diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 13a0c323b4d..910676c8004 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 
 ### Fixes
 
+- Agents/sessions: emit a terminal lifecycle backstop when embedded timeout/error turns return without `agent_end`, so Gateway sessions no longer stay stuck in `running` after failover surfaces a timeout. Fixes #74607. Thanks @millerc79.
 - Agents/Codex: bound embedded-run cleanup, trajectory flushing, and command-lane task timeouts after runtime failures, so Discord and other chat sessions return to idle instead of staying stuck in processing. Thanks @vincentkoc.
 - Heartbeat/exec: consume successful metadata-only async exec completions silently so Telegram and other chat surfaces no longer ask users for missing command logs after `No session found`. Fixes #74595. Thanks @gkoch02.
 - Web fetch: add a documented `tools.web.fetch.ssrfPolicy.allowIpv6UniqueLocalRange` opt-in and thread it through cache keys and DNS/IP checks so trusted fake-IP proxy stacks using `fc00::/7` can work without broad private-network access. Fixes #74351. Thanks @jeffrey701.
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-execution.test.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-execution.test.ts
index 63ef7029f00..f4343983a7d 100644
--- a/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-execution.test.ts
+++ b/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-execution.test.ts
@@ -1194,6 +1194,110 @@ describe("runAgentTurnWithFallback", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it("emits an embedded lifecycle terminal backstop when the runner returns without one", async () => {
+    const agentEvents = await import("../../infra/agent-events.js");
+    const emitAgentEvent = vi.mocked(agentEvents.emitAgentEvent);
+    state.runEmbeddedPiAgentMock.mockImplementationOnce(async (params: EmbeddedAgentParams) => {
+      await params.onAgentEvent?.({
+        stream: "lifecycle",
+        data: { phase: "start", startedAt: 1_000 },
+      });
+      return {
+        payloads: [{ text: "Request timed out before a response was generated.", isError: true }],
+        meta: { aborted: true, livenessState: "blocked", replayInvalid: true },
+      };
+    });
+
+    const runAgentTurnWithFallback = await getRunAgentTurnWithFallback();
+    const result = await runAgentTurnWithFallback({
+      commandBody: "hello",
+      followupRun: createFollowupRun(),
+      sessionCtx: {
+        Provider: "whatsapp",
+        MessageSid: "msg",
+      } as unknown as TemplateContext,
+      opts: { runId: "run-timeout" } as GetReplyOptions,
+      typingSignals: createMockTypingSignaler(),
+      blockReplyPipeline: null,
+      blockStreamingEnabled: false,
+      resolvedBlockStreamingBreak: "message_end",
+      applyReplyToMode: (payload) => payload,
+      shouldEmitToolResult: () => true,
+      shouldEmitToolOutput: () => false,
+      pendingToolTasks: new Set(),
+      resetSessionAfterCompactionFailure: async () => false,
+      resetSessionAfterRoleOrderingConflict: async () => false,
+      isHeartbeat: false,
+      sessionKey: "main",
+      getActiveSessionEntry: () => undefined,
+      resolvedVerboseLevel: "off",
+    });
+
+    expect(result.kind).toBe("success");
+    expect(emitAgentEvent).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+      runId: "run-timeout",
+      sessionKey: "main",
+      stream: "lifecycle",
+      data: {
+        phase: "end",
+        startedAt: 1_000,
+        endedAt: expect.any(Number),
+        aborted: true,
+        livenessState: "blocked",
+        replayInvalid: true,
+      },
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("does not duplicate embedded lifecycle terminal events already reported by the runner", async () => {
+    const agentEvents = await import("../../infra/agent-events.js");
+    const emitAgentEvent = vi.mocked(agentEvents.emitAgentEvent);
+    state.runEmbeddedPiAgentMock.mockImplementationOnce(async (params: EmbeddedAgentParams) => {
+      await params.onAgentEvent?.({
+        stream: "lifecycle",
+        data: { phase: "start", startedAt: 1_000 },
+      });
+      await params.onAgentEvent?.({
+        stream: "lifecycle",
+        data: { phase: "end", endedAt: 1_500 },
+      });
+      return { payloads: [{ text: "final" }], meta: {} };
+    });
+
+    const runAgentTurnWithFallback = await getRunAgentTurnWithFallback();
+    const result = await runAgentTurnWithFallback({
+      commandBody: "hello",
+      followupRun: createFollowupRun(),
+      sessionCtx: {
+        Provider: "whatsapp",
+        MessageSid: "msg",
+      } as unknown as TemplateContext,
+      opts: { runId: "run-complete" } as GetReplyOptions,
+      typingSignals: createMockTypingSignaler(),
+      blockReplyPipeline: null,
+      blockStreamingEnabled: false,
+      resolvedBlockStreamingBreak: "message_end",
+      applyReplyToMode: (payload) => payload,
+      shouldEmitToolResult: () => true,
+      shouldEmitToolOutput: () => false,
+      pendingToolTasks: new Set(),
+      resetSessionAfterCompactionFailure: async () => false,
+      resetSessionAfterRoleOrderingConflict: async () => false,
+      isHeartbeat: false,
+      sessionKey: "main",
+      getActiveSessionEntry: () => undefined,
+      resolvedVerboseLevel: "off",
+    });
+
+    expect(result.kind).toBe("success");
+    expect(emitAgentEvent).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        runId: "run-complete",
+        stream: "lifecycle",
+      }),
+    );
+  });
+
   it("trims chatty GPT ack-turn final prose", async () => {
     state.runWithModelFallbackMock.mockImplementationOnce(async (params: FallbackRunnerParams) => ({
       result: await params.run("openai", "gpt-5.4"),
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-execution.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-execution.ts
index 3b8be3344c5..498d1d8cd57 100644
--- a/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-execution.ts
+++ b/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-execution.ts
@@ -807,6 +807,66 @@ function isReplyOperationRestartAbort(replyOperation?: ReplyOperation): boolean
   );
 }
 
+function createEmbeddedLifecycleTerminalBackstop(params: { runId: string; sessionKey?: string }) {
+  let terminalEmitted = false;
+  let startedAt: number | undefined;
+
+  const note = (evt: { stream: string; data: Record<string, unknown> }) => {
+    if (evt.stream !== "lifecycle") {
+      return;
+    }
+    const phase = readStringValue(evt.data.phase);
+    if (phase === "start" && typeof evt.data.startedAt === "number") {
+      startedAt = evt.data.startedAt;
+    }
+    if (phase === "end" || phase === "error") {
+      terminalEmitted = true;
+    }
+  };
+
+  const emit = (phase: "end" | "error", resultOrError: unknown) => {
+    if (terminalEmitted) {
+      return;
+    }
+    terminalEmitted = true;
+    const data: Record<string, unknown> = {
+      phase,
+      endedAt: Date.now(),
+      ...(startedAt !== undefined ? { startedAt } : {}),
+    };
+    if (phase === "error") {
+      data.error = formatErrorMessage(resultOrError);
+    } else {
+      const meta =
+        resultOrError && typeof resultOrError === "object" && "meta" in resultOrError
+          ? (resultOrError as { meta?: Record<string, unknown> }).meta
+          : undefined;
+      if (meta?.aborted === true) {
+        data.aborted = true;
+      }
+      const stopReason = readStringValue(meta?.stopReason);
+      if (stopReason) {
+        data.stopReason = stopReason;
+      }
+      const livenessState = readStringValue(meta?.livenessState);
+      if (livenessState) {
+        data.livenessState = livenessState;
+      }
+      if (meta?.replayInvalid === true) {
+        data.replayInvalid = true;
+      }
+    }
+    emitAgentEvent({
+      runId: params.runId,
+      ...(params.sessionKey ? { sessionKey: params.sessionKey } : {}),
+      stream: "lifecycle",
+      data,
+    });
+  };
+
+  return { emit, note };
+}
+
 export async function runAgentTurnWithFallback(params: {
   commandBody: string;
   transcriptCommandBody?: string;
@@ -1333,6 +1393,10 @@ export async function runAgentTurnWithFallback(params: {
           );
           return (async () => {
             let attemptCompactionCount = 0;
+            const lifecycleBackstop = createEmbeddedLifecycleTerminalBackstop({
+              runId,
+              sessionKey: params.sessionKey,
+            });
             try {
               const result = await runEmbeddedPiAgent({
                 ...embeddedContext,
@@ -1405,6 +1469,7 @@ export async function runAgentTurnWithFallback(params: {
                     : undefined,
                 onReasoningEnd: params.opts?.onReasoningEnd,
                 onAgentEvent: async (evt) => {
+                  lifecycleBackstop.note(evt);
                   if (evt.stream.startsWith("codex_app_server.")) {
                     emitAgentEvent({
                       runId,
@@ -1598,6 +1663,7 @@ export async function runAgentTurnWithFallback(params: {
               bootstrapPromptWarningSignaturesSeen = resolveBootstrapWarningSignaturesSeen(
                 result.meta?.systemPromptReport,
               );
+              lifecycleBackstop.emit("end", result);
               const resultCompactionCount = Math.max(
                 0,
                 result.meta?.agentMeta?.compactionCount ?? 0,
@@ -1615,6 +1681,7 @@ export async function runAgentTurnWithFallback(params: {
                   );
                 }
               }
+              lifecycleBackstop.emit("error", err);
               throw err;
             } finally {
               autoCompactionCount += attemptCompactionCount;