diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 1a42bcdf23c..5f019c0aa5a 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Gateway/performance: keep raw channel-config schema parsing from discovering bundled plugin runtime metadata, and add `pnpm gateway:watch --benchmark-no-force` for profiling startup without the default port cleanup.
 - Plugins/onboarding: let Manual setup install optional official plugins, including ClawHub-backed diagnostics with npm fallback, and expose the external Codex plugin as a selectable provider setup choice. Thanks @vincentkoc.
 - Plugins/update: treat official externalized bundled npm migrations and ClawHub-to-npm fallbacks as trusted source-linked installs, so prerelease-only official plugin packages can migrate from bundled builds without being rejected as unsafe prerelease resolutions. Thanks @vincentkoc.
+- Plugins/update: move ClawHub-preferred externalized plugin installs back to ClawHub after an earlier npm fallback once the ClawHub package becomes available. Thanks @vincentkoc.
 - Plugins/update: clean stale bundled load paths for already-externalized pinned npm and ClawHub plugin installs, so release-channel sync does not leave removed bundled paths ahead of the installed external package. Thanks @vincentkoc.
 - Plugins/CLI: include package dependency install state in `openclaw plugins list --json` so scripts can spot missing plugin dependencies without runtime-loading plugins.
 - Google Meet: preserve `realtime.introMessage: ""` so realtime Chrome joins can stay silent instead of restoring the default spoken intro. Thanks @vincentkoc.
diff --git a/src/plugins/update.test.ts b/src/plugins/update.test.ts
index 46ff7e97354..904696aa2fd 100644
--- a/src/plugins/update.test.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/update.test.ts
@@ -2330,6 +2330,63 @@ describe("syncPluginsForUpdateChannel", () => {
     );
   });
 
+  it("moves ClawHub-preferred externalized plugin fallbacks back to ClawHub", async () => {
+    resolveBundledPluginSourcesMock.mockReturnValue(new Map());
+    installPluginFromClawHubMock.mockResolvedValue(
+      createSuccessfulClawHubUpdateResult({
+        pluginId: "legacy-chat",
+        targetDir: "/tmp/openclaw-plugins/legacy-chat",
+        version: "2026.5.1-beta.2",
+        clawhubPackage: "legacy-chat",
+      }),
+    );
+
+    const result = await syncPluginsForUpdateChannel({
+      channel: "stable",
+      externalizedBundledPluginBridges: [
+        {
+          bundledPluginId: "legacy-chat",
+          preferredSource: "clawhub",
+          clawhubSpec: "clawhub:legacy-chat@2026.5.1-beta.2",
+          npmSpec: "@openclaw/legacy-chat",
+          channelIds: ["legacy-chat"],
+        },
+      ],
+      config: {
+        channels: {
+          "legacy-chat": {
+            enabled: true,
+          },
+        },
+        plugins: {
+          installs: {
+            "legacy-chat": {
+              source: "npm",
+              spec: "@openclaw/legacy-chat",
+              installPath: "/tmp/openclaw-plugins/legacy-chat",
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(installPluginFromClawHubMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        spec: "clawhub:legacy-chat@2026.5.1-beta.2",
+        mode: "update",
+        expectedPluginId: "legacy-chat",
+      }),
+    );
+    expect(installPluginFromNpmSpecMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(result.changed).toBe(true);
+    expect(result.summary.switchedToClawHub).toEqual(["legacy-chat"]);
+    expect(result.config.plugins?.installs?.["legacy-chat"]).toMatchObject({
+      source: "clawhub",
+      spec: "clawhub:legacy-chat@2026.5.1-beta.2",
+      installPath: "/tmp/openclaw-plugins/legacy-chat",
+    });
+  });
+
   it("fails closed without npm fallback when ClawHub returns integrity drift", async () => {
     resolveBundledPluginSourcesMock.mockReturnValue(new Map());
     installPluginFromClawHubMock.mockResolvedValue({
diff --git a/src/plugins/update.ts b/src/plugins/update.ts
index 787de6d10be..2d09e41551a 100644
--- a/src/plugins/update.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/update.ts
@@ -492,6 +492,36 @@ function isTrustedSourceLinkedOfficialBridgeNpmInstall(params: {
   return Boolean(officialPackageName && requestedPackageName === officialPackageName);
 }
 
+function isBridgeNpmInstall(params: {
+  bridge: ExternalizedBundledPluginBridge;
+  record: PluginInstallRecord;
+}): boolean {
+  const npmSpec = getExternalizedBundledPluginNpmSpec(params.bridge);
+  if (!npmSpec || params.record.source !== "npm") {
+    return false;
+  }
+  const bridgePackageName = resolveNpmSpecPackageName(npmSpec);
+  const recordPackageName =
+    params.record.resolvedName ??
+    resolveNpmSpecPackageName(params.record.spec) ??
+    resolveNpmSpecPackageName(params.record.resolvedSpec);
+  return Boolean(bridgePackageName && recordPackageName === bridgePackageName);
+}
+
+function isBridgeClawHubInstall(params: {
+  bridge: ExternalizedBundledPluginBridge;
+  record: PluginInstallRecord;
+}): boolean {
+  if (params.record.source !== "clawhub") {
+    return false;
+  }
+  const clawhubSpec = getExternalizedBundledPluginClawHubSpec(params.bridge);
+  const bridgeClawHubPackage = clawhubSpec ? parseClawHubPluginSpec(clawhubSpec)?.name : undefined;
+  const recordClawHubPackage =
+    params.record.clawhubPackage ?? parseClawHubPluginSpec(params.record.spec ?? "")?.name;
+  return Boolean(bridgeClawHubPackage && recordClawHubPackage === bridgeClawHubPackage);
+}
+
 function resolveNpmUpdateSpecs(params: {
   record: PluginInstallRecord;
   specOverride?: string;
@@ -576,28 +606,20 @@ function isBridgeAlreadyInstalledFromPreferredSource(params: {
   bridge: ExternalizedBundledPluginBridge;
   record: PluginInstallRecord;
 }): boolean {
-  const npmSpec = getExternalizedBundledPluginNpmSpec(params.bridge);
-  if (npmSpec && params.record.source === "npm") {
-    const bridgePackageName = resolveNpmSpecPackageName(npmSpec);
-    const recordPackageName =
-      params.record.resolvedName ??
-      resolveNpmSpecPackageName(params.record.spec) ??
-      resolveNpmSpecPackageName(params.record.resolvedSpec);
-    if (bridgePackageName && recordPackageName === bridgePackageName) {
-      return true;
-    }
-  }
-  const clawhubSpec = getExternalizedBundledPluginClawHubSpec(params.bridge);
-  const bridgeClawHubPackage = clawhubSpec ? parseClawHubPluginSpec(clawhubSpec)?.name : undefined;
-  const recordClawHubPackage =
-    params.record.source === "clawhub"
-      ? (params.record.clawhubPackage ?? parseClawHubPluginSpec(params.record.spec ?? "")?.name)
-      : undefined;
-  return Boolean(
-    bridgeClawHubPackage &&
-    params.record.source === "clawhub" &&
-    recordClawHubPackage === bridgeClawHubPackage,
-  );
+  const preferredSource = getExternalizedBundledPluginPreferredSource(params.bridge);
+  return preferredSource === "clawhub"
+    ? isBridgeClawHubInstall(params)
+    : isBridgeNpmInstall(params);
+}
+
+function isBridgeInstalledFromFallbackSource(params: {
+  bridge: ExternalizedBundledPluginBridge;
+  record: PluginInstallRecord;
+}): boolean {
+  const preferredSource = getExternalizedBundledPluginPreferredSource(params.bridge);
+  return preferredSource === "clawhub"
+    ? isBridgeNpmInstall(params)
+    : isBridgeClawHubInstall(params);
 }
 
 function replacePluginIdInList(
@@ -1448,6 +1470,10 @@ export async function syncPluginsForUpdateChannel(params: {
           bridge,
           record: existing.record,
           env,
+        }) &&
+        !isBridgeInstalledFromFallbackSource({
+          bridge,
+          record: existing.record,
         })
       ) {
         continue;