diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/compact.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/compact.ts
index 2a7c839455e..d8c23135bc9 100644
--- a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/compact.ts
+++ b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/compact.ts
@@ -103,6 +103,7 @@ import { getDmHistoryLimitFromSessionKey, limitHistoryTurns } from "./history.js
 import { resolveGlobalLane, resolveSessionLane } from "./lanes.js";
 import { log } from "./logger.js";
 import { buildEmbeddedMessageActionDiscoveryInput } from "./message-action-discovery-input.js";
+import { readPiModelContextTokens } from "./model-context-tokens.js";
 import { buildModelAliasLines, resolveModelAsync } from "./model.js";
 import { sanitizeSessionHistory, validateReplayTurns } from "./replay-history.js";
 import { buildEmbeddedSandboxInfo } from "./sandbox-info.js";
@@ -443,7 +444,7 @@ export async function compactEmbeddedPiSessionDirect(
       cfg: params.config,
       provider,
       modelId,
-      modelContextTokens: runtimeModelWithContext.contextTokens,
+      modelContextTokens: readPiModelContextTokens(runtimeModel),
       modelContextWindow: runtimeModelWithContext.contextWindow,
       defaultTokens: DEFAULT_CONTEXT_TOKENS,
     });
@@ -1035,7 +1036,7 @@ export async function compactEmbeddedPiSession(
           cfg: params.config,
           provider: ceProvider,
           modelId: ceModelId,
-          modelContextTokens: ceRuntimeModel?.contextTokens,
+          modelContextTokens: readPiModelContextTokens(ceModel),
           modelContextWindow: ceRuntimeModel?.contextWindow,
           defaultTokens: DEFAULT_CONTEXT_TOKENS,
         });
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/model-context-tokens.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/model-context-tokens.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1aa623d3f41
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/model-context-tokens.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+import type { Api, Model } from "@mariozechner/pi-ai";
+
+type PiModelWithOptionalContextTokens = Model<Api> & {
+  contextTokens?: number;
+};
+
+export function readPiModelContextTokens(model: Model<Api> | null | undefined): number | undefined {
+  const value = (model as PiModelWithOptionalContextTokens | null | undefined)?.contextTokens;
+  return typeof value === "number" && Number.isFinite(value) ? value : undefined;
+}
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/setup.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/setup.ts
index adf493409fc..f5494832b1a 100644
--- a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/setup.ts
+++ b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/setup.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
 import { DEFAULT_CONTEXT_TOKENS } from "../../defaults.js";
 import { FailoverError } from "../../failover-error.js";
 import { log } from "../logger.js";
+import { readPiModelContextTokens } from "../model-context-tokens.js";
 
 type HookContext = {
   agentId?: string;
@@ -107,7 +108,7 @@ export function resolveEffectiveRuntimeModel(params: {
     cfg: params.cfg,
     provider: params.provider,
     modelId: params.modelId,
-    modelContextTokens: params.runtimeModel.contextTokens,
+    modelContextTokens: readPiModelContextTokens(params.runtimeModel),
     modelContextWindow: params.runtimeModel.contextWindow,
     defaultTokens: DEFAULT_CONTEXT_TOKENS,
   });
diff --git a/src/channels/config-presence.test.ts b/src/channels/config-presence.test.ts
index ee5785e04af..76fb098fdbc 100644
--- a/src/channels/config-presence.test.ts
+++ b/src/channels/config-presence.test.ts
@@ -56,4 +56,19 @@ describe("config presence", () => {
       expectedConfigured: false,
     });
   });
+
+  it("detects env-only channel config", () => {
+    const stateDir = makeTempStateDir();
+    const env = {
+      OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR: stateDir,
+      MATRIX_ACCESS_TOKEN: "token",
+    } as NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
+
+    expectPotentialConfiguredChannelCase({
+      cfg: {},
+      env,
+      expectedIds: ["matrix"],
+      expectedConfigured: true,
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/channels/config-presence.ts b/src/channels/config-presence.ts
index 1d3f0680088..78ce5760a8a 100644
--- a/src/channels/config-presence.ts
+++ b/src/channels/config-presence.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import os from "node:os";
 import type { OpenClawConfig } from "../config/config.js";
+import { resolveStateDir } from "../config/paths.js";
+import { listBundledChannelPluginIds } from "./plugins/bundled-ids.js";
 import { listBundledChannelPlugins } from "./plugins/bundled.js";
 
 const IGNORED_CHANNEL_CONFIG_KEYS = new Set(["defaults", "modelByChannel"]);
@@ -19,12 +23,16 @@ export function hasMeaningfulChannelConfig(value: unknown): boolean {
 }
 
 function listConfiguredChannelEnvPrefixes(): Array<[prefix: string, channelId: string]> {
-  return listBundledChannelPlugins().map((plugin) => [
-    `${plugin.id.replace(/[^a-z0-9]+/gi, "_").toUpperCase()}_`,
-    plugin.id,
+  return listBundledChannelPluginIds().map((channelId) => [
+    `${channelId.replace(/[^a-z0-9]+/gi, "_").toUpperCase()}_`,
+    channelId,
   ]);
 }
 
+function hasPersistedChannelState(env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv): boolean {
+  return fs.existsSync(resolveStateDir(env, os.homedir));
+}
+
 export function listPotentialConfiguredChannelIds(
   cfg: OpenClawConfig,
   env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = process.env,
@@ -53,9 +61,11 @@ export function listPotentialConfiguredChannelIds(
       }
     }
   }
-  for (const plugin of listBundledChannelPlugins()) {
-    if (plugin.config?.hasPersistedAuthState?.({ cfg, env })) {
-      configuredChannelIds.add(plugin.id);
+  if (hasPersistedChannelState(env)) {
+    for (const plugin of listBundledChannelPlugins()) {
+      if (plugin.config?.hasPersistedAuthState?.({ cfg, env })) {
+        configuredChannelIds.add(plugin.id);
+      }
     }
   }
   return [...configuredChannelIds];
@@ -71,6 +81,9 @@ function hasEnvConfiguredChannel(cfg: OpenClawConfig, env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv): b
       return true;
     }
   }
+  if (!hasPersistedChannelState(env)) {
+    return false;
+  }
   return listBundledChannelPlugins().some((plugin) =>
     Boolean(plugin.config?.hasPersistedAuthState?.({ cfg, env })),
   );
diff --git a/src/channels/plugins/bundled-ids.ts b/src/channels/plugins/bundled-ids.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..7bccb4c7717
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/channels/plugins/bundled-ids.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+import { listBundledPluginMetadata } from "../../plugins/bundled-plugin-metadata.js";
+
+export const BUNDLED_CHANNEL_PLUGIN_IDS = listBundledPluginMetadata({
+  includeChannelConfigs: false,
+  includeSyntheticChannelConfigs: false,
+})
+  .filter(({ manifest }) => Array.isArray(manifest.channels) && manifest.channels.length > 0)
+  .map(({ manifest }) => manifest.id)
+  .toSorted((left, right) => left.localeCompare(right));
+
+export function listBundledChannelPluginIds(): string[] {
+  return [...BUNDLED_CHANNEL_PLUGIN_IDS];
+}