diff --git a/src/cli/program/root-help.test.ts b/src/cli/program/root-help.test.ts
index 869ba8a3c4f..69e86ae4f82 100644
--- a/src/cli/program/root-help.test.ts
+++ b/src/cli/program/root-help.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import { renderRootHelpText } from "./root-help.js";
 
 const getPluginCliCommandDescriptorsMock = vi.fn(
@@ -53,6 +53,10 @@ vi.mock("../../plugins/cli.js", () => ({
 }));
 
 describe("root help", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    getPluginCliCommandDescriptorsMock.mockClear();
+  });
+
   it("passes isolated config and env through to plugin CLI descriptor loading", async () => {
     const config = {
       agents: {
@@ -71,11 +75,17 @@ describe("root help", () => {
   });
 
   it("includes plugin CLI descriptors alongside core and sub-CLI commands", async () => {
-    const text = await renderRootHelpText();
+    const text = await renderRootHelpText({ includePluginDescriptors: true });
 
     expect(text).toContain("status");
     expect(text).toContain("config");
     expect(text).toContain("matrix");
     expect(text).toContain("Matrix channel utilities");
   });
+
+  it("does not load plugin CLI descriptors by default", async () => {
+    await renderRootHelpText();
+
+    expect(getPluginCliCommandDescriptorsMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/cli/program/root-help.ts b/src/cli/program/root-help.ts
index dfb7bdf0ef3..2b1962ce191 100644
--- a/src/cli/program/root-help.ts
+++ b/src/cli/program/root-help.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import { getSubCliEntries } from "./subcli-descriptors.js";
 export type RootHelpRenderOptions = Pick<PluginLoadOptions, "pluginSdkResolution"> & {
   config?: OpenClawConfig;
   env?: NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
+  includePluginDescriptors?: boolean;
 };
 
 async function buildRootHelpProgram(renderOptions?: RootHelpRenderOptions): Promise<Command> {
@@ -25,14 +26,19 @@ async function buildRootHelpProgram(renderOptions?: RootHelpRenderOptions): Prom
     agentChannelOptions: "",
   });
 
+  const pluginDescriptors =
+    renderOptions?.includePluginDescriptors === true || renderOptions?.config
+      ? await getPluginCliCommandDescriptors(renderOptions.config, renderOptions.env, {
+          pluginSdkResolution: renderOptions.pluginSdkResolution,
+        })
+      : [];
+
   addCommandDescriptorsToProgram(
     program,
     collectUniqueCommandDescriptors([
       getCoreCliCommandDescriptors(),
       getSubCliEntries(),
-      await getPluginCliCommandDescriptors(renderOptions?.config, renderOptions?.env, {
-        pluginSdkResolution: renderOptions?.pluginSdkResolution,
-      }),
+      pluginDescriptors,
     ]),
   );