diff --git a/src/cli/update-cli/restart-helper.test.ts b/src/cli/update-cli/restart-helper.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..9755e5a777d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/update-cli/restart-helper.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,213 @@
+import { spawn, type ChildProcess } from "node:child_process";
+import fs from "node:fs/promises";
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach, afterEach } from "vitest";
+import { prepareRestartScript, runRestartScript } from "./restart-helper.js";
+
+vi.mock("node:child_process", () => ({
+  spawn: vi.fn(),
+}));
+
+describe("restart-helper", () => {
+  const originalPlatform = process.platform;
+  const originalGetUid = process.getuid;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.resetAllMocks();
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { value: originalPlatform });
+    process.getuid = originalGetUid;
+  });
+
+  describe("prepareRestartScript", () => {
+    it("creates a systemd restart script on Linux", async () => {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { value: "linux" });
+      const scriptPath = await prepareRestartScript({
+        OPENCLAW_PROFILE: "default",
+      });
+
+      expect(scriptPath).toBeTruthy();
+      expect(scriptPath!.endsWith(".sh")).toBe(true);
+
+      const content = await fs.readFile(scriptPath!, "utf-8");
+      expect(content).toContain("#!/bin/sh");
+      expect(content).toContain("systemctl --user restart 'openclaw-gateway.service'");
+      // Script should self-cleanup
+      expect(content).toContain('rm -f "$0"');
+
+      if (scriptPath) {
+        await fs.unlink(scriptPath);
+      }
+    });
+
+    it("creates a launchd restart script on macOS", async () => {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { value: "darwin" });
+      process.getuid = () => 501;
+
+      const scriptPath = await prepareRestartScript({
+        OPENCLAW_PROFILE: "default",
+      });
+
+      expect(scriptPath).toBeTruthy();
+      expect(scriptPath!.endsWith(".sh")).toBe(true);
+
+      const content = await fs.readFile(scriptPath!, "utf-8");
+      expect(content).toContain("#!/bin/sh");
+      expect(content).toContain("launchctl kickstart -k 'gui/501/ai.openclaw.gateway'");
+      expect(content).toContain('rm -f "$0"');
+
+      if (scriptPath) {
+        await fs.unlink(scriptPath);
+      }
+    });
+
+    it("creates a schtasks restart script on Windows", async () => {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { value: "win32" });
+
+      const scriptPath = await prepareRestartScript({
+        OPENCLAW_PROFILE: "default",
+      });
+
+      expect(scriptPath).toBeTruthy();
+      expect(scriptPath!.endsWith(".bat")).toBe(true);
+
+      const content = await fs.readFile(scriptPath!, "utf-8");
+      expect(content).toContain("@echo off");
+      expect(content).toContain('schtasks /End /TN "OpenClaw Gateway"');
+      expect(content).toContain('schtasks /Run /TN "OpenClaw Gateway"');
+      // Batch self-cleanup
+      expect(content).toContain('del "%~f0"');
+
+      if (scriptPath) {
+        await fs.unlink(scriptPath);
+      }
+    });
+
+    it("uses custom profile in service names", async () => {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { value: "linux" });
+      const scriptPath = await prepareRestartScript({
+        OPENCLAW_PROFILE: "production",
+      });
+
+      expect(scriptPath).toBeTruthy();
+      const content = await fs.readFile(scriptPath!, "utf-8");
+      expect(content).toContain("openclaw-gateway-production.service");
+
+      if (scriptPath) {
+        await fs.unlink(scriptPath);
+      }
+    });
+
+    it("uses custom profile in macOS launchd label", async () => {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { value: "darwin" });
+      process.getuid = () => 502;
+
+      const scriptPath = await prepareRestartScript({
+        OPENCLAW_PROFILE: "staging",
+      });
+
+      expect(scriptPath).toBeTruthy();
+      const content = await fs.readFile(scriptPath!, "utf-8");
+      expect(content).toContain("gui/502/ai.openclaw.staging");
+
+      if (scriptPath) {
+        await fs.unlink(scriptPath);
+      }
+    });
+
+    it("uses custom profile in Windows task name", async () => {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { value: "win32" });
+
+      const scriptPath = await prepareRestartScript({
+        OPENCLAW_PROFILE: "production",
+      });
+
+      expect(scriptPath).toBeTruthy();
+      const content = await fs.readFile(scriptPath!, "utf-8");
+      expect(content).toContain('schtasks /End /TN "OpenClaw Gateway (production)"');
+
+      if (scriptPath) {
+        await fs.unlink(scriptPath);
+      }
+    });
+
+    it("returns null for unsupported platforms", async () => {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { value: "aix" });
+      const scriptPath = await prepareRestartScript({});
+      expect(scriptPath).toBeNull();
+    });
+
+    it("returns null when script creation fails", async () => {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { value: "linux" });
+      const writeFileSpy = vi
+        .spyOn(fs, "writeFile")
+        .mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error("simulated write failure"));
+
+      const scriptPath = await prepareRestartScript({
+        OPENCLAW_PROFILE: "default",
+      });
+
+      expect(scriptPath).toBeNull();
+      writeFileSpy.mockRestore();
+    });
+
+    it("escapes single quotes in profile names for shell scripts", async () => {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { value: "linux" });
+      const scriptPath = await prepareRestartScript({
+        OPENCLAW_PROFILE: "it's-a-test",
+      });
+
+      expect(scriptPath).toBeTruthy();
+      const content = await fs.readFile(scriptPath!, "utf-8");
+      // Single quotes should be escaped with '\'' pattern
+      expect(content).not.toContain("it's");
+      expect(content).toContain("it'\\''s");
+
+      if (scriptPath) {
+        await fs.unlink(scriptPath);
+      }
+    });
+
+    it("rejects unsafe batch profile names on Windows", async () => {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { value: "win32" });
+      const scriptPath = await prepareRestartScript({
+        OPENCLAW_PROFILE: "test&whoami",
+      });
+
+      expect(scriptPath).toBeNull();
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("runRestartScript", () => {
+    it("spawns the script as a detached process on Linux", async () => {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { value: "linux" });
+      const scriptPath = "/tmp/fake-script.sh";
+      const mockChild = { unref: vi.fn() };
+      vi.mocked(spawn).mockReturnValue(mockChild as unknown as ChildProcess);
+
+      await runRestartScript(scriptPath);
+
+      expect(spawn).toHaveBeenCalledWith("/bin/sh", [scriptPath], {
+        detached: true,
+        stdio: "ignore",
+      });
+      expect(mockChild.unref).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+
+    it("uses cmd.exe on Windows", async () => {
+      Object.defineProperty(process, "platform", { value: "win32" });
+      const scriptPath = "C:\\Temp\\fake-script.bat";
+      const mockChild = { unref: vi.fn() };
+      vi.mocked(spawn).mockReturnValue(mockChild as unknown as ChildProcess);
+
+      await runRestartScript(scriptPath);
+
+      expect(spawn).toHaveBeenCalledWith("cmd.exe", ["/c", scriptPath], {
+        detached: true,
+        stdio: "ignore",
+      });
+      expect(mockChild.unref).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/cli/update-cli/restart-helper.ts b/src/cli/update-cli/restart-helper.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4ac822319c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/update-cli/restart-helper.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+import { spawn } from "node:child_process";
+import fs from "node:fs/promises";
+import os from "node:os";
+import path from "node:path";
+import {
+  resolveGatewayLaunchAgentLabel,
+  resolveGatewaySystemdServiceName,
+  resolveGatewayWindowsTaskName,
+} from "../../daemon/constants.js";
+
+/**
+ * Shell-escape a string for embedding in single-quoted shell arguments.
+ * Replaces every `'` with `'\''` (end quote, escaped quote, resume quote).
+ * For batch scripts, validates against special characters instead.
+ */
+function shellEscape(value: string): string {
+  return value.replace(/'/g, "'\\''");
+}
+
+/** Validates a string is safe for embedding in a batch (cmd.exe) script. */
+function isBatchSafe(value: string): boolean {
+  // Reject characters that have special meaning in batch: & | < > ^ % " ` $
+  return /^[A-Za-z0-9 _\-().]+$/.test(value);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Prepares a standalone script to restart the gateway service.
+ * This script is written to a temporary directory and does not depend on
+ * the installed package files, ensuring restart capability even if the
+ * update process temporarily removes or corrupts installation files.
+ */
+export async function prepareRestartScript(
+  env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = process.env,
+): Promise<string | null> {
+  const tmpDir = os.tmpdir();
+  const timestamp = Date.now();
+  const platform = process.platform;
+
+  let scriptContent = "";
+  let filename = "";
+
+  try {
+    if (platform === "linux") {
+      const serviceName = resolveGatewaySystemdServiceName(env.OPENCLAW_PROFILE);
+      const escaped = shellEscape(`${serviceName}.service`);
+      filename = `openclaw-restart-${timestamp}.sh`;
+      scriptContent = `#!/bin/sh
+# Standalone restart script — survives parent process termination.
+# Wait briefly to ensure file locks are released after update.
+sleep 1
+systemctl --user restart '${escaped}'
+# Self-cleanup
+rm -f "$0"
+`;
+    } else if (platform === "darwin") {
+      const label = resolveGatewayLaunchAgentLabel(env.OPENCLAW_PROFILE);
+      const escaped = shellEscape(label);
+      // Fallback to 501 if getuid is not available (though it should be on macOS)
+      const uid = process.getuid ? process.getuid() : 501;
+      filename = `openclaw-restart-${timestamp}.sh`;
+      scriptContent = `#!/bin/sh
+# Standalone restart script — survives parent process termination.
+# Wait briefly to ensure file locks are released after update.
+sleep 1
+launchctl kickstart -k 'gui/${uid}/${escaped}'
+# Self-cleanup
+rm -f "$0"
+`;
+    } else if (platform === "win32") {
+      const taskName = resolveGatewayWindowsTaskName(env.OPENCLAW_PROFILE);
+      if (!isBatchSafe(taskName)) {
+        return null;
+      }
+      filename = `openclaw-restart-${timestamp}.bat`;
+      scriptContent = `@echo off
+REM Standalone restart script — survives parent process termination.
+REM Wait briefly to ensure file locks are released after update.
+timeout /t 2 /nobreak >nul
+schtasks /End /TN "${taskName}"
+schtasks /Run /TN "${taskName}"
+REM Self-cleanup
+del "%~f0"
+`;
+    } else {
+      return null;
+    }
+
+    const scriptPath = path.join(tmpDir, filename);
+    await fs.writeFile(scriptPath, scriptContent, { mode: 0o755 });
+    return scriptPath;
+  } catch {
+    // If we can't write the script, we'll fall back to the standard restart method
+    return null;
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Executes the prepared restart script as a **detached** process.
+ *
+ * The script must outlive the CLI process because the CLI itself is part
+ * of the service being restarted — `systemctl restart` / `launchctl
+ * kickstart -k` will terminate the current process tree.  Using
+ * `spawn({ detached: true })` + `unref()` ensures the script survives
+ * the parent's exit.
+ *
+ * Resolves immediately after spawning; the script runs independently.
+ */
+export async function runRestartScript(scriptPath: string): Promise<void> {
+  const isWindows = process.platform === "win32";
+  const file = isWindows ? "cmd.exe" : "/bin/sh";
+  const args = isWindows ? ["/c", scriptPath] : [scriptPath];
+
+  const child = spawn(file, args, {
+    detached: true,
+    stdio: "ignore",
+  });
+  child.unref();
+}
diff --git a/src/cli/update-cli/update-command.ts b/src/cli/update-cli/update-command.ts
index 31f7e20dbb9..0c85fadbcc9 100644
--- a/src/cli/update-cli/update-command.ts
+++ b/src/cli/update-cli/update-command.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import {
 } from "../../commands/doctor-completion.js";
 import { doctorCommand } from "../../commands/doctor.js";
 import { readConfigFileSnapshot, writeConfigFile } from "../../config/config.js";
+import { resolveGatewayService } from "../../daemon/service.js";
 import {
   channelToNpmTag,
   DEFAULT_GIT_CHANNEL,
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@ import { formatCliCommand } from "../command-format.js";
 import { installCompletion } from "../completion-cli.js";
 import { runDaemonRestart } from "../daemon-cli.js";
 import { createUpdateProgress, printResult } from "./progress.js";
+import { prepareRestartScript, runRestartScript } from "./restart-helper.js";
 import {
   DEFAULT_PACKAGE_NAME,
   ensureGitCheckout,
@@ -388,6 +390,7 @@ async function maybeRestartService(params: {
   shouldRestart: boolean;
   result: UpdateRunResult;
   opts: UpdateCommandOptions;
+  restartScriptPath?: string | null;
 }): Promise<void> {
   if (params.shouldRestart) {
     if (!params.opts.json) {
@@ -396,7 +399,14 @@ async function maybeRestartService(params: {
     }
 
     try {
-      const restarted = await runDaemonRestart();
+      let restarted = false;
+      if (params.restartScriptPath) {
+        await runRestartScript(params.restartScriptPath);
+        restarted = true;
+      } else {
+        restarted = await runDaemonRestart();
+      }
+
       if (!params.opts.json && restarted) {
         defaultRuntime.log(theme.success("Daemon restarted successfully."));
         defaultRuntime.log("");
@@ -566,6 +576,18 @@ export async function updateCommand(opts: UpdateCommandOptions): Promise<void> {
   const { progress, stop } = createUpdateProgress(showProgress);
   const startedAt = Date.now();
 
+  let restartScriptPath: string | null = null;
+  if (shouldRestart) {
+    try {
+      const loaded = await resolveGatewayService().isLoaded({ env: process.env });
+      if (loaded) {
+        restartScriptPath = await prepareRestartScript(process.env);
+      }
+    } catch {
+      // Ignore errors during pre-check; fallback to standard restart
+    }
+  }
+
   const result = switchToPackage
     ? await runPackageInstallUpdate({
         root,
@@ -638,6 +660,7 @@ export async function updateCommand(opts: UpdateCommandOptions): Promise<void> {
     shouldRestart,
     result,
     opts,
+    restartScriptPath,
   });
 
   if (!opts.json) {