diff --git a/scripts/verify-plugin-npm-published-runtime.mjs b/scripts/verify-plugin-npm-published-runtime.mjs
index 1370dc449cb..eb9cbd64eca 100644
--- a/scripts/verify-plugin-npm-published-runtime.mjs
+++ b/scripts/verify-plugin-npm-published-runtime.mjs
@@ -306,12 +306,26 @@ function readPackedPackage(tarballPath, extractDir) {
   tar.x({ file: tarballPath, cwd: extractDir, sync: true });
   const packageDir = path.join(extractDir, "package");
   const packageJson = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(packageDir, "package.json"), "utf8"));
+  const files = listFiles(packageDir);
   return {
     packageJson,
-    files: listFiles(packageDir),
+    files,
+    readme: readPackedPackageReadme(packageDir, files),
   };
 }
 
+export function findPackedPackageReadmePath(files) {
+  return files.find((file) => /^readme(?:\.(?:md|markdown|txt|rst))?$/iu.test(file)) ?? "";
+}
+
+function readPackedPackageReadme(packageDir, files) {
+  const readmePath = findPackedPackageReadmePath(files);
+  if (!readmePath) {
+    return "";
+  }
+  return fs.readFileSync(path.join(packageDir, readmePath), "utf8").trim();
+}
+
 export async function verifyPublishedPluginRuntime(spec) {
   const workingDir = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "openclaw-plugin-npm-runtime."));
   try {
@@ -326,7 +340,18 @@ export async function verifyPublishedPluginRuntime(spec) {
     if (errors.length > 0) {
       throw new Error(errors.join("\n"));
     }
-    const readme = await verifyPublishedPackageReadme(spec);
+    let readme;
+    try {
+      readme = await verifyPublishedPackageReadme(spec);
+    } catch (error) {
+      if (!packedPackage.readme) {
+        throw error;
+      }
+      console.error(
+        `npm readme metadata for ${spec} was unavailable; verified README from published tarball instead.`,
+      );
+      readme = packedPackage.readme;
+    }
     return {
       packageName: packedPackage.packageJson.name,
       version: packedPackage.packageJson.version,
diff --git a/test/scripts/verify-plugin-npm-published-runtime.test.ts b/test/scripts/verify-plugin-npm-published-runtime.test.ts
index 80266efafa4..2b54cde29af 100644
--- a/test/scripts/verify-plugin-npm-published-runtime.test.ts
+++ b/test/scripts/verify-plugin-npm-published-runtime.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import {
   collectPluginNpmPublishedRuntimeErrors,
+  findPackedPackageReadmePath,
   parseNpmReadmeMetadata,
   readPositiveIntEnv,
   resolveNpmPackFilename,
@@ -210,6 +211,15 @@ describe("resolveNpmPackFilename", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("findPackedPackageReadmePath", () => {
+  it("finds a root package README without accepting nested documentation files", () => {
+    expect(
+      findPackedPackageReadmePath(["package.json", "docs/README.md", "README.md", "dist/index.js"]),
+    ).toBe("README.md");
+    expect(findPackedPackageReadmePath(["package.json", "docs/README.md"])).toBe("");
+  });
+});
+
 describe("parseNpmReadmeMetadata", () => {
   it("accepts non-empty npm readme metadata", () => {
     expect(parseNpmReadmeMetadata(JSON.stringify("# Plugin\n\nInstall it."))).toBe(