diff --git a/src/plugins/bundled-runtime-deps.test.ts b/src/plugins/bundled-runtime-deps.test.ts
index 4a984ee1db1..5bac1100fe8 100644
--- a/src/plugins/bundled-runtime-deps.test.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/bundled-runtime-deps.test.ts
@@ -275,6 +275,80 @@ describe("ensureBundledPluginRuntimeDeps", () => {
     expect(result).toEqual({ installedSpecs: [], retainSpecs: [] });
   });
 
+  it("skips install when runtime deps resolve from the package root", () => {
+    const packageRoot = makeTempDir();
+    const pluginRoot = path.join(packageRoot, "dist", "extensions", "openai");
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(packageRoot, "node_modules", "@mariozechner", "pi-ai"), {
+      recursive: true,
+    });
+    fs.mkdirSync(pluginRoot, { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(pluginRoot, "package.json"),
+      JSON.stringify({
+        dependencies: {
+          "@mariozechner/pi-ai": "0.67.68",
+        },
+      }),
+    );
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(packageRoot, "node_modules", "@mariozechner", "pi-ai", "package.json"),
+      JSON.stringify({ name: "@mariozechner/pi-ai", version: "0.67.68" }),
+    );
+
+    const result = ensureBundledPluginRuntimeDeps({
+      env: {},
+      installDeps: () => {
+        throw new Error("package-root runtime deps should not reinstall");
+      },
+      pluginId: "openai",
+      pluginRoot,
+    });
+
+    expect(result).toEqual({ installedSpecs: [], retainSpecs: [] });
+  });
+
+  it("installs only deps missing from plugin and package-root resolution", () => {
+    const packageRoot = makeTempDir();
+    const pluginRoot = path.join(packageRoot, "dist", "extensions", "codex");
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(packageRoot, "node_modules", "ws"), { recursive: true });
+    fs.mkdirSync(pluginRoot, { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(pluginRoot, "package.json"),
+      JSON.stringify({
+        dependencies: {
+          ws: "^8.20.0",
+          zod: "^4.3.6",
+        },
+      }),
+    );
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(packageRoot, "node_modules", "ws", "package.json"),
+      JSON.stringify({ name: "ws", version: "8.20.0" }),
+    );
+    const calls: BundledRuntimeDepsInstallParams[] = [];
+
+    const result = ensureBundledPluginRuntimeDeps({
+      env: {},
+      installDeps: (params) => {
+        calls.push(params);
+      },
+      pluginId: "codex",
+      pluginRoot,
+    });
+
+    expect(result).toEqual({
+      installedSpecs: ["zod@^4.3.6"],
+      retainSpecs: ["ws@^8.20.0", "zod@^4.3.6"],
+    });
+    expect(calls).toEqual([
+      {
+        installRoot: pluginRoot,
+        missingSpecs: ["zod@^4.3.6"],
+        installSpecs: ["ws@^8.20.0", "zod@^4.3.6"],
+      },
+    ]);
+  });
+
   it("does not treat sibling extension runtime deps as satisfying a plugin", () => {
     const packageRoot = makeTempDir();
     const extensionsRoot = path.join(packageRoot, "dist", "extensions");
diff --git a/src/plugins/bundled-runtime-deps.ts b/src/plugins/bundled-runtime-deps.ts
index 8c1d1d0a7b2..fb7f68b9bbd 100644
--- a/src/plugins/bundled-runtime-deps.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/bundled-runtime-deps.ts
@@ -91,6 +91,26 @@ function resolveSourceCheckoutDistPackageRoot(pluginRoot: string): string | null
   return isSourceCheckoutRoot(packageRoot) ? packageRoot : null;
 }
 
+function resolveBundledRuntimeDependencySearchRoots(params: {
+  installRoot: string;
+  pluginRoot: string;
+}): string[] {
+  const roots = new Set<string>([params.installRoot]);
+  const pluginRoot = path.resolve(params.pluginRoot);
+  const extensionsDir = path.dirname(pluginRoot);
+  const buildDir = path.dirname(extensionsDir);
+  if (
+    path.basename(extensionsDir) !== "extensions" ||
+    (path.basename(buildDir) !== "dist" && path.basename(buildDir) !== "dist-runtime")
+  ) {
+    return [...roots];
+  }
+  roots.add(extensionsDir);
+  roots.add(buildDir);
+  roots.add(path.dirname(buildDir));
+  return [...roots];
+}
+
 function createRuntimeDepsCacheKey(pluginId: string, specs: readonly string[]): string {
   return createHash("sha256")
     .update(pluginId)
@@ -121,6 +141,12 @@ function hasAllDependencySentinels(rootDir: string, deps: readonly { name: strin
   return deps.every((dep) => fs.existsSync(path.join(rootDir, dependencySentinelPath(dep.name))));
 }
 
+function hasDependencySentinel(searchRoots: readonly string[], dep: { name: string }): boolean {
+  return searchRoots.some((rootDir) =>
+    fs.existsSync(path.join(rootDir, dependencySentinelPath(dep.name))),
+  );
+}
+
 function replaceNodeModulesDir(targetDir: string, sourceDir: string): void {
   const parentDir = path.dirname(targetDir);
   const tempDir = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(parentDir, ".openclaw-runtime-deps-copy-"));
@@ -528,11 +554,15 @@ export function ensureBundledPluginRuntimeDeps(params: {
   }
 
   const installRoot = resolveBundledRuntimeDependencyInstallRoot(params.pluginRoot);
+  const dependencySearchRoots = resolveBundledRuntimeDependencySearchRoots({
+    installRoot,
+    pluginRoot: params.pluginRoot,
+  });
   const dependencySpecs = deps
     .map((dep) => `${dep.name}@${dep.version}`)
     .toSorted((left, right) => left.localeCompare(right));
   const missingSpecs = deps
-    .filter((dep) => !fs.existsSync(path.join(installRoot, dependencySentinelPath(dep.name))))
+    .filter((dep) => !hasDependencySentinel(dependencySearchRoots, dep))
     .map((dep) => `${dep.name}@${dep.version}`)
     .toSorted((left, right) => left.localeCompare(right));
   if (missingSpecs.length === 0) {