diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 269e5dfa4f2..6ab5434dfbb 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Browser/Extension relay stale tabs: evict stale cached targets from `/json/list` when extension targets are destroyed/crashed or commands fail with missing target/session errors. (#6175) Thanks @vincentkoc.
 - CLI/Browser start timeout: honor `openclaw browser --timeout <ms> start` and stop by removing the fixed 15000ms override so slower Chrome startups can use caller-provided timeouts. (#22412, #23427) Thanks @vincentkoc.
 - Browser/CDP startup diagnostics: include Chrome stderr output and a Linux no-sandbox hint in startup timeout errors so failed launches are easier to diagnose. (#29312) Thanks @veast.
+- Browser/CDP startup readiness: wait for CDP websocket readiness after launching Chrome and cleanly stop/reset when readiness never arrives, reducing follow-up `PortInUseError` races after `browser start`/`open`. (#29538) Thanks @AaronWander.
 - Docker/Image health checks: add Dockerfile `HEALTHCHECK` that probes gateway `GET /healthz` so container runtimes can mark unhealthy instances without requiring auth credentials in the probe command. (#11478) Thanks @U-C4N and @vincentkoc.
 - Docker/Sandbox bootstrap hardening: make `OPENCLAW_SANDBOX` opt-in parsing explicit (`1|true|yes|on`), support custom Docker socket paths via `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_SOCKET`, defer docker.sock exposure until sandbox prerequisites pass, and reset/roll back persisted sandbox mode to `off` when setup is skipped or partially fails to avoid stale broken sandbox state. (#29974) Thanks @jamtujest and @vincentkoc.
 - Daemon/systemd checks in containers: treat missing `systemctl` invocations (including `spawn systemctl ENOENT`/`EACCES`) as unavailable service state during `is-enabled` checks, preventing container flows from failing with `Gateway service check failed` before install/status handling can continue. (#26089) Thanks @sahilsatralkar and @vincentkoc.
diff --git a/src/browser/server-context.ensure-browser-available.waits-for-cdp-ready.test.ts b/src/browser/server-context.ensure-browser-available.waits-for-cdp-ready.test.ts
index b16017e521b..78f08d822da 100644
--- a/src/browser/server-context.ensure-browser-available.waits-for-cdp-ready.test.ts
+++ b/src/browser/server-context.ensure-browser-available.waits-for-cdp-ready.test.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ function makeBrowserState(): BrowserServerState {
       cdpProtocol: "http",
       cdpHost: "127.0.0.1",
       cdpIsLoopback: true,
+      cdpPortRangeStart: null,
+      cdpPortRangeEnd: null,
       evaluateEnabled: false,
       remoteCdpTimeoutMs: 1500,
       remoteCdpHandshakeTimeoutMs: 3000,
@@ -47,6 +49,7 @@ function makeBrowserState(): BrowserServerState {
 
 afterEach(() => {
   vi.useRealTimers();
+  vi.clearAllMocks();
   vi.restoreAllMocks();
 });
 
@@ -84,4 +87,38 @@ describe("browser server-context ensureBrowserAvailable", () => {
     expect(isChromeCdpReady).toHaveBeenCalled();
     expect(stopOpenClawChrome).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
+
+  it("stops launched chrome when CDP readiness never arrives", async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+
+    const launchOpenClawChrome = vi.mocked(chromeModule.launchOpenClawChrome);
+    const stopOpenClawChrome = vi.mocked(chromeModule.stopOpenClawChrome);
+    const isChromeReachable = vi.mocked(chromeModule.isChromeReachable);
+    const isChromeCdpReady = vi.mocked(chromeModule.isChromeCdpReady);
+
+    isChromeReachable.mockResolvedValue(false);
+    isChromeCdpReady.mockResolvedValue(false);
+
+    const proc = new EventEmitter() as unknown as ChildProcessWithoutNullStreams;
+    launchOpenClawChrome.mockResolvedValue({
+      pid: 321,
+      exe: { kind: "chromium", path: "/usr/bin/chromium" },
+      userDataDir: "/tmp/openclaw-test",
+      cdpPort: 18800,
+      startedAt: Date.now(),
+      proc,
+    });
+
+    const state = makeBrowserState();
+    const ctx = createBrowserRouteContext({ getState: () => state });
+    const profile = ctx.forProfile("openclaw");
+
+    const promise = profile.ensureBrowserAvailable();
+    const rejected = expect(promise).rejects.toThrow("not reachable after start");
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(8100);
+    await rejected;
+
+    expect(launchOpenClawChrome).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(stopOpenClawChrome).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
 });