diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 62d28a97b0f..1ecd787ecd4 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Cron: preserve manual `cron.run` IDs in `cron.runs` history so manual run acknowledgements can be correlated with finished run records. Fixes #76276.
 - CLI/devices: request `operator.admin` for `openclaw devices approve <requestId>` only when the exact pending device request would mint or inherit admin-scoped operator access, while keeping lower-scope approvals on the pairing scope.
 - Memory/embedding: broaden the embedding reindex retry classifier to include transient socket-layer errors (`fetch failed`, `ECONNRESET`, `socket hang up`, `UND_ERR_*`, `closed`) so memory reindex survives provider network hiccups instead of aborting mid-run. Related #56815, #44166. (#76311) Thanks @buyitsydney.
+- Memory/search: keep sqlite-vec optional in packaged installs and point missing-extension recovery at the valid `agents.defaults.memorySearch.store.vector.extensionPath` setting. Thanks @vincentkoc.
 - Gateway: keep directly requested plugin tools invokable under restrictive tool profiles while preserving explicit deny lists and the HTTP safety deny list, preventing catalog/invoke mismatches that surface as "Tool not available". Thanks @BunsDev.
 - Gateway/update: allow beta binaries to refresh gateway services when the config was last written by the matching stable release version, avoiding false newer-config downgrade blocks during beta channel updates.
 - Channels: keep Matrix and Mattermost bundled in the core package instead of advertising external npm installs before those channels are cut over. Thanks @vincentkoc.
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 0c51ce473c2..4c1e0769f34 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1697,7 +1697,6 @@
     "playwright-core": "1.59.1",
     "proxy-agent": "^8.0.1",
     "qrcode": "1.5.4",
-    "sqlite-vec": "0.1.9",
     "tar": "7.5.13",
     "tokenjuice": "0.7.0",
     "tree-sitter-bash": "^0.25.1",
@@ -1734,6 +1733,9 @@
     "typescript": "^6.0.3",
     "vitest": "^4.1.5"
   },
+  "optionalDependencies": {
+    "sqlite-vec": "0.1.9"
+  },
   "overrides": {
     "@aws-sdk/client-bedrock-runtime": "$@aws-sdk/client-bedrock-runtime",
     "axios": "1.15.0",
diff --git a/packages/memory-host-sdk/src/host/sqlite-vec.test.ts b/packages/memory-host-sdk/src/host/sqlite-vec.test.ts
index 07e3942b3c4..790698cb495 100644
--- a/packages/memory-host-sdk/src/host/sqlite-vec.test.ts
+++ b/packages/memory-host-sdk/src/host/sqlite-vec.test.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,26 @@
-import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 
-vi.mock("sqlite-vec", () => {
-  throw new Error("bundled sqlite-vec should not load when extensionPath is explicit");
+function mockMissingSqliteVecPackage(): void {
+  vi.doMock("sqlite-vec", () => {
+    const err = new Error("Cannot find package 'sqlite-vec' imported from sqlite-vec.test.ts");
+    Object.assign(err, { code: "ERR_MODULE_NOT_FOUND" });
+    throw err;
+  });
+}
+
+async function importLoader() {
+  return import("./sqlite-vec.js");
+}
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  vi.doUnmock("sqlite-vec");
+  vi.resetModules();
 });
 
-import { loadSqliteVecExtension } from "./sqlite-vec.js";
-
 describe("loadSqliteVecExtension", () => {
   it("loads explicit extensionPath without importing bundled sqlite-vec", async () => {
+    mockMissingSqliteVecPackage();
+    const { loadSqliteVecExtension } = await importLoader();
     const db = {
       enableLoadExtension: vi.fn(),
       loadExtension: vi.fn(),
@@ -22,4 +35,23 @@ describe("loadSqliteVecExtension", () => {
     expect(db.enableLoadExtension).toHaveBeenCalledWith(true);
     expect(db.loadExtension).toHaveBeenCalledWith("/opt/openclaw/sqlite-vec.so");
   });
+
+  it("returns a valid memorySearch extensionPath hint when sqlite-vec is absent", async () => {
+    mockMissingSqliteVecPackage();
+    const { loadSqliteVecExtension } = await importLoader();
+    const db = {
+      enableLoadExtension: vi.fn(),
+      loadExtension: vi.fn(),
+    };
+
+    const result = await loadSqliteVecExtension({ db: db as never });
+
+    expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
+    expect(result.error).toContain("sqlite-vec package is not installed.");
+    expect(result.error).toContain("agents.defaults.memorySearch.store.vector.extensionPath");
+    expect(result.error).toContain("agent-specific memorySearch.store.vector.extensionPath");
+    expect(result.error).not.toContain("memory.store.vector.extensionPath");
+    expect(db.enableLoadExtension).toHaveBeenCalledWith(true);
+    expect(db.loadExtension).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/memory-host-sdk/src/host/sqlite-vec.ts b/packages/memory-host-sdk/src/host/sqlite-vec.ts
index 61268647b51..c8d82acf93c 100644
--- a/packages/memory-host-sdk/src/host/sqlite-vec.ts
+++ b/packages/memory-host-sdk/src/host/sqlite-vec.ts
@@ -8,11 +8,24 @@ type SqliteVecModule = {
 };
 
 const SQLITE_VEC_MODULE_ID = "sqlite-vec";
+const SQLITE_VEC_CONFIG_HINT =
+  "Set agents.defaults.memorySearch.store.vector.extensionPath, or an agent-specific memorySearch.store.vector.extensionPath, to a sqlite-vec loadable extension path.";
 
 async function loadSqliteVecModule(): Promise<SqliteVecModule> {
   return import(SQLITE_VEC_MODULE_ID) as Promise<SqliteVecModule>;
 }
 
+function isMissingSqliteVecPackageError(err: unknown): boolean {
+  const message = formatErrorMessage(err);
+  const code =
+    err && typeof err === "object" && "code" in err ? (err as { code?: unknown }).code : undefined;
+  const missingSqliteVec = /Cannot find (?:package|module) ['"]sqlite-vec['"]/u.test(message);
+  return (
+    missingSqliteVec &&
+    (code === undefined || code === "ERR_MODULE_NOT_FOUND" || code === "MODULE_NOT_FOUND")
+  );
+}
+
 export async function loadSqliteVecExtension(params: {
   db: DatabaseSync;
   extensionPath?: string;
@@ -31,6 +44,12 @@ export async function loadSqliteVecExtension(params: {
     return { ok: true, extensionPath };
   } catch (err) {
     const message = formatErrorMessage(err);
+    if (isMissingSqliteVecPackageError(err)) {
+      return {
+        ok: false,
+        error: `sqlite-vec package is not installed. ${SQLITE_VEC_CONFIG_HINT} Original error: ${message}`,
+      };
+    }
     return { ok: false, error: message };
   }
 }
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index b9cc6b075f5..14913eedc30 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -184,9 +184,6 @@ importers:
       qrcode:
         specifier: 1.5.4
         version: 1.5.4
-      sqlite-vec:
-        specifier: 0.1.9
-        version: 0.1.9
       tar:
         specifier: 7.5.13
         version: 7.5.13
@@ -220,6 +217,10 @@ importers:
       zod:
         specifier: ^4.4.1
         version: 4.4.1
+    optionalDependencies:
+      sqlite-vec:
+        specifier: 0.1.9
+        version: 0.1.9
     devDependencies:
       '@copilotkit/aimock':
         specifier: 1.16.4