diff --git a/src/cli/json-output-mode.test.ts b/src/cli/json-output-mode.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b422109a488
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/json-output-mode.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { loggingState } from "../logging/state.js";
+import { hasJsonOutputFlag, withConsoleLogsRoutedToStderrForJson } from "./json-output-mode.js";
+
+describe("json output mode", () => {
+  const originalForceStderr = loggingState.forceConsoleToStderr;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    loggingState.forceConsoleToStderr = false;
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    loggingState.forceConsoleToStderr = originalForceStderr;
+  });
+
+  it("detects json output flags before argv terminators", () => {
+    expect(hasJsonOutputFlag(["node", "openclaw", "nodes", "list", "--json"])).toBe(true);
+    expect(hasJsonOutputFlag(["node", "openclaw", "nodes", "list", "--json=true"])).toBe(true);
+    expect(hasJsonOutputFlag(["node", "openclaw", "nodes", "--", "--json"])).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("temporarily routes console logs to stderr while json output is being prepared", async () => {
+    const snapshots: boolean[] = [];
+
+    await withConsoleLogsRoutedToStderrForJson(
+      ["node", "openclaw", "nodes", "list", "--json"],
+      async () => {
+        snapshots.push(loggingState.forceConsoleToStderr);
+      },
+    );
+
+    expect(snapshots).toEqual([true]);
+    expect(loggingState.forceConsoleToStderr).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("leaves existing stderr routing enabled after json output preparation", async () => {
+    loggingState.forceConsoleToStderr = true;
+
+    await withConsoleLogsRoutedToStderrForJson(
+      ["node", "openclaw", "nodes", "list", "--json"],
+      async () => {
+        expect(loggingState.forceConsoleToStderr).toBe(true);
+      },
+    );
+
+    expect(loggingState.forceConsoleToStderr).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/cli/nodes-cli/register.ts b/src/cli/nodes-cli/register.ts
index 69004435401..c31eb635124 100644
--- a/src/cli/nodes-cli/register.ts
+++ b/src/cli/nodes-cli/register.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ import { registerNodesPushCommand } from "./register.push.js";
 import { registerNodesScreenCommands } from "./register.screen.js";
 import { registerNodesStatusCommands } from "./register.status.js";
 
-export async function registerNodesCli(program: Command) {
+export async function registerNodesCli(program: Command, argv: readonly string[] = process.argv) {
   const nodes = program
     .command("nodes")
     .description("Manage gateway-owned nodes (pairing, status, invoke, and media)")
@@ -41,10 +41,12 @@ export async function registerNodesCli(program: Command) {
   registerNodesLocationCommands(nodes);
 
   const { registerPluginCliCommandsFromValidatedConfig } = await import("../../plugins/cli.js");
-  await withConsoleLogsRoutedToStderrForJson(process.argv, () =>
-    registerPluginCliCommandsFromValidatedConfig(program, undefined, undefined, {
-      mode: "lazy",
-      primary: "nodes",
-    }),
+  await withConsoleLogsRoutedToStderrForJson(
+    argv,
+    async () =>
+      await registerPluginCliCommandsFromValidatedConfig(program, undefined, undefined, {
+        mode: "lazy",
+        primary: "nodes",
+      }),
   );
 }
diff --git a/src/cli/program/register.subclis-core.ts b/src/cli/program/register.subclis-core.ts
index 072f1949048..5763022febc 100644
--- a/src/cli/program/register.subclis-core.ts
+++ b/src/cli/program/register.subclis-core.ts
@@ -127,11 +127,15 @@ const entrySpecs: readonly CommandGroupDescriptorSpec<SubCliRegistrar>[] = [
       loadModule: () => import("../exec-policy-cli.js"),
       exportName: "registerExecPolicyCli",
     },
-    {
-      commandNames: ["nodes"],
-      loadModule: () => import("../nodes-cli.js"),
-      exportName: "registerNodesCli",
+  ]),
+  {
+    commandNames: ["nodes"],
+    register: async (program, argv) => {
+      const mod = await import("../nodes-cli.js");
+      await mod.registerNodesCli(program, argv);
     },
+  },
+  ...defineImportedProgramCommandGroupSpecs([
     {
       commandNames: ["devices"],
       loadModule: () => import("../devices-cli.js"),
diff --git a/src/cli/program/register.subclis.test.ts b/src/cli/program/register.subclis.test.ts
index 1d2c5833042..d3f59f5b1be 100644
--- a/src/cli/program/register.subclis.test.ts
+++ b/src/cli/program/register.subclis.test.ts
@@ -172,6 +172,12 @@ describe("registerSubCliCommands", () => {
     await program.parseAsync(["nodes", "list"], { from: "user" });
 
     expect(registerNodesCli).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(registerNodesCli).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.any(Command), [
+      "node",
+      "openclaw",
+      "nodes",
+      "list",
+    ]);
     expect(nodesAction).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
   });