diff --git a/.agents/skills/openclaw-live-updater/SKILL.md b/.agents/skills/openclaw-live-updater/SKILL.md
index 8b91abc3a1ff..0d558eb1e9bb 100644
--- a/.agents/skills/openclaw-live-updater/SKILL.md
+++ b/.agents/skills/openclaw-live-updater/SKILL.md
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ Keep `/Users/steipete/openclaw` a read-only-to-the-agent deployment mirror: clea
    - Every successful update sets `actions.gatewayBuild` and rebuilds exact new `main` before any restart.
    - Missing, invalid, or stale build output also forces a build, even when Git did not move.
    - A dependency-input change, absent `node_modules`, or missing/invalid build provenance first runs `pnpm install --frozen-lockfile`.
-   - Stop the managed Gateway immediately before `pnpm build`; never mutate the live `dist` tree while an old Gateway can dynamically import from it. `pnpm build` must leave both canonical stamp heads and `dist/build-info.json.commit` equal to post-update `afterSha`; any missing/mismatched stamp or required artifact blocks restart.
+   - Stop the managed Gateway immediately before `pnpm build` by invoking the existing `dist/index.js` directly; source launchers can auto-build stale output before dispatching the stop. Never mutate the live `dist` tree while an old Gateway can dynamically import from it. `pnpm build` must leave both canonical stamp heads and `dist/build-info.json.commit` equal to post-update `afterSha`; any missing/mismatched stamp or required artifact blocks restart.
    - Only after exact-SHA build proof may it restart the managed Gateway and require `gateway status --deep --require-rpc --json` plus `health --verbose --json`.
    - After every managed restart, query Gateway logs through RPC, restrict the audit to entries emitted since that restart began, report warning summaries, and fail the pass on any error/fatal entry. If RPC verification or log retrieval fails, still inspect the local structured log for that restart window. Never accept supervisor or RPC health without this restart-window log audit.
 
diff --git a/.agents/skills/openclaw-live-updater/scripts/update-main.mjs b/.agents/skills/openclaw-live-updater/scripts/update-main.mjs
index c02c450e5fe2..b18ecb2d1fcc 100644
--- a/.agents/skills/openclaw-live-updater/scripts/update-main.mjs
+++ b/.agents/skills/openclaw-live-updater/scripts/update-main.mjs
@@ -747,7 +747,9 @@ export function maintainMain(options, dependencies = {}) {
       runCommand("pnpm", ["install", "--frozen-lockfile"], update.checkout);
     }
     if (actions.gatewayBuild) {
-      runCommand("pnpm", ["openclaw", "gateway", "stop"], update.checkout);
+      // Use the existing built CLI directly. Source launchers may auto-build a
+      // stale dist before dispatching `gateway stop`, recreating the live-import race.
+      runCommand(process.execPath, ["dist/index.js", "gateway", "stop"], update.checkout);
       runCommand("pnpm", ["build"], update.checkout);
       assertExactBuild(update.checkout, update.afterSha);
       const restartStartedAt = restartGateway(runCommand, update.checkout, update.afterSha);
diff --git a/test/scripts/openclaw-live-updater.test.ts b/test/scripts/openclaw-live-updater.test.ts
index 7f88ce81c366..d6ecc343e109 100644
--- a/test/scripts/openclaw-live-updater.test.ts
+++ b/test/scripts/openclaw-live-updater.test.ts
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ describe("openclaw live updater", () => {
     });
     expect(commands.calls).toEqual([
       "pnpm install --frozen-lockfile",
-      "pnpm openclaw gateway stop",
+      `${process.execPath} dist/index.js gateway stop`,
       "pnpm build",
       "pnpm openclaw gateway restart",
       "pnpm openclaw gateway status --deep --require-rpc --json",
@@ -418,7 +418,7 @@ describe("openclaw live updater", () => {
     expect(output.actions.dependencyInstall).toBe(true);
     expect(commands.calls).toEqual([
       "pnpm install --frozen-lockfile",
-      "pnpm openclaw gateway stop",
+      `${process.execPath} dist/index.js gateway stop`,
       "pnpm build",
       "pnpm openclaw gateway restart",
       "pnpm openclaw gateway status --deep --require-rpc --json",
@@ -549,7 +549,7 @@ describe("openclaw live updater", () => {
     ).toThrow(/build output does not match/u);
     expect(calls).toEqual([
       "pnpm install --frozen-lockfile",
-      "pnpm openclaw gateway stop",
+      `${process.execPath} dist/index.js gateway stop`,
       "pnpm build",
     ]);
   });