diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 401238695f1..f134b0f7b8a 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -120,6 +120,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Agents/subagents: keep queued subagent announces session-only when the requester has no external channel target, avoiding ambiguous multi-channel delivery failures. Fixes #59201. Thanks @larrylhollan.
 - Image understanding: preserve configured provider-prefixed vision model metadata when callers request the model without the provider prefix, so custom image models keep their `input: ["text", "image"]` capability. Fixes #33185. Thanks @Kobe9312 and @vincentkoc.
 - Plugins/install: restore the previous plugin index records if a concurrent config write conflict interrupts install, update, or uninstall metadata commits. Thanks @shakkernerd.
+- Plugins/install: reject native plugin archives that do not include a valid `openclaw.plugin.json`, preventing manifestless archives from writing install records that later show missing-manifest diagnostics. Thanks @shakkernerd.
 - Plugins/update: restore previous plugin index records if core update or channel setup hits a concurrent config write conflict after plugin metadata changes. Thanks @shakkernerd.
 - Plugins/onboarding: defer channel/provider plugin install records until the owning config write commits, keeping setup failures from advancing the plugin index ahead of `openclaw.json`. Thanks @shakkernerd.
 - Plugins/config: route configure and agent setup writes with pending plugin install records through the plugin index commit helper so provider onboarding metadata is not stripped by plain config writes. Thanks @shakkernerd.
diff --git a/docs/cli/plugins.md b/docs/cli/plugins.md
index 61ac4c19e85..fa67e1f8638 100644
--- a/docs/cli/plugins.md
+++ b/docs/cli/plugins.md
@@ -122,6 +122,9 @@ installs the bundled plugin directly. To install an npm package with the same
 name, use an explicit scoped spec (for example `@scope/diffs`).
 
 Supported archives: `.zip`, `.tgz`, `.tar.gz`, `.tar`.
+Native OpenClaw plugin archives must contain a valid `openclaw.plugin.json` at
+the extracted plugin root; archives that only contain `package.json` are
+rejected before OpenClaw writes install records.
 
 Claude marketplace installs are also supported.
 
diff --git a/src/plugins/install.test.ts b/src/plugins/install.test.ts
index c8e14a0e275..9d39062a779 100644
--- a/src/plugins/install.test.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/install.test.ts
@@ -117,10 +117,6 @@ async function packToArchive({
   return dest;
 }
 
-function readVoiceCallArchiveBuffer(version: string): Buffer {
-  return fs.readFileSync(path.join(pluginFixturesDir, `voice-call-${version}.tgz`));
-}
-
 function getArchiveFixturePath(params: {
   cacheKey: string;
   outName: string;
@@ -140,8 +136,6 @@ function readZipperArchiveBuffer(): Buffer {
   return fs.readFileSync(path.join(pluginFixturesDir, "zipper-0.0.1.zip"));
 }
 
-const VOICE_CALL_ARCHIVE_V1_BUFFER = readVoiceCallArchiveBuffer("0.0.1");
-const VOICE_CALL_ARCHIVE_V2_BUFFER = readVoiceCallArchiveBuffer("0.0.2");
 const ZIPPER_ARCHIVE_BUFFER = readZipperArchiveBuffer();
 
 function expectPluginFiles(result: { targetDir: string }, stateDir: string, pluginId: string) {
@@ -430,6 +424,8 @@ async function installArchivePackageAndReturnResult(params: {
   outName: string;
   withDistIndex?: boolean;
   flatRoot?: boolean;
+  writePluginManifest?: boolean;
+  manifestId?: string;
 }) {
   const stateDir = suiteTempRootTracker.makeTempDir();
   const archivePath = await ensureDynamicArchiveTemplate({
@@ -437,6 +433,8 @@ async function installArchivePackageAndReturnResult(params: {
     packageJson: params.packageJson,
     withDistIndex: params.withDistIndex === true,
     flatRoot: params.flatRoot === true,
+    writePluginManifest: params.writePluginManifest,
+    manifestId: params.manifestId,
   });
 
   const extensionsDir = path.join(stateDir, "extensions");
@@ -452,12 +450,16 @@ function buildDynamicArchiveTemplateKey(params: {
   withDistIndex: boolean;
   distIndexJsContent?: string;
   flatRoot: boolean;
+  writePluginManifest?: boolean;
+  manifestId?: string;
 }): string {
   return JSON.stringify({
     packageJson: params.packageJson,
     withDistIndex: params.withDistIndex,
     distIndexJsContent: params.distIndexJsContent ?? null,
     flatRoot: params.flatRoot,
+    writePluginManifest: params.writePluginManifest ?? true,
+    manifestId: params.manifestId ?? null,
   });
 }
 
@@ -467,12 +469,16 @@ async function ensureDynamicArchiveTemplate(params: {
   withDistIndex: boolean;
   distIndexJsContent?: string;
   flatRoot?: boolean;
+  writePluginManifest?: boolean;
+  manifestId?: string;
 }): Promise<string> {
   const templateKey = buildDynamicArchiveTemplateKey({
     packageJson: params.packageJson,
     withDistIndex: params.withDistIndex,
     distIndexJsContent: params.distIndexJsContent,
     flatRoot: params.flatRoot === true,
+    writePluginManifest: params.writePluginManifest,
+    manifestId: params.manifestId,
   });
   const cachedPath = dynamicArchiveTemplatePathCache.get(templateKey);
   if (cachedPath) {
@@ -490,6 +496,18 @@ async function ensureDynamicArchiveTemplate(params: {
     );
   }
   fs.writeFileSync(path.join(pkgDir, "package.json"), JSON.stringify(params.packageJson), "utf-8");
+  if (params.writePluginManifest !== false) {
+    const packageName =
+      typeof params.packageJson.name === "string" ? params.packageJson.name : "fixture-plugin";
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(pkgDir, "openclaw.plugin.json"),
+      JSON.stringify({
+        id: params.manifestId ?? packageName,
+        configSchema: { type: "object", properties: {} },
+      }),
+      "utf-8",
+    );
+  }
   const archivePath = await packToArchive({
     pkgDir,
     outDir: ensureSuiteFixtureRoot(),
@@ -578,15 +596,23 @@ beforeEach(() => {
 describe("installPluginFromArchive", () => {
   it("installs scoped archives, rejects duplicate installs, and allows updates", async () => {
     const stateDir = suiteTempRootTracker.makeTempDir();
-    const archiveV1 = getArchiveFixturePath({
-      cacheKey: "voice-call:0.0.1",
+    const archiveV1 = await ensureDynamicArchiveTemplate({
       outName: "voice-call-0.0.1.tgz",
-      buffer: VOICE_CALL_ARCHIVE_V1_BUFFER,
+      packageJson: {
+        name: "@openclaw/voice-call",
+        version: "0.0.1",
+        openclaw: { extensions: ["./dist/index.js"] },
+      },
+      withDistIndex: true,
     });
-    const archiveV2 = getArchiveFixturePath({
-      cacheKey: "voice-call:0.0.2",
+    const archiveV2 = await ensureDynamicArchiveTemplate({
       outName: "voice-call-0.0.2.tgz",
-      buffer: VOICE_CALL_ARCHIVE_V2_BUFFER,
+      packageJson: {
+        name: "@openclaw/voice-call",
+        version: "0.0.2",
+        openclaw: { extensions: ["./dist/index.js"] },
+      },
+      withDistIndex: true,
     });
 
     const extensionsDir = path.join(stateDir, "extensions");
@@ -620,7 +646,7 @@ describe("installPluginFromArchive", () => {
     expect(manifest.version).toBe("0.0.2");
   });
 
-  it("installs from a zip archive", async () => {
+  it("rejects native plugin zip archives without openclaw.plugin.json", async () => {
     const stateDir = suiteTempRootTracker.makeTempDir();
     const archivePath = getArchiveFixturePath({
       cacheKey: "zipper:0.0.1",
@@ -633,7 +659,12 @@ describe("installPluginFromArchive", () => {
       archivePath,
       extensionsDir,
     });
-    expectSuccessfulArchiveInstall({ result, stateDir, pluginId: "@openclaw/zipper" });
+    expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
+    if (!result.ok) {
+      expect(result.error).toContain("package missing valid openclaw.plugin.json");
+      expect(result.code).toBe(PLUGIN_INSTALL_ERROR_CODE.MISSING_PLUGIN_MANIFEST);
+    }
+    expect(fs.existsSync(resolvePluginInstallDir("@openclaw/zipper", extensionsDir))).toBe(false);
   });
 
   it("allows archive installs with dangerous code patterns when forced unsafe install is set", async () => {
diff --git a/src/plugins/install.ts b/src/plugins/install.ts
index 1b565a86b29..74b6b7756f3 100644
--- a/src/plugins/install.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/install.ts
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ export const PLUGIN_INSTALL_ERROR_CODE = {
   UNKNOWN_HOST_VERSION: "unknown_host_version",
   INCOMPATIBLE_HOST_VERSION: "incompatible_host_version",
   MISSING_OPENCLAW_EXTENSIONS: "missing_openclaw_extensions",
+  MISSING_PLUGIN_MANIFEST: "missing_plugin_manifest",
   EMPTY_OPENCLAW_EXTENSIONS: "empty_openclaw_extensions",
   NPM_PACKAGE_NOT_FOUND: "npm_package_not_found",
   PLUGIN_ID_MISMATCH: "plugin_id_mismatch",
@@ -241,6 +242,7 @@ type PackageInstallCommonParams = InstallSafetyOverrides & {
   mode?: "install" | "update";
   dryRun?: boolean;
   expectedPluginId?: string;
+  requirePluginManifest?: boolean;
   installPolicyRequest?: PluginInstallPolicyRequest;
 };
 
@@ -265,6 +267,7 @@ function pickPackageInstallCommonParams(
     mode: params.mode,
     dryRun: params.dryRun,
     expectedPluginId: params.expectedPluginId,
+    requirePluginManifest: params.requirePluginManifest,
     installPolicyRequest: params.installPolicyRequest,
   };
 }
@@ -697,6 +700,13 @@ async function installPluginFromPackageDir(
   // differs from the npm package name (e.g. "cognee-openclaw"), the plugin registry
   // uses the manifest id as the authoritative key, so the config entry must match it.
   const ocManifestResult = runtime.loadPluginManifest(params.packageDir);
+  if (!ocManifestResult.ok && params.requirePluginManifest) {
+    return {
+      ok: false,
+      error: `package missing valid openclaw.plugin.json: ${ocManifestResult.error}`,
+      code: PLUGIN_INSTALL_ERROR_CODE.MISSING_PLUGIN_MANIFEST,
+    };
+  }
   const manifestPluginId =
     ocManifestResult.ok && ocManifestResult.manifest.id
       ? ocManifestResult.manifest.id.trim()
@@ -882,6 +892,7 @@ export async function installPluginFromArchive(
           mode,
           dryRun: params.dryRun,
           expectedPluginId: params.expectedPluginId,
+          requirePluginManifest: true,
           installPolicyRequest,
         }),
       }),