diff --git a/src/commands/configure.channels.test.ts b/src/commands/configure.channels.test.ts
index db41eda7ff2..4245cc79f5e 100644
--- a/src/commands/configure.channels.test.ts
+++ b/src/commands/configure.channels.test.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import { removeChannelConfigWizard } from "./configure.channels.js";
 
 describe("removeChannelConfigWizard", () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
-    vi.clearAllMocks();
+    vi.resetAllMocks();
     confirm.mockResolvedValue(true);
   });
 
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ describe("removeChannelConfigWizard", () => {
     await removeChannelConfigWizard(
       {
         channels: {
+          defaults: { groupPolicy: "open" },
+          modelByChannel: { openai: { telegram: "gpt-5.4" } },
           twitch: {},
           unknown: {},
           telegram: {},
@@ -80,6 +82,26 @@ describe("removeChannelConfigWizard", () => {
     );
   });
 
+  it("preserves channel-wide defaults when deleting the last channel block", async () => {
+    select.mockResolvedValueOnce("telegram").mockResolvedValueOnce("done");
+
+    const next = await removeChannelConfigWizard(
+      {
+        channels: {
+          defaults: { groupPolicy: "open" },
+          modelByChannel: { openai: { telegram: "gpt-5.4" } },
+          telegram: { token: "secret" },
+        },
+      } as never,
+      {} as never,
+    );
+
+    expect(next.channels).toEqual({
+      defaults: { groupPolicy: "open" },
+      modelByChannel: { openai: { telegram: "gpt-5.4" } },
+    });
+  });
+
   it("sanitizes unknown channel keys before rendering prompts", async () => {
     const unsafeChannel = "bad\u001B[31m\nkey\u0007";
     select.mockResolvedValueOnce(unsafeChannel).mockResolvedValueOnce("done");
diff --git a/src/commands/configure.channels.ts b/src/commands/configure.channels.ts
index 20c6d05ca36..15d36362b85 100644
--- a/src/commands/configure.channels.ts
+++ b/src/commands/configure.channels.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ type ConfiguredChannelRemovalChoice = {
   label: string;
 };
 
+const RESERVED_CHANNEL_CONFIG_KEYS = new Set(["defaults", "modelByChannel"]);
+
 function listConfiguredChannelRemovalChoices(
   cfg: OpenClawConfig,
 ): ConfiguredChannelRemovalChoice[] {
@@ -23,6 +25,7 @@ function listConfiguredChannelRemovalChoices(
   }
   const labelsById = new Map(listChatChannels().map((meta) => [meta.id, meta.label]));
   return Object.keys(channels)
+    .filter((id) => !RESERVED_CHANNEL_CONFIG_KEYS.has(id))
     .map((id) => ({
       id,
       label: labelsById.get(id) ?? formatUnknownChannelRemovalLabel(id),
diff --git a/src/flows/channel-setup.test.ts b/src/flows/channel-setup.test.ts
index 2675394af26..b0b00393c9b 100644
--- a/src/flows/channel-setup.test.ts
+++ b/src/flows/channel-setup.test.ts
@@ -72,7 +72,8 @@ vi.mock("../commands/channel-setup/plugin-install.js", () => ({
 }));
 
 vi.mock("../commands/channel-setup/registry.js", () => ({
-  resolveChannelSetupWizardAdapterForPlugin: () => undefined,
+  resolveChannelSetupWizardAdapterForPlugin: (plugin?: { setupWizard?: unknown }) =>
+    plugin?.setupWizard,
 }));
 
 vi.mock("../commands/channel-setup/trusted-catalog.js", () => ({
@@ -226,4 +227,91 @@ describe("setupChannels workspace shadow exclusion", () => {
     expect(getChannelSetupPlugin).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     expect(loadChannelSetupPluginRegistrySnapshotForChannel).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
+
+  it("loads the selected bundled catalog plugin without writing explicit plugin enablement", async () => {
+    const setupWizard = {
+      channel: "telegram",
+      getStatus: vi.fn(async () => ({
+        channel: "telegram",
+        configured: false,
+        statusLines: [],
+      })),
+      configure: vi.fn(async ({ cfg }: { cfg: Record<string, unknown> }) => ({
+        cfg: {
+          ...cfg,
+          channels: {
+            telegram: { token: "secret" },
+          },
+        },
+      })),
+    };
+    const telegramPlugin = {
+      id: "telegram",
+      meta: { id: "telegram", label: "Telegram", blurb: "" },
+      capabilities: {},
+      config: {
+        resolveAccount: vi.fn(() => ({})),
+      },
+      setupWizard,
+    };
+    const installedCatalogEntry = {
+      id: "telegram",
+      pluginId: "telegram",
+      origin: "bundled",
+      meta: { id: "telegram", label: "Telegram", blurb: "" },
+    };
+    resolveChannelSetupEntries.mockReturnValue({
+      entries: [
+        {
+          id: "telegram",
+          meta: { id: "telegram", label: "Telegram", blurb: "" },
+        },
+      ],
+      installedCatalogEntries: [installedCatalogEntry],
+      installableCatalogEntries: [],
+      installedCatalogById: new Map([["telegram", installedCatalogEntry]]),
+      installableCatalogById: new Map(),
+    });
+    loadChannelSetupPluginRegistrySnapshotForChannel.mockReturnValue({
+      channels: [{ plugin: telegramPlugin }],
+      channelSetups: [],
+    });
+    const select = vi.fn().mockResolvedValueOnce("telegram").mockResolvedValueOnce("__done__");
+
+    const next = await setupChannels(
+      {} as never,
+      {} as never,
+      {
+        confirm: vi.fn(async () => true),
+        note: vi.fn(async () => undefined),
+        select,
+      } as never,
+      {
+        deferStatusUntilSelection: true,
+        skipConfirm: true,
+        skipDmPolicyPrompt: true,
+      },
+    );
+
+    expect(loadChannelSetupPluginRegistrySnapshotForChannel).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(loadChannelSetupPluginRegistrySnapshotForChannel).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        channel: "telegram",
+        pluginId: "telegram",
+        workspaceDir: "/tmp/openclaw-workspace",
+      }),
+    );
+    expect(getChannelSetupPlugin).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(collectChannelStatus).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(setupWizard.configure).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        cfg: {},
+      }),
+    );
+    expect(next).toEqual({
+      channels: {
+        telegram: { token: "secret" },
+      },
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/flows/channel-setup.ts b/src/flows/channel-setup.ts
index ac378c21684..65481dc2ed3 100644
--- a/src/flows/channel-setup.ts
+++ b/src/flows/channel-setup.ts
@@ -512,7 +512,7 @@ export async function setupChannels(
       }
       await loadScopedChannelPlugin(channel, result.pluginId ?? catalogEntry.pluginId);
       await refreshStatus(channel);
-    } else if (installedCatalogEntry && installedCatalogEntry.origin !== "bundled") {
+    } else if (installedCatalogEntry) {
       const plugin = await loadScopedChannelPlugin(channel, installedCatalogEntry.pluginId);
       if (!plugin) {
         await prompter.note(`${channel} plugin not available.`, "Channel setup");