- Node runtime: keep node-host retry timers alive across Gateway restarts and exit on terminal credential pauses so supervised nodes do not become silent zombies. Fixes #69800. Thanks @meroli28.

- Gateway/plugins: stop persisted WhatsApp auth state from activating bundled channel runtime-dependency repair during startup when `channels.whatsapp` is absent, avoiding npm/git stalls on packaged Linux installs. Fixes #71994. Thanks @xiao398008.

- Gateway/device tokens: enforce caller-scope containment inside token rotation and revocation so pairing-only sessions cannot mutate higher-scope operator tokens. Fixes #71990. Thanks @coygeek.

- Plugins/channels: keep native command and native skill `auto` defaults on static channel metadata so config, audit, and command-list checks do not load channel runtime just to read those defaults. Thanks @shakkernerd.

- CLI/models: keep Provider Index preview rows out of `models list --all --provider <id>` when the owning provider plugin is disabled, preserving config authority for cold catalog fallbacks. Thanks @shakkernerd.

- CLI/model runs: keep `openclaw infer model run` on explicit OpenRouter models from loading the full provider catalog or inheriting chat-agent silent-reply policy, restoring non-empty one-shot probe output. Fixes #68791. Thanks @limpredator.

- Installer/macOS: rerun Homebrew install steps without the gum spinner when raw-mode ioctl failures occur, and avoid claiming `node@24` was installed when the Homebrew keg binary is missing. Fixes #70411. Thanks @1fanwang and @dad-io.