diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 6f48895cf3f..af8711776e7 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Discord/OpenAI voice: accept longer leading wake-name mistranscripts such as "Open Club" for OpenClaw.
 - Discord/OpenAI voice: accept leading fuzzy wake-name transcripts such as "Monty" or "Moti" for a Molty agent while keeping ambient speech gated.
 - Media understanding: convert HEIC and HEIF images to JPEG before image description providers run so iPhone photos work in direct and configured image-description flows. (#86037)
+- Agents: release embedded-attempt session locks from outer teardown so post-prompt exceptions cannot wedge later requests behind `SessionWriteLockTimeoutError`. Fixes #86014. Thanks @openperf.
 - Discord/OpenAI voice: rotate Realtime sessions at provider max duration without logging the expected session-expiry event as an error.
 - Agents/media: derive bundled plugin local-media trust from plugin tool metadata instead of importing the full plugin registry on subscription paths. (#84409) Thanks @samzong.
 - Memory/local embeddings: run local GGUF embeddings in an isolated worker sidecar and degrade to configured fallback or keyword search on worker failure so native embedding crashes do not take down the Gateway. (#85348) Thanks @osolmaz.
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.session-lock.test.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.session-lock.test.ts
index ccb18df90f2..7a81ca8a352 100644
--- a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.session-lock.test.ts
+++ b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.session-lock.test.ts
@@ -68,6 +68,45 @@ describe("embedded attempt session lock lifecycle", () => {
     expect(releases).toEqual(["prep", "cleanup"]);
   });
 
+  it("releases the eagerly-held attempt lock on dispose when cleanup is skipped (#86014)", async () => {
+    const releases: string[] = [];
+    const acquireSessionWriteLock = vi
+      .fn()
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce({ release: vi.fn(async () => releases.push("held")) });
+
+    const controller = await createEmbeddedAttemptSessionLockController({
+      acquireSessionWriteLock,
+      lockOptions,
+    });
+
+    // An exception on the post-prompt path skips acquireForCleanup; the run's outer finally
+    // must still release the eagerly-held lock or it leaks to the live process.
+    await controller.dispose();
+    await controller.dispose(); // idempotent
+
+    expect(acquireSessionWriteLock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(releases).toEqual(["held"]);
+  });
+
+  it("dispose does not double-release a lock already handed to cleanup", async () => {
+    const releases: string[] = [];
+    const acquireSessionWriteLock = vi
+      .fn()
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce({ release: vi.fn(async () => releases.push("held")) });
+
+    const controller = await createEmbeddedAttemptSessionLockController({
+      acquireSessionWriteLock,
+      lockOptions,
+    });
+
+    const cleanupLock = await controller.acquireForCleanup();
+    await cleanupLock.release();
+    await controller.dispose();
+
+    expect(acquireSessionWriteLock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(releases).toEqual(["held"]);
+  });
+
   it("runs post-prompt transcript writes under a short reacquired lock", async () => {
     const events: string[] = [];
     const acquireSessionWriteLock = vi
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.session-lock.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.session-lock.ts
index dc94b5f90b2..d945a562a68 100644
--- a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.session-lock.ts
+++ b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.session-lock.ts
@@ -630,6 +630,7 @@ export type EmbeddedAttemptSessionLockController = {
   ): Promise<T>;
   acquireForCleanup(params?: { session?: unknown }): Promise<SessionLock>;
   hasSessionTakeover(): boolean;
+  dispose(): Promise<void>;
 };
 
 export async function createEmbeddedAttemptSessionLockController(params: {
@@ -872,6 +873,14 @@ export async function createEmbeddedAttemptSessionLockController(params: {
     hasSessionTakeover(): boolean {
       return takeoverDetected;
     },
+    async dispose(): Promise<void> {
+      if (!heldLock) {
+        return;
+      }
+      const lock = heldLock;
+      heldLock = undefined;
+      await lock.release();
+    },
   };
 }
 
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.ts
index 9c566f341ca..bd44890c6b9 100644
--- a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.ts
+++ b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.ts
@@ -1302,6 +1302,8 @@ export async function runEmbeddedAttempt(
     | undefined;
   let beforeAgentRunBlocked = false;
   let beforeAgentRunBlockedBy: string | undefined;
+  // Releases the eager session lock if post-prompt code exits before cleanup.
+  let releaseRetainedSessionLock: (() => Promise<void>) | undefined;
   try {
     const skillsSnapshotForRun =
       sandbox?.enabled && sandbox.workspaceAccess !== "rw" ? undefined : params.skillsSnapshot;
@@ -2140,6 +2142,7 @@ export async function runEmbeddedAttempt(
         ...sessionWriteLockOptions,
       },
     });
+    releaseRetainedSessionLock = () => sessionLockController.dispose();
 
     let sessionManager: ReturnType<typeof guardSessionManager> | undefined;
     let session: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof createAgentSession>>["session"] | undefined;
@@ -5070,6 +5073,13 @@ export async function runEmbeddedAttempt(
       }
     }
   } finally {
+    try {
+      await releaseRetainedSessionLock?.();
+    } catch (releaseErr) {
+      log.error(
+        `failed to release retained session lock on attempt teardown: runId=${params.runId} ${String(releaseErr)}`,
+      );
+    }
     emitDiagnosticRunCompleted?.(
       aborted ? "aborted" : "error",
       promptError ?? new Error("run exited before diagnostic completion"),