diff --git a/docs/concepts/qa-e2e-automation.md b/docs/concepts/qa-e2e-automation.md
index 68e35f189f3..b0a55d8e4a2 100644
--- a/docs/concepts/qa-e2e-automation.md
+++ b/docs/concepts/qa-e2e-automation.md
@@ -65,9 +65,10 @@ model calls must not export `StreamAbandoned` on successful turns; raw diagnosti
 `openclaw.content.*` attributes must stay out of the trace. It writes
 `otel-smoke-summary.json` next to the QA suite artifacts.
 
-The normal Docker aggregate also runs an observability lane. It builds or
-reuses a source-backed Docker observability image, runs the OTEL trace smoke
-inside the container, then runs the `docker-prometheus-smoke` QA scenario with the
+The normal Docker aggregate and release-path core chunk also run an
+observability lane. It reuses the shared package-installed functional Docker
+image, mounts the QA harness files read-only, runs the OTEL trace smoke inside
+the container, then runs the `docker-prometheus-smoke` QA scenario with the
 `diagnostics-prometheus` plugin enabled. Set
 `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_OBSERVABILITY_LOOPS=<count>` to repeat both checks inside one
 Docker run while preserving per-loop artifacts under
diff --git a/docs/help/testing.md b/docs/help/testing.md
index 7da6a728b1f..c08edc47d37 100644
--- a/docs/help/testing.md
+++ b/docs/help/testing.md
@@ -617,7 +617,7 @@ The live-model Docker runners also bind-mount only the needed CLI auth homes (or
 - CLI backend smoke: `pnpm test:docker:live-cli-backend` (script: `scripts/test-live-cli-backend-docker.sh`)
 - Codex app-server harness smoke: `pnpm test:docker:live-codex-harness` (script: `scripts/test-live-codex-harness-docker.sh`)
 - Gateway + dev agent: `pnpm test:docker:live-gateway` (script: `scripts/test-live-gateway-models-docker.sh`)
-- Docker observability smoke: included in `pnpm test:docker:all` and `pnpm test:docker:local:all` (script: `scripts/e2e/docker-observability-smoke.sh`). It runs QA-lab OTEL and Prometheus diagnostics checks inside a source-backed Docker image. Set `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_OBSERVABILITY_LOOPS=<count>` to repeat both checks in one container run.
+- Docker observability smoke: included in `pnpm test:docker:all`, `pnpm test:docker:local:all`, and the release-path `core` chunk (script: `scripts/e2e/docker-observability-smoke.sh`). It runs QA-lab OTEL and Prometheus diagnostics checks inside the shared package-installed functional Docker image, with only QA harness files mounted read-only. Set `OPENCLAW_DOCKER_OBSERVABILITY_LOOPS=<count>` to repeat both checks in one container run.
 - Open WebUI live smoke: `pnpm test:docker:openwebui` (script: `scripts/e2e/openwebui-docker.sh`)
 - Onboarding wizard (TTY, full scaffolding): `pnpm test:docker:onboard` (script: `scripts/e2e/onboard-docker.sh`)
 - Npm tarball onboarding/channel/agent smoke: `pnpm test:docker:npm-onboard-channel-agent` installs the packed OpenClaw tarball globally in Docker, configures OpenAI via env-ref onboarding plus Telegram by default, verifies doctor repairs activated plugin runtime deps, and runs one mocked OpenAI agent turn. Reuse a prebuilt tarball with `OPENCLAW_CURRENT_PACKAGE_TGZ=/path/to/openclaw-*.tgz`, skip the host rebuild with `OPENCLAW_NPM_ONBOARD_HOST_BUILD=0`, or switch channel with `OPENCLAW_NPM_ONBOARD_CHANNEL=discord`.
diff --git a/scripts/e2e/Dockerfile.observability b/scripts/e2e/Dockerfile.observability
deleted file mode 100644
index 55ada3f2f22..00000000000
--- a/scripts/e2e/Dockerfile.observability
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,55 +0,0 @@
-# syntax=docker/dockerfile:1.7
-
-FROM node:24-bookworm-slim@sha256:e8e2e91b1378f83c5b2dd15f0247f34110e2fe895f6ca7719dbb780f929368eb AS observability-runner
-
-RUN apt-get update \
- && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends ca-certificates git \
- && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
-
-RUN corepack enable
-
-RUN useradd --create-home --shell /bin/bash appuser \
- && mkdir -p /app \
- && chown appuser:appuser /app
-
-ENV HOME="/home/appuser"
-ENV NODE_OPTIONS="--disable-warning=ExperimentalWarning"
-ENV OPENCLAW_DISABLE_BONJOUR="1"
-
-USER appuser
-WORKDIR /app
-
-COPY --chown=appuser:appuser package.json pnpm-lock.yaml pnpm-workspace.yaml .npmrc ./
-COPY --chown=appuser:appuser ui/package.json ./ui/package.json
-COPY --chown=appuser:appuser patches ./patches
-COPY --chown=appuser:appuser scripts/postinstall-bundled-plugins.mjs scripts/preinstall-package-manager-warning.mjs scripts/npm-runner.mjs scripts/windows-cmd-helpers.mjs ./scripts/
-RUN --mount=type=bind,source=extensions,target=/tmp/extensions,readonly \
-    find /tmp/extensions -mindepth 2 -maxdepth 2 -name package.json -print | \
-    while IFS= read -r manifest; do \
-      dest="${manifest#/tmp/}"; \
-      mkdir -p "$(dirname "$dest")"; \
-      cp "$manifest" "$dest"; \
-    done
-
-RUN --mount=type=cache,id=openclaw-pnpm-store,target=/home/appuser/.local/share/pnpm/store,sharing=locked \
-    pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
-
-COPY --chown=appuser:appuser .oxlintrc.json tsconfig.json tsconfig.plugin-sdk.dts.json tsconfig.oxlint*.json tsdown.config.ts vitest.config.ts openclaw.mjs ./
-COPY --chown=appuser:appuser src ./src
-COPY --chown=appuser:appuser test ./test
-COPY --chown=appuser:appuser scripts ./scripts
-COPY --chown=appuser:appuser docs ./docs
-COPY --chown=appuser:appuser packages ./packages
-COPY --chown=appuser:appuser qa ./qa
-COPY --chown=appuser:appuser skills ./skills
-COPY --chown=appuser:appuser ui ./ui
-COPY --chown=appuser:appuser extensions ./extensions
-COPY --chown=appuser:appuser vendor/a2ui/renderers/lit ./vendor/a2ui/renderers/lit
-COPY --chown=appuser:appuser apps/shared/OpenClawKit/Sources/OpenClawKit/Resources ./apps/shared/OpenClawKit/Sources/OpenClawKit/Resources
-COPY --chown=appuser:appuser apps/shared/OpenClawKit/Tools/CanvasA2UI ./apps/shared/OpenClawKit/Tools/CanvasA2UI
-
-RUN pnpm build
-RUN mkdir -p dist/control-ui \
-  && printf '%s\n' '<!doctype html><title>OpenClaw Control UI</title>' > dist/control-ui/index.html
-
-CMD ["bash"]
diff --git a/scripts/e2e/docker-observability-smoke.sh b/scripts/e2e/docker-observability-smoke.sh
index 885c1179d90..a488ec14a14 100644
--- a/scripts/e2e/docker-observability-smoke.sh
+++ b/scripts/e2e/docker-observability-smoke.sh
@@ -1,10 +1,13 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Runs QA diagnostics smoke checks inside the shared package-installed Docker
+# E2E image. The OpenClaw app under test comes from the prepared npm tarball;
+# only QA harness files are mounted read-only.
 set -euo pipefail
 
 ROOT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/../.." && pwd)"
 source "$ROOT_DIR/scripts/lib/docker-e2e-image.sh"
 
-IMAGE_NAME="$(docker_e2e_resolve_image "openclaw-docker-observability-e2e:local" OPENCLAW_DOCKER_OBSERVABILITY_E2E_IMAGE)"
+IMAGE_NAME="$(docker_e2e_resolve_image "openclaw-docker-observability-e2e:local" OPENCLAW_DOCKER_OBSERVABILITY_E2E_IMAGE OPENCLAW_DOCKER_E2E_FUNCTIONAL_IMAGE)"
 SKIP_BUILD="${OPENCLAW_DOCKER_OBSERVABILITY_E2E_SKIP_BUILD:-0}"
 LOOPS="${OPENCLAW_DOCKER_OBSERVABILITY_LOOPS:-1}"
 OUTPUT_DIR="${OPENCLAW_DOCKER_OBSERVABILITY_OUTPUT_DIR:-$ROOT_DIR/.artifacts/docker-observability/$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)}"
@@ -16,11 +19,15 @@ fi
 
 mkdir -p "$OUTPUT_DIR"
 
-docker_e2e_build_or_reuse "$IMAGE_NAME" docker-observability "$ROOT_DIR/scripts/e2e/Dockerfile.observability" "$ROOT_DIR" "" "$SKIP_BUILD"
+docker_e2e_build_or_reuse "$IMAGE_NAME" docker-observability "$ROOT_DIR/scripts/e2e/Dockerfile" "$ROOT_DIR" "" "$SKIP_BUILD"
+docker_e2e_harness_mount_args
 
 echo "Running Docker observability smoke with $LOOPS loop(s)..."
 run_logged docker-observability docker run --rm \
   -e "OPENCLAW_DOCKER_OBSERVABILITY_LOOPS=$LOOPS" \
+  "${DOCKER_E2E_HARNESS_ARGS[@]}" \
+  -v "$ROOT_DIR/scripts/qa-otel-smoke.ts:/app/scripts/qa-otel-smoke.ts:ro" \
+  -v "$ROOT_DIR/qa:/app/qa:ro" \
   -v "$OUTPUT_DIR:/app/.artifacts/docker-observability-current" \
   "$IMAGE_NAME" \
   bash -lc '
diff --git a/scripts/lib/docker-e2e-scenarios.mjs b/scripts/lib/docker-e2e-scenarios.mjs
index bddda074b03..227adae9d00 100644
--- a/scripts/lib/docker-e2e-scenarios.mjs
+++ b/scripts/lib/docker-e2e-scenarios.mjs
@@ -184,10 +184,13 @@ export const mainLanes = [
     { resources: ["service"], weight: 3 },
   ),
   serviceLane("gateway-network", "OPENCLAW_SKIP_DOCKER_BUILD=1 pnpm test:docker:gateway-network"),
-  serviceLane("observability", "bash scripts/e2e/docker-observability-smoke.sh", {
-    e2eImageKind: false,
-    weight: 3,
-  }),
+  serviceLane(
+    "observability",
+    "OPENCLAW_SKIP_DOCKER_BUILD=1 bash scripts/e2e/docker-observability-smoke.sh",
+    {
+      weight: 3,
+    },
+  ),
   serviceLane(
     "agents-delete-shared-workspace",
     "OPENCLAW_SKIP_DOCKER_BUILD=1 pnpm test:docker:agents-delete-shared-workspace",
@@ -342,6 +345,13 @@ const releasePathChunks = {
       "pi-bundle-mcp-tools",
       "OPENCLAW_SKIP_DOCKER_BUILD=1 pnpm test:docker:pi-bundle-mcp-tools",
     ),
+    serviceLane(
+      "observability",
+      "OPENCLAW_SKIP_DOCKER_BUILD=1 bash scripts/e2e/docker-observability-smoke.sh",
+      {
+        weight: 3,
+      },
+    ),
     serviceLane("mcp-channels", "OPENCLAW_SKIP_DOCKER_BUILD=1 pnpm test:docker:mcp-channels", {
       resources: ["npm"],
       weight: 3,