diff --git a/scripts/e2e/parallels-linux-smoke.sh b/scripts/e2e/parallels-linux-smoke.sh
index 86535b3fbf2..a6a6c1cda28 100644
--- a/scripts/e2e/parallels-linux-smoke.sh
+++ b/scripts/e2e/parallels-linux-smoke.sh
@@ -624,6 +624,73 @@ run_ref_onboard() {
     --json
 }
 
+inject_bad_plugin_fixture() {
+  guest_exec bash -lc "$(cat <<'EOF'
+set -euo pipefail
+plugin_dir=/root/.openclaw/test-bad-plugin
+mkdir -p "$plugin_dir"
+cat >"$plugin_dir/package.json" <<'JSON'
+{
+  "name": "@openclaw/test-bad-plugin",
+  "version": "1.0.0",
+  "openclaw": {
+    "extensions": ["./index.cjs"],
+    "setupEntry": "./setup-entry.cjs"
+  }
+}
+JSON
+cat >"$plugin_dir/openclaw.plugin.json" <<'JSON'
+{
+  "id": "test-bad-plugin",
+  "configSchema": {
+    "type": "object",
+    "additionalProperties": false,
+    "properties": {}
+  },
+  "channels": ["test-bad-plugin"]
+}
+JSON
+cat >"$plugin_dir/index.cjs" <<'JS'
+module.exports = { id: "test-bad-plugin", register() {} };
+JS
+cat >"$plugin_dir/setup-entry.cjs" <<'JS'
+module.exports = {
+  kind: "bundled-channel-setup-entry",
+  loadSetupPlugin() {
+    throw new Error("boom: bad plugin smoke fixture");
+  },
+};
+JS
+python3 - <<'PY'
+import json
+from pathlib import Path
+
+config_path = Path("/root/.openclaw/openclaw.json")
+config = {}
+if config_path.exists():
+    config = json.loads(config_path.read_text())
+
+plugins = config.setdefault("plugins", {})
+load = plugins.setdefault("load", {})
+paths = load.setdefault("paths", [])
+plugin_dir = "/root/.openclaw/test-bad-plugin"
+if plugin_dir not in paths:
+    paths.append(plugin_dir)
+
+allow = plugins.get("allow")
+if isinstance(allow, list) and "test-bad-plugin" not in allow:
+    allow.append("test-bad-plugin")
+
+config_path.write_text(json.dumps(config, indent=2) + "\n")
+PY
+EOF
+)"
+}
+
+verify_bad_plugin_diagnostic() {
+  guest_exec grep -F "failed to load setup entry" /tmp/openclaw-parallels-linux-gateway.log
+}
+
 start_gateway_background() {
   local cmd api_key_value_q
   api_key_value_q="$(shell_quote "$API_KEY_VALUE")"
@@ -786,8 +853,10 @@ run_fresh_main_lane() {
   phase_run "fresh.install-main" "$TIMEOUT_INSTALL_S" install_main_tgz "$host_ip" "openclaw-main-fresh.tgz"
   FRESH_MAIN_VERSION="$(extract_last_version "$(phase_log_path fresh.install-main)")"
   phase_run "fresh.verify-main-version" "$TIMEOUT_VERIFY_S" verify_target_version
+  phase_run "fresh.inject-bad-plugin" "$TIMEOUT_VERIFY_S" inject_bad_plugin_fixture
   phase_run "fresh.onboard-ref" "$TIMEOUT_ONBOARD_S" run_ref_onboard
   phase_run "fresh.gateway-start" "$TIMEOUT_GATEWAY_S" start_gateway_background
+  phase_run "fresh.bad-plugin-diagnostic" "$TIMEOUT_VERIFY_S" verify_bad_plugin_diagnostic
   phase_run "fresh.gateway-status" "$TIMEOUT_VERIFY_S" show_gateway_status_compat
   FRESH_GATEWAY_STATUS="pass"
   phase_run "fresh.first-local-agent-turn" "$TIMEOUT_AGENT_S" verify_local_turn
@@ -805,8 +874,10 @@ run_upgrade_lane() {
   phase_run "upgrade.install-main" "$TIMEOUT_INSTALL_S" install_main_tgz "$host_ip" "openclaw-main-upgrade.tgz"
   UPGRADE_MAIN_VERSION="$(extract_last_version "$(phase_log_path upgrade.install-main)")"
   phase_run "upgrade.verify-main-version" "$TIMEOUT_VERIFY_S" verify_target_version
+  phase_run "upgrade.inject-bad-plugin" "$TIMEOUT_VERIFY_S" inject_bad_plugin_fixture
   phase_run "upgrade.onboard-ref" "$TIMEOUT_ONBOARD_S" run_ref_onboard
   phase_run "upgrade.gateway-start" "$TIMEOUT_GATEWAY_S" start_gateway_background
+  phase_run "upgrade.bad-plugin-diagnostic" "$TIMEOUT_VERIFY_S" verify_bad_plugin_diagnostic
   phase_run "upgrade.gateway-status" "$TIMEOUT_VERIFY_S" show_gateway_status_compat
   UPGRADE_GATEWAY_STATUS="pass"
   phase_run "upgrade.first-local-agent-turn" "$TIMEOUT_AGENT_S" verify_local_turn
diff --git a/src/commands/onboard-channels.e2e.test.ts b/src/commands/onboard-channels.e2e.test.ts
index 7e36dc9f4a6..d330fd3c8aa 100644
--- a/src/commands/onboard-channels.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/src/commands/onboard-channels.e2e.test.ts
@@ -859,6 +859,60 @@ describe("setupChannels", () => {
     expect(multiselect).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  it("keeps the channel picker usable when the active registry contains broken sibling diagnostics", async () => {
+    const registry = createTestRegistry([
+      {
+        pluginId: "healthy-channel",
+        source: "test",
+        plugin: {
+          ...createChannelTestPluginBase({
+            id: "external-chat",
+            label: "Healthy Chat",
+            docsPath: "/channels/external-chat",
+          }),
+        },
+      },
+    ]);
+    registry.diagnostics.push({
+      level: "error",
+      pluginId: "broken-channel",
+      source: "/tmp/broken-channel/setup-entry.cjs",
+      message: "failed to load setup entry: boom: setup plugin missing",
+    });
+    setActivePluginRegistry(registry);
+
+    const note = vi.fn(async (_message?: string, _title?: string) => {});
+    const { multiselect, text } = createUnexpectedPromptGuards();
+    const select = vi.fn(async ({ message, options }: { message: string; options: unknown[] }) => {
+      if (message === "Select a channel") {
+        const entries = options as Array<{ value: string; label?: string }>;
+        expect(entries.find((entry) => entry.value === "external-chat")?.label).toBe(
+          "Healthy Chat",
+        );
+        expect(entries.some((entry) => entry.value === "broken-channel")).toBe(false);
+        return "__done__";
+      }
+      return "__done__";
+    });
+
+    const prompter = createPrompter({
+      note,
+      select: select as unknown as WizardPrompter["select"],
+      multiselect,
+      text,
+    });
+
+    await runSetupChannels({} as OpenClawConfig, prompter);
+
+    expect(select).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ message: "Select a channel" }));
+    expect(
+      note.mock.calls.some((call) =>
+        (call[0] ?? "").includes("broken-channel plugin not available"),
+      ),
+    ).toBe(false);
+    expect(multiselect).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
   it("keeps configured external plugin channels visible when the active registry starts empty", async () => {
     setActivePluginRegistry(createEmptyPluginRegistry());
     catalogMocks.listChannelPluginCatalogEntries.mockReturnValue([createMSTeamsCatalogEntry()]);
diff --git a/src/plugins/loader.test.ts b/src/plugins/loader.test.ts
index d9a1696ecb5..8361bd4dc59 100644
--- a/src/plugins/loader.test.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/loader.test.ts
@@ -3437,6 +3437,105 @@ module.exports = {
     expect(diagnostic!.message).toContain("failed to load setup entry");
   });
 
+  it("keeps healthy sibling channel plugins loadable when a setup entry throws", () => {
+    useNoBundledPlugins();
+    const brokenDir = makeTempDir();
+
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(brokenDir, "package.json"),
+      JSON.stringify(
+        {
+          name: "@openclaw/setup-entry-throws-sibling-test",
+          openclaw: {
+            extensions: ["./index.cjs"],
+            setupEntry: "./setup-entry.cjs",
+          },
+        },
+        null,
+        2,
+      ),
+      "utf-8",
+    );
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(brokenDir, "openclaw.plugin.json"),
+      JSON.stringify(
+        {
+          id: "setup-entry-throws-sibling-test",
+          configSchema: EMPTY_PLUGIN_SCHEMA,
+          channels: ["broken-chat"],
+        },
+        null,
+        2,
+      ),
+      "utf-8",
+    );
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(brokenDir, "index.cjs"),
+      `module.exports = { id: "setup-entry-throws-sibling-test", register() {} };`,
+      "utf-8",
+    );
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(brokenDir, "setup-entry.cjs"),
+      `module.exports = {
+  kind: "bundled-channel-setup-entry",
+  loadSetupPlugin: () => { throw new Error("boom: setup plugin missing"); },
+};`,
+      "utf-8",
+    );
+
+    const healthy = writePlugin({
+      id: "healthy-channel",
+      filename: "healthy-channel.cjs",
+      body: `module.exports = { id: "healthy-channel", register(api) {
+  api.registerChannel({
+    plugin: {
+      id: "healthy-chat",
+      meta: {
+        id: "healthy-chat",
+        label: "Healthy Chat",
+        selectionLabel: "Healthy Chat",
+        docsPath: "/channels/healthy-chat",
+        blurb: "healthy sibling channel",
+      },
+      capabilities: { chatTypes: ["direct"] },
+      config: {
+        listAccountIds: () => [],
+        resolveAccount: () => ({ accountId: "default" }),
+      },
+      outbound: { deliveryMode: "direct" },
+    }
+  });
+} };`,
+    });
+
+    const registry = loadOpenClawPlugins({
+      cache: false,
+      config: {
+        plugins: {
+          enabled: true,
+          load: { paths: [brokenDir, healthy.file] },
+          allow: ["setup-entry-throws-sibling-test", "healthy-channel"],
+        },
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(
+      registry.channels.find((entry) => entry.plugin.id === "healthy-chat")?.plugin.meta,
+    ).toMatchObject({
+      label: "Healthy Chat",
+      docsPath: "/channels/healthy-chat",
+    });
+    expect(registry.plugins.find((entry) => entry.id === "healthy-channel")?.status).toBe("loaded");
+    expect(
+      registry.diagnostics.some(
+        (diag) =>
+          diag.pluginId === "setup-entry-throws-sibling-test" &&
+          diag.level === "error" &&
+          diag.message.includes("failed to load setup entry"),
+      ),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
+
   it("prefers setupEntry for configured channel loads during startup when opted in", () => {
     expect(
       __testing.shouldLoadChannelPluginInSetupRuntime({