diff --git a/src/plugins/bundled-runtime-deps.test.ts b/src/plugins/bundled-runtime-deps.test.ts
index c334e63a62b..1d9a72974af 100644
--- a/src/plugins/bundled-runtime-deps.test.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/bundled-runtime-deps.test.ts
@@ -370,6 +370,7 @@ describe("ensureBundledPluginRuntimeDeps", () => {
 
     const calls: Array<{
       installRoot: string;
+      installExecutionRoot?: string;
       missingSpecs: string[];
       installSpecs?: string[];
     }> = [];
@@ -391,6 +392,7 @@ describe("ensureBundledPluginRuntimeDeps", () => {
     expect(calls).toEqual([
       {
         installRoot: pluginRoot,
+        installExecutionRoot: path.join(pluginRoot, ".openclaw-install-stage"),
         missingSpecs: ["missing@2.0.0"],
         installSpecs: ["already-present@1.0.0", "missing@2.0.0", "previous@3.0.0"],
       },
@@ -430,12 +432,60 @@ describe("ensureBundledPluginRuntimeDeps", () => {
     expect(calls).toEqual([
       {
         installRoot: pluginRoot,
+        installExecutionRoot: path.join(pluginRoot, ".openclaw-install-stage"),
         missingSpecs: ["external-runtime@^1.2.3"],
         installSpecs: ["external-runtime@^1.2.3"],
       },
     ]);
   });
 
+  it("stages plugin-root install when the plugin's own package.json declares workspace:* deps", () => {
+    // Regression guard for packaged/Docker bundled plugins whose `package.json`
+    // still lists `"@openclaw/plugin-sdk": "workspace:*"` (and similar) alongside
+    // concrete runtime deps. Without a distinct execution root, `npm install`
+    // would resolve the plugin's own cwd manifest and fail with
+    // EUNSUPPORTEDPROTOCOL on the `workspace:` protocol.
+    const packageRoot = makeTempDir();
+    const extensionsRoot = path.join(packageRoot, "dist", "extensions");
+    const pluginRoot = path.join(extensionsRoot, "anthropic");
+    fs.mkdirSync(pluginRoot, { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(pluginRoot, "package.json"),
+      JSON.stringify({
+        dependencies: {
+          "@openclaw/plugin-sdk": "workspace:*",
+          "@anthropic-ai/sdk": "^0.50.0",
+        },
+      }),
+    );
+
+    const calls: BundledRuntimeDepsInstallParams[] = [];
+    const result = ensureBundledPluginRuntimeDeps({
+      env: {},
+      installDeps: (params) => {
+        calls.push(params);
+      },
+      pluginId: "anthropic",
+      pluginRoot,
+    });
+
+    expect(result).toEqual({
+      installedSpecs: ["@anthropic-ai/sdk@^0.50.0"],
+      retainSpecs: ["@anthropic-ai/sdk@^0.50.0"],
+    });
+    expect(calls).toEqual([
+      {
+        installRoot: pluginRoot,
+        installExecutionRoot: path.join(pluginRoot, ".openclaw-install-stage"),
+        missingSpecs: ["@anthropic-ai/sdk@^0.50.0"],
+        installSpecs: ["@anthropic-ai/sdk@^0.50.0"],
+      },
+    ]);
+    // The stage dir must be distinct from the plugin root so npm does not read
+    // the plugin's cwd manifest during install.
+    expect(path.resolve(calls[0]!.installExecutionRoot!)).not.toEqual(path.resolve(pluginRoot));
+  });
+
   it("installs runtime deps into an external stage dir and exposes loader aliases", () => {
     const packageRoot = makeTempDir();
     const stageDir = makeTempDir();
@@ -932,6 +982,7 @@ describe("ensureBundledPluginRuntimeDeps", () => {
     expect(calls).toEqual([
       {
         installRoot: pluginRoot,
+        installExecutionRoot: path.join(pluginRoot, ".openclaw-install-stage"),
         missingSpecs: ["@mariozechner/pi-ai@0.68.1"],
         installSpecs: ["@mariozechner/pi-ai@0.68.1"],
       },
@@ -974,6 +1025,7 @@ describe("ensureBundledPluginRuntimeDeps", () => {
     expect(calls).toEqual([
       {
         installRoot: pluginRoot,
+        installExecutionRoot: path.join(pluginRoot, ".openclaw-install-stage"),
         missingSpecs: ["ws@^8.20.0", "zod@^4.3.6"],
         installSpecs: ["ws@^8.20.0", "zod@^4.3.6"],
       },
@@ -1018,6 +1070,7 @@ describe("ensureBundledPluginRuntimeDeps", () => {
     expect(calls).toEqual([
       {
         installRoot: pluginRoot,
+        installExecutionRoot: path.join(pluginRoot, ".openclaw-install-stage"),
         missingSpecs: ["zod@^4.3.6"],
         installSpecs: ["zod@^4.3.6"],
       },
diff --git a/src/plugins/bundled-runtime-deps.ts b/src/plugins/bundled-runtime-deps.ts
index 5dca7aa081b..0f5a4ca4cbf 100644
--- a/src/plugins/bundled-runtime-deps.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/bundled-runtime-deps.ts
@@ -42,6 +42,14 @@ export type BundledRuntimeDepsInstallRoot = {
 
 type JsonObject = Record<string, unknown>;
 const RETAINED_RUNTIME_DEPS_MANIFEST = ".openclaw-runtime-deps.json";
+// Packaged bundled plugins (Docker image, npm global install) keep their
+// `package.json` next to their entry point; running `npm install <specs>` with
+// `cwd: pluginRoot` would make npm resolve the plugin's own `workspace:*`
+// dependencies and fail with `EUNSUPPORTEDPROTOCOL`. To avoid that, stage the
+// install inside this sub-directory and move the produced `node_modules/` back
+// to the plugin root. Source-checkout installs already have their own cache
+// path and keep using it.
+const PLUGIN_ROOT_INSTALL_STAGE_DIR = ".openclaw-install-stage";
 
 export type BundledRuntimeDepsNpmRunner = {
   command: string;
@@ -920,12 +928,16 @@ export function ensureBundledPluginRuntimeDeps(params: {
     pluginRoot: params.pluginRoot,
     installSpecs,
   });
-  const installExecutionRoot =
+  const isPluginRootInstall = path.resolve(installRoot) === path.resolve(params.pluginRoot);
+  const sourceCheckoutCacheStage =
     cacheDir &&
-    path.resolve(installRoot) === path.resolve(params.pluginRoot) &&
+    isPluginRootInstall &&
     resolveSourceCheckoutBundledPluginPackageRoot(params.pluginRoot)
       ? cacheDir
       : undefined;
+  const installExecutionRoot =
+    sourceCheckoutCacheStage ??
+    (isPluginRootInstall ? path.join(installRoot, PLUGIN_ROOT_INSTALL_STAGE_DIR) : undefined);
   if (
     restoreSourceCheckoutRuntimeDepsFromCache({
       cacheDir,