diff --git a/src/gateway/server.auth.default-token.suite.ts b/src/gateway/server.auth.default-token.suite.ts
index 8cc20f57aa3..98bbbbe6010 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server.auth.default-token.suite.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server.auth.default-token.suite.ts
@@ -112,7 +112,8 @@ export function registerDefaultAuthTokenSuite(): void {
       ws.close();
     });
 
-    test("connect (req) handshake resolves server version from env precedence", async () => {
+    test("connect (req) handshake resolves server version from runtime precedence", async () => {
+      const { VERSION } = await import("../version.js");
       for (const testCase of [
         {
           env: {
@@ -120,7 +121,7 @@ export function registerDefaultAuthTokenSuite(): void {
             OPENCLAW_SERVICE_VERSION: "2.4.6-service",
             npm_package_version: "1.0.0-package",
           },
-          expectedVersion: "2.4.6-service",
+          expectedVersion: VERSION,
         },
         {
           env: {
@@ -136,7 +137,7 @@ export function registerDefaultAuthTokenSuite(): void {
             OPENCLAW_SERVICE_VERSION: "\t",
             npm_package_version: "1.0.0-package",
           },
-          expectedVersion: "1.0.0-package",
+          expectedVersion: VERSION,
         },
       ]) {
         await withRuntimeVersionEnv(testCase.env, async () =>
diff --git a/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/message-handler.ts b/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/message-handler.ts
index 1ecbb330c7c..f1568796192 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/message-handler.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/message-handler.ts
@@ -1032,7 +1032,7 @@ export function attachGatewayWsMessageHandler(params: {
           type: "hello-ok",
           protocol: PROTOCOL_VERSION,
           server: {
-            version: resolveRuntimeServiceVersion(process.env, "dev"),
+            version: resolveRuntimeServiceVersion(process.env),
             connId,
           },
           features: { methods: gatewayMethods, events },
diff --git a/src/infra/system-presence.ts b/src/infra/system-presence.ts
index a6e5863b236..a644cd001de 100644
--- a/src/infra/system-presence.ts
+++ b/src/infra/system-presence.ts
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ function resolvePrimaryIPv4(): string | undefined {
 function initSelfPresence() {
   const host = os.hostname();
   const ip = resolvePrimaryIPv4() ?? undefined;
-  const version = resolveRuntimeServiceVersion(process.env, "unknown");
+  const version = resolveRuntimeServiceVersion(process.env);
   const modelIdentifier = (() => {
     const p = os.platform();
     if (p === "darwin") {
diff --git a/src/infra/system-presence.version.test.ts b/src/infra/system-presence.version.test.ts
index 44e2a26c3f8..8465466ef9c 100644
--- a/src/infra/system-presence.version.test.ts
+++ b/src/infra/system-presence.version.test.ts
@@ -13,20 +13,21 @@ async function withPresenceModule<T>(
 }
 
 describe("system-presence version fallback", () => {
-  it("uses OPENCLAW_SERVICE_VERSION when OPENCLAW_VERSION is not set", async () => {
+  it("uses runtime VERSION when OPENCLAW_VERSION is not set", async () => {
     await withPresenceModule(
       {
         OPENCLAW_SERVICE_VERSION: "2.4.6-service",
         npm_package_version: "1.0.0-package",
       },
-      ({ listSystemPresence }) => {
+      async ({ listSystemPresence }) => {
+        const { VERSION } = await import("../version.js");
         const selfEntry = listSystemPresence().find((entry) => entry.reason === "self");
-        expect(selfEntry?.version).toBe("2.4.6-service");
+        expect(selfEntry?.version).toBe(VERSION);
       },
     );
   });
 
-  it("prefers OPENCLAW_VERSION over OPENCLAW_SERVICE_VERSION", async () => {
+  it("prefers OPENCLAW_VERSION over runtime VERSION", async () => {
     await withPresenceModule(
       {
         OPENCLAW_VERSION: "9.9.9-cli",
@@ -40,16 +41,17 @@ describe("system-presence version fallback", () => {
     );
   });
 
-  it("uses npm_package_version when OPENCLAW_VERSION and OPENCLAW_SERVICE_VERSION are blank", async () => {
+  it("uses runtime VERSION when OPENCLAW_VERSION and OPENCLAW_SERVICE_VERSION are blank", async () => {
     await withPresenceModule(
       {
         OPENCLAW_VERSION: " ",
         OPENCLAW_SERVICE_VERSION: "\t",
         npm_package_version: "1.0.0-package",
       },
-      ({ listSystemPresence }) => {
+      async ({ listSystemPresence }) => {
+        const { VERSION } = await import("../version.js");
         const selfEntry = listSystemPresence().find((entry) => entry.reason === "self");
-        expect(selfEntry?.version).toBe("1.0.0-package");
+        expect(selfEntry?.version).toBe(VERSION);
       },
     );
   });
diff --git a/src/version.test.ts b/src/version.test.ts
index 028aac69be8..6156ddd8e60 100644
--- a/src/version.test.ts
+++ b/src/version.test.ts
@@ -4,10 +4,12 @@ import path from "node:path";
 import { pathToFileURL } from "node:url";
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import {
+  VERSION,
   readVersionFromBuildInfoForModuleUrl,
   readVersionFromPackageJsonForModuleUrl,
   resolveBinaryVersion,
   resolveRuntimeServiceVersion,
+  resolveUsableRuntimeVersion,
   resolveVersionFromModuleUrl,
 } from "./version.js";
 
@@ -141,14 +143,24 @@ describe("version resolution", () => {
     ).toBe("9.9.9");
   });
 
-  it("uses service and package fallbacks and ignores blank env values", () => {
+  it("normalizes runtime version candidate for fallback handling", () => {
+    expect(resolveUsableRuntimeVersion(undefined)).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(resolveUsableRuntimeVersion("")).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(resolveUsableRuntimeVersion(" \t ")).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(resolveUsableRuntimeVersion("0.0.0")).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(resolveUsableRuntimeVersion(" 0.0.0 ")).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(resolveUsableRuntimeVersion("2026.3.2")).toBe("2026.3.2");
+    expect(resolveUsableRuntimeVersion(" 2026.3.2 ")).toBe("2026.3.2");
+  });
+
+  it("prefers runtime VERSION over service/package markers and ignores blank env values", () => {
     expect(
       resolveRuntimeServiceVersion({
         OPENCLAW_VERSION: "   ",
         OPENCLAW_SERVICE_VERSION: "  2.0.0  ",
         npm_package_version: "1.0.0",
       }),
-    ).toBe("2.0.0");
+    ).toBe(VERSION);
 
     expect(
       resolveRuntimeServiceVersion({
@@ -156,7 +168,7 @@ describe("version resolution", () => {
         OPENCLAW_SERVICE_VERSION: "\t",
         npm_package_version: " 1.0.0-package ",
       }),
-    ).toBe("1.0.0-package");
+    ).toBe(VERSION);
 
     expect(
       resolveRuntimeServiceVersion(
@@ -167,6 +179,6 @@ describe("version resolution", () => {
         },
         "fallback",
       ),
-    ).toBe("fallback");
+    ).toBe(VERSION);
   });
 });
diff --git a/src/version.ts b/src/version.ts
index 2e974b6e1db..806928103cd 100644
--- a/src/version.ts
+++ b/src/version.ts
@@ -90,13 +90,28 @@ export type RuntimeVersionEnv = {
   [key: string]: string | undefined;
 };
 
+export const RUNTIME_SERVICE_VERSION_FALLBACK = "unknown";
+
+export function resolveUsableRuntimeVersion(version: string | undefined): string | undefined {
+  const trimmed = version?.trim();
+  // "0.0.0" is the resolver's hard fallback when module metadata cannot be read.
+  // Prefer explicit service/package markers in that edge case.
+  if (!trimmed || trimmed === "0.0.0") {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  return trimmed;
+}
+
 export function resolveRuntimeServiceVersion(
   env: RuntimeVersionEnv = process.env as RuntimeVersionEnv,
-  fallback = "dev",
+  fallback = RUNTIME_SERVICE_VERSION_FALLBACK,
 ): string {
+  const runtimeVersion = resolveUsableRuntimeVersion(VERSION);
+
   return (
     firstNonEmpty(
       env["OPENCLAW_VERSION"],
+      runtimeVersion,
       env["OPENCLAW_SERVICE_VERSION"],
       env["npm_package_version"],
     ) ?? fallback