diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 97cea44031c..8b646a3f133 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - CLI/Doctor: ensure `openclaw doctor --fix --non-interactive --yes` exits promptly after completion so one-shot automation no longer hangs. (#18502)
 - CLI/Doctor: auto-repair `dmPolicy="open"` configs missing wildcard allowlists and write channel-correct repair paths (including `channels.googlechat.dm.allowFrom`) so `openclaw doctor --fix` no longer leaves Google Chat configs invalid after attempted repair. (#18544)
 - CLI/Doctor: detect gateway service token drift when the gateway token is only provided via environment variables, keeping service repairs aligned after token rotation.
+- CLI/Daemon: warn when a gateway restart sees a stale service token so users can reinstall with `openclaw gateway install --force`, and skip drift warnings for non-gateway service restarts. (#18018)
 - CLI/Status: fix `openclaw status --all` token summaries for bot-token-only channels so Mattermost/Zalo no longer show a bot+app warning. (#18527) Thanks @echo931.
 - CLI/Configure: make the `/model picker` allowlist prompt searchable with tokenized matching in `openclaw configure` so users can filter huge model lists by typing terms like `gpt-5.2 openai/`. (#19010) Thanks @bjesuiter.
 - Voice Call: add an optional stale call reaper (`staleCallReaperSeconds`) to end stuck calls when enabled. (#18437)
diff --git a/src/cli/daemon-cli/lifecycle-core.test.ts b/src/cli/daemon-cli/lifecycle-core.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..3f13e2b253a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/daemon-cli/lifecycle-core.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+const loadConfig = vi.fn(() => ({
+  gateway: {
+    auth: {
+      token: "config-token",
+    },
+  },
+}));
+
+const runtimeLogs: string[] = [];
+const defaultRuntime = {
+  log: (message: string) => runtimeLogs.push(message),
+  error: vi.fn(),
+  exit: (code: number) => {
+    throw new Error(`__exit__:${code}`);
+  },
+};
+
+const service = {
+  label: "TestService",
+  loadedText: "loaded",
+  notLoadedText: "not loaded",
+  install: vi.fn(),
+  uninstall: vi.fn(),
+  stop: vi.fn(),
+  isLoaded: vi.fn(),
+  readCommand: vi.fn(),
+  readRuntime: vi.fn(),
+  restart: vi.fn(),
+};
+
+vi.mock("../../config/config.js", () => ({
+  loadConfig: () => loadConfig(),
+}));
+
+vi.mock("../../runtime.js", () => ({
+  defaultRuntime,
+}));
+
+describe("runServiceRestart token drift", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    runtimeLogs.length = 0;
+    loadConfig.mockClear();
+    service.isLoaded.mockClear();
+    service.readCommand.mockClear();
+    service.restart.mockClear();
+    service.isLoaded.mockResolvedValue(true);
+    service.readCommand.mockResolvedValue({
+      environment: { OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN: "service-token" },
+    });
+    service.restart.mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+    vi.unstubAllEnvs();
+    vi.stubEnv("OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN", "");
+    vi.stubEnv("CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN", "");
+  });
+
+  it("emits drift warning when enabled", async () => {
+    const { runServiceRestart } = await import("./lifecycle-core.js");
+
+    await runServiceRestart({
+      serviceNoun: "Gateway",
+      service,
+      renderStartHints: () => [],
+      opts: { json: true },
+      checkTokenDrift: true,
+    });
+
+    expect(loadConfig).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    const jsonLine = runtimeLogs.find((line) => line.trim().startsWith("{"));
+    const payload = JSON.parse(jsonLine ?? "{}") as { warnings?: string[] };
+    expect(payload.warnings?.[0]).toContain("gateway install --force");
+  });
+
+  it("skips drift warning when disabled", async () => {
+    const { runServiceRestart } = await import("./lifecycle-core.js");
+
+    await runServiceRestart({
+      serviceNoun: "Node",
+      service,
+      renderStartHints: () => [],
+      opts: { json: true },
+    });
+
+    expect(loadConfig).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(service.readCommand).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    const jsonLine = runtimeLogs.find((line) => line.trim().startsWith("{"));
+    const payload = JSON.parse(jsonLine ?? "{}") as { warnings?: string[] };
+    expect(payload.warnings).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/cli/daemon-cli/lifecycle-core.ts b/src/cli/daemon-cli/lifecycle-core.ts
index 981328997e6..8038bb55660 100644
--- a/src/cli/daemon-cli/lifecycle-core.ts
+++ b/src/cli/daemon-cli/lifecycle-core.ts
@@ -236,6 +236,7 @@ export async function runServiceRestart(params: {
   service: GatewayService;
   renderStartHints: () => string[];
   opts?: DaemonLifecycleOptions;
+  checkTokenDrift?: boolean;
 }): Promise<boolean> {
   const json = Boolean(params.opts?.json);
   const { stdout, emit, fail } = createActionIO({ action: "restart", json });
@@ -259,31 +260,33 @@ export async function runServiceRestart(params: {
     return false;
   }
 
-  // Check for token drift before restart (service token vs config token)
   const warnings: string[] = [];
-  try {
-    const command = await params.service.readCommand(process.env);
-    const serviceToken = command?.environment?.OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN;
-    const cfg = loadConfig();
-    const configToken =
-      cfg.gateway?.auth?.token ||
-      process.env.OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN ||
-      process.env.CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN;
-    const driftIssue = checkTokenDrift({ serviceToken, configToken });
-    if (driftIssue) {
-      const warning = driftIssue.detail
-        ? `${driftIssue.message} ${driftIssue.detail}`
-        : driftIssue.message;
-      warnings.push(warning);
-      if (!json) {
-        defaultRuntime.log(`\n⚠️  ${driftIssue.message}`);
-        if (driftIssue.detail) {
-          defaultRuntime.log(`   ${driftIssue.detail}\n`);
+  if (params.checkTokenDrift) {
+    // Check for token drift before restart (service token vs config token)
+    try {
+      const command = await params.service.readCommand(process.env);
+      const serviceToken = command?.environment?.OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN;
+      const cfg = loadConfig();
+      const configToken =
+        cfg.gateway?.auth?.token ||
+        process.env.OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN ||
+        process.env.CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN;
+      const driftIssue = checkTokenDrift({ serviceToken, configToken });
+      if (driftIssue) {
+        const warning = driftIssue.detail
+          ? `${driftIssue.message} ${driftIssue.detail}`
+          : driftIssue.message;
+        warnings.push(warning);
+        if (!json) {
+          defaultRuntime.log(`\n⚠️  ${driftIssue.message}`);
+          if (driftIssue.detail) {
+            defaultRuntime.log(`   ${driftIssue.detail}\n`);
+          }
         }
       }
+    } catch {
+      // Non-fatal: token drift check is best-effort
     }
-  } catch {
-    // Non-fatal: token drift check is best-effort
   }
 
   try {
diff --git a/src/cli/daemon-cli/lifecycle.ts b/src/cli/daemon-cli/lifecycle.ts
index c1b03d9f749..1a0a8f38709 100644
--- a/src/cli/daemon-cli/lifecycle.ts
+++ b/src/cli/daemon-cli/lifecycle.ts
@@ -46,5 +46,6 @@ export async function runDaemonRestart(opts: DaemonLifecycleOptions = {}): Promi
     service: resolveGatewayService(),
     renderStartHints: renderGatewayServiceStartHints,
     opts,
+    checkTokenDrift: true,
   });
 }