diff --git a/src/plugins/discovery.ts b/src/plugins/discovery.ts
index 547f6777ac312..49923d54f979a 100644
--- a/src/plugins/discovery.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/discovery.ts
@@ -1226,6 +1226,7 @@ function discoverFromPath(params: {
       level: "error",
       message: `plugin path not found: ${resolved}`,
       source: resolved,
+      code: "orphan-source-path",
     });
     return;
   }
@@ -1237,6 +1238,7 @@ function discoverFromPath(params: {
         level: "error",
         message: `plugin path is not a supported file: ${resolved}`,
         source: resolved,
+        code: "orphan-source-path",
       });
       return;
     }
diff --git a/src/plugins/installed-plugin-index-store.ts b/src/plugins/installed-plugin-index-store.ts
index 839875cad4508..25e5668b1dbdd 100644
--- a/src/plugins/installed-plugin-index-store.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/installed-plugin-index-store.ts
@@ -120,6 +120,7 @@ const PluginDiagnosticSchema = z.object({
   message: z.string(),
   pluginId: z.string().optional(),
   source: z.string().optional(),
+  code: z.string().optional(),
 });
 
 const InstalledPluginIndexSchema = z.object({
diff --git a/src/plugins/manifest-types.ts b/src/plugins/manifest-types.ts
index 272ceb16fcf74..3ddedc3200fbb 100644
--- a/src/plugins/manifest-types.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/manifest-types.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ export type PluginBundleFormat = "codex" | "claude" | "cursor";
  * Closed classification codes for plugin diagnostics. Health surfaces branch
  * on these instead of matching freeform diagnostic message text.
  */
-export type PluginDiagnosticCode = "channel-setup-failure";
+export type PluginDiagnosticCode = "channel-setup-failure" | "orphan-source-path";
 
 /** Diagnostic emitted while discovering or validating plugins. */
 export type PluginDiagnostic = {
diff --git a/src/plugins/plugin-registry-snapshot.test.ts b/src/plugins/plugin-registry-snapshot.test.ts
index 23d94b134bf12..c095464f0268f 100644
--- a/src/plugins/plugin-registry-snapshot.test.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/plugin-registry-snapshot.test.ts
@@ -165,13 +165,6 @@ function expectDiagnosticsContainCode(diagnostics: readonly { code?: unknown }[]
   expect(diagnostics.map((diagnostic) => diagnostic.code)).toContain(code);
 }
 
-function expectDiagnosticsContainSource(
-  diagnostics: readonly { source?: unknown }[],
-  source: string,
-) {
-  expect(diagnostics.map((diagnostic) => diagnostic.source)).toContain(source);
-}
-
 function expectDiagnosticsDoNotContainSource(
   diagnostics: readonly { source?: unknown }[],
   source: string,
@@ -935,12 +928,12 @@ describe("loadPluginRegistrySnapshotWithMetadata", () => {
     expectDiagnosticsContainCode(result.diagnostics, "persisted-registry-stale-source");
   });
 
-  it("keeps persisted registry when a non-plugin diagnostic source path still does not exist", () => {
+  it("refreshes registry when an orphan diagnostic without pluginId exists", () => {
     const tempRoot = makeTempDir();
     const stateDir = path.join(tempRoot, "state");
     const env = { ...createHermeticEnv(tempRoot), OPENCLAW_DISABLE_BUNDLED_PLUGINS: "1" };
     const config = {};
-    const missingConfiguredPath = path.join(tempRoot, "missing-configured-plugin");
+    const missingConfiguredPath = path.join(tempRoot, "missing-configured-path.js");
     const index: InstalledPluginIndex = {
       ...loadInstalledPluginIndex({ config, env, stateDir, installRecords: {} }),
       diagnostics: [
@@ -948,6 +941,7 @@ describe("loadPluginRegistrySnapshotWithMetadata", () => {
           level: "error",
           message: `plugin path not found: ${missingConfiguredPath}`,
           source: missingConfiguredPath,
+          code: "orphan-source-path",
         },
       ],
     };
@@ -955,8 +949,82 @@ describe("loadPluginRegistrySnapshotWithMetadata", () => {
 
     const result = loadPluginRegistrySnapshotWithMetadata({ config, env, stateDir });
 
-    expect(result.source).toBe("persisted");
-    expectDiagnosticsContainSource(result.snapshot.diagnostics, missingConfiguredPath);
-    expect(result.diagnostics).toStrictEqual([]);
+    // Diagnostics tagged with orphan-source-path are always stale — the
+    // registry is refreshed so the current file system state is reflected.
+    expect(result.source).toBe("derived");
+    expectDiagnosticsContainCode(result.diagnostics, "persisted-registry-stale-source");
+  });
+
+  it("refreshes registry for orphan diagnostics even when the source path still does not exist", () => {
+    // This test documents a design choice: orphan diagnostics tagged with
+    // orphan-source-path (set by discoverFromPath when a configured load path
+    // doesn't exist) are always stale, even when the source path referenced by
+    // the diagnostic still doesn't exist. This means users with persistent
+    // config issues (e.g. a plugin path that genuinely doesn't exist) will
+    // experience a full rediscovery on every Gateway startup until they fix
+    // the config. This trade-off is acceptable because:
+    // 1. The rediscovery path is bounded and self-correcting.
+    // 2. It gives users an up-to-date view of their plugin system.
+    // 3. The fast path is a performance optimization, not a correctness requirement.
+    const tempRoot = makeTempDir();
+    const stateDir = path.join(tempRoot, "state");
+    const env = { ...createHermeticEnv(tempRoot), OPENCLAW_DISABLE_BUNDLED_PLUGINS: "1" };
+    const config = {};
+    const missingConfiguredPath = path.join(tempRoot, "missing-configured-path.js");
+    const index: InstalledPluginIndex = {
+      ...loadInstalledPluginIndex({ config, env, stateDir, installRecords: {} }),
+      diagnostics: [
+        {
+          level: "error",
+          message: `plugin path not found: ${missingConfiguredPath}`,
+          source: missingConfiguredPath,
+          code: "orphan-source-path",
+        },
+      ],
+    };
+    writePersistedInstalledPluginIndexSync(index, { stateDir });
+
+    const result = loadPluginRegistrySnapshotWithMetadata({ config, env, stateDir });
+
+    // Even though the source path still doesn't exist (so the diagnostic is
+    // still factually accurate), the orphan-source-path tag makes the
+    // diagnostic always stale. The registry is refreshed to produce a current
+    // snapshot.
+    expect(result.source).toBe("derived");
+    expectDiagnosticsContainCode(result.diagnostics, "persisted-registry-stale-source");
+  });
+
+  it("refreshes registry for legacy no-code orphan diagnostics (upgrade from pre-code schema)", () => {
+    // Simulates an upgrade from current/released OpenClaw where SQLite
+    // diagnostics_json rows were written before PluginDiagnosticSchema gained
+    // the `.code` field. These rows have no pluginId and no code but an
+    // absolute source that doesn't exist — they are conceptually orphan
+    // diagnostics that should trigger a registry refresh instead of being
+    // silently reused (which would block Gateway startup).
+    const tempRoot = makeTempDir();
+    const stateDir = path.join(tempRoot, "state");
+    const env = { ...createHermeticEnv(tempRoot), OPENCLAW_DISABLE_BUNDLED_PLUGINS: "1" };
+    const config = {};
+    const missingConfiguredPath = path.join(tempRoot, "missing-configured-path.js");
+    const index: InstalledPluginIndex = {
+      ...loadInstalledPluginIndex({ config, env, stateDir, installRecords: {} }),
+      diagnostics: [
+        {
+          level: "error",
+          message: `plugin path not found: ${missingConfiguredPath}`,
+          source: missingConfiguredPath,
+          // Legacy row: no code field, no pluginId — exactly what current/released
+          // OpenClaw wrote before the code field was added.
+        },
+      ],
+    };
+    writePersistedInstalledPluginIndexSync(index, { stateDir });
+
+    const result = loadPluginRegistrySnapshotWithMetadata({ config, env, stateDir });
+
+    // Legacy no-code orphan diagnostics with a missing source should also
+    // cause a re-derivation so the registry reflects the current state.
+    expect(result.source).toBe("derived");
+    expectDiagnosticsContainCode(result.diagnostics, "persisted-registry-stale-source");
   });
 });
diff --git a/src/plugins/plugin-registry-snapshot.ts b/src/plugins/plugin-registry-snapshot.ts
index f3e92aa02c0b0..a522f3df014a9 100644
--- a/src/plugins/plugin-registry-snapshot.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/plugin-registry-snapshot.ts
@@ -414,13 +414,36 @@ function resolveRecordPackageJsonPath(plugin: InstalledPluginIndexRecord): strin
 function hasStalePersistedPluginDiagnostics(index: InstalledPluginIndex): boolean {
   return index.diagnostics.some((diag) => {
     const source = diag.source;
-    return (
-      typeof diag.pluginId === "string" &&
-      diag.pluginId.trim().length > 0 &&
+    const hasPluginId =
+      typeof diag.pluginId === "string" && diag.pluginId.trim().length > 0;
+    const sourceMissing =
       typeof source === "string" &&
       path.isAbsolute(source) &&
-      !fs.existsSync(source)
-    );
+      !fs.existsSync(source);
+    // Diagnostics tied to a specific plugin become stale when the source path
+    // no longer exists (e.g. the plugin was uninstalled or moved).
+    if (hasPluginId && sourceMissing) {
+      return true;
+    }
+    // Diagnostics tagged with the orphan-source-path code (set by
+    // discoverFromPath when a configured load path does not exist or is
+    // not a supported file) are always stale. Without this, removing a
+    // plugin and its files would leave a "plugin path not found" diagnostic
+    // that persists forever in SQLite diagnostics_json, blocking Gateway
+    // startup with an ok:false config validation error.
+    if (diag.code === "orphan-source-path") {
+      return true;
+    }
+    // Legacy upgrade path: diagnostics persisted before the.code field was
+    // added to PluginDiagnosticSchema (released or current OpenClaw). Those
+    // rows have no pluginId and no code, but are conceptually orphan
+    // diagnostics if their absolute source path no longer exists. Without
+    // this, users upgrading from an older version with stale SQLite
+    // diagnostics_json rows would still hit a Gateway startup block.
+    if (!hasPluginId && sourceMissing && diag.code === undefined) {
+      return true;
+    }
+    return false;
   });
 }