diff --git a/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/DebugSettings.swift b/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/DebugSettings.swift
index e12a4e52839..97ce692696c 100644
--- a/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/DebugSettings.swift
+++ b/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/DebugSettings.swift
@@ -92,14 +92,6 @@ struct DebugSettings: View {
                             self.launchAgentWriteDisabled = GatewayLaunchAgentManager.isLaunchAgentWriteDisabled()
                             return
                         }
-                        if newValue {
-                            Task {
-                                _ = await GatewayLaunchAgentManager.set(
-                                    enabled: false,
-                                    bundlePath: Bundle.main.bundlePath,
-                                    port: GatewayEnvironment.gatewayPort())
-                            }
-                        }
                     }
 
                 Text(
diff --git a/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/GatewayLaunchAgentManager.swift b/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/GatewayLaunchAgentManager.swift
index bc57055fb61..44791637353 100644
--- a/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/GatewayLaunchAgentManager.swift
+++ b/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/GatewayLaunchAgentManager.swift
@@ -5,7 +5,12 @@ enum GatewayLaunchAgentManager {
     private static let disableLaunchAgentMarker = ".openclaw/disable-launchagent"
 
     private static var disableLaunchAgentMarkerURL: URL {
-        FileManager().homeDirectoryForCurrentUser
+        #if DEBUG
+        if let testingDisableLaunchAgentMarkerURL {
+            return testingDisableLaunchAgentMarkerURL
+        }
+        #endif
+        return FileManager().homeDirectoryForCurrentUser
             .appendingPathComponent(self.disableLaunchAgentMarker)
     }
 
@@ -19,6 +24,10 @@ enum GatewayLaunchAgentManager {
         return false
     }
 
+    static func applyAttachOnlyRuntimeOverride() -> String? {
+        self.setLaunchAgentWriteDisabled(true)
+    }
+
     static func setLaunchAgentWriteDisabled(_ disabled: Bool) -> String? {
         let marker = self.disableLaunchAgentMarkerURL
         if disabled {
@@ -144,6 +153,15 @@ extension GatewayLaunchAgentManager {
         timeout: Double,
         quiet: Bool) async -> CommandResult
     {
+        #if DEBUG
+        if self.testingInterceptDaemonCommands {
+            self.testingDaemonCommandCalls.append(args)
+            return CommandResult(
+                success: true,
+                payload: Data("{\"ok\":true}".utf8),
+                message: nil)
+        }
+        #endif
         let command = CommandResolver.openclawCommand(
             subcommand: "gateway",
             extraArgs: self.withJsonFlag(args),
@@ -187,4 +205,26 @@ extension GatewayLaunchAgentManager {
     private static func summarize(_ text: String) -> String? {
         TextSummarySupport.summarizeLastLine(text)
     }
+
+    #if DEBUG
+    nonisolated(unsafe) private static var testingDisableLaunchAgentMarkerURL: URL?
+    nonisolated(unsafe) private static var testingInterceptDaemonCommands = false
+    nonisolated(unsafe) private static var testingDaemonCommandCalls: [[String]] = []
+
+    static func setTestingDisableLaunchAgentMarkerURL(_ url: URL?) {
+        self.testingDisableLaunchAgentMarkerURL = url
+    }
+
+    static func setTestingInterceptDaemonCommands(_ intercept: Bool) {
+        self.testingInterceptDaemonCommands = intercept
+    }
+
+    static func clearTestingDaemonCommandCalls() {
+        self.testingDaemonCommandCalls.removeAll(keepingCapacity: false)
+    }
+
+    static func testingDaemonCommandCallsSnapshot() -> [[String]] {
+        self.testingDaemonCommandCalls
+    }
+    #endif
 }
diff --git a/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/MenuBar.swift b/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/MenuBar.swift
index 5f2c2a06f96..6e29f8a0f52 100644
--- a/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/MenuBar.swift
+++ b/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/MenuBar.swift
@@ -98,16 +98,10 @@ struct OpenClawApp: App {
     private static func applyAttachOnlyOverrideIfNeeded() {
         let args = CommandLine.arguments
         guard args.contains("--attach-only") || args.contains("--no-launchd") else { return }
-        if let error = GatewayLaunchAgentManager.setLaunchAgentWriteDisabled(true) {
+        if let error = GatewayLaunchAgentManager.applyAttachOnlyRuntimeOverride() {
             Self.logger.error("attach-only flag failed: \(error, privacy: .public)")
             return
         }
-        Task {
-            _ = await GatewayLaunchAgentManager.set(
-                enabled: false,
-                bundlePath: Bundle.main.bundlePath,
-                port: GatewayEnvironment.gatewayPort())
-        }
         Self.logger.info("attach-only flag enabled")
     }
 
diff --git a/apps/macos/Tests/OpenClawIPCTests/GatewayLaunchAgentManagerTests.swift b/apps/macos/Tests/OpenClawIPCTests/GatewayLaunchAgentManagerTests.swift
index e7d0f598957..4ca9aeab8fc 100644
--- a/apps/macos/Tests/OpenClawIPCTests/GatewayLaunchAgentManagerTests.swift
+++ b/apps/macos/Tests/OpenClawIPCTests/GatewayLaunchAgentManagerTests.swift
@@ -3,6 +3,29 @@ import Testing
 @testable import OpenClaw
 
 struct GatewayLaunchAgentManagerTests {
+    @Test func `attach only runtime override does not uninstall gateway launch agent`() throws {
+        let dir = FileManager().temporaryDirectory
+            .appendingPathComponent("openclaw-attach-only-\(UUID().uuidString)", isDirectory: true)
+        let marker = dir.appendingPathComponent("disable-launchagent")
+        try FileManager().createDirectory(at: dir, withIntermediateDirectories: true)
+        defer { try? FileManager().removeItem(at: dir) }
+        defer {
+            GatewayLaunchAgentManager.setTestingDisableLaunchAgentMarkerURL(nil)
+            GatewayLaunchAgentManager.setTestingInterceptDaemonCommands(false)
+            GatewayLaunchAgentManager.clearTestingDaemonCommandCalls()
+        }
+
+        GatewayLaunchAgentManager.setTestingDisableLaunchAgentMarkerURL(marker)
+        GatewayLaunchAgentManager.setTestingInterceptDaemonCommands(true)
+        GatewayLaunchAgentManager.clearTestingDaemonCommandCalls()
+
+        let error = GatewayLaunchAgentManager.applyAttachOnlyRuntimeOverride()
+
+        #expect(error == nil)
+        #expect(FileManager().fileExists(atPath: marker.path))
+        #expect(GatewayLaunchAgentManager.testingDaemonCommandCallsSnapshot().isEmpty)
+    }
+
     @Test func `launch agent plist snapshot parses args and env`() throws {
         let url = FileManager().temporaryDirectory
             .appendingPathComponent("openclaw-launchd-\(UUID().uuidString).plist")