diff --git a/src/plugins/current-plugin-metadata-snapshot.test.ts b/src/plugins/current-plugin-metadata-snapshot.test.ts
index 454c0e285cd..7f29d9bc0c3 100644
--- a/src/plugins/current-plugin-metadata-snapshot.test.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/current-plugin-metadata-snapshot.test.ts
@@ -177,6 +177,34 @@ describe("current plugin metadata snapshot", () => {
     expect(getCurrentPluginMetadataSnapshot({ config, env: requestedEnv })).toBeUndefined();
   });
 
+  it("rejects an exact cached config object after in-place policy changes", () => {
+    const config = { plugins: { allow: ["demo"] } };
+    const snapshot = createSnapshot({ config });
+    setCurrentPluginMetadataSnapshot(snapshot, { config });
+
+    expect(getCurrentPluginMetadataSnapshot({ config })).toBe(snapshot);
+
+    config.plugins.allow = ["other"];
+
+    expect(getCurrentPluginMetadataSnapshot({ config })).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it("rejects an exact cached env object after in-place root changes", () => {
+    const config = {};
+    const snapshot = createSnapshot({ config });
+    const env = {
+      HOME: "/home/snapshot",
+      OPENCLAW_HOME: undefined,
+    } as NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
+    setCurrentPluginMetadataSnapshot(snapshot, { config, env });
+
+    expect(getCurrentPluginMetadataSnapshot({ config, env })).toBe(snapshot);
+
+    env.HOME = "/home/requested";
+
+    expect(getCurrentPluginMetadataSnapshot({ config, env })).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
   it("keeps source-policy compatibility when storing an auto-enabled runtime config", () => {
     const sourceConfig = { channels: { telegram: { botToken: "token" } } };
     const autoEnabledConfig = {
diff --git a/src/plugins/current-plugin-metadata-snapshot.ts b/src/plugins/current-plugin-metadata-snapshot.ts
index 97a680c002d..6a198c0f249 100644
--- a/src/plugins/current-plugin-metadata-snapshot.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/current-plugin-metadata-snapshot.ts
@@ -10,8 +10,20 @@ import {
   type ResolvePluginControlPlaneContextParams,
 } from "./plugin-control-plane-context.js";
 import type { PluginMetadataSnapshot } from "./plugin-metadata-snapshot.types.js";
+import { resolvePluginCacheInputs } from "./roots.js";
 
 type CurrentPluginMetadataSnapshotState = ReturnType<typeof getCurrentPluginMetadataSnapshotState>;
+type CurrentPluginMetadataConfigCacheEntry = {
+  configFingerprint: string;
+  discoveryKey: string;
+  policyHash: string;
+  policyKey: string;
+};
+
+let currentPluginMetadataConfigIdentityCache = new WeakMap<
+  OpenClawConfig,
+  CurrentPluginMetadataConfigCacheEntry
+>();
 
 export function resolvePluginMetadataControlPlaneFingerprint(
   config?: OpenClawConfig,
@@ -29,6 +41,65 @@ export function isReusableCurrentPluginMetadataSnapshot(
   return true;
 }
 
+function resolveConfiguredPluginLoadPaths(
+  config: OpenClawConfig | undefined,
+): readonly string[] | undefined {
+  const paths = config?.plugins?.load?.paths;
+  return Array.isArray(paths) ? paths : undefined;
+}
+
+function resolveCurrentPluginMetadataDiscoveryKey(params: {
+  config?: OpenClawConfig;
+  env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
+  workspaceDir?: string;
+}): string {
+  return JSON.stringify(
+    resolvePluginCacheInputs({
+      env: params.env,
+      workspaceDir: params.workspaceDir,
+      loadPaths: [...(resolveConfiguredPluginLoadPaths(params.config) ?? [])],
+    }),
+  );
+}
+
+function resolveCurrentPluginMetadataPolicyKey(config: OpenClawConfig | undefined): string {
+  const plugins = config?.plugins;
+  const rawEntries = plugins?.entries;
+  const entries: Record<string, unknown> = {};
+  if (rawEntries && typeof rawEntries === "object" && !Array.isArray(rawEntries)) {
+    for (const [pluginId, entry] of Object.entries(rawEntries)) {
+      if (entry && typeof entry === "object" && !Array.isArray(entry)) {
+        const enabled = (entry as Record<string, unknown>).enabled;
+        if (enabled !== undefined) {
+          entries[pluginId] = enabled;
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  const channelPolicy: Record<string, boolean> = {};
+  const channels = config?.channels;
+  if (channels && typeof channels === "object" && !Array.isArray(channels)) {
+    for (const [channelId, value] of Object.entries(channels)) {
+      if (value && typeof value === "object" && !Array.isArray(value)) {
+        const enabled = (value as Record<string, unknown>).enabled;
+        if (typeof enabled === "boolean") {
+          channelPolicy[channelId] = enabled;
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  return JSON.stringify({
+    plugins: {
+      enabled: plugins?.enabled,
+      allow: plugins?.allow,
+      deny: plugins?.deny,
+      slots: plugins?.slots,
+      entries,
+    },
+    channels: channelPolicy,
+  });
+}
+
 // Single-slot Gateway-owned handoff. Replace or clear it at lifecycle boundaries;
 // never accumulate historical metadata snapshots here.
 export function setCurrentPluginMetadataSnapshot(
@@ -40,6 +111,7 @@ export function setCurrentPluginMetadataSnapshot(
     workspaceDir?: string;
   } = {},
 ): void {
+  currentPluginMetadataConfigIdentityCache = new WeakMap();
   const compatiblePolicyHashes = snapshot
     ? options.compatibleConfigs?.map((config) => resolveInstalledPluginIndexPolicyHash(config))
     : undefined;
@@ -66,9 +138,52 @@ export function setCurrentPluginMetadataSnapshot(
     compatiblePolicyHashes,
     compatibleConfigFingerprints,
   );
+  if (!snapshot) {
+    return;
+  }
+  const env = options.env ?? process.env;
+  const workspaceDir = options.workspaceDir ?? snapshot.workspaceDir;
+  if (options.config) {
+    const policyHash = resolveInstalledPluginIndexPolicyHash(options.config);
+    const policyKey = resolveCurrentPluginMetadataPolicyKey(options.config);
+    const discoveryKey = resolveCurrentPluginMetadataDiscoveryKey({
+      config: options.config,
+      env,
+      workspaceDir,
+    });
+    currentPluginMetadataConfigIdentityCache.set(options.config, {
+      policyHash,
+      policyKey,
+      discoveryKey,
+      configFingerprint: resolvePluginMetadataControlPlaneFingerprint(options.config, {
+        env,
+        index: snapshot.index,
+        policyHash,
+        workspaceDir,
+      }),
+    });
+  }
+  for (const [index, config] of (options.compatibleConfigs ?? []).entries()) {
+    const policyHash = compatiblePolicyHashes?.[index];
+    const configFingerprint = compatibleConfigFingerprints?.[index];
+    if (!policyHash || !configFingerprint) {
+      continue;
+    }
+    currentPluginMetadataConfigIdentityCache.set(config, {
+      policyHash,
+      policyKey: resolveCurrentPluginMetadataPolicyKey(config),
+      configFingerprint,
+      discoveryKey: resolveCurrentPluginMetadataDiscoveryKey({
+        config,
+        env,
+        workspaceDir,
+      }),
+    });
+  }
 }
 
 export function clearCurrentPluginMetadataSnapshot(): void {
+  currentPluginMetadataConfigIdentityCache = new WeakMap();
   clearCurrentPluginMetadataSnapshotState();
 }
 
@@ -79,6 +194,7 @@ export function captureCurrentPluginMetadataSnapshotState(): CurrentPluginMetada
 export function restoreCurrentPluginMetadataSnapshotState(
   state: CurrentPluginMetadataSnapshotState,
 ): void {
+  currentPluginMetadataConfigIdentityCache = new WeakMap();
   setCurrentPluginMetadataSnapshotState(
     state.snapshot,
     state.configFingerprint,
@@ -106,25 +222,47 @@ export function getCurrentPluginMetadataSnapshot(
   if (!snapshot) {
     return undefined;
   }
-  const requestedPolicyHash = params.config
-    ? resolveInstalledPluginIndexPolicyHash(params.config)
-    : undefined;
+  const env = params.env ?? process.env;
+  const requestedWorkspaceDir =
+    params.workspaceDir ??
+    (params.allowWorkspaceScopedSnapshot === true ? snapshot.workspaceDir : undefined);
+  const cachedConfig = params.config && currentPluginMetadataConfigIdentityCache.get(params.config);
+  const requestedPolicyKey =
+    params.config && cachedConfig
+      ? resolveCurrentPluginMetadataPolicyKey(params.config)
+      : undefined;
+  const requestedDiscoveryKey =
+    params.config && cachedConfig
+      ? resolveCurrentPluginMetadataDiscoveryKey({
+          config: params.config,
+          env,
+          workspaceDir: requestedWorkspaceDir,
+        })
+      : undefined;
+  const canReuseCachedConfig =
+    cachedConfig !== undefined &&
+    cachedConfig.policyKey === requestedPolicyKey &&
+    cachedConfig.discoveryKey === requestedDiscoveryKey;
+  const requestedPolicyHash = canReuseCachedConfig
+    ? cachedConfig.policyHash
+    : params.config
+      ? resolveInstalledPluginIndexPolicyHash(params.config)
+      : undefined;
   if (requestedPolicyHash && snapshot.policyHash !== requestedPolicyHash) {
     const compatiblePolicies = new Set(compatiblePolicyHashes ?? []);
     if (!compatiblePolicies.has(requestedPolicyHash)) {
       return undefined;
     }
   }
-  const requestedWorkspaceDir =
-    params.workspaceDir ??
-    (params.allowWorkspaceScopedSnapshot === true ? snapshot.workspaceDir : undefined);
   if (params.config) {
-    const requestedConfigFingerprint = resolvePluginMetadataControlPlaneFingerprint(params.config, {
-      env: params.env,
-      index: snapshot.index,
-      policyHash: requestedPolicyHash,
-      workspaceDir: requestedWorkspaceDir,
-    });
+    const requestedConfigFingerprint = canReuseCachedConfig
+      ? cachedConfig.configFingerprint
+      : resolvePluginMetadataControlPlaneFingerprint(params.config, {
+          env,
+          index: snapshot.index,
+          policyHash: requestedPolicyHash,
+          workspaceDir: requestedWorkspaceDir,
+        });
     const compatibleFingerprints = new Set(compatibleConfigFingerprints ?? []);
     const fingerprintMatches =
       configFingerprint === requestedConfigFingerprint ||