diff --git a/src/cli/update-cli.test.ts b/src/cli/update-cli.test.ts
index 79ea19c974b..f1d61e0f6dd 100644
--- a/src/cli/update-cli.test.ts
+++ b/src/cli/update-cli.test.ts
@@ -612,6 +612,24 @@ describe("update-cli", () => {
     expect(runDaemonRestart).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  it("does not carry gateway service markers into the post-core update process", async () => {
+    setupUpdatedRootRefresh();
+
+    await withEnvAsync(
+      {
+        OPENCLAW_SERVICE_MARKER: "openclaw",
+        OPENCLAW_SERVICE_KIND: "gateway",
+      },
+      async () => {
+        await updateCommand({ yes: true });
+      },
+    );
+
+    const spawnEnv = (spawn.mock.calls[0]?.[2] as { env?: NodeJS.ProcessEnv } | undefined)?.env;
+    expect(spawnEnv?.OPENCLAW_SERVICE_MARKER).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(spawnEnv?.OPENCLAW_SERVICE_KIND).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
   it("respawns into the updated git root before requested channel persistence", async () => {
     const { entrypoints } = setupUpdatedRootRefresh({
       gatewayUpdateImpl: async (root) =>
@@ -1263,7 +1281,7 @@ describe("update-cli", () => {
     ).toContain("Low disk space near");
   });
 
-  it("refuses package updates from inside the gateway service process", async () => {
+  it("allows package updates from inherited gateway service env when the managed gateway is not running", async () => {
     mockPackageInstallStatus(createCaseDir("openclaw-update"));
 
     await withEnvAsync(
@@ -1276,12 +1294,42 @@ describe("update-cli", () => {
       },
     );
 
+    expect(defaultRuntime.error).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.stringContaining(
+        "Package updates cannot run from inside the gateway service process.",
+      ),
+    );
+    expectPackageInstallSpec("openclaw@latest");
+  });
+
+  it("refuses package updates from inherited gateway service env when --no-restart leaves the gateway running", async () => {
+    mockPackageInstallStatus(createCaseDir("openclaw-update"));
+    serviceReadCommand.mockResolvedValue({
+      programArguments: ["openclaw", "gateway", "run"],
+      environment: {
+        OPENCLAW_SERVICE_MARKER: "openclaw",
+        OPENCLAW_SERVICE_KIND: "gateway",
+      },
+    });
+    serviceLoaded.mockResolvedValue(true);
+
+    await withEnvAsync(
+      {
+        OPENCLAW_SERVICE_MARKER: "openclaw",
+        OPENCLAW_SERVICE_KIND: "gateway",
+      },
+      async () => {
+        await updateCommand({ yes: true, restart: false });
+      },
+    );
+
     expect(defaultRuntime.error).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
       expect.stringContaining(
         "Package updates cannot run from inside the gateway service process.",
       ),
     );
     expect(defaultRuntime.exit).toHaveBeenCalledWith(1);
+    expect(serviceStop).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     expect(runGatewayUpdate).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     expect(runCommandWithTimeout).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith(
       ["npm", "i", "-g", "openclaw@latest", "--no-fund", "--no-audit", "--loglevel=error"],
@@ -1605,7 +1653,15 @@ describe("update-cli", () => {
       };
     });
 
-    await updateCommand({ yes: true });
+    await withEnvAsync(
+      {
+        OPENCLAW_SERVICE_MARKER: "openclaw",
+        OPENCLAW_SERVICE_KIND: "gateway",
+      },
+      async () => {
+        await updateCommand({ yes: true });
+      },
+    );
 
     const npmInstallCallIndex = vi
       .mocked(runCommandWithTimeout)
diff --git a/src/cli/update-cli/update-command.ts b/src/cli/update-cli/update-command.ts
index ea74ef9d405..2a52b31b011 100644
--- a/src/cli/update-cli/update-command.ts
+++ b/src/cli/update-cli/update-command.ts
@@ -162,6 +162,8 @@ export function shouldUseLegacyProcessRestartAfterUpdate(params: {
 
 type PrePackageServiceStop = {
   stopped: boolean;
+  inspected: boolean;
+  running: boolean;
   serviceEnv?: NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
 };
 
@@ -175,11 +177,11 @@ async function maybeStopManagedServiceBeforePackageUpdate(params: {
     service = resolveGatewayService();
     serviceState = await readGatewayServiceState(service, { env: process.env });
   } catch {
-    return { stopped: false };
+    return { stopped: false, inspected: false, running: false };
   }
 
   if (!serviceState.installed) {
-    return { stopped: false };
+    return { stopped: false, inspected: true, running: false };
   }
 
   if (!params.shouldRestart) {
@@ -190,18 +192,23 @@ async function maybeStopManagedServiceBeforePackageUpdate(params: {
         ),
       );
     }
-    return { stopped: false, serviceEnv: serviceState.env };
+    return {
+      stopped: false,
+      inspected: true,
+      running: serviceState.running,
+      serviceEnv: serviceState.env,
+    };
   }
 
   if (!serviceState.running) {
-    return { stopped: false, serviceEnv: serviceState.env };
+    return { stopped: false, inspected: true, running: false, serviceEnv: serviceState.env };
   }
 
   if (!params.jsonMode) {
     defaultRuntime.log(theme.muted("Stopping managed gateway service before package update..."));
   }
   await service.stop({ env: serviceState.env, stdout: process.stdout });
-  return { stopped: true, serviceEnv: serviceState.env };
+  return { stopped: true, inspected: true, running: true, serviceEnv: serviceState.env };
 }
 
 async function maybeRestartServiceAfterFailedPackageUpdate(params: {
@@ -239,6 +246,22 @@ function isRunningInsideGatewayService(
   return !serviceKind || serviceKind === GATEWAY_SERVICE_KIND;
 }
 
+function shouldBlockPackageUpdateFromGatewayServiceEnv(params: {
+  prePackageServiceStop: PrePackageServiceStop | undefined;
+}): boolean {
+  if (!isRunningInsideGatewayService()) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  const stopState = params.prePackageServiceStop;
+  if (!stopState?.inspected) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  if (!stopState.running) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  return !stopState.stopped;
+}
+
 function formatCommandFailure(stdout: string, stderr: string): string {
   const detail = (stderr || stdout).trim();
   if (!detail) {
@@ -317,6 +340,13 @@ function disableUpdatedPackageCompileCacheEnv(env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv): NodeJS.Pr
   };
 }
 
+function stripGatewayServiceMarkerEnv(env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv): NodeJS.ProcessEnv {
+  const resolvedEnv = { ...env };
+  delete resolvedEnv.OPENCLAW_SERVICE_MARKER;
+  delete resolvedEnv.OPENCLAW_SERVICE_KIND;
+  return resolvedEnv;
+}
+
 function resolveUpdatedInstallCommandEnv(
   env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv,
   invocationCwd?: string,
@@ -1271,7 +1301,7 @@ async function continuePostCoreUpdateInFreshProcess(params: {
     const child = spawn(resolveNodeRunner(), argv, {
       stdio: "inherit",
       env: {
-        ...disableUpdatedPackageCompileCacheEnv(process.env),
+        ...stripGatewayServiceMarkerEnv(disableUpdatedPackageCompileCacheEnv(process.env)),
         [POST_CORE_UPDATE_ENV]: "1",
         [POST_CORE_UPDATE_CHANNEL_ENV]: params.channel,
         ...(params.requestedChannel
@@ -1555,18 +1585,6 @@ export async function updateCommand(opts: UpdateCommandOptions): Promise<void> {
     return;
   }
 
-  if (updateInstallKind === "package" && isRunningInsideGatewayService()) {
-    defaultRuntime.error(
-      [
-        "Package updates cannot run from inside the gateway service process.",
-        "That path replaces the active OpenClaw dist tree while the live gateway may still lazy-load old chunks.",
-        `Run \`${replaceCliName(formatCliCommand("openclaw update"), CLI_NAME)}\` from a shell outside the gateway service, or stop the gateway service first and then update.`,
-      ].join("\n"),
-    );
-    defaultRuntime.exit(1);
-    return;
-  }
-
   if (downgradeRisk && !opts.yes) {
     if (!process.stdin.isTTY || opts.json) {
       defaultRuntime.error(
@@ -1634,6 +1652,19 @@ export async function updateCommand(opts: UpdateCommandOptions): Promise<void> {
       defaultRuntime.exit(1);
       return;
     }
+
+    if (shouldBlockPackageUpdateFromGatewayServiceEnv({ prePackageServiceStop })) {
+      stop();
+      defaultRuntime.error(
+        [
+          "Package updates cannot run from inside the gateway service process.",
+          "That path replaces the active OpenClaw dist tree while the live gateway may still lazy-load old chunks.",
+          `Run \`${replaceCliName(formatCliCommand("openclaw update"), CLI_NAME)}\` from a shell outside the gateway service, or stop the gateway service first and then update.`,
+        ].join("\n"),
+      );
+      defaultRuntime.exit(1);
+      return;
+    }
   }
 
   let result: UpdateRunResult;