diff --git a/extensions/qa-lab/src/gateway-child.ts b/extensions/qa-lab/src/gateway-child.ts
index faa8b025e48..63eccc0892b 100644
--- a/extensions/qa-lab/src/gateway-child.ts
+++ b/extensions/qa-lab/src/gateway-child.ts
@@ -270,6 +270,7 @@ export async function startQaGatewayChild(params: {
     rpcClient = await startQaGatewayRpcClient({
       wsUrl,
       token: gatewayToken,
+      env,
       logs,
     });
   } catch (error) {
diff --git a/extensions/qa-lab/src/gateway-rpc-client.test.ts b/extensions/qa-lab/src/gateway-rpc-client.test.ts
index fb736826876..52b4f9b1826 100644
--- a/extensions/qa-lab/src/gateway-rpc-client.test.ts
+++ b/extensions/qa-lab/src/gateway-rpc-client.test.ts
@@ -1,126 +1,77 @@
 import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 
-const gatewayClientMock = vi.hoisted(() => {
-  const request = vi.fn(async (_method?: string, _params?: unknown, _opts?: unknown) => ({
-    ok: true,
-  }));
-  const stopAndWait = vi.fn(async () => {});
-  const stop = vi.fn();
-  const constructorCalls: Array<Record<string, unknown>> = [];
-  let startMode: "hello" | "connect-error" = "hello";
-
-  class MockGatewayClient {
-    private readonly options: Record<string, unknown>;
-
-    constructor(options: Record<string, unknown>) {
-      this.options = options;
-      constructorCalls.push(options);
-    }
-
-    start() {
-      queueMicrotask(() => {
-        if (startMode === "connect-error") {
-          const onConnectError = this.options.onConnectError;
-          if (typeof onConnectError === "function") {
-            onConnectError(new Error("connect boom"));
-          }
-          return;
-        }
-        const onHelloOk = this.options.onHelloOk;
-        if (typeof onHelloOk === "function") {
-          onHelloOk({});
-        }
-      });
-    }
-
-    async request(method: string, params?: unknown, opts?: unknown) {
-      return await request(method, params, opts);
-    }
-
-    async stopAndWait() {
-      await stopAndWait();
-    }
-
-    stop() {
-      stop();
-    }
-  }
-
+const gatewayRpcMock = vi.hoisted(() => {
+  const callGatewayFromCli = vi.fn(async () => ({ ok: true }));
   return {
-    MockGatewayClient,
-    request,
-    stopAndWait,
-    stop,
-    constructorCalls,
+    callGatewayFromCli,
     reset() {
-      request.mockReset().mockResolvedValue({ ok: true });
-      stopAndWait.mockReset().mockResolvedValue(undefined);
-      stop.mockReset();
-      constructorCalls.splice(0, constructorCalls.length);
-      startMode = "hello";
-    },
-    setStartMode(mode: "hello" | "connect-error") {
-      startMode = mode;
+      callGatewayFromCli.mockReset().mockResolvedValue({ ok: true });
     },
   };
 });
 
 vi.mock("./runtime-api.js", () => ({
-  GatewayClient: gatewayClientMock.MockGatewayClient,
+  callGatewayFromCli: gatewayRpcMock.callGatewayFromCli,
 }));
 
 import { startQaGatewayRpcClient } from "./gateway-rpc-client.js";
 
 describe("startQaGatewayRpcClient", () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
-    gatewayClientMock.reset();
+    gatewayRpcMock.reset();
   });
 
-  it("starts a gateway client without device identity and forwards requests", async () => {
+  it("calls the in-process gateway cli helper with the qa runtime env", async () => {
+    const originalHome = process.env.OPENCLAW_HOME;
+    delete process.env.OPENCLAW_HOME;
+    delete process.env.OPENCLAW_QA_TEST_ONLY;
+
+    gatewayRpcMock.callGatewayFromCli.mockImplementationOnce(async () => {
+      expect(process.env.OPENCLAW_HOME).toBe("/tmp/openclaw-home");
+      expect(process.env.OPENCLAW_QA_TEST_ONLY).toBe("1");
+      return { ok: true };
+    });
+
     const client = await startQaGatewayRpcClient({
       wsUrl: "ws://127.0.0.1:18789",
       token: "qa-token",
+      env: {
+        OPENCLAW_HOME: "/tmp/openclaw-home",
+        OPENCLAW_QA_TEST_ONLY: "1",
+      } as NodeJS.ProcessEnv,
       logs: () => "qa logs",
     });
 
-    expect(gatewayClientMock.constructorCalls[0]).toEqual(
-      expect.objectContaining({
-        url: "ws://127.0.0.1:18789",
-        token: "qa-token",
-        deviceIdentity: null,
-        scopes: [
-          "operator.admin",
-          "operator.read",
-          "operator.write",
-          "operator.approvals",
-          "operator.pairing",
-          "operator.talk.secrets",
-        ],
-      }),
-    );
-
     await expect(
       client.request("agent.run", { prompt: "hi" }, { expectFinal: true, timeoutMs: 45_000 }),
     ).resolves.toEqual({ ok: true });
 
-    expect(gatewayClientMock.request).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+    expect(gatewayRpcMock.callGatewayFromCli).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
       "agent.run",
+      {
+        url: "ws://127.0.0.1:18789",
+        token: "qa-token",
+        timeout: "45000",
+        expectFinal: true,
+        json: true,
+      },
       { prompt: "hi" },
       {
         expectFinal: true,
-        timeoutMs: 45_000,
+        progress: false,
       },
     );
 
-    await client.stop();
-    expect(gatewayClientMock.stopAndWait).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(process.env.OPENCLAW_HOME).toBe(originalHome);
+    expect(process.env.OPENCLAW_QA_TEST_ONLY).toBeUndefined();
   });
 
   it("wraps request failures with gateway logs", async () => {
-    gatewayClientMock.request.mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error("gateway not connected"));
+    gatewayRpcMock.callGatewayFromCli.mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error("gateway not connected"));
     const client = await startQaGatewayRpcClient({
       wsUrl: "ws://127.0.0.1:18789",
       token: "qa-token",
+      env: { OPENCLAW_HOME: "/tmp/openclaw-home" } as NodeJS.ProcessEnv,
       logs: () => "qa logs",
     });
 
@@ -129,15 +80,18 @@ describe("startQaGatewayRpcClient", () => {
     );
   });
 
-  it("wraps connect failures with gateway logs", async () => {
-    gatewayClientMock.setStartMode("connect-error");
+  it("rejects new requests after stop", async () => {
+    const client = await startQaGatewayRpcClient({
+      wsUrl: "ws://127.0.0.1:18789",
+      token: "qa-token",
+      env: { OPENCLAW_HOME: "/tmp/openclaw-home" } as NodeJS.ProcessEnv,
+      logs: () => "qa logs",
+    });
 
-    await expect(
-      startQaGatewayRpcClient({
-        wsUrl: "ws://127.0.0.1:18789",
-        token: "qa-token",
-        logs: () => "qa logs",
-      }),
-    ).rejects.toThrow("connect boom\nGateway logs:\nqa logs");
+    await client.stop();
+
+    await expect(client.request("health")).rejects.toThrow(
+      "gateway rpc client already stopped\nGateway logs:\nqa logs",
+    );
   });
 });
diff --git a/extensions/qa-lab/src/gateway-rpc-client.ts b/extensions/qa-lab/src/gateway-rpc-client.ts
index d5ad3036643..e33bfb18b24 100644
--- a/extensions/qa-lab/src/gateway-rpc-client.ts
+++ b/extensions/qa-lab/src/gateway-rpc-client.ts
@@ -1,20 +1,11 @@
 import { formatErrorMessage } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/error-runtime";
-import { GatewayClient } from "./runtime-api.js";
+import { callGatewayFromCli } from "./runtime-api.js";
 
 type QaGatewayRpcRequestOptions = {
   expectFinal?: boolean;
   timeoutMs?: number;
 };
 
-const QA_GATEWAY_RPC_SCOPES = [
-  "operator.admin",
-  "operator.read",
-  "operator.write",
-  "operator.approvals",
-  "operator.pairing",
-  "operator.talk.secrets",
-] as const;
-
 export type QaGatewayRpcClient = {
   request(method: string, rpcParams?: unknown, opts?: QaGatewayRpcRequestOptions): Promise<unknown>;
   stop(): Promise<void>;
@@ -25,77 +16,88 @@ function formatQaGatewayRpcError(error: unknown, logs: () => string) {
   return new Error(`${details}\nGateway logs:\n${logs()}`);
 }
 
+let qaGatewayRpcQueue = Promise.resolve();
+
+async function withScopedProcessEnv<T>(env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv, task: () => Promise<T>): Promise<T> {
+  const original = new Map<string, string | undefined>();
+  const keys = new Set([...Object.keys(process.env), ...Object.keys(env)]);
+
+  for (const key of keys) {
+    original.set(key, process.env[key]);
+    const nextValue = env[key];
+    if (nextValue === undefined) {
+      delete process.env[key];
+      continue;
+    }
+    process.env[key] = nextValue;
+  }
+
+  try {
+    return await task();
+  } finally {
+    for (const key of keys) {
+      const previousValue = original.get(key);
+      if (previousValue === undefined) {
+        delete process.env[key];
+        continue;
+      }
+      process.env[key] = previousValue;
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+async function runQueuedQaGatewayRpc<T>(task: () => Promise<T>): Promise<T> {
+  const run = qaGatewayRpcQueue.then(task, task);
+  qaGatewayRpcQueue = run.then(
+    () => undefined,
+    () => undefined,
+  );
+  return await run;
+}
+
 export async function startQaGatewayRpcClient(params: {
   wsUrl: string;
   token: string;
+  env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
   logs: () => string;
 }): Promise<QaGatewayRpcClient> {
-  let readySettled = false;
-  let stopping = false;
-  let resolveReady!: () => void;
-  let rejectReady!: (err: unknown) => void;
-
-  const ready = new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
-    resolveReady = resolve;
-    rejectReady = reject;
-  });
-
-  const settleReady = (error?: unknown) => {
-    if (readySettled) {
-      return;
-    }
-    readySettled = true;
-    if (error) {
-      rejectReady(error);
-      return;
-    }
-    resolveReady();
-  };
-
   const wrapError = (error: unknown) => formatQaGatewayRpcError(error, params.logs);
-
-  const client = new GatewayClient({
-    url: params.wsUrl,
-    token: params.token,
-    deviceIdentity: null,
-    // Mirror the old gateway CLI caller scopes so the faster path stays behavior-identical.
-    scopes: [...QA_GATEWAY_RPC_SCOPES],
-    onHelloOk: () => {
-      settleReady();
-    },
-    onConnectError: (error) => {
-      settleReady(wrapError(error));
-    },
-    onClose: (code, reason) => {
-      if (stopping) {
-        return;
-      }
-      const reasonText = reason.trim() || "no close reason";
-      settleReady(wrapError(new Error(`gateway closed (${code}): ${reasonText}`)));
-    },
-  });
-
-  client.start();
-  await ready;
+  let stopped = false;
 
   return {
     async request(method, rpcParams, opts) {
+      if (stopped) {
+        throw wrapError(new Error("gateway rpc client already stopped"));
+      }
       try {
-        return await client.request(method, rpcParams, {
-          expectFinal: opts?.expectFinal,
-          timeoutMs: opts?.timeoutMs ?? 20_000,
-        });
+        return await runQueuedQaGatewayRpc(
+          async () =>
+            await withScopedProcessEnv(
+              params.env,
+              async () =>
+                await callGatewayFromCli(
+                  method,
+                  {
+                    url: params.wsUrl,
+                    token: params.token,
+                    timeout: String(opts?.timeoutMs ?? 20_000),
+                    expectFinal: opts?.expectFinal,
+                    json: true,
+                  },
+                  rpcParams ?? {},
+                  {
+                    expectFinal: opts?.expectFinal,
+                    progress: false,
+                  },
+                ),
+            ),
+        );
       } catch (error) {
         throw wrapError(error);
       }
     },
     async stop() {
-      stopping = true;
-      try {
-        await client.stopAndWait();
-      } catch {
-        client.stop();
-      }
+      stopped = true;
     },
   };
 }
diff --git a/extensions/qa-lab/src/runtime-api.ts b/extensions/qa-lab/src/runtime-api.ts
index 00af1ac3a65..bae2854511d 100644
--- a/extensions/qa-lab/src/runtime-api.ts
+++ b/extensions/qa-lab/src/runtime-api.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 export type { Command } from "commander";
 export type { OpenClawConfig, PluginRuntime } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/core";
 export { definePluginEntry } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/core";
-export { GatewayClient } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/gateway-runtime";
+export { callGatewayFromCli } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/browser-node-runtime";
 export {
   buildQaTarget,
   createQaBusThread,