-    return explicitDeviceToken;
+    return { token: explicitDeviceToken, source: "explicit-device-token" };
   }
-  return trimToUndefined(connectAuth?.token);
+  const fallbackToken = trimToUndefined(connectAuth?.token);
+  if (!fallbackToken) {
+    return {};
+  }
+  return { token: fallbackToken, source: "shared-token-fallback" };
 }
 
 export async function resolveConnectAuthState(params: {
@@ -67,9 +75,8 @@ export async function resolveConnectAuthState(params: {
 }): Promise<ConnectAuthState> {
   const sharedConnectAuth = resolveSharedConnectAuth(params.connectAuth);
   const sharedAuthProvided = Boolean(sharedConnectAuth);
-  const deviceTokenCandidate = params.hasDeviceIdentity
-    ? resolveDeviceTokenCandidate(params.connectAuth)
-    : undefined;
+  const { token: deviceTokenCandidate, source: deviceTokenCandidateSource } =
+    params.hasDeviceIdentity ? resolveDeviceTokenCandidate(params.connectAuth) : {};
   const hasDeviceTokenCandidate = Boolean(deviceTokenCandidate);
 
   let authResult: GatewayAuthResult = await authorizeWsControlUiGatewayConnect({
@@ -129,5 +136,6 @@ export async function resolveConnectAuthState(params: {
     sharedAuthOk,
     sharedAuthProvided,
     deviceTokenCandidate,
+    deviceTokenCandidateSource,
   };
 }
diff --git a/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/message-handler.ts b/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/message-handler.ts
index e59d852fc7d..6df1bedefb2 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/message-handler.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/message-handler.ts
@@ -355,17 +355,23 @@ export function attachGatewayWsMessageHandler(params: {
         });
         const device = controlUiAuthPolicy.device;
 
-        let { authResult, authOk, authMethod, sharedAuthOk, deviceTokenCandidate } =
-          await resolveConnectAuthState({
-            resolvedAuth,
-            connectAuth: connectParams.auth,
-            hasDeviceIdentity: Boolean(device),
-            req: upgradeReq,
-            trustedProxies,
-            allowRealIpFallback,
-            rateLimiter,
-            clientIp,
-          });
+        let {
+          authResult,
+          authOk,
+          authMethod,
+          sharedAuthOk,
+          deviceTokenCandidate,
+          deviceTokenCandidateSource,
+        } = await resolveConnectAuthState({
+          resolvedAuth,
+          connectAuth: connectParams.auth,
+          hasDeviceIdentity: Boolean(device),
+          req: upgradeReq,
+          trustedProxies,
+          allowRealIpFallback,
+          rateLimiter,
+          clientIp,
+        });
         const rejectUnauthorized = (failedAuth: GatewayAuthResult) => {
           markHandshakeFailure("unauthorized", {
             authMode: resolvedAuth.mode,
@@ -532,7 +538,11 @@ export function attachGatewayWsMessageHandler(params: {
               authMethod = "device-token";
               rateLimiter?.reset(clientIp, AUTH_RATE_LIMIT_SCOPE_DEVICE_TOKEN);
             } else {
-              authResult = { ok: false, reason: "device_token_mismatch" };
+              const mismatchReason =
+                deviceTokenCandidateSource === "explicit-device-token"
+                  ? "device_token_mismatch"
+                  : (authResult.reason ?? "device_token_mismatch");
+              authResult = { ok: false, reason: mismatchReason };
               rateLimiter?.recordFailure(clientIp, AUTH_RATE_LIMIT_SCOPE_DEVICE_TOKEN);
             }
           }
diff --git a/src/hooks/install.test.ts b/src/hooks/install.test.ts
index e5eeb16c01e..5c0cabc141b 100644
--- a/src/hooks/install.test.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/install.test.ts
@@ -3,10 +3,13 @@ import fs from "node:fs";
 import os from "node:os";
 import path from "node:path";
 import { afterAll, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { expectSingleNpmPackIgnoreScriptsCall } from "../test-utils/exec-assertions.js";
 import {
-  expectSingleNpmInstallIgnoreScriptsCall,
-  expectSingleNpmPackIgnoreScriptsCall,
-} from "../test-utils/exec-assertions.js";
+  expectInstallUsesIgnoreScripts,
+  expectIntegrityDriftRejected,
+  expectUnsupportedNpmSpec,
+  mockNpmPackMetadataResult,
+} from "../test-utils/npm-spec-install-test-helpers.js";
 import { isAddressInUseError } from "./gmail-watcher.js";
 
 const fixtureRoot = path.join(os.tmpdir(), `openclaw-hook-install-${randomUUID()}`);
@@ -60,17 +63,6 @@ function writeArchiveFixture(params: { fileName: string; contents: Buffer }) {
   };
 }
 
-async function expectUnsupportedNpmSpec(
-  install: (spec: string) => Promise<{ ok: boolean; error?: string }>,
-) {
-  const result = await install("github:evil/evil");
-  expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
-  if (result.ok) {
-    return;
-  }
-  expect(result.error).toContain("unsupported npm spec");
-}
-
 function expectInstallFailureContains(
   result: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof installHooksFromArchive>>,
   snippets: string[],
@@ -196,26 +188,13 @@ describe("installHooksFromPath", () => {
     );
 
     const run = vi.mocked(runCommandWithTimeout);
-    run.mockResolvedValue({
-      code: 0,
-      stdout: "",
-      stderr: "",
-      signal: null,
-      killed: false,
-      termination: "exit",
-    });
-
-    const res = await installHooksFromPath({
-      path: pkgDir,
-      hooksDir: path.join(stateDir, "hooks"),
-    });
-    expect(res.ok).toBe(true);
-    if (!res.ok) {
-      return;
-    }
-    expectSingleNpmInstallIgnoreScriptsCall({
-      calls: run.mock.calls as Array<[unknown, { cwd?: string } | undefined]>,
-      expectedCwd: res.targetDir,
+    await expectInstallUsesIgnoreScripts({
+      run,
+      install: async () =>
+        await installHooksFromPath({
+          path: pkgDir,
+          hooksDir: path.join(stateDir, "hooks"),
+        }),
     });
   });
 
@@ -383,22 +362,13 @@ describe("installHooksFromNpmSpec", () => {
 
   it("aborts when integrity drift callback rejects the fetched artifact", async () => {
     const run = vi.mocked(runCommandWithTimeout);
-    run.mockResolvedValue({
-      code: 0,
-      stdout: JSON.stringify([
-        {
-          id: "@openclaw/test-hooks@0.0.1",
-          name: "@openclaw/test-hooks",
-          version: "0.0.1",
-          filename: "test-hooks-0.0.1.tgz",
-          integrity: "sha512-new",
-          shasum: "newshasum",
-        },
-      ]),
-      stderr: "",
-      signal: null,
-      killed: false,
-      termination: "exit",
+    mockNpmPackMetadataResult(run, {
+      id: "@openclaw/test-hooks@0.0.1",
+      name: "@openclaw/test-hooks",
+      version: "0.0.1",
+      filename: "test-hooks-0.0.1.tgz",
+      integrity: "sha512-new",
+      shasum: "newshasum",
     });
 
     const onIntegrityDrift = vi.fn(async () => false);
@@ -407,18 +377,12 @@ describe("installHooksFromNpmSpec", () => {
       expectedIntegrity: "sha512-old",
       onIntegrityDrift,
     });
-
-    expect(onIntegrityDrift).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
-      expect.objectContaining({
-        expectedIntegrity: "sha512-old",
-        actualIntegrity: "sha512-new",
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
-    if (result.ok) {
-      return;
-    }
-    expect(result.error).toContain("integrity drift");
+    expectIntegrityDriftRejected({
+      onIntegrityDrift,
+      result,
+      expectedIntegrity: "sha512-old",
+      actualIntegrity: "sha512-new",
+    });
   });
 });
 
diff --git a/src/hooks/install.ts b/src/hooks/install.ts
index a394d92d570..c6032b8247e 100644
--- a/src/hooks/install.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/install.ts
@@ -1,22 +1,23 @@
 import fs from "node:fs/promises";
 import path from "node:path";
 import { MANIFEST_KEY } from "../compat/legacy-names.js";
+import { fileExists, readJsonFile, resolveArchiveKind } from "../infra/archive.js";
+import { resolveExistingInstallPath, withExtractedArchiveRoot } from "../infra/install-flow.js";
 import {
-  extractArchive,
-  fileExists,
-  readJsonFile,
-  resolveArchiveKind,
-  resolvePackedRootDir,
-} from "../infra/archive.js";
+  resolveInstallModeOptions,
+  resolveTimedInstallModeOptions,
+} from "../infra/install-mode-options.js";
 import { installPackageDir } from "../infra/install-package-dir.js";
 import { resolveSafeInstallDir, unscopedPackageName } from "../infra/install-safe-path.js";
 import {
   type NpmIntegrityDrift,
   type NpmSpecResolution,
   resolveArchiveSourcePath,
-  withTempDir,
 } from "../infra/install-source-utils.js";
-import { installFromNpmSpecArchive } from "../infra/npm-pack-install.js";
+import {
+  finalizeNpmSpecArchiveInstall,
+  installFromNpmSpecArchiveWithInstaller,
+} from "../infra/npm-pack-install.js";
 import { validateRegistryNpmSpec } from "../infra/npm-registry-spec.js";
 import { isPathInside, isPathInsideWithRealpath } from "../security/scan-paths.js";
 import { CONFIG_DIR, resolveUserPath } from "../utils.js";
@@ -96,30 +97,6 @@ async function ensureOpenClawHooks(manifest: HookPackageManifest) {
   return list;
 }
 
-function resolveHookInstallModeOptions(params: {
-  logger?: HookInstallLogger;
-  mode?: "install" | "update";
-  dryRun?: boolean;
-}): { logger: HookInstallLogger; mode: "install" | "update"; dryRun: boolean } {
-  return {
-    logger: params.logger ?? defaultLogger,
-    mode: params.mode ?? "install",
-    dryRun: params.dryRun ?? false,
-  };
-}
-
-function resolveTimedHookInstallModeOptions(params: {
-  logger?: HookInstallLogger;
-  timeoutMs?: number;
-  mode?: "install" | "update";
-  dryRun?: boolean;
-}): { logger: HookInstallLogger; timeoutMs: number; mode: "install" | "update"; dryRun: boolean } {
-  return {
-    ...resolveHookInstallModeOptions(params),
-    timeoutMs: params.timeoutMs ?? 120_000,
-  };
-}
-
 async function resolveInstallTargetDir(
   id: string,
   hooksDir?: string,
@@ -173,7 +150,7 @@ async function installHookPackageFromDir(params: {
   dryRun?: boolean;
   expectedHookPackId?: string;
 }): Promise<InstallHooksResult> {
-  const { logger, timeoutMs, mode, dryRun } = resolveTimedHookInstallModeOptions(params);
+  const { logger, timeoutMs, mode, dryRun } = resolveTimedInstallModeOptions(params, defaultLogger);
 
   const manifestPath = path.join(params.packageDir, "package.json");
   if (!(await fileExists(manifestPath))) {
@@ -283,7 +260,7 @@ async function installHookFromDir(params: {
   dryRun?: boolean;
   expectedHookPackId?: string;
 }): Promise<InstallHooksResult> {
-  const { logger, mode, dryRun } = resolveHookInstallModeOptions(params);
+  const { logger, mode, dryRun } = resolveInstallModeOptions(params, defaultLogger);
 
   await validateHookDir(params.hookDir);
   const hookName = await resolveHookNameFromDir(params.hookDir);
@@ -353,45 +330,34 @@ export async function installHooksFromArchive(params: {
   }
   const archivePath = archivePathResult.path;
 
-  return await withTempDir("openclaw-hook-", async (tmpDir) => {
-    const extractDir = path.join(tmpDir, "extract");
-    await fs.mkdir(extractDir, { recursive: true });
+  return await withExtractedArchiveRoot({
+    archivePath,
+    tempDirPrefix: "openclaw-hook-",
+    timeoutMs,
+    logger,
+    onExtracted: async (rootDir) => {
+      const manifestPath = path.join(rootDir, "package.json");
+      if (await fileExists(manifestPath)) {
+        return await installHookPackageFromDir({
+          packageDir: rootDir,
+          hooksDir: params.hooksDir,
+          timeoutMs,
+          logger,
+          mode: params.mode,
+          dryRun: params.dryRun,
+          expectedHookPackId: params.expectedHookPackId,
+        });
+      }
 
-    logger.info?.(`Extracting ${archivePath}…`);
-    try {
-      await extractArchive({ archivePath, destDir: extractDir, timeoutMs, logger });
-    } catch (err) {
-      return { ok: false, error: `failed to extract archive: ${String(err)}` };
-    }
-
-    let rootDir = "";
-    try {
-      rootDir = await resolvePackedRootDir(extractDir);
-    } catch (err) {
-      return { ok: false, error: String(err) };
-    }
-
-    const manifestPath = path.join(rootDir, "package.json");
-    if (await fileExists(manifestPath)) {
-      return await installHookPackageFromDir({
-        packageDir: rootDir,
+      return await installHookFromDir({
+        hookDir: rootDir,
         hooksDir: params.hooksDir,
-        timeoutMs,
         logger,
         mode: params.mode,
         dryRun: params.dryRun,
         expectedHookPackId: params.expectedHookPackId,
       });
-    }
-
-    return await installHookFromDir({
-      hookDir: rootDir,
-      hooksDir: params.hooksDir,
-      logger,
-      mode: params.mode,
-      dryRun: params.dryRun,
-      expectedHookPackId: params.expectedHookPackId,
-    });
+    },
   });
 }
 
@@ -406,7 +372,7 @@ export async function installHooksFromNpmSpec(params: {
   expectedIntegrity?: string;
   onIntegrityDrift?: (params: HookNpmIntegrityDriftParams) => boolean | Promise<boolean>;
 }): Promise<InstallHooksResult> {
-  const { logger, timeoutMs, mode, dryRun } = resolveTimedHookInstallModeOptions(params);
+  const { logger, timeoutMs, mode, dryRun } = resolveTimedInstallModeOptions(params, defaultLogger);
   const expectedHookPackId = params.expectedHookPackId;
   const spec = params.spec.trim();
   const specError = validateRegistryNpmSpec(spec);
@@ -415,7 +381,7 @@ export async function installHooksFromNpmSpec(params: {
   }
 
   logger.info?.(`Downloading ${spec}…`);
-  const flowResult = await installFromNpmSpecArchive({
+  const flowResult = await installFromNpmSpecArchiveWithInstaller({
     tempDirPrefix: "openclaw-hook-pack-",
     spec,
     timeoutMs,
@@ -424,28 +390,17 @@ export async function installHooksFromNpmSpec(params: {
     warn: (message) => {
       logger.warn?.(message);
     },
-    installFromArchive: async ({ archivePath }) =>
-      await installHooksFromArchive({
-        archivePath,
-        hooksDir: params.hooksDir,
-        timeoutMs,
-        logger,
-        mode,
-        dryRun,
-        expectedHookPackId,
-      }),
+    installFromArchive: installHooksFromArchive,
+    archiveInstallParams: {
+      hooksDir: params.hooksDir,
+      timeoutMs,
+      logger,
+      mode,
+      dryRun,
+      expectedHookPackId,
+    },
   });
-  if (!flowResult.ok) {
-    return flowResult;
-  }
-  if (!flowResult.installResult.ok) {
-    return flowResult.installResult;
-  }
-  return {
-    ...flowResult.installResult,
-    npmResolution: flowResult.npmResolution,
-    integrityDrift: flowResult.integrityDrift,
-  };
+  return finalizeNpmSpecArchiveInstall(flowResult);
 }
 
 export async function installHooksFromPath(params: {
@@ -457,12 +412,12 @@ export async function installHooksFromPath(params: {
   dryRun?: boolean;
   expectedHookPackId?: string;
 }): Promise<InstallHooksResult> {
-  const resolved = resolveUserPath(params.path);
-  if (!(await fileExists(resolved))) {
-    return { ok: false, error: `path not found: ${resolved}` };
+  const pathResult = await resolveExistingInstallPath(params.path);
+  if (!pathResult.ok) {
+    return pathResult;
   }
+  const { resolvedPath: resolved, stat } = pathResult;
 
-  const stat = await fs.stat(resolved);
   if (stat.isDirectory()) {
     const manifestPath = path.join(resolved, "package.json");
     if (await fileExists(manifestPath)) {
diff --git a/src/infra/http-body.test.ts b/src/infra/http-body.test.ts
index cfe6934863e..bfb14b92dca 100644
--- a/src/infra/http-body.test.ts
+++ b/src/infra/http-body.test.ts
@@ -113,15 +113,29 @@ describe("http body limits", () => {
     expect(req.__unhandledDestroyError).toBeUndefined();
   });
 
-  it("timeout surfaces typed error", async () => {
+  it("timeout surfaces typed error when timeoutMs is clamped", async () => {
     const req = createMockRequest({ emitEnd: false });
-    const promise = readRequestBodyWithLimit(req, { maxBytes: 128, timeoutMs: 10 });
+    const promise = readRequestBodyWithLimit(req, { maxBytes: 128, timeoutMs: 0 });
     await expect(promise).rejects.toSatisfy((error: unknown) =>
       isRequestBodyLimitError(error, "REQUEST_BODY_TIMEOUT"),
     );
     expect(req.__unhandledDestroyError).toBeUndefined();
   });
 
+  it("guard clamps invalid maxBytes to one byte", async () => {
+    const req = createMockRequest({ chunks: ["ab"], emitEnd: false });
+    const res = createMockServerResponse();
+    const guard = installRequestBodyLimitGuard(req, res, {
+      maxBytes: Number.NaN,
+      responseFormat: "text",
+    });
+    await waitForMicrotaskTurn();
+    expect(guard.isTripped()).toBe(true);
+    expect(guard.code()).toBe("PAYLOAD_TOO_LARGE");
+    expect(res.statusCode).toBe(413);
+    expect(req.__unhandledDestroyError).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
   it("declared oversized content-length does not emit unhandled error", async () => {
     const req = createMockRequest({
       headers: { "content-length": "9999" },
diff --git a/src/infra/http-body.ts b/src/infra/http-body.ts
index 3f7fc9c3dc1..cfa65560028 100644
--- a/src/infra/http-body.ts
+++ b/src/infra/http-body.ts
@@ -79,10 +79,15 @@ export type ReadRequestBodyOptions = {
   encoding?: BufferEncoding;
 };
 
-export async function readRequestBodyWithLimit(
-  req: IncomingMessage,
-  options: ReadRequestBodyOptions,
-): Promise<string> {
+type RequestBodyLimitValues = {
+  maxBytes: number;
+  timeoutMs: number;
+};
+
+function resolveRequestBodyLimitValues(options: {
+  maxBytes: number;
+  timeoutMs?: number;
+}): RequestBodyLimitValues {
   const maxBytes = Number.isFinite(options.maxBytes)
     ? Math.max(1, Math.floor(options.maxBytes))
     : 1;
@@ -90,6 +95,14 @@ export async function readRequestBodyWithLimit(
     typeof options.timeoutMs === "number" && Number.isFinite(options.timeoutMs)
       ? Math.max(1, Math.floor(options.timeoutMs))
       : DEFAULT_WEBHOOK_BODY_TIMEOUT_MS;
+  return { maxBytes, timeoutMs };
+}
+
+export async function readRequestBodyWithLimit(
+  req: IncomingMessage,
+  options: ReadRequestBodyOptions,
+): Promise<string> {
+  const { maxBytes, timeoutMs } = resolveRequestBodyLimitValues(options);
   const encoding = options.encoding ?? "utf-8";
 
   const declaredLength = parseContentLengthHeader(req);
@@ -241,13 +254,7 @@ export function installRequestBodyLimitGuard(
   res: ServerResponse,
   options: RequestBodyLimitGuardOptions,
 ): RequestBodyLimitGuard {
-  const maxBytes = Number.isFinite(options.maxBytes)
-    ? Math.max(1, Math.floor(options.maxBytes))
-    : 1;
-  const timeoutMs =
-    typeof options.timeoutMs === "number" && Number.isFinite(options.timeoutMs)
-      ? Math.max(1, Math.floor(options.timeoutMs))
-      : DEFAULT_WEBHOOK_BODY_TIMEOUT_MS;
+  const { maxBytes, timeoutMs } = resolveRequestBodyLimitValues(options);
   const responseFormat = options.responseFormat ?? "json";
   const customText = options.responseText ?? {};
 
diff --git a/src/infra/install-flow.test.ts b/src/infra/install-flow.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..62148f8e075
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/infra/install-flow.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+import fs from "node:fs/promises";
+import os from "node:os";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import * as archive from "./archive.js";
+import { resolveExistingInstallPath, withExtractedArchiveRoot } from "./install-flow.js";
+import * as installSource from "./install-source-utils.js";
+
+describe("resolveExistingInstallPath", () => {
+  let fixtureRoot = "";
+
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    fixtureRoot = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "openclaw-install-flow-"));
+  });
+
+  afterEach(async () => {
+    if (fixtureRoot) {
+      await fs.rm(fixtureRoot, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("returns resolved path and stat for existing files", async () => {
+    const filePath = path.join(fixtureRoot, "plugin.tgz");
+    await fs.writeFile(filePath, "archive");
+
+    const result = await resolveExistingInstallPath(filePath);
+
+    expect(result.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (!result.ok) {
+      return;
+    }
+    expect(result.resolvedPath).toBe(filePath);
+    expect(result.stat.isFile()).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("returns a path-not-found error for missing paths", async () => {
+    const missing = path.join(fixtureRoot, "missing.tgz");
+
+    const result = await resolveExistingInstallPath(missing);
+
+    expect(result).toEqual({
+      ok: false,
+      error: `path not found: ${missing}`,
+    });
+  });
+});
+
+describe("withExtractedArchiveRoot", () => {
+  afterEach(() => {
+    vi.restoreAllMocks();
+  });
+
+  it("extracts archive and passes root directory to callback", async () => {
+    const withTempDirSpy = vi
+      .spyOn(installSource, "withTempDir")
+      .mockImplementation(async (_prefix, fn) => await fn("/tmp/openclaw-install-flow"));
+    const extractSpy = vi.spyOn(archive, "extractArchive").mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+    const resolveRootSpy = vi
+      .spyOn(archive, "resolvePackedRootDir")
+      .mockResolvedValue("/tmp/openclaw-install-flow/extract/package");
+
+    const onExtracted = vi.fn(async (rootDir: string) => ({ ok: true as const, rootDir }));
+    const result = await withExtractedArchiveRoot({
+      archivePath: "/tmp/plugin.tgz",
+      tempDirPrefix: "openclaw-plugin-",
+      timeoutMs: 1000,
+      onExtracted,
+    });
+
+    expect(withTempDirSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith("openclaw-plugin-", expect.any(Function));
+    expect(extractSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        archivePath: "/tmp/plugin.tgz",
+      }),
+    );
+    expect(resolveRootSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith("/tmp/openclaw-install-flow/extract");
+    expect(onExtracted).toHaveBeenCalledWith("/tmp/openclaw-install-flow/extract/package");
+    expect(result).toEqual({
+      ok: true,
+      rootDir: "/tmp/openclaw-install-flow/extract/package",
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("returns extract failure when extraction throws", async () => {
+    vi.spyOn(installSource, "withTempDir").mockImplementation(
+      async (_prefix, fn) => await fn("/tmp/openclaw-install-flow"),
+    );
+    vi.spyOn(archive, "extractArchive").mockRejectedValue(new Error("boom"));
+
+    const result = await withExtractedArchiveRoot({
+      archivePath: "/tmp/plugin.tgz",
+      tempDirPrefix: "openclaw-plugin-",
+      timeoutMs: 1000,
+      onExtracted: async () => ({ ok: true as const }),
+    });
+
+    expect(result).toEqual({
+      ok: false,
+      error: "failed to extract archive: Error: boom",
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("returns root-resolution failure when archive layout is invalid", async () => {
+    vi.spyOn(installSource, "withTempDir").mockImplementation(
+      async (_prefix, fn) => await fn("/tmp/openclaw-install-flow"),
+    );
+    vi.spyOn(archive, "extractArchive").mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+    vi.spyOn(archive, "resolvePackedRootDir").mockRejectedValue(new Error("invalid layout"));
+
+    const result = await withExtractedArchiveRoot({
+      archivePath: "/tmp/plugin.tgz",
+      tempDirPrefix: "openclaw-plugin-",
+      timeoutMs: 1000,
+      onExtracted: async () => ({ ok: true as const }),
+    });
+
+    expect(result).toEqual({
+      ok: false,
+      error: "Error: invalid layout",
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/infra/install-flow.ts b/src/infra/install-flow.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..17d4cad2c7f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/infra/install-flow.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+import type { Stats } from "node:fs";
+import fs from "node:fs/promises";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { resolveUserPath } from "../utils.js";
+import { type ArchiveLogger, extractArchive, fileExists, resolvePackedRootDir } from "./archive.js";
+import { withTempDir } from "./install-source-utils.js";
+
+export type ExistingInstallPathResult =
+  | {
+      ok: true;
+      resolvedPath: string;
+      stat: Stats;
+    }
+  | {
+      ok: false;
+      error: string;
+    };
+
+export async function resolveExistingInstallPath(
+  inputPath: string,
+): Promise<ExistingInstallPathResult> {
+  const resolvedPath = resolveUserPath(inputPath);
+  if (!(await fileExists(resolvedPath))) {
+    return { ok: false, error: `path not found: ${resolvedPath}` };
+  }
+  const stat = await fs.stat(resolvedPath);
+  return { ok: true, resolvedPath, stat };
+}
+
+export async function withExtractedArchiveRoot<TResult extends { ok: boolean }>(params: {
+  archivePath: string;
+  tempDirPrefix: string;
+  timeoutMs: number;
+  logger?: ArchiveLogger;
+  onExtracted: (rootDir: string) => Promise<TResult>;
+}): Promise<TResult | { ok: false; error: string }> {
+  return await withTempDir(params.tempDirPrefix, async (tmpDir) => {
+    const extractDir = path.join(tmpDir, "extract");
+    await fs.mkdir(extractDir, { recursive: true });
+
+    params.logger?.info?.(`Extracting ${params.archivePath}…`);
+    try {
+      await extractArchive({
+        archivePath: params.archivePath,
+        destDir: extractDir,
+        timeoutMs: params.timeoutMs,
+        logger: params.logger,
+      });
+    } catch (err) {
+      return { ok: false, error: `failed to extract archive: ${String(err)}` };
+    }
+
+    let rootDir = "";
+    try {
+      rootDir = await resolvePackedRootDir(extractDir);
+    } catch (err) {
+      return { ok: false, error: String(err) };
+    }
+    return await params.onExtracted(rootDir);
+  });
+}
diff --git a/src/infra/install-mode-options.test.ts b/src/infra/install-mode-options.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..fe9cfa1a64c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/infra/install-mode-options.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import {
+  resolveInstallModeOptions,
+  resolveTimedInstallModeOptions,
+} from "./install-mode-options.js";
+
+describe("install mode option helpers", () => {
+  it("applies logger, mode, and dryRun defaults", () => {
+    const logger = { warn: (_message: string) => {} };
+    const result = resolveInstallModeOptions({}, logger);
+
+    expect(result).toEqual({
+      logger,
+      mode: "install",
+      dryRun: false,
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("preserves explicit mode and dryRun values", () => {
+    const logger = { warn: (_message: string) => {} };
+    const result = resolveInstallModeOptions(
+      {
+        logger,
+        mode: "update",
+        dryRun: true,
+      },
+      { warn: () => {} },
+    );
+
+    expect(result).toEqual({
+      logger,
+      mode: "update",
+      dryRun: true,
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("uses default timeout when not provided", () => {
+    const logger = { warn: (_message: string) => {} };
+    const result = resolveTimedInstallModeOptions({}, logger);
+
+    expect(result.timeoutMs).toBe(120_000);
+    expect(result.mode).toBe("install");
+    expect(result.dryRun).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("honors custom timeout default override", () => {
+    const result = resolveTimedInstallModeOptions({}, { warn: () => {} }, 5000);
+
+    expect(result.timeoutMs).toBe(5000);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/infra/install-mode-options.ts b/src/infra/install-mode-options.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..dabb8f5380e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/infra/install-mode-options.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+export type InstallMode = "install" | "update";
+
+export type InstallModeOptions<TLogger> = {
+  logger?: TLogger;
+  mode?: InstallMode;
+  dryRun?: boolean;
+};
+
+export type TimedInstallModeOptions<TLogger> = InstallModeOptions<TLogger> & {
+  timeoutMs?: number;
+};
+
+export function resolveInstallModeOptions<TLogger>(
+  params: InstallModeOptions<TLogger>,
+  defaultLogger: TLogger,
+): {
+  logger: TLogger;
+  mode: InstallMode;
+  dryRun: boolean;
+} {
+  return {
+    logger: params.logger ?? defaultLogger,
+    mode: params.mode ?? "install",
+    dryRun: params.dryRun ?? false,
+  };
+}
+
+export function resolveTimedInstallModeOptions<TLogger>(
+  params: TimedInstallModeOptions<TLogger>,
+  defaultLogger: TLogger,
+  defaultTimeoutMs = 120_000,
+): {
+  logger: TLogger;
+  timeoutMs: number;
+  mode: InstallMode;
+  dryRun: boolean;
+} {
+  return {
+    ...resolveInstallModeOptions(params, defaultLogger),
+    timeoutMs: params.timeoutMs ?? defaultTimeoutMs,
+  };
+}
diff --git a/src/infra/npm-pack-install.test.ts b/src/infra/npm-pack-install.test.ts
index 503b27a1b3c..c0428ec03c5 100644
--- a/src/infra/npm-pack-install.test.ts
+++ b/src/infra/npm-pack-install.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,11 @@
 import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import { packNpmSpecToArchive, withTempDir } from "./install-source-utils.js";
 import type { NpmIntegrityDriftPayload } from "./npm-integrity.js";
-import { installFromNpmSpecArchive } from "./npm-pack-install.js";
+import {
+  finalizeNpmSpecArchiveInstall,
+  installFromNpmSpecArchive,
+  installFromNpmSpecArchiveWithInstaller,
+} from "./npm-pack-install.js";
 
 vi.mock("./install-source-utils.js", async (importOriginal) => {
   const actual = await importOriginal<typeof import("./install-source-utils.js")>();
@@ -173,3 +177,99 @@ describe("installFromNpmSpecArchive", () => {
     expect(okResult.integrityDrift).toBeUndefined();
   });
 });
+
+describe("installFromNpmSpecArchiveWithInstaller", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.mocked(packNpmSpecToArchive).mockClear();
+  });
+
+  it("passes archive path and installer params to installFromArchive", async () => {
+    vi.mocked(packNpmSpecToArchive).mockResolvedValue({
+      ok: true,
+      archivePath: "/tmp/openclaw-plugin.tgz",
+      metadata: {
+        resolvedSpec: "@openclaw/voice-call@1.0.0",
+        integrity: "sha512-same",
+      },
+    });
+    const installFromArchive = vi.fn(
+      async (_params: { archivePath: string; pluginId: string }) =>
+        ({ ok: true as const, pluginId: "voice-call" }) as const,
+    );
+
+    const result = await installFromNpmSpecArchiveWithInstaller({
+      tempDirPrefix: "openclaw-test-",
+      spec: "@openclaw/voice-call@1.0.0",
+      timeoutMs: 1000,
+      installFromArchive,
+      archiveInstallParams: { pluginId: "voice-call" },
+    });
+
+    expect(result.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (!result.ok) {
+      return;
+    }
+    expect(installFromArchive).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+      archivePath: "/tmp/openclaw-plugin.tgz",
+      pluginId: "voice-call",
+    });
+    expect(result.installResult).toEqual({ ok: true, pluginId: "voice-call" });
+  });
+});
+
+describe("finalizeNpmSpecArchiveInstall", () => {
+  it("returns top-level flow errors unchanged", () => {
+    const result = finalizeNpmSpecArchiveInstall<{ ok: true } | { ok: false; error: string }>({
+      ok: false,
+      error: "pack failed",
+    });
+
+    expect(result).toEqual({ ok: false, error: "pack failed" });
+  });
+
+  it("returns install errors unchanged", () => {
+    const result = finalizeNpmSpecArchiveInstall<{ ok: true } | { ok: false; error: string }>({
+      ok: true,
+      installResult: { ok: false, error: "install failed" },
+      npmResolution: {
+        resolvedSpec: "@openclaw/test@1.0.0",
+        integrity: "sha512-same",
+        resolvedAt: "2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(result).toEqual({ ok: false, error: "install failed" });
+  });
+
+  it("attaches npm metadata to successful install results", () => {
+    const result = finalizeNpmSpecArchiveInstall<
+      { ok: true; pluginId: string } | { ok: false; error: string }
+    >({
+      ok: true,
+      installResult: { ok: true, pluginId: "voice-call" },
+      npmResolution: {
+        resolvedSpec: "@openclaw/voice-call@1.0.0",
+        integrity: "sha512-same",
+        resolvedAt: "2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
+      },
+      integrityDrift: {
+        expectedIntegrity: "sha512-old",
+        actualIntegrity: "sha512-same",
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(result).toEqual({
+      ok: true,
+      pluginId: "voice-call",
+      npmResolution: {
+        resolvedSpec: "@openclaw/voice-call@1.0.0",
+        integrity: "sha512-same",
+        resolvedAt: "2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
+      },
+      integrityDrift: {
+        expectedIntegrity: "sha512-old",
+        actualIntegrity: "sha512-same",
+      },
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/infra/npm-pack-install.ts b/src/infra/npm-pack-install.ts
index 6663c416993..447563c3015 100644
--- a/src/infra/npm-pack-install.ts
+++ b/src/infra/npm-pack-install.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,58 @@ export type NpmSpecArchiveInstallFlowResult<TResult extends { ok: boolean }> =
       integrityDrift?: NpmIntegrityDrift;
     };
 
+export async function installFromNpmSpecArchiveWithInstaller<
+  TResult extends { ok: boolean },
+  TArchiveInstallParams extends { archivePath: string },
+>(params: {
+  tempDirPrefix: string;
+  spec: string;
+  timeoutMs: number;
+  expectedIntegrity?: string;
+  onIntegrityDrift?: (payload: NpmIntegrityDriftPayload) => boolean | Promise<boolean>;
+  warn?: (message: string) => void;
+  installFromArchive: (params: TArchiveInstallParams) => Promise<TResult>;
+  archiveInstallParams: Omit<TArchiveInstallParams, "archivePath">;
+}): Promise<NpmSpecArchiveInstallFlowResult<TResult>> {
+  return await installFromNpmSpecArchive({
+    tempDirPrefix: params.tempDirPrefix,
+    spec: params.spec,
+    timeoutMs: params.timeoutMs,
+    expectedIntegrity: params.expectedIntegrity,
+    onIntegrityDrift: params.onIntegrityDrift,
+    warn: params.warn,
+    installFromArchive: async ({ archivePath }) =>
+      await params.installFromArchive({
+        archivePath,
+        ...params.archiveInstallParams,
+      } as TArchiveInstallParams),
+  });
+}
+
+export type NpmSpecArchiveFinalInstallResult<TResult extends { ok: boolean }> =
+  | { ok: false; error: string }
+  | Exclude<TResult, { ok: true }>
+  | (Extract<TResult, { ok: true }> & {
+      npmResolution: NpmSpecResolution;
+      integrityDrift?: NpmIntegrityDrift;
+    });
+
+export function finalizeNpmSpecArchiveInstall<TResult extends { ok: boolean }>(
+  flowResult: NpmSpecArchiveInstallFlowResult<TResult>,
+): NpmSpecArchiveFinalInstallResult<TResult> {
+  if (!flowResult.ok) {
+    return flowResult;
+  }
+  if (!flowResult.installResult.ok) {
+    return flowResult.installResult;
+  }
+  return {
+    ...flowResult.installResult,
+    npmResolution: flowResult.npmResolution,
+    integrityDrift: flowResult.integrityDrift,
+  };
+}
+
 export async function installFromNpmSpecArchive<TResult extends { ok: boolean }>(params: {
   tempDirPrefix: string;
   spec: string;
diff --git a/src/node-host/invoke-system-run.test.ts b/src/node-host/invoke-system-run.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..424bad83ed6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/node-host/invoke-system-run.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { formatSystemRunAllowlistMissMessage } from "./invoke-system-run.js";
+
+describe("formatSystemRunAllowlistMissMessage", () => {
+  it("returns legacy allowlist miss message by default", () => {
+    expect(formatSystemRunAllowlistMissMessage()).toBe("SYSTEM_RUN_DENIED: allowlist miss");
+  });
+
+  it("adds Windows shell-wrapper guidance when blocked by cmd.exe policy", () => {
+    expect(
+      formatSystemRunAllowlistMissMessage({
+        windowsShellWrapperBlocked: true,
+      }),
+    ).toContain("Windows shell wrappers like cmd.exe /c require approval");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/node-host/invoke-system-run.ts b/src/node-host/invoke-system-run.ts
index 92f3b632b62..87df62926ae 100644
--- a/src/node-host/invoke-system-run.ts
+++ b/src/node-host/invoke-system-run.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,19 @@ type SystemRunInvokeResult = {
   error?: { code?: string; message?: string } | null;
 };
 
+export function formatSystemRunAllowlistMissMessage(params?: {
+  windowsShellWrapperBlocked?: boolean;
+}): string {
+  if (params?.windowsShellWrapperBlocked) {
+    return (
+      "SYSTEM_RUN_DENIED: allowlist miss " +
+      "(Windows shell wrappers like cmd.exe /c require approval; " +
+      "approve once/always or run with --ask on-miss|always)"
+    );
+  }
+  return "SYSTEM_RUN_DENIED: allowlist miss";
+}
+
 export async function handleSystemRunInvoke(opts: {
   client: GatewayClient;
   params: SystemRunParams;
@@ -163,7 +176,8 @@ export async function handleSystemRunInvoke(opts: {
   const cmdInvocation = shellCommand
     ? opts.isCmdExeInvocation(segments[0]?.argv ?? [])
     : opts.isCmdExeInvocation(argv);
-  if (security === "allowlist" && isWindows && cmdInvocation) {
+  const windowsShellWrapperBlocked = security === "allowlist" && isWindows && cmdInvocation;
+  if (windowsShellWrapperBlocked) {
     analysisOk = false;
     allowlistSatisfied = false;
   }
@@ -317,7 +331,10 @@ export async function handleSystemRunInvoke(opts: {
     );
     await opts.sendInvokeResult({
       ok: false,
-      error: { code: "UNAVAILABLE", message: "SYSTEM_RUN_DENIED: allowlist miss" },
+      error: {
+        code: "UNAVAILABLE",
+        message: formatSystemRunAllowlistMissMessage({ windowsShellWrapperBlocked }),
+      },
     });
     return;
   }
diff --git a/src/plugins/install.test.ts b/src/plugins/install.test.ts
index a2642acfba4..02360ebccc6 100644
--- a/src/plugins/install.test.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/install.test.ts
@@ -6,10 +6,13 @@ import JSZip from "jszip";
 import * as tar from "tar";
 import { afterAll, beforeAll, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import * as skillScanner from "../security/skill-scanner.js";
+import { expectSingleNpmPackIgnoreScriptsCall } from "../test-utils/exec-assertions.js";
 import {
-  expectSingleNpmInstallIgnoreScriptsCall,
-  expectSingleNpmPackIgnoreScriptsCall,
-} from "../test-utils/exec-assertions.js";
+  expectInstallUsesIgnoreScripts,
+  expectIntegrityDriftRejected,
+  expectUnsupportedNpmSpec,
+  mockNpmPackMetadataResult,
+} from "../test-utils/npm-spec-install-test-helpers.js";
 
 vi.mock("../process/exec.js", () => ({
   runCommandWithTimeout: vi.fn(),
@@ -181,20 +184,37 @@ async function expectArchiveInstallReservedSegmentRejection(params: {
   packageName: string;
   outName: string;
 }) {
-  const stateDir = makeTempDir();
-  const workDir = makeTempDir();
-  const pkgDir = path.join(workDir, "package");
-  fs.mkdirSync(path.join(pkgDir, "dist"), { recursive: true });
-  fs.writeFileSync(
-    path.join(pkgDir, "package.json"),
-    JSON.stringify({
+  const result = await installArchivePackageAndReturnResult({
+    packageJson: {
       name: params.packageName,
       version: "0.0.1",
       openclaw: { extensions: ["./dist/index.js"] },
-    }),
-    "utf-8",
-  );
-  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(pkgDir, "dist", "index.js"), "export {};", "utf-8");
+    },
+    outName: params.outName,
+    withDistIndex: true,
+  });
+
+  expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
+  if (result.ok) {
+    return;
+  }
+  expect(result.error).toContain("reserved path segment");
+}
+
+async function installArchivePackageAndReturnResult(params: {
+  packageJson: Record<string, unknown>;
+  outName: string;
+  withDistIndex?: boolean;
+}) {
+  const stateDir = makeTempDir();
+  const workDir = makeTempDir();
+  const pkgDir = path.join(workDir, "package");
+  fs.mkdirSync(pkgDir, { recursive: true });
+  if (params.withDistIndex) {
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(pkgDir, "dist"), { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(pkgDir, "dist", "index.js"), "export {};", "utf-8");
+  }
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(pkgDir, "package.json"), JSON.stringify(params.packageJson), "utf-8");
 
   const archivePath = await packToArchive({
     pkgDir,
@@ -207,12 +227,7 @@ async function expectArchiveInstallReservedSegmentRejection(params: {
     archivePath,
     extensionsDir,
   });
-
-  expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
-  if (result.ok) {
-    return;
-  }
-  expect(result.error).toContain("reserved path segment");
+  return result;
 }
 
 afterAll(() => {
@@ -346,27 +361,10 @@ describe("installPluginFromArchive", () => {
   });
 
   it("rejects packages without openclaw.extensions", async () => {
-    const stateDir = makeTempDir();
-    const workDir = makeTempDir();
-    const pkgDir = path.join(workDir, "package");
-    fs.mkdirSync(pkgDir, { recursive: true });
-    fs.writeFileSync(
-      path.join(pkgDir, "package.json"),
-      JSON.stringify({ name: "@openclaw/nope", version: "0.0.1" }),
-      "utf-8",
-    );
-
-    const archivePath = await packToArchive({
-      pkgDir,
-      outDir: workDir,
+    const result = await installArchivePackageAndReturnResult({
+      packageJson: { name: "@openclaw/nope", version: "0.0.1" },
       outName: "bad.tgz",
     });
-
-    const extensionsDir = path.join(stateDir, "extensions");
-    const result = await installPluginFromArchive({
-      archivePath,
-      extensionsDir,
-    });
     expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
     if (result.ok) {
       return;
@@ -464,26 +462,13 @@ describe("installPluginFromDir", () => {
     fs.writeFileSync(path.join(pluginDir, "dist", "index.js"), "export {};", "utf-8");
 
     const run = vi.mocked(runCommandWithTimeout);
-    run.mockResolvedValue({
-      code: 0,
-      stdout: "",
-      stderr: "",
-      signal: null,
-      killed: false,
-      termination: "exit",
-    });
-
-    const res = await installPluginFromDir({
-      dirPath: pluginDir,
-      extensionsDir: path.join(stateDir, "extensions"),
-    });
-    expect(res.ok).toBe(true);
-    if (!res.ok) {
-      return;
-    }
-    expectSingleNpmInstallIgnoreScriptsCall({
-      calls: run.mock.calls as Array<[unknown, { cwd?: string } | undefined]>,
-      expectedCwd: res.targetDir,
+    await expectInstallUsesIgnoreScripts({
+      run,
+      install: async () =>
+        await installPluginFromDir({
+          dirPath: pluginDir,
+          extensionsDir: path.join(stateDir, "extensions"),
+        }),
     });
   });
 
@@ -596,32 +581,18 @@ describe("installPluginFromNpmSpec", () => {
   });
 
   it("rejects non-registry npm specs", async () => {
-    const result = await installPluginFromNpmSpec({ spec: "github:evil/evil" });
-    expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
-    if (result.ok) {
-      return;
-    }
-    expect(result.error).toContain("unsupported npm spec");
+    await expectUnsupportedNpmSpec((spec) => installPluginFromNpmSpec({ spec }));
   });
 
   it("aborts when integrity drift callback rejects the fetched artifact", async () => {
     const run = vi.mocked(runCommandWithTimeout);
-    run.mockResolvedValue({
-      code: 0,
-      stdout: JSON.stringify([
-        {
-          id: "@openclaw/voice-call@0.0.1",
-          name: "@openclaw/voice-call",
-          version: "0.0.1",
-          filename: "voice-call-0.0.1.tgz",
-          integrity: "sha512-new",
-          shasum: "newshasum",
-        },
-      ]),
-      stderr: "",
-      signal: null,
-      killed: false,
-      termination: "exit",
+    mockNpmPackMetadataResult(run, {
+      id: "@openclaw/voice-call@0.0.1",
+      name: "@openclaw/voice-call",
+      version: "0.0.1",
+      filename: "voice-call-0.0.1.tgz",
+      integrity: "sha512-new",
+      shasum: "newshasum",
     });
 
     const onIntegrityDrift = vi.fn(async () => false);
@@ -630,17 +601,11 @@ describe("installPluginFromNpmSpec", () => {
       expectedIntegrity: "sha512-old",
       onIntegrityDrift,
     });
-
-    expect(onIntegrityDrift).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
-      expect.objectContaining({
-        expectedIntegrity: "sha512-old",
-        actualIntegrity: "sha512-new",
-      }),
-    );
-    expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
-    if (result.ok) {
-      return;
-    }
-    expect(result.error).toContain("integrity drift");
+    expectIntegrityDriftRejected({
+      onIntegrityDrift,
+      result,
+      expectedIntegrity: "sha512-old",
+      actualIntegrity: "sha512-new",
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/src/plugins/install.ts b/src/plugins/install.ts
index 500162af703..40aeb3c5a63 100644
--- a/src/plugins/install.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/install.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,12 @@
 import fs from "node:fs/promises";
 import path from "node:path";
 import { MANIFEST_KEY } from "../compat/legacy-names.js";
+import { fileExists, readJsonFile, resolveArchiveKind } from "../infra/archive.js";
+import { resolveExistingInstallPath, withExtractedArchiveRoot } from "../infra/install-flow.js";
 import {
-  extractArchive,
-  fileExists,
-  readJsonFile,
-  resolveArchiveKind,
-  resolvePackedRootDir,
-} from "../infra/archive.js";
+  resolveInstallModeOptions,
+  resolveTimedInstallModeOptions,
+} from "../infra/install-mode-options.js";
 import { installPackageDir } from "../infra/install-package-dir.js";
 import {
   resolveSafeInstallDir,
@@ -18,9 +17,11 @@ import {
   type NpmIntegrityDrift,
   type NpmSpecResolution,
   resolveArchiveSourcePath,
-  withTempDir,
 } from "../infra/install-source-utils.js";
-import { installFromNpmSpecArchive } from "../infra/npm-pack-install.js";
+import {
+  finalizeNpmSpecArchiveInstall,
+  installFromNpmSpecArchiveWithInstaller,
+} from "../infra/npm-pack-install.js";
 import { validateRegistryNpmSpec } from "../infra/npm-registry-spec.js";
 import { extensionUsesSkippedScannerPath, isPathInside } from "../security/scan-paths.js";
 import * as skillScanner from "../security/skill-scanner.js";
@@ -87,35 +88,6 @@ async function ensureOpenClawExtensions(manifest: PackageManifest) {
   return list;
 }
 
-function resolvePluginInstallModeOptions(params: {
-  logger?: PluginInstallLogger;
-  mode?: "install" | "update";
-  dryRun?: boolean;
-}): { logger: PluginInstallLogger; mode: "install" | "update"; dryRun: boolean } {
-  return {
-    logger: params.logger ?? defaultLogger,
-    mode: params.mode ?? "install",
-    dryRun: params.dryRun ?? false,
-  };
-}
-
-function resolveTimedPluginInstallModeOptions(params: {
-  logger?: PluginInstallLogger;
-  timeoutMs?: number;
-  mode?: "install" | "update";
-  dryRun?: boolean;
-}): {
-  logger: PluginInstallLogger;
-  timeoutMs: number;
-  mode: "install" | "update";
-  dryRun: boolean;
-} {
-  return {
-    ...resolvePluginInstallModeOptions(params),
-    timeoutMs: params.timeoutMs ?? 120_000,
-  };
-}
-
 function buildFileInstallResult(pluginId: string, targetFile: string): InstallPluginResult {
   return {
     ok: true,
@@ -155,7 +127,7 @@ async function installPluginFromPackageDir(params: {
   dryRun?: boolean;
   expectedPluginId?: string;
 }): Promise<InstallPluginResult> {
-  const { logger, timeoutMs, mode, dryRun } = resolveTimedPluginInstallModeOptions(params);
+  const { logger, timeoutMs, mode, dryRun } = resolveTimedInstallModeOptions(params, defaultLogger);
 
   const manifestPath = path.join(params.packageDir, "package.json");
   if (!(await fileExists(manifestPath))) {
@@ -318,38 +290,21 @@ export async function installPluginFromArchive(params: {
   }
   const archivePath = archivePathResult.path;
 
-  return await withTempDir("openclaw-plugin-", async (tmpDir) => {
-    const extractDir = path.join(tmpDir, "extract");
-    await fs.mkdir(extractDir, { recursive: true });
-
-    logger.info?.(`Extracting ${archivePath}…`);
-    try {
-      await extractArchive({
-        archivePath,
-        destDir: extractDir,
+  return await withExtractedArchiveRoot({
+    archivePath,
+    tempDirPrefix: "openclaw-plugin-",
+    timeoutMs,
+    logger,
+    onExtracted: async (packageDir) =>
+      await installPluginFromPackageDir({
+        packageDir,
+        extensionsDir: params.extensionsDir,
         timeoutMs,
         logger,
-      });
-    } catch (err) {
-      return { ok: false, error: `failed to extract archive: ${String(err)}` };
-    }
-
-    let packageDir = "";
-    try {
-      packageDir = await resolvePackedRootDir(extractDir);
-    } catch (err) {
-      return { ok: false, error: String(err) };
-    }
-
-    return await installPluginFromPackageDir({
-      packageDir,
-      extensionsDir: params.extensionsDir,
-      timeoutMs,
-      logger,
-      mode,
-      dryRun: params.dryRun,
-      expectedPluginId: params.expectedPluginId,
-    });
+        mode,
+        dryRun: params.dryRun,
+        expectedPluginId: params.expectedPluginId,
+      }),
   });
 }
 
@@ -389,7 +344,7 @@ export async function installPluginFromFile(params: {
   mode?: "install" | "update";
   dryRun?: boolean;
 }): Promise<InstallPluginResult> {
-  const { logger, mode, dryRun } = resolvePluginInstallModeOptions(params);
+  const { logger, mode, dryRun } = resolveInstallModeOptions(params, defaultLogger);
 
   const filePath = resolveUserPath(params.filePath);
   if (!(await fileExists(filePath))) {
@@ -434,7 +389,7 @@ export async function installPluginFromNpmSpec(params: {
   expectedIntegrity?: string;
   onIntegrityDrift?: (params: PluginNpmIntegrityDriftParams) => boolean | Promise<boolean>;
 }): Promise<InstallPluginResult> {
-  const { logger, timeoutMs, mode, dryRun } = resolveTimedPluginInstallModeOptions(params);
+  const { logger, timeoutMs, mode, dryRun } = resolveTimedInstallModeOptions(params, defaultLogger);
   const expectedPluginId = params.expectedPluginId;
   const spec = params.spec.trim();
   const specError = validateRegistryNpmSpec(spec);
@@ -443,7 +398,7 @@ export async function installPluginFromNpmSpec(params: {
   }
 
   logger.info?.(`Downloading ${spec}…`);
-  const flowResult = await installFromNpmSpecArchive({
+  const flowResult = await installFromNpmSpecArchiveWithInstaller({
     tempDirPrefix: "openclaw-npm-pack-",
     spec,
     timeoutMs,
@@ -452,28 +407,17 @@ export async function installPluginFromNpmSpec(params: {
     warn: (message) => {
       logger.warn?.(message);
     },
-    installFromArchive: async ({ archivePath }) =>
-      await installPluginFromArchive({
-        archivePath,
-        extensionsDir: params.extensionsDir,
-        timeoutMs,
-        logger,
-        mode,
-        dryRun,
-        expectedPluginId,
-      }),
+    installFromArchive: installPluginFromArchive,
+    archiveInstallParams: {
+      extensionsDir: params.extensionsDir,
+      timeoutMs,
+      logger,
+      mode,
+      dryRun,
+      expectedPluginId,
+    },
   });
-  if (!flowResult.ok) {
-    return flowResult;
-  }
-  if (!flowResult.installResult.ok) {
-    return flowResult.installResult;
-  }
-  return {
-    ...flowResult.installResult,
-    npmResolution: flowResult.npmResolution,
-    integrityDrift: flowResult.integrityDrift,
-  };
+  return finalizeNpmSpecArchiveInstall(flowResult);
 }
 
 export async function installPluginFromPath(params: {
@@ -485,12 +429,12 @@ export async function installPluginFromPath(params: {
   dryRun?: boolean;
   expectedPluginId?: string;
 }): Promise<InstallPluginResult> {
-  const resolved = resolveUserPath(params.path);
-  if (!(await fileExists(resolved))) {
-    return { ok: false, error: `path not found: ${resolved}` };
+  const pathResult = await resolveExistingInstallPath(params.path);
+  if (!pathResult.ok) {
+    return pathResult;
   }
+  const { resolvedPath: resolved, stat } = pathResult;
 
-  const stat = await fs.stat(resolved);
   if (stat.isDirectory()) {
     return await installPluginFromDir({
       dirPath: resolved,
diff --git a/src/slack/monitor/media.test.ts b/src/slack/monitor/media.test.ts
index b3d0bcb51b7..eeeb5c88db7 100644
--- a/src/slack/monitor/media.test.ts
+++ b/src/slack/monitor/media.test.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import * as ssrf from "../../infra/net/ssrf.js";
 import type { SavedMedia } from "../../media/store.js";
 import * as mediaStore from "../../media/store.js";
+import { mockPinnedHostnameResolution } from "../../test-helpers/ssrf.js";
 import { type FetchMock, withFetchPreconnect } from "../../test-utils/fetch-mock.js";
 import {
   fetchWithSlackAuth,
@@ -173,15 +174,7 @@ describe("resolveSlackMedia", () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
     mockFetch = vi.fn();
     globalThis.fetch = withFetchPreconnect(mockFetch);
-    vi.spyOn(ssrf, "resolvePinnedHostname").mockImplementation(async (hostname) => {
-      const normalized = hostname.trim().toLowerCase().replace(/\.$/, "");
-      const addresses = ["93.184.216.34"];
-      return {
-        hostname: normalized,
-        addresses,
-        lookup: ssrf.createPinnedLookup({ hostname: normalized, addresses }),
-      };
-    });
+    mockPinnedHostnameResolution();
   });
 
   afterEach(() => {
diff --git a/src/telegram/bot-message-dispatch.test.ts b/src/telegram/bot-message-dispatch.test.ts
index 231fcbf4c49..5e080e90eb3 100644
--- a/src/telegram/bot-message-dispatch.test.ts
+++ b/src/telegram/bot-message-dispatch.test.ts
@@ -404,6 +404,37 @@ describe("dispatchTelegramMessage draft streaming", () => {
     expect(draftStream.stop).toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  it("keeps streamed preview visible when final text regresses after a tool warning", async () => {
+    const draftStream = createDraftStream(999);
+    createTelegramDraftStream.mockReturnValue(draftStream);
+    dispatchReplyWithBufferedBlockDispatcher.mockImplementation(
+      async ({ dispatcherOptions, replyOptions }) => {
+        await replyOptions?.onPartialReply?.({ text: "Recovered final answer." });
+        await dispatcherOptions.deliver(
+          { text: "⚠️ Recovered tool error details", isError: true },
+          { kind: "tool" },
+        );
+        await dispatcherOptions.deliver({ text: "Recovered final answer" }, { kind: "final" });
+        return { queuedFinal: true };
+      },
+    );
+    deliverReplies.mockResolvedValue({ delivered: true });
+
+    await dispatchWithContext({ context: createContext(), streamMode: "partial" });
+
+    // Regressive final ("answer." -> "answer") should keep the preview instead
+    // of clearing it and leaving only the tool warning visible.
+    expect(editMessageTelegram).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(deliverReplies).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(deliverReplies).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        replies: [expect.objectContaining({ text: "⚠️ Recovered tool error details" })],
+      }),
+    );
+    expect(draftStream.clear).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(draftStream.stop).toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
   it("falls back to normal delivery when preview final is too long to edit", async () => {
     const draftStream = createDraftStream(999);
     createTelegramDraftStream.mockReturnValue(draftStream);
diff --git a/src/test-helpers/ssrf.ts b/src/test-helpers/ssrf.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1669f45bc6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test-helpers/ssrf.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+import { vi } from "vitest";
+import * as ssrf from "../infra/net/ssrf.js";
+
+export function mockPinnedHostnameResolution(addresses: string[] = ["93.184.216.34"]) {
+  return vi.spyOn(ssrf, "resolvePinnedHostname").mockImplementation(async (hostname) => {
+    const normalized = hostname.trim().toLowerCase().replace(/\.$/, "");
+    const pinnedAddresses = [...addresses];
+    return {
+      hostname: normalized,
+      addresses: pinnedAddresses,
+      lookup: ssrf.createPinnedLookup({ hostname: normalized, addresses: pinnedAddresses }),
+    };
+  });
+}
diff --git a/src/test-utils/channel-plugins.ts b/src/test-utils/channel-plugins.ts
index ab74e932cfb..4de1680339b 100644
--- a/src/test-utils/channel-plugins.ts
+++ b/src/test-utils/channel-plugins.ts
@@ -51,6 +51,27 @@ export const createChannelTestPluginBase = (params: {
   },
 });
 
+export const createMSTeamsTestPluginBase = (): Pick<
+  ChannelPlugin,
+  "id" | "meta" | "capabilities" | "config"
+> => {
+  const base = createChannelTestPluginBase({
+    id: "msteams",
+    label: "Microsoft Teams",
+    docsPath: "/channels/msteams",
+    config: { listAccountIds: () => [], resolveAccount: () => ({}) },
+  });
+  return {
+    ...base,
+    meta: {
+      ...base.meta,
+      selectionLabel: "Microsoft Teams (Bot Framework)",
+      blurb: "Bot Framework; enterprise support.",
+      aliases: ["teams"],
+    },
+  };
+};
+
 export const createOutboundTestPlugin = (params: {
   id: ChannelId;
   outbound: ChannelOutboundAdapter;
diff --git a/src/test-utils/npm-spec-install-test-helpers.ts b/src/test-utils/npm-spec-install-test-helpers.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..23c06afe44b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test-utils/npm-spec-install-test-helpers.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+import { expect } from "vitest";
+import type { SpawnResult } from "../process/exec.js";
+import { expectSingleNpmInstallIgnoreScriptsCall } from "./exec-assertions.js";
+
+export type InstallResultLike = {
+  ok: boolean;
+  error?: string;
+};
+
+export type NpmPackMetadata = {
+  id: string;
+  name: string;
+  version: string;
+  filename: string;
+  integrity: string;
+  shasum: string;
+};
+
+export function createSuccessfulSpawnResult(stdout = ""): SpawnResult {
+  return {
+    code: 0,
+    stdout,
+    stderr: "",
+    signal: null,
+    killed: false,
+    termination: "exit",
+  };
+}
+
+export async function expectUnsupportedNpmSpec(
+  install: (spec: string) => Promise<InstallResultLike>,
+  spec = "github:evil/evil",
+) {
+  const result = await install(spec);
+  expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
+  if (result.ok) {
+    return;
+  }
+  expect(result.error).toContain("unsupported npm spec");
+}
+
+export function mockNpmPackMetadataResult(
+  run: { mockResolvedValue: (value: SpawnResult) => unknown },
+  metadata: NpmPackMetadata,
+) {
+  run.mockResolvedValue(createSuccessfulSpawnResult(JSON.stringify([metadata])));
+}
+
+export function expectIntegrityDriftRejected(params: {
+  onIntegrityDrift: (...args: unknown[]) => unknown;
+  result: InstallResultLike;
+  expectedIntegrity: string;
+  actualIntegrity: string;
+}) {
+  expect(params.onIntegrityDrift).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+    expect.objectContaining({
+      expectedIntegrity: params.expectedIntegrity,
+      actualIntegrity: params.actualIntegrity,
+    }),
+  );
+  expect(params.result.ok).toBe(false);
+  if (params.result.ok) {
+    return;
+  }
+  expect(params.result.error).toContain("integrity drift");
+}
+
+export async function expectInstallUsesIgnoreScripts(params: {
+  run: {
+    mockResolvedValue: (value: SpawnResult) => unknown;
+    mock: { calls: unknown[][] };
+  };
+  install: () => Promise<
+    | {
+        ok: true;
+        targetDir: string;
+      }
+    | {
+        ok: false;
+        error?: string;
+      }
+  >;
+}) {
+  params.run.mockResolvedValue(createSuccessfulSpawnResult());
+  const result = await params.install();
+  expect(result.ok).toBe(true);
+  if (!result.ok) {
+    return;
+  }
+  expectSingleNpmInstallIgnoreScriptsCall({
+    calls: params.run.mock.calls as Array<[unknown, { cwd?: string } | undefined]>,
+    expectedCwd: result.targetDir,
+  });
+}
diff --git a/src/utils/message-channel.test.ts b/src/utils/message-channel.test.ts
index 9d8ca19356d..98bd4fffce2 100644
--- a/src/utils/message-channel.test.ts
+++ b/src/utils/message-channel.test.ts
@@ -1,43 +1,13 @@
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import type { ChannelPlugin } from "../channels/plugins/types.js";
-import type { PluginRegistry } from "../plugins/registry.js";
 import { setActivePluginRegistry } from "../plugins/runtime.js";
+import { createMSTeamsTestPluginBase, createTestRegistry } from "../test-utils/channel-plugins.js";
 import { resolveGatewayMessageChannel } from "./message-channel.js";
 
-const createRegistry = (channels: PluginRegistry["channels"]): PluginRegistry => ({
-  plugins: [],
-  tools: [],
-  hooks: [],
-  typedHooks: [],
-  channels,
-  commands: [],
-  providers: [],
-  gatewayHandlers: {},
-  httpHandlers: [],
-  httpRoutes: [],
-  cliRegistrars: [],
-  services: [],
-  diagnostics: [],
-});
-
-const emptyRegistry = createRegistry([]);
-
-const msteamsPlugin = {
-  id: "msteams",
-  meta: {
-    id: "msteams",
-    label: "Microsoft Teams",
-    selectionLabel: "Microsoft Teams (Bot Framework)",
-    docsPath: "/channels/msteams",
-    blurb: "Bot Framework; enterprise support.",
-    aliases: ["teams"],
-  },
-  capabilities: { chatTypes: ["direct"] },
-  config: {
-    listAccountIds: () => [],
-    resolveAccount: () => ({}),
-  },
-} satisfies ChannelPlugin;
+const emptyRegistry = createTestRegistry([]);
+const msteamsPlugin: ChannelPlugin = {
+  ...createMSTeamsTestPluginBase(),
+};
 
 describe("message-channel", () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
@@ -57,7 +27,7 @@ describe("message-channel", () => {
 
   it("normalizes plugin aliases when registered", () => {
     setActivePluginRegistry(
-      createRegistry([{ pluginId: "msteams", plugin: msteamsPlugin, source: "test" }]),
+      createTestRegistry([{ pluginId: "msteams", plugin: msteamsPlugin, source: "test" }]),
     );
     expect(resolveGatewayMessageChannel("teams")).toBe("msteams");
   });
diff --git a/src/web/media.test.ts b/src/web/media.test.ts
index 605f0dad5a0..4bfcc7fddb1 100644
--- a/src/web/media.test.ts
+++ b/src/web/media.test.ts
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@ import sharp from "sharp";
 import { afterAll, afterEach, beforeAll, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import { resolveStateDir } from "../config/paths.js";
 import { sendVoiceMessageDiscord } from "../discord/send.js";
-import * as ssrf from "../infra/net/ssrf.js";
 import { resolvePreferredOpenClawTmpDir } from "../infra/tmp-openclaw-dir.js";
 import { optimizeImageToPng } from "../media/image-ops.js";
+import { mockPinnedHostnameResolution } from "../test-helpers/ssrf.js";
 import { captureEnv } from "../test-utils/env.js";
 import {
   LocalMediaAccessError,
@@ -126,15 +126,7 @@ describe("web media loading", () => {
   });
 
   beforeAll(() => {
-    vi.spyOn(ssrf, "resolvePinnedHostname").mockImplementation(async (hostname) => {
-      const normalized = hostname.trim().toLowerCase().replace(/\.$/, "");
-      const addresses = ["93.184.216.34"];
-      return {
-        hostname: normalized,
-        addresses,
-        lookup: ssrf.createPinnedLookup({ hostname: normalized, addresses }),
-      };
-    });
+    mockPinnedHostnameResolution();
   });
 
   it("strips MEDIA: prefix before reading local file (including whitespace variants)", async () => {
@@ -240,6 +232,18 @@ describe("web media loading", () => {
     fetchMock.mockRestore();
   });
 
+  it("keeps raw mode when options object sets optimizeImages true", async () => {
+    const { buffer, file } = await createLargeTestJpeg();
+    const cap = Math.max(1, Math.floor(buffer.length * 0.8));
+
+    await expect(
+      loadWebMediaRaw(file, {
+        maxBytes: cap,
+        optimizeImages: true,
+      }),
+    ).rejects.toThrow(/Media exceeds/i);
+  });
+
   it("uses content-disposition filename when available", async () => {
     const fetchMock = vi.spyOn(globalThis, "fetch").mockResolvedValueOnce({
       ok: true,
diff --git a/src/web/media.ts b/src/web/media.ts
index d07e5269050..cccd88e71f3 100644
--- a/src/web/media.ts
+++ b/src/web/media.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,27 @@ type WebMediaOptions = {
   readFile?: (filePath: string) => Promise<Buffer>;
 };
 
+function resolveWebMediaOptions(params: {
+  maxBytesOrOptions?: number | WebMediaOptions;
+  options?: { ssrfPolicy?: SsrFPolicy; localRoots?: readonly string[] | "any" };
+  optimizeImages: boolean;
+}): WebMediaOptions {
+  if (typeof params.maxBytesOrOptions === "number" || params.maxBytesOrOptions === undefined) {
+    return {
+      maxBytes: params.maxBytesOrOptions,
+      optimizeImages: params.optimizeImages,
+      ssrfPolicy: params.options?.ssrfPolicy,
+      localRoots: params.options?.localRoots,
+    };
+  }
+  return {
+    ...params.maxBytesOrOptions,
+    optimizeImages: params.optimizeImages
+      ? (params.maxBytesOrOptions.optimizeImages ?? true)
+      : false,
+  };
+}
+
 export type LocalMediaAccessErrorCode =
   | "path-not-allowed"
   | "invalid-root"
@@ -385,18 +406,10 @@ export async function loadWebMedia(
   maxBytesOrOptions?: number | WebMediaOptions,
   options?: { ssrfPolicy?: SsrFPolicy; localRoots?: readonly string[] | "any" },
 ): Promise<WebMediaResult> {
-  if (typeof maxBytesOrOptions === "number" || maxBytesOrOptions === undefined) {
-    return await loadWebMediaInternal(mediaUrl, {
-      maxBytes: maxBytesOrOptions,
-      optimizeImages: true,
-      ssrfPolicy: options?.ssrfPolicy,
-      localRoots: options?.localRoots,
-    });
-  }
-  return await loadWebMediaInternal(mediaUrl, {
-    ...maxBytesOrOptions,
-    optimizeImages: maxBytesOrOptions.optimizeImages ?? true,
-  });
+  return await loadWebMediaInternal(
+    mediaUrl,
+    resolveWebMediaOptions({ maxBytesOrOptions, options, optimizeImages: true }),
+  );
 }
 
 export async function loadWebMediaRaw(
@@ -404,18 +417,10 @@ export async function loadWebMediaRaw(
   maxBytesOrOptions?: number | WebMediaOptions,
   options?: { ssrfPolicy?: SsrFPolicy; localRoots?: readonly string[] | "any" },
 ): Promise<WebMediaResult> {
-  if (typeof maxBytesOrOptions === "number" || maxBytesOrOptions === undefined) {
-    return await loadWebMediaInternal(mediaUrl, {
-      maxBytes: maxBytesOrOptions,
-      optimizeImages: false,
-      ssrfPolicy: options?.ssrfPolicy,
-      localRoots: options?.localRoots,
-    });
-  }
-  return await loadWebMediaInternal(mediaUrl, {
-    ...maxBytesOrOptions,
-    optimizeImages: false,
-  });
+  return await loadWebMediaInternal(
+    mediaUrl,
+    resolveWebMediaOptions({ maxBytesOrOptions, options, optimizeImages: false }),
+  );
 }
 
 export async function optimizeImageToJpeg(
diff --git a/ui/src/i18n/locales/en.ts b/ui/src/i18n/locales/en.ts
index e99399f0e14..1f733ed6605 100644
--- a/ui/src/i18n/locales/en.ts
+++ b/ui/src/i18n/locales/en.ts
@@ -98,6 +98,11 @@ export const en: TranslationMap = {
       failed:
         "Auth failed. Re-copy a tokenized URL with {command}, or update the token, then click Connect.",
     },
+    pairing: {
+      hint: "This device needs pairing approval from the gateway host.",
+      mobileHint:
+        "On mobile? Copy the full URL (including #token=...) from openclaw dashboard --no-open on your desktop.",
+    },
     insecure: {
       hint: "This page is HTTP, so the browser blocks device identity. Use HTTPS (Tailscale Serve) or open {url} on the gateway host.",
       stayHttp: "If you must stay on HTTP, set {config} (token-only).",
diff --git a/ui/src/i18n/locales/pt-BR.ts b/ui/src/i18n/locales/pt-BR.ts
index 13b7ab92268..c13b9786a06 100644
--- a/ui/src/i18n/locales/pt-BR.ts
+++ b/ui/src/i18n/locales/pt-BR.ts
@@ -99,6 +99,11 @@ export const pt_BR: TranslationMap = {
       failed:
         "Falha na autenticação. Recopie uma URL com token usando {command}, ou atualize o token e clique em Conectar.",
     },
+    pairing: {
+      hint: "Este dispositivo precisa de aprovação de pareamento do host do gateway.",
+      mobileHint:
+        "No celular? Copie a URL completa (incluindo #token=...) executando openclaw dashboard --no-open no desktop.",
+    },
     insecure: {
       hint: "Esta página é HTTP, então o navegador bloqueia a identidade do dispositivo. Use HTTPS (Tailscale Serve) ou abra {url} no host do gateway.",
       stayHttp: "Se você precisar permanecer em HTTP, defina {config} (apenas token).",
diff --git a/ui/src/i18n/locales/zh-CN.ts b/ui/src/i18n/locales/zh-CN.ts
index f7e9a99d2e0..df2a9503db8 100644
--- a/ui/src/i18n/locales/zh-CN.ts
+++ b/ui/src/i18n/locales/zh-CN.ts
@@ -96,6 +96,11 @@ export const zh_CN: TranslationMap = {
       required: "此网关需要身份验证。添加令牌或密码，然后点击连接。",
       failed: "身份验证失败。请使用 {command} 重新复制令牌化 URL，或更新令牌，然后点击连接。",
     },
+    pairing: {
+      hint: "此设备需要网关主机的配对批准。",
+      mobileHint:
+        "在手机上？从桌面运行 openclaw dashboard --no-open 复制完整 URL（包括 #token=...）。",
+    },
     insecure: {
       hint: "此页面为 HTTP，因此浏览器阻止设备标识。请使用 HTTPS (Tailscale Serve) 或在网关主机上打开 {url}。",
       stayHttp: "如果您必须保持 HTTP，请设置 {config} (仅限令牌)。",
diff --git a/ui/src/i18n/locales/zh-TW.ts b/ui/src/i18n/locales/zh-TW.ts
index a64c7bf0953..b3591f19cf3 100644
--- a/ui/src/i18n/locales/zh-TW.ts
+++ b/ui/src/i18n/locales/zh-TW.ts
@@ -96,6 +96,11 @@ export const zh_TW: TranslationMap = {
       required: "此網關需要身份驗證。添加令牌或密碼，然後點擊連接。",
       failed: "身份驗證失敗。請使用 {command} 重新複製令牌化 URL，或更新令牌，然後點擊連接。",
     },
+    pairing: {
+      hint: "此裝置需要閘道主機的配對批准。",
+      mobileHint:
+        "在手機上？從桌面執行 openclaw dashboard --no-open 複製完整 URL（包括 #token=...）。",
+    },
     insecure: {
       hint: "此頁面為 HTTP，因此瀏覽器阻止設備標識。請使用 HTTPS (Tailscale Serve) 或在網關主機上打開 {url}。",
       stayHttp: "如果您必須保持 HTTP，請設置 {config} (僅限令牌)。",
diff --git a/ui/src/ui/views/overview-hints.ts b/ui/src/ui/views/overview-hints.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c7ff78b9e69
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/src/ui/views/overview-hints.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+/** Whether the overview should show device-pairing guidance for this error. */
+export function shouldShowPairingHint(connected: boolean, lastError: string | null): boolean {
+  if (connected || !lastError) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  return lastError.toLowerCase().includes("pairing required");
+}
diff --git a/ui/src/ui/views/overview.node.test.ts b/ui/src/ui/views/overview.node.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b8096661a3a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/src/ui/views/overview.node.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { shouldShowPairingHint } from "./overview-hints.ts";
+
+describe("shouldShowPairingHint", () => {
+  it("returns true for 'pairing required' close reason", () => {
+    expect(shouldShowPairingHint(false, "disconnected (1008): pairing required")).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("matches case-insensitively", () => {
+    expect(shouldShowPairingHint(false, "Pairing Required")).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("returns false when connected", () => {
+    expect(shouldShowPairingHint(true, "disconnected (1008): pairing required")).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("returns false when lastError is null", () => {
+    expect(shouldShowPairingHint(false, null)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("returns false for unrelated errors", () => {
+    expect(shouldShowPairingHint(false, "disconnected (1006): no reason")).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("returns false for auth errors", () => {
+    expect(shouldShowPairingHint(false, "disconnected (4008): unauthorized")).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/ui/src/ui/views/overview.ts b/ui/src/ui/views/overview.ts
index 07e07bc1b05..97b494da7f6 100644
--- a/ui/src/ui/views/overview.ts
+++ b/ui/src/ui/views/overview.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import type {
 import { renderOverviewAttention } from "./overview-attention.ts";
 import { renderOverviewCards } from "./overview-cards.ts";
 import { renderOverviewEventLog } from "./overview-event-log.ts";
+import { shouldShowPairingHint } from "./overview-hints.ts";
 import { renderOverviewLogTail } from "./overview-log-tail.ts";
 
 export type OverviewProps = {
@@ -64,6 +65,34 @@ export function renderOverview(props: OverviewProps) {
   const authMode = snapshot?.authMode;
   const isTrustedProxy = authMode === "trusted-proxy";
 
+  const pairingHint = (() => {
+    if (!shouldShowPairingHint(props.connected, props.lastError)) {
+      return null;
+    }
+    return html`
+      <div class="muted" style="margin-top: 8px">
+        ${t("overview.pairing.hint")}
+        <div style="margin-top: 6px">
+          <span class="mono">openclaw devices list</span><br />
+          <span class="mono">openclaw devices approve &lt;requestId&gt;</span>
+        </div>
+        <div style="margin-top: 6px; font-size: 12px;">
+          ${t("overview.pairing.mobileHint")}
+        </div>
+        <div style="margin-top: 6px">
+          <a
+            class="session-link"
+            href="https://docs.openclaw.ai/web/control-ui#device-pairing-first-connection"
+            target="_blank"
+            rel="noreferrer"
+            title="Device pairing docs (opens in new tab)"
+            >Docs: Device pairing</a
+          >
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    `;
+  })();
+
   const authHint = (() => {
     if (props.connected || !props.lastError) {
       return null;
@@ -293,6 +322,7 @@ export function renderOverview(props: OverviewProps) {
           props.lastError
             ? html`<div class="callout danger" style="margin-top: 14px;">
               <div>${props.lastError}</div>
+              ${pairingHint ?? ""}
               ${authHint ?? ""}
               ${insecureContextHint ?? ""}
             </div>`