diff --git a/src/agents/subagent-orphan-recovery.test.ts b/src/agents/subagent-orphan-recovery.test.ts
index 853b0193be05..51ecef41d1d4 100644
--- a/src/agents/subagent-orphan-recovery.test.ts
+++ b/src/agents/subagent-orphan-recovery.test.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ import * as config from "../config/config.js";
 import * as sessions from "../config/sessions.js";
 import * as sessionAccessor from "../config/sessions/session-accessor.js";
 import type { GatewayRecoveryRuntime } from "../gateway/server-instance-runtime.types.js";
-import * as sessionUtils from "../gateway/session-transcript-readers.js";
 import {
   getActiveGatewayRootWorkCount,
   resetGatewayWorkAdmission,
@@ -28,6 +27,7 @@ const loggerMocks = vi.hoisted(() => ({
 const dispatchAgent = vi.fn(async (_payload: Record<string, unknown>, _timeoutMs?: number) => ({
   runId: "test-run-id",
 }));
+const readSessionMessages = vi.fn(async () => [] as unknown[]);
 const gatewayRuntime: GatewayRecoveryRuntime = {
   dispatchAgent: dispatchAgent as GatewayRecoveryRuntime["dispatchAgent"],
   waitForAgent: vi.fn(),
@@ -35,15 +35,29 @@ const gatewayRuntime: GatewayRecoveryRuntime = {
 };
 
 function recoverOrphanedSubagentSessions(
-  params: Omit<Parameters<typeof recoverOrphanedSubagentSessionsWithRuntime>[0], "gatewayRuntime">,
+  params: Omit<
+    Parameters<typeof recoverOrphanedSubagentSessionsWithRuntime>[0],
+    "gatewayRuntime" | "readSessionMessages"
+  >,
 ) {
-  return recoverOrphanedSubagentSessionsWithRuntime({ ...params, gatewayRuntime });
+  return recoverOrphanedSubagentSessionsWithRuntime({
+    ...params,
+    gatewayRuntime,
+    readSessionMessages,
+  });
 }
 
 function scheduleOrphanRecovery(
-  params: Omit<Parameters<typeof scheduleOrphanRecoveryWithRuntime>[0], "getGatewayRuntime">,
+  params: Omit<
+    Parameters<typeof scheduleOrphanRecoveryWithRuntime>[0],
+    "getGatewayRuntime" | "readSessionMessages"
+  >,
 ) {
-  return scheduleOrphanRecoveryWithRuntime({ ...params, getGatewayRuntime: () => gatewayRuntime });
+  return scheduleOrphanRecoveryWithRuntime({
+    ...params,
+    getGatewayRuntime: () => gatewayRuntime,
+    readSessionMessages,
+  });
 }
 
 // Mocks are installed before importing the recovery module so registry/runtime
@@ -116,10 +130,6 @@ vi.mock("../config/sessions/session-accessor.js", () => ({
   patchSessionEntry: sessionMocks.patchSessionEntry,
 }));
 
-vi.mock("../gateway/session-transcript-readers.js", () => ({
-  readSessionMessagesAsync: vi.fn(async () => []),
-}));
-
 vi.mock("./subagent-announce-delivery.js", () => ({
   deliverSubagentAnnouncement: vi.fn(async () => ({ delivered: true, path: "direct" })),
   isInternalAnnounceRequesterSession: vi.fn(() => false),
@@ -210,6 +220,8 @@ describe("subagent-orphan-recovery", () => {
     resetGatewayWorkAdmission();
     dispatchAgent.mockReset();
     dispatchAgent.mockResolvedValue({ runId: "test-run-id" });
+    readSessionMessages.mockReset();
+    readSessionMessages.mockResolvedValue([]);
     vi.mocked(subagentRegistrySteerRuntime.finalizeInterruptedSubagentRun)
       .mockReset()
       .mockResolvedValue(1);
@@ -740,7 +752,7 @@ describe("subagent-orphan-recovery", () => {
   it("includes last human message in resume when available", async () => {
     mockSingleAbortedSession({ sessionFile: "session-abc.jsonl" });
 
-    vi.mocked(sessionUtils.readSessionMessagesAsync).mockResolvedValue([
+    readSessionMessages.mockResolvedValue([
       { role: "user", content: [{ type: "text", text: "Please build feature Y" }] },
       { role: "assistant", content: [{ type: "text", text: "Working on it..." }] },
       { role: "user", content: [{ type: "text", text: "Also add tests for it" }] },
@@ -759,7 +771,7 @@ describe("subagent-orphan-recovery", () => {
   it("adds config change hint when assistant messages reference config modifications", async () => {
     mockSingleAbortedSession();
 
-    vi.mocked(sessionUtils.readSessionMessagesAsync).mockResolvedValue([
+    readSessionMessages.mockResolvedValue([
       { role: "user", content: "Update the config" },
       { role: "assistant", content: "I've modified openclaw.json to add the new setting." },
     ]);
@@ -916,6 +928,7 @@ describe("subagent-orphan-recovery", () => {
     scheduleOrphanRecoveryWithRuntime({
       getGatewayRuntime: () => currentRuntime,
       getActiveRuns: () => createActiveRuns(createTestRunRecord()),
+      readSessionMessages,
       delayMs: 1,
       maxRetries: 0,
     });
diff --git a/src/agents/subagent-orphan-recovery.ts b/src/agents/subagent-orphan-recovery.ts
index 4b0794e65e66..63ff4ecef230 100644
--- a/src/agents/subagent-orphan-recovery.ts
+++ b/src/agents/subagent-orphan-recovery.ts
@@ -231,6 +231,8 @@ async function resumeOrphanedSession(params: {
 export async function recoverOrphanedSubagentSessions(params: {
   gatewayRuntime: GatewayRecoveryRuntime;
   getActiveRuns: () => Map<string, SubagentRunRecord>;
+  /** Test seam for transcript reads; production uses the canonical reader. */
+  readSessionMessages?: typeof readSessionMessagesAsync;
   /** Persisted across retries so already-resumed sessions are not resumed again. */
   resumedSessionKeys?: Set<string>;
   /** Exact stale generations whose terminal transition must retry without session state. */
@@ -249,6 +251,7 @@ export async function recoverOrphanedSubagentSessions(params: {
   };
   const resumedSessionKeys = params.resumedSessionKeys ?? new Set<string>();
   const pendingStaleFinalizations = params.pendingStaleFinalizations ?? new Map<string, string>();
+  const readSessionMessages = params.readSessionMessages ?? readSessionMessagesAsync;
   const configChangePattern = /openclaw\.json|openclaw gateway restart|config\.patch/i;
 
   try {
@@ -431,7 +434,7 @@ export async function recoverOrphanedSubagentSessions(params: {
 
         log.info(`found orphaned subagent session: ${childSessionKey} (run=${runId})`);
 
-        const messages = await readSessionMessagesAsync(
+        const messages = await readSessionMessages(
           {
             agentId: resolveAgentIdFromSessionKey(childSessionKey),
             sessionEntry: entry,
@@ -592,6 +595,8 @@ async function finalizeInterruptedRunWithRetry(params: {
 export function scheduleOrphanRecovery(params: {
   getGatewayRuntime: () => GatewayRecoveryRuntime | undefined;
   getActiveRuns: () => Map<string, SubagentRunRecord>;
+  /** Test seam for transcript reads; production uses the canonical reader. */
+  readSessionMessages?: typeof readSessionMessagesAsync;
   delayMs?: number;
   maxRetries?: number;
 }): void {
@@ -617,6 +622,7 @@ export function scheduleOrphanRecovery(params: {
         const result = await recoverOrphanedSubagentSessions({
           gatewayRuntime,
           getActiveRuns: params.getActiveRuns,
+          readSessionMessages: params.readSessionMessages ?? readSessionMessagesAsync,
           resumedSessionKeys,
           pendingStaleFinalizations,
         });