diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 3237424dacc..d5ea92bcc5c 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 
 ### Changes
 
+- Gateway/dev: run `pnpm gateway:watch` through a named tmux session by default, with `gateway:watch:raw` and `OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_WATCH_TMUX=0` for foreground mode, so repeated starts respawn an inspectable watcher without trapping the invoking agent shell. Thanks @vincentkoc.
 - Plugin SDK: mark remaining legacy alias exports and diffs tool/config aliases with deprecation metadata, and add a guard so future legacy alias comments require `@deprecated` tags. Thanks @vincentkoc.
 - CLI/QR/dependencies: internalize small terminal progress and QR wrapper helpers while keeping the real QR encoder dependency direct, reducing the default runtime dependency graph without changing QR output behavior. Thanks @vincentkoc.
 - Channels: add Yuanbao channel docs entrance so the Tencent Yuanbao bot appears in the channel listing and sidebar navigation. (#73443) Thanks @loongfay.
diff --git a/docs/help/debugging.md b/docs/help/debugging.md
index 08f95ba5c53..9d2766d2898 100644
--- a/docs/help/debugging.md
+++ b/docs/help/debugging.md
@@ -216,12 +216,42 @@ For fast iteration, run the gateway under the file watcher:
 pnpm gateway:watch
 ```
 
-This maps to:
+By default, this starts or restarts a tmux session named
+`openclaw-gateway-watch-main` (or a profile/port-specific variant such as
+`openclaw-gateway-watch-dev-19001`) and auto-attaches from interactive terminals.
+Non-interactive shells, CI, and agent exec calls stay detached and print attach
+instructions instead. Attach manually when needed:
+
+```bash
+tmux attach -t openclaw-gateway-watch-main
+```
+
+The tmux pane runs the raw watcher:
 
 ```bash
 node scripts/watch-node.mjs gateway --force
 ```
 
+Use foreground mode when tmux is not wanted:
+
+```bash
+pnpm gateway:watch:raw
+# or
+OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_WATCH_TMUX=0 pnpm gateway:watch
+```
+
+Disable auto-attach while keeping tmux management:
+
+```bash
+OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_WATCH_ATTACH=0 pnpm gateway:watch
+```
+
+The tmux wrapper carries common non-secret runtime selectors such as
+`OPENCLAW_PROFILE`, `OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH`, `OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR`,
+`OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PORT`, and `OPENCLAW_SKIP_CHANNELS` into the pane. Put
+provider credentials in your normal profile/config, or use raw foreground mode
+for one-off ephemeral secrets.
+
 The watcher restarts on build-relevant files under `src/`, extension source files,
 extension `package.json` and `openclaw.plugin.json` metadata, `tsconfig.json`,
 `package.json`, and `tsdown.config.ts`. Extension metadata changes restart the
@@ -229,8 +259,9 @@ gateway without forcing a `tsdown` rebuild; source and config changes still
 rebuild `dist` first.
 
 Add any gateway CLI flags after `gateway:watch` and they will be passed through on
-each restart. Re-running the same watch command for the same repo/flag set now
-replaces the older watcher instead of leaving duplicate watcher parents behind.
+each restart. Re-running the same watch command respawns the named tmux pane, and
+the raw watcher still keeps its single-watcher lock so duplicate watcher parents
+are replaced instead of piling up.
 
 ## Dev profile + dev gateway (--dev)
 
diff --git a/docs/start/setup.md b/docs/start/setup.md
index 227b5f16b56..fa70dbb18d7 100644
--- a/docs/start/setup.md
+++ b/docs/start/setup.md
@@ -96,8 +96,12 @@ pnpm openclaw setup
 pnpm gateway:watch
 ```
 
-`gateway:watch` runs the gateway in watch mode and reloads on relevant source,
-config, and bundled-plugin metadata changes.
+`gateway:watch` starts or restarts the Gateway watch process in a named tmux
+session and auto-attaches from interactive terminals. Non-interactive shells stay
+detached and print `tmux attach -t openclaw-gateway-watch-main`; use
+`OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_WATCH_ATTACH=0 pnpm gateway:watch` to keep an interactive run
+detached, or `pnpm gateway:watch:raw` for foreground watch mode. The watcher
+reloads on relevant source, config, and bundled-plugin metadata changes.
 `pnpm openclaw setup` is the one-time local config/workspace initialization step for a fresh checkout.
 `pnpm gateway:watch` does not rebuild `dist/control-ui`, so rerun `pnpm ui:build` after `ui/` changes or use `pnpm ui:dev` while developing the Control UI.
 
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index cc9fd4ba933..fec2c2d5904 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1334,7 +1334,8 @@
     "format:swift": "swiftformat --lint --config .swiftformat apps/macos/Sources apps/ios/Sources apps/shared/OpenClawKit/Sources",
     "gateway:dev": "OPENCLAW_SKIP_CHANNELS=1 node scripts/run-node.mjs --dev gateway",
     "gateway:dev:reset": "OPENCLAW_SKIP_CHANNELS=1 node scripts/run-node.mjs --dev gateway --reset",
-    "gateway:watch": "node scripts/watch-node.mjs gateway --force",
+    "gateway:watch": "node scripts/gateway-watch-tmux.mjs gateway --force",
+    "gateway:watch:raw": "node scripts/watch-node.mjs gateway --force",
     "gen:host-env-policy:swift": "node scripts/generate-host-env-security-policy-swift.mjs --write",
     "ghsa:patch": "node scripts/ghsa-patch.mjs",
     "ios:beta": "bash scripts/ios-beta-release.sh",
diff --git a/scripts/gateway-watch-tmux.d.mts b/scripts/gateway-watch-tmux.d.mts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b50f8f260c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/gateway-watch-tmux.d.mts
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+export function resolveGatewayWatchTmuxSessionName(params?: {
+  args?: string[];
+  env?: NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
+}): string;
+
+export function buildGatewayWatchTmuxCommand(params?: {
+  args?: string[];
+  cwd?: string;
+  env?: NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
+  nodePath?: string;
+  sessionName?: string;
+}): string;
+
+export function runGatewayWatchTmuxMain(params?: {
+  args?: string[];
+  cwd?: string;
+  env?: NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
+  nodePath?: string;
+  sessionName?: string;
+  spawnSync?: (
+    cmd: string,
+    args: string[],
+    options: unknown,
+  ) => {
+    error?: NodeJS.ErrnoException;
+    signal?: NodeJS.Signals | null;
+    status?: number | null;
+    stderr?: string;
+    stdout?: string;
+  };
+  stderr?: { write: (message: string) => void };
+  stdinIsTTY?: boolean;
+  stdout?: { write: (message: string) => void };
+  stdoutIsTTY?: boolean;
+}): number;
diff --git a/scripts/gateway-watch-tmux.mjs b/scripts/gateway-watch-tmux.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..24b6cc5703e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/gateway-watch-tmux.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,251 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
+import process from "node:process";
+import { pathToFileURL } from "node:url";
+
+const TMUX_DISABLE_VALUES = new Set(["0", "false", "no", "off"]);
+const TMUX_ATTACH_DISABLE_VALUES = new Set(["0", "false", "no", "off"]);
+const TMUX_ATTACH_FORCE_VALUES = new Set(["1", "true", "yes", "on"]);
+const DEFAULT_PROFILE_NAME = "main";
+const RAW_WATCH_SCRIPT = "scripts/watch-node.mjs";
+const TMUX_CHILD_ENV_KEYS = [
+  "NODE_OPTIONS",
+  "OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH",
+  "OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PORT",
+  "OPENCLAW_HOME",
+  "OPENCLAW_PROFILE",
+  "OPENCLAW_SKIP_CHANNELS",
+  "OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR",
+];
+
+const sanitizeSessionPart = (value) => {
+  const normalized = String(value ?? "")
+    .trim()
+    .toLowerCase()
+    .replace(/[^a-z0-9_.-]+/g, "-")
+    .replace(/^-+|-+$/g, "");
+  return normalized || DEFAULT_PROFILE_NAME;
+};
+
+const shellQuote = (value) => `'${String(value).replaceAll("'", "'\\''")}'`;
+
+const readArgValue = (args, flag) => {
+  const prefix = `${flag}=`;
+  for (let index = 0; index < args.length; index += 1) {
+    const arg = args[index];
+    if (arg === flag) {
+      const next = args[index + 1];
+      return typeof next === "string" && !next.startsWith("-") ? next : null;
+    }
+    if (typeof arg === "string" && arg.startsWith(prefix)) {
+      return arg.slice(prefix.length);
+    }
+  }
+  return null;
+};
+
+export const resolveGatewayWatchTmuxSessionName = ({ args = [], env = process.env } = {}) => {
+  const profile =
+    env.OPENCLAW_PROFILE ||
+    readArgValue(args, "--profile") ||
+    (args.includes("--dev") ? "dev" : null);
+  const port = env.OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PORT || readArgValue(args, "--port");
+  const parts = [
+    "openclaw",
+    "gateway",
+    "watch",
+    sanitizeSessionPart(profile ?? DEFAULT_PROFILE_NAME),
+  ];
+  if (port && port !== "18789") {
+    parts.push(sanitizeSessionPart(port));
+  }
+  return parts.join("-");
+};
+
+const resolveShell = (env) => env.SHELL || "/bin/sh";
+
+export const buildGatewayWatchTmuxCommand = ({
+  args = [],
+  cwd = process.cwd(),
+  env = process.env,
+  nodePath = process.execPath,
+  sessionName,
+} = {}) => {
+  const shell = resolveShell(env);
+  const childEnv = [
+    "env",
+    `OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_WATCH_TMUX_CHILD=1`,
+    `OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_WATCH_SESSION=${sessionName}`,
+    ...TMUX_CHILD_ENV_KEYS.flatMap((key) =>
+      env[key] == null || env[key] === "" ? [] : [`${key}=${env[key]}`],
+    ),
+  ];
+  const watchCommand = [
+    "cd",
+    shellQuote(cwd),
+    "&&",
+    "exec",
+    ...childEnv.map(shellQuote),
+    shellQuote(nodePath),
+    shellQuote(RAW_WATCH_SCRIPT),
+    ...args.map(shellQuote),
+  ].join(" ");
+  return `exec ${shellQuote(shell)} -lc ${shellQuote(watchCommand)}`;
+};
+
+const runForegroundWatcher = ({ args, cwd, env, nodePath, spawnSyncImpl, stdio = "inherit" }) => {
+  const result = spawnSyncImpl(nodePath, [RAW_WATCH_SCRIPT, ...args], {
+    cwd,
+    env,
+    stdio,
+  });
+  return result.status ?? (result.signal ? 1 : 0);
+};
+
+const runTmux = (spawnSyncImpl, args, options = {}) =>
+  spawnSyncImpl("tmux", args, {
+    encoding: "utf8",
+    stdio: ["ignore", "pipe", "pipe"],
+    ...options,
+  });
+
+const log = (stderr, message) => {
+  stderr.write(`[openclaw] ${message}\n`);
+};
+
+const getTmuxErrorText = (result) =>
+  result.error?.message || String(result.stderr || "").trim() || "unknown error";
+
+const isMissingTmuxTarget = (result) =>
+  /can't find (?:session|window|pane)|no current target/i.test(getTmuxErrorText(result));
+
+const shouldAttachTmux = ({ env, stdinIsTTY, stdoutIsTTY }) => {
+  const raw = String(env.OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_WATCH_ATTACH ?? "").toLowerCase();
+  if (TMUX_ATTACH_FORCE_VALUES.has(raw)) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  if (TMUX_ATTACH_DISABLE_VALUES.has(raw)) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  return !env.CI && stdinIsTTY === true && stdoutIsTTY === true;
+};
+
+const attachTmux = ({ env, sessionName, spawnSyncImpl }) => {
+  const args = env.TMUX
+    ? ["switch-client", "-t", sessionName]
+    : ["attach-session", "-t", sessionName];
+  return runTmux(spawnSyncImpl, args, { stdio: "inherit" });
+};
+
+export const runGatewayWatchTmuxMain = (params = {}) => {
+  const deps = {
+    args: params.args ?? process.argv.slice(2),
+    cwd: params.cwd ?? process.cwd(),
+    env: params.env ? { ...params.env } : { ...process.env },
+    nodePath: params.nodePath ?? process.execPath,
+    spawnSync: params.spawnSync ?? spawnSync,
+    stderr: params.stderr ?? process.stderr,
+    stdinIsTTY: params.stdinIsTTY ?? process.stdin.isTTY,
+    stdout: params.stdout ?? process.stdout,
+    stdoutIsTTY: params.stdoutIsTTY ?? process.stdout.isTTY,
+  };
+
+  if (TMUX_DISABLE_VALUES.has(String(deps.env.OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_WATCH_TMUX ?? "").toLowerCase())) {
+    return runForegroundWatcher({
+      args: deps.args,
+      cwd: deps.cwd,
+      env: deps.env,
+      nodePath: deps.nodePath,
+      spawnSyncImpl: deps.spawnSync,
+    });
+  }
+
+  if (deps.env.OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_WATCH_TMUX_CHILD === "1") {
+    return runForegroundWatcher({
+      args: deps.args,
+      cwd: deps.cwd,
+      env: deps.env,
+      nodePath: deps.nodePath,
+      spawnSyncImpl: deps.spawnSync,
+    });
+  }
+
+  const sessionName =
+    params.sessionName ?? resolveGatewayWatchTmuxSessionName({ args: deps.args, env: deps.env });
+  const command = buildGatewayWatchTmuxCommand({
+    args: deps.args,
+    cwd: deps.cwd,
+    env: deps.env,
+    nodePath: deps.nodePath,
+    sessionName,
+  });
+
+  const hasSession = runTmux(deps.spawnSync, ["has-session", "-t", sessionName]);
+  if (hasSession.error?.code === "ENOENT") {
+    log(
+      deps.stderr,
+      "tmux is not installed or not on PATH; run `pnpm gateway:watch:raw` for foreground watch mode.",
+    );
+    return 1;
+  }
+  if (hasSession.error) {
+    log(deps.stderr, `failed to query tmux session ${sessionName}: ${hasSession.error.message}`);
+    return 1;
+  }
+
+  const startSession = () =>
+    runTmux(deps.spawnSync, ["new-session", "-d", "-s", sessionName, "-c", deps.cwd, command]);
+  const restartSession = () =>
+    runTmux(deps.spawnSync, ["respawn-pane", "-k", "-t", sessionName, "-c", deps.cwd, command]);
+  const action = hasSession.status === 0 ? "restarted" : "started";
+  let result = hasSession.status === 0 ? restartSession() : startSession();
+  if (hasSession.status === 0 && isMissingTmuxTarget(result)) {
+    runTmux(deps.spawnSync, ["kill-session", "-t", sessionName]);
+    result = startSession();
+  }
+  if (result.error?.code === "ENOENT") {
+    log(
+      deps.stderr,
+      "tmux is not installed or not on PATH; run `pnpm gateway:watch:raw` for foreground watch mode.",
+    );
+    return 1;
+  }
+  if (result.error || result.status !== 0) {
+    const detail = getTmuxErrorText(result);
+    log(
+      deps.stderr,
+      `failed to ${action === "started" ? "start" : "restart"} tmux session ${sessionName}: ${detail}`,
+    );
+    return result.status || 1;
+  }
+
+  log(deps.stderr, `gateway:watch ${action} in tmux session ${sessionName}`);
+  if (
+    shouldAttachTmux({
+      env: deps.env,
+      stdinIsTTY: deps.stdinIsTTY,
+      stdoutIsTTY: deps.stdoutIsTTY,
+    })
+  ) {
+    const attachResult = attachTmux({
+      env: deps.env,
+      sessionName,
+      spawnSyncImpl: deps.spawnSync,
+    });
+    if (attachResult.error || attachResult.status !== 0) {
+      const detail =
+        attachResult.error?.message || String(attachResult.stderr || "").trim() || "unknown error";
+      log(deps.stderr, `failed to attach tmux session ${sessionName}: ${detail}`);
+      return attachResult.status || 1;
+    }
+    return 0;
+  }
+  deps.stdout.write(`Attach: tmux attach -t ${sessionName}\n`);
+  deps.stdout.write("Restart: rerun the same pnpm gateway:watch command\n");
+  deps.stdout.write(`Stop: tmux kill-session -t ${sessionName}\n`);
+  return 0;
+};
+
+if (import.meta.url === pathToFileURL(process.argv[1] ?? "").href) {
+  process.exit(runGatewayWatchTmuxMain());
+}
diff --git a/src/infra/gateway-watch-tmux.test.ts b/src/infra/gateway-watch-tmux.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ae9c3dc277d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/infra/gateway-watch-tmux.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,331 @@
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import {
+  buildGatewayWatchTmuxCommand,
+  resolveGatewayWatchTmuxSessionName,
+  runGatewayWatchTmuxMain,
+} from "../../scripts/gateway-watch-tmux.mjs";
+
+const createOutput = () => {
+  const chunks: string[] = [];
+  return {
+    chunks,
+    stream: {
+      write: (message: string) => {
+        chunks.push(message);
+      },
+    },
+  };
+};
+
+describe("gateway-watch tmux wrapper", () => {
+  it("derives stable session names from profile and port", () => {
+    expect(resolveGatewayWatchTmuxSessionName({ args: ["gateway", "--force"], env: {} })).toBe(
+      "openclaw-gateway-watch-main",
+    );
+    expect(
+      resolveGatewayWatchTmuxSessionName({
+        args: ["gateway", "--force", "--port", "19001"],
+        env: { OPENCLAW_PROFILE: "Dev Profile" },
+      }),
+    ).toBe("openclaw-gateway-watch-dev-profile-19001");
+    expect(
+      resolveGatewayWatchTmuxSessionName({
+        args: ["--dev", "gateway", "--port=18789"],
+        env: {},
+      }),
+    ).toBe("openclaw-gateway-watch-dev");
+  });
+
+  it("builds a login-shell command that runs the raw watcher in the repo", () => {
+    const command = buildGatewayWatchTmuxCommand({
+      args: ["gateway", "--force", "--raw-stream-path", "a b.jsonl"],
+      cwd: "/repo with spaces/openclaw",
+      env: {
+        OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PORT: "19001",
+        OPENCLAW_PROFILE: "Dev Profile",
+        SHELL: "/bin/zsh",
+      },
+      nodePath: "/opt/node",
+      sessionName: "openclaw-gateway-watch-main",
+    });
+
+    expect(command).toContain("exec '/bin/zsh' -lc");
+    expect(command).toContain("/repo with spaces/openclaw");
+    expect(command).toContain("'OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_WATCH_TMUX_CHILD=1'");
+    expect(command).toContain("'OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_WATCH_SESSION=openclaw-gateway-watch-main'");
+    expect(command).toContain("'OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PORT=19001'");
+    expect(command).toContain("'OPENCLAW_PROFILE=Dev Profile'");
+    expect(command).toContain("/opt/node");
+    expect(command).toContain("scripts/watch-node.mjs");
+    expect(command).toContain("gateway");
+    expect(command).toContain("--force");
+    expect(command).toContain("'a b.jsonl'");
+  });
+
+  it("creates a detached tmux session when none exists", () => {
+    const stdout = createOutput();
+    const stderr = createOutput();
+    const spawnSync = vi
+      .fn()
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 1, stdout: "", stderr: "" })
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 0, stdout: "", stderr: "" });
+
+    const code = runGatewayWatchTmuxMain({
+      args: ["gateway", "--force"],
+      cwd: "/repo",
+      env: { SHELL: "/bin/zsh" },
+      nodePath: "/node",
+      spawnSync,
+      stderr: stderr.stream,
+      stdout: stdout.stream,
+    });
+
+    expect(code).toBe(0);
+    expect(spawnSync).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
+      1,
+      "tmux",
+      ["has-session", "-t", "openclaw-gateway-watch-main"],
+      expect.objectContaining({ encoding: "utf8" }),
+    );
+    expect(spawnSync).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
+      2,
+      "tmux",
+      [
+        "new-session",
+        "-d",
+        "-s",
+        "openclaw-gateway-watch-main",
+        "-c",
+        "/repo",
+        expect.stringContaining("scripts/watch-node.mjs"),
+      ],
+      expect.objectContaining({ encoding: "utf8" }),
+    );
+    expect(stderr.chunks.join("")).toContain(
+      "gateway:watch started in tmux session openclaw-gateway-watch-main",
+    );
+    expect(stdout.chunks.join("")).toContain("tmux attach -t openclaw-gateway-watch-main");
+  });
+
+  it("auto-attaches in an interactive terminal after creating a session", () => {
+    const stdout = createOutput();
+    const stderr = createOutput();
+    const spawnSync = vi
+      .fn()
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 1, stdout: "", stderr: "" })
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 0, stdout: "", stderr: "" })
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 0, stdout: "", stderr: "" });
+
+    const code = runGatewayWatchTmuxMain({
+      args: ["gateway", "--force"],
+      cwd: "/repo",
+      env: { SHELL: "/bin/zsh" },
+      nodePath: "/node",
+      spawnSync,
+      stderr: stderr.stream,
+      stdinIsTTY: true,
+      stdout: stdout.stream,
+      stdoutIsTTY: true,
+    });
+
+    expect(code).toBe(0);
+    expect(spawnSync).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
+      3,
+      "tmux",
+      ["attach-session", "-t", "openclaw-gateway-watch-main"],
+      expect.objectContaining({ stdio: "inherit" }),
+    );
+    expect(stdout.chunks.join("")).not.toContain("tmux attach -t");
+  });
+
+  it("switches tmux clients instead of nesting attach when already inside tmux", () => {
+    const stdout = createOutput();
+    const stderr = createOutput();
+    const spawnSync = vi
+      .fn()
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 0, stdout: "", stderr: "" })
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 0, stdout: "", stderr: "" })
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 0, stdout: "", stderr: "" });
+
+    const code = runGatewayWatchTmuxMain({
+      args: ["gateway", "--force"],
+      cwd: "/repo",
+      env: { SHELL: "/bin/zsh", TMUX: "/tmp/tmux-501/default,1,0" },
+      nodePath: "/node",
+      spawnSync,
+      stderr: stderr.stream,
+      stdinIsTTY: true,
+      stdout: stdout.stream,
+      stdoutIsTTY: true,
+    });
+
+    expect(code).toBe(0);
+    expect(spawnSync).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
+      3,
+      "tmux",
+      ["switch-client", "-t", "openclaw-gateway-watch-main"],
+      expect.objectContaining({ stdio: "inherit" }),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("keeps detached output in CI unless attach is forced", () => {
+    const stdout = createOutput();
+    const stderr = createOutput();
+    const spawnSync = vi
+      .fn()
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 1, stdout: "", stderr: "" })
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 0, stdout: "", stderr: "" });
+
+    const code = runGatewayWatchTmuxMain({
+      args: ["gateway", "--force"],
+      cwd: "/repo",
+      env: { CI: "1", SHELL: "/bin/zsh" },
+      nodePath: "/node",
+      spawnSync,
+      stderr: stderr.stream,
+      stdinIsTTY: true,
+      stdout: stdout.stream,
+      stdoutIsTTY: true,
+    });
+
+    expect(code).toBe(0);
+    expect(spawnSync).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+    expect(stdout.chunks.join("")).toContain("tmux attach -t openclaw-gateway-watch-main");
+  });
+
+  it("respawns the existing tmux pane on repeated runs", () => {
+    const stdout = createOutput();
+    const stderr = createOutput();
+    const spawnSync = vi
+      .fn()
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 0, stdout: "", stderr: "" })
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 0, stdout: "", stderr: "" });
+
+    const code = runGatewayWatchTmuxMain({
+      args: ["gateway", "--force", "--port=19001"],
+      cwd: "/repo",
+      env: { OPENCLAW_PROFILE: "dev", SHELL: "/bin/zsh" },
+      nodePath: "/node",
+      spawnSync,
+      stderr: stderr.stream,
+      stdout: stdout.stream,
+    });
+
+    expect(code).toBe(0);
+    expect(spawnSync).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
+      2,
+      "tmux",
+      [
+        "respawn-pane",
+        "-k",
+        "-t",
+        "openclaw-gateway-watch-dev-19001",
+        "-c",
+        "/repo",
+        expect.stringContaining("scripts/watch-node.mjs"),
+      ],
+      expect.objectContaining({ encoding: "utf8" }),
+    );
+    expect(stderr.chunks.join("")).toContain(
+      "gateway:watch restarted in tmux session openclaw-gateway-watch-dev-19001",
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("recreates a stale session when its active pane target is missing", () => {
+    const stdout = createOutput();
+    const stderr = createOutput();
+    const spawnSync = vi
+      .fn()
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 0, stdout: "", stderr: "" })
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 1, stdout: "", stderr: "can't find window: 0" })
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 0, stdout: "", stderr: "" })
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 0, stdout: "", stderr: "" });
+
+    const code = runGatewayWatchTmuxMain({
+      args: ["gateway", "--force"],
+      cwd: "/repo",
+      env: { CI: "1", SHELL: "/bin/zsh" },
+      nodePath: "/node",
+      spawnSync,
+      stderr: stderr.stream,
+      stdout: stdout.stream,
+    });
+
+    expect(code).toBe(0);
+    expect(spawnSync).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
+      2,
+      "tmux",
+      [
+        "respawn-pane",
+        "-k",
+        "-t",
+        "openclaw-gateway-watch-main",
+        "-c",
+        "/repo",
+        expect.stringContaining("scripts/watch-node.mjs"),
+      ],
+      expect.objectContaining({ encoding: "utf8" }),
+    );
+    expect(spawnSync).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
+      3,
+      "tmux",
+      ["kill-session", "-t", "openclaw-gateway-watch-main"],
+      expect.objectContaining({ encoding: "utf8" }),
+    );
+    expect(spawnSync).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
+      4,
+      "tmux",
+      [
+        "new-session",
+        "-d",
+        "-s",
+        "openclaw-gateway-watch-main",
+        "-c",
+        "/repo",
+        expect.stringContaining("scripts/watch-node.mjs"),
+      ],
+      expect.objectContaining({ encoding: "utf8" }),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("runs the raw foreground watcher when tmux mode is disabled", () => {
+    const spawnSync = vi.fn().mockReturnValue({ status: 0, stdout: "", stderr: "" });
+
+    const code = runGatewayWatchTmuxMain({
+      args: ["gateway", "--force"],
+      cwd: "/repo",
+      env: { OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_WATCH_TMUX: "0" },
+      nodePath: "/node",
+      spawnSync,
+    });
+
+    expect(code).toBe(0);
+    expect(spawnSync).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      "/node",
+      ["scripts/watch-node.mjs", "gateway", "--force"],
+      {
+        cwd: "/repo",
+        env: { OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_WATCH_TMUX: "0" },
+        stdio: "inherit",
+      },
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("prints a raw-mode hint when tmux is unavailable", () => {
+    const stderr = createOutput();
+    const spawnSync = vi.fn().mockReturnValue({
+      error: Object.assign(new Error("spawn tmux ENOENT"), { code: "ENOENT" }),
+    });
+
+    const code = runGatewayWatchTmuxMain({
+      args: ["gateway", "--force"],
+      cwd: "/repo",
+      env: {},
+      spawnSync,
+      stderr: stderr.stream,
+    });
+
+    expect(code).toBe(1);
+    expect(stderr.chunks.join("")).toContain("tmux is not installed or not on PATH");
+  });
+});