diff --git a/docs/help/environment.md b/docs/help/environment.md
index 4ad054ebf73..e678ab957e4 100644
--- a/docs/help/environment.md
+++ b/docs/help/environment.md
@@ -82,6 +82,12 @@ See [Configuration: Env var substitution](/gateway/configuration#env-var-substit
 | `OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR`   | Override the state directory (default `~/.openclaw`).                                                                                                                            |
 | `OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH` | Override the config file path (default `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json`).                                                                                                             |
 
+## Logging
+
+| Variable             | Purpose                                                                                                                                                                                 |
+| -------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| `OPENCLAW_LOG_LEVEL` | Override log level for both file and console (e.g. `debug`, `trace`). Takes precedence over `logging.level` and `logging.consoleLevel` in config. Useful for temporary debugging or CI. |
+
 ### `OPENCLAW_HOME`
 
 When set, `OPENCLAW_HOME` replaces the system home directory (`$HOME` / `os.homedir()`) for all internal path resolution. This enables full filesystem isolation for headless service accounts.
diff --git a/docs/logging.md b/docs/logging.md
index dafa1d878a5..0c22a54fef2 100644
--- a/docs/logging.md
+++ b/docs/logging.md
@@ -118,6 +118,8 @@ All logging configuration lives under `logging` in `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json`.
 - `logging.level`: **file logs** (JSONL) level.
 - `logging.consoleLevel`: **console** verbosity level.
 
+You can override both via the **`OPENCLAW_LOG_LEVEL`** environment variable (e.g. `OPENCLAW_LOG_LEVEL=debug`). The env var takes precedence over the config file, so you can raise verbosity for a single run without editing `openclaw.json`. On `openclaw gateway run`, **`--log-level <level>`** (e.g. `--log-level debug`) applies the same override for that process.
+
 `--verbose` only affects console output; it does not change file log levels.
 
 ### Console styles
diff --git a/src/cli/gateway-cli/run.ts b/src/cli/gateway-cli/run.ts
index 74c8394b5e4..aec50de87c6 100644
--- a/src/cli/gateway-cli/run.ts
+++ b/src/cli/gateway-cli/run.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ import { setVerbose } from "../../globals.js";
 import { GatewayLockError } from "../../infra/gateway-lock.js";
 import { formatPortDiagnostics, inspectPortUsage } from "../../infra/ports.js";
 import { setConsoleSubsystemFilter, setConsoleTimestampPrefix } from "../../logging/console.js";
+import { normalizeLogLevel } from "../../logging/levels.js";
+import { setLoggerOverride } from "../../logging/logger.js";
 import { createSubsystemLogger } from "../../logging/subsystem.js";
 import { defaultRuntime } from "../../runtime.js";
 import { formatCliCommand } from "../command-format.js";
@@ -50,6 +52,7 @@ type GatewayRunOpts = {
   rawStreamPath?: unknown;
   dev?: boolean;
   reset?: boolean;
+  logLevel?: string;
 };
 
 const gatewayLog = createSubsystemLogger("gateway");
@@ -63,6 +66,7 @@ const GATEWAY_RUN_VALUE_KEYS = [
   "tailscale",
   "wsLog",
   "rawStreamPath",
+  "logLevel",
 ] as const;
 
 const GATEWAY_RUN_BOOLEAN_KEYS = [
@@ -87,6 +91,15 @@ function resolveGatewayRunOptions(opts: GatewayRunOpts, command?: Command): Gate
       resolved[key] = inherited ?? resolved[key];
       continue;
     }
+    if (key === "logLevel") {
+      resolved.logLevel =
+        typeof resolved.logLevel === "string"
+          ? resolved.logLevel
+          : typeof inherited === "string"
+            ? inherited
+            : undefined;
+      continue;
+    }
     resolved[key] = resolved[key] ?? inherited;
   }
 
@@ -109,6 +122,11 @@ async function runGatewayCommand(opts: GatewayRunOpts) {
 
   setConsoleTimestampPrefix(true);
   setVerbose(Boolean(opts.verbose));
+  const logLevelRaw = typeof opts.logLevel === "string" ? opts.logLevel.trim() : undefined;
+  if (logLevelRaw) {
+    const level = normalizeLogLevel(logLevelRaw, "info");
+    setLoggerOverride({ level, consoleLevel: level });
+  }
   if (opts.claudeCliLogs) {
     setConsoleSubsystemFilter(["agent/claude-cli"]);
     process.env.OPENCLAW_CLAUDE_CLI_LOG_OUTPUT = "1";
@@ -383,6 +401,10 @@ export function addGatewayRunCommand(cmd: Command): Command {
       false,
     )
     .option("--force", "Kill any existing listener on the target port before starting", false)
+    .option(
+      "--log-level <level>",
+      "Log level for file and console (silent|fatal|error|warn|info|debug|trace)",
+    )
     .option("--verbose", "Verbose logging to stdout/stderr", false)
     .option(
       "--claude-cli-logs",
diff --git a/src/logging/console.ts b/src/logging/console.ts
index ef57d5057fe..dc28c3abfe9 100644
--- a/src/logging/console.ts
+++ b/src/logging/console.ts
@@ -71,7 +71,10 @@ function resolveConsoleSettings(): ConsoleSettings {
       }
     }
   }
-  const level = normalizeConsoleLevel(cfg?.consoleLevel);
+  const envLevel = process.env.OPENCLAW_LOG_LEVEL?.trim();
+  const level = envLevel
+    ? normalizeLogLevel(envLevel, "info")
+    : normalizeConsoleLevel(cfg?.consoleLevel);
   const style = normalizeConsoleStyle(cfg?.consoleStyle);
   return { level, style };
 }
diff --git a/src/logging/logger.ts b/src/logging/logger.ts
index cfb920bac61..4a4d2b3ce44 100644
--- a/src/logging/logger.ts
+++ b/src/logging/logger.ts
@@ -67,7 +67,9 @@ function resolveSettings(): ResolvedSettings {
   }
   const defaultLevel =
     process.env.VITEST === "true" && process.env.OPENCLAW_TEST_FILE_LOG !== "1" ? "silent" : "info";
-  const level = normalizeLogLevel(cfg?.level, defaultLevel);
+  const fromConfig = normalizeLogLevel(cfg?.level, defaultLevel);
+  const envLevel = process.env.OPENCLAW_LOG_LEVEL?.trim();
+  const level = envLevel ? normalizeLogLevel(envLevel, fromConfig) : fromConfig;
   const file = cfg?.file ?? defaultRollingPathForToday();
   return { level, file };
 }