diff --git a/src/cli/run-main.exit.test.ts b/src/cli/run-main.exit.test.ts
index fec33456a47..4c2a4928cd1 100644
--- a/src/cli/run-main.exit.test.ts
+++ b/src/cli/run-main.exit.test.ts
@@ -672,6 +672,26 @@ describe("runCli exit behavior", () => {
     expect(registerPluginCliCommandsFromValidatedConfigMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  it("rejects unowned command roots even when --help is appended (regression for #81077)", async () => {
+    await expect(runCli(["node", "openclaw", "foo", "--help"])).rejects.toThrow(
+      'No built-in command or plugin CLI metadata owns "foo"',
+    );
+
+    expect(startProxyMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(tryRouteCliMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(buildProgramMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(registerPluginCliCommandsFromValidatedConfigMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("rejects unowned command roots even when --version is appended", async () => {
+    await expect(runCli(["node", "openclaw", "foo", "--version"])).rejects.toThrow(
+      'No built-in command or plugin CLI metadata owns "foo"',
+    );
+
+    expect(startProxyMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(tryRouteCliMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
   it("does not suggest plugins.allow for unknown command roots before proxy startup", async () => {
     loadConfigMock.mockReturnValueOnce({
       plugins: {
diff --git a/src/cli/run-main.ts b/src/cli/run-main.ts
index 8e1c9e8c240..5840f7f9fd4 100644
--- a/src/cli/run-main.ts
+++ b/src/cli/run-main.ts
@@ -397,7 +397,6 @@ async function resolveUnownedCliPrimary(params: {
   const invocation = resolveCliArgvInvocation(rewriteUpdateFlagArgv(params.argv));
   const { primary } = invocation;
   if (
-    invocation.hasHelpOrVersion ||
     !primary ||
     primary === "help" ||
     isReservedNonPluginCommandRoot(primary) ||
@@ -616,6 +615,19 @@ export async function runCli(argv: string[] = process.argv) {
       }
     }
 
+    // Reject unowned command roots before help/version routing, so that
+    // `openclaw <typo> --help` surfaces the same Unknown command error as
+    // `openclaw <typo>` instead of silently showing generic top-level help.
+    // Runs after legitimate precomputed help fast paths so known help commands
+    // still dispatch normally. See #81077.
+    {
+      const config = await readBestEffortCliConfig();
+      const unownedPrimary = await resolveUnownedCliPrimary({ argv: normalizedArgv, config });
+      if (unownedPrimary) {
+        throw new Error(await resolveUnownedCliPrimaryMessage({ primary: unownedPrimary, config }));
+      }
+    }
+
     const shouldRunBareRootCrestodian = shouldStartCrestodianForBareRoot(normalizedArgv);
     const shouldRunModernOnboardCrestodian = shouldStartCrestodianForModernOnboard(normalizedArgv);
     if (shouldRunBareRootCrestodian || shouldRunModernOnboardCrestodian) {