diff --git a/scripts/install-cli.sh b/scripts/install-cli.sh
index 90a8682903ca..0d318e49d1d6 100755
--- a/scripts/install-cli.sh
+++ b/scripts/install-cli.sh
@@ -1283,23 +1283,15 @@ install_openclaw() {
     fix_npm_prefix_if_needed
   fi
 
-  if [[ "${requested}" == "latest" ]]; then
-    if ! env -u NPM_CONFIG_BEFORE -u npm_config_before -u NPM_CONFIG_MIN_RELEASE_AGE -u npm_config_min_release_age -u npm_config_min-release-age "$(npm_bin)" install -g --prefix "$(node_dir)" "${npm_args[@]}" "openclaw@${resolved_requested}"; then
-      log "npm install openclaw@latest failed; retrying openclaw@next"
-      emit_json "{\"event\":\"step\",\"name\":\"openclaw\",\"status\":\"retry\",\"version\":\"next\"}"
-      resolved_requested="next"
-      if [[ -n "${REQUIRED_COMPATIBLE_VERSION:-}" ]]; then
-        resolved_requested="$(resolve_npm_openclaw_version next)"
-        if [[ -z "$resolved_requested" ]]; then
-          fail "Could not resolve OpenClaw next before compatibility checking."
-        fi
-        require_openclaw_version_compatible "$resolved_requested"
-      fi
-      env -u NPM_CONFIG_BEFORE -u npm_config_before -u NPM_CONFIG_MIN_RELEASE_AGE -u npm_config_min_release_age -u npm_config_min-release-age "$(npm_bin)" install -g --prefix "$(node_dir)" "${npm_args[@]}" "openclaw@${resolved_requested}"
-      requested="next"
+  local installed_entry
+  installed_entry="$(node_dir)/lib/node_modules/openclaw/dist/entry.js"
+  if ! env -u NPM_CONFIG_BEFORE -u npm_config_before -u NPM_CONFIG_MIN_RELEASE_AGE -u npm_config_min_release_age -u npm_config_min-release-age "$(npm_bin)" install -g --prefix "$(node_dir)" "${npm_args[@]}" "openclaw@${resolved_requested}" || [[ ! -f "$installed_entry" ]]; then
+    log "npm install openclaw@${resolved_requested} did not produce a usable package; retrying once"
+    if ! env -u NPM_CONFIG_BEFORE -u npm_config_before -u NPM_CONFIG_MIN_RELEASE_AGE -u npm_config_min_release_age -u npm_config_min-release-age "$(npm_bin)" install -g --prefix "$(node_dir)" "${npm_args[@]}" "openclaw@${resolved_requested}" || [[ ! -f "$installed_entry" ]]; then
+      emit_json '{"event":"error","message":"npm install did not produce a usable OpenClaw package"}'
+      log "ERROR: npm install did not produce a usable OpenClaw package"
+      return 1
     fi
-  else
-    env -u NPM_CONFIG_BEFORE -u npm_config_before -u NPM_CONFIG_MIN_RELEASE_AGE -u npm_config_min_release_age -u npm_config_min-release-age "$(npm_bin)" install -g --prefix "$(node_dir)" "${npm_args[@]}" "openclaw@${resolved_requested}"
   fi
 
   mkdir -p "${PREFIX}/bin"
diff --git a/scripts/install.sh b/scripts/install.sh
index 92c077bd6fd5..a9a66ca52254 100755
--- a/scripts/install.sh
+++ b/scripts/install.sh
@@ -2169,7 +2169,8 @@ fix_npm_permissions() {
 ensure_openclaw_bin_link() {
     local npm_root=""
     npm_root="$(npm root -g 2>/dev/null || true)"
-    if [[ -z "$npm_root" || ! -d "$npm_root/openclaw" ]]; then
+    local launcher="${npm_root}/openclaw/openclaw.mjs"
+    if [[ -z "$npm_root" || ! -x "$launcher" ]]; then
         return 1
     fi
     local npm_bin=""
@@ -2179,10 +2180,10 @@ ensure_openclaw_bin_link() {
     fi
     mkdir -p "$npm_bin"
     if [[ ! -x "${npm_bin}/openclaw" ]]; then
-        ln -sf "$npm_root/openclaw/dist/entry.js" "${npm_bin}/openclaw"
+        ln -sf "$launcher" "${npm_bin}/openclaw"
         ui_info "Created openclaw bin link at ${npm_bin}/openclaw"
     fi
-    return 0
+    "${npm_bin}/openclaw" --version >/dev/null 2>&1
 }
 
 # Check for existing OpenClaw installation
@@ -3040,22 +3041,15 @@ install_openclaw() {
     local install_spec=""
     install_spec="$(resolve_package_install_spec "${package_name}" "${OPENCLAW_VERSION}")"
 
-    if ! install_openclaw_npm "${install_spec}"; then
-        ui_warn "npm install failed; retrying"
+    if ! install_openclaw_npm "${install_spec}" || ! ensure_openclaw_bin_link; then
+        ui_warn "npm install did not produce a usable OpenClaw package; retrying"
         cleanup_npm_openclaw_paths
-        install_openclaw_npm "${install_spec}"
-    fi
-
-    if [[ "${OPENCLAW_VERSION}" == "latest" && "${package_name}" == "openclaw" ]]; then
-        if ! resolve_openclaw_bin &> /dev/null; then
-            ui_warn "npm install openclaw@latest failed; retrying openclaw@next"
-            cleanup_npm_openclaw_paths
-            install_openclaw_npm "openclaw@next"
+        if ! install_openclaw_npm "${install_spec}" || ! ensure_openclaw_bin_link; then
+            ui_error "npm install did not produce a usable OpenClaw package"
+            return 1
         fi
     fi
 
-    ensure_openclaw_bin_link || true
-
     ui_success "OpenClaw installed"
 }
 
diff --git a/test/scripts/install-cli.test.ts b/test/scripts/install-cli.test.ts
index d088dd7ca07a..11e4696f58e1 100644
--- a/test/scripts/install-cli.test.ts
+++ b/test/scripts/install-cli.test.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import { useAutoCleanupTempDirTracker } from "../helpers/temp-dir.js";
 import {
   writeNpmBeforePolicyFixture,
   writeNpmFreshnessConflictFixture,
+  writeNpmInstallRetryFixture,
 } from "./install-npm-fixtures.js";
 
 const SCRIPT_PATH = "scripts/install-cli.sh";
@@ -41,6 +42,12 @@ function linkRequiredShellTools(bin: string) {
   }
 }
 
+function writeInstalledOpenClawEntry(nodeDir: string) {
+  const entry = join(nodeDir, "lib", "node_modules", "openclaw", "dist", "entry.js");
+  mkdirSync(join(entry, ".."), { recursive: true });
+  writeFileSync(entry, "");
+}
+
 describe("install-cli.sh", () => {
   const script = readFileSync(SCRIPT_PATH, "utf8");
 
@@ -494,7 +501,7 @@ describe("install-cli.sh", () => {
           "set -euo pipefail",
           `cd ${JSON.stringify(process.cwd())}`,
           `source ${JSON.stringify(SCRIPT_PATH)}`,
-          "install_node() { :; }",
+          'install_node() { mkdir -p "$(node_dir)/lib/node_modules/openclaw/dist"; : > "$(node_dir)/lib/node_modules/openclaw/dist/entry.js"; }',
           "ensure_git() { :; }",
           'npm_bin() { printf "/usr/bin/true\\n"; }',
           `refresh_gateway_service_if_loaded() { touch ${JSON.stringify(refreshLog)}; }`,
@@ -1442,6 +1449,7 @@ describe("install-cli.sh", () => {
     const nodeDir = join(tmp, "node");
     mkdirSync(bin, { recursive: true });
     mkdirSync(nodeDir, { recursive: true });
+    writeInstalledOpenClawEntry(nodeDir);
     writeFileSync(npmrc, "min-release-age=7\n");
     const fakeNpm = join(bin, "npm");
     writeFileSync(
@@ -1517,6 +1525,7 @@ describe("install-cli.sh", () => {
     mkdirSync(bin, { recursive: true });
     mkdirSync(home, { recursive: true });
     mkdirSync(nodeDir, { recursive: true });
+    writeInstalledOpenClawEntry(nodeDir);
     if (source === "global") {
       mkdirSync(join(prefix, "etc"), { recursive: true });
     }
@@ -1598,6 +1607,137 @@ describe("install-cli.sh", () => {
     expect(result.stdout).toContain("--install-method git --version main");
   });
 
+  it.each([
+    { requested: "latest", outcome: "success", error: "", calls: 1, status: 0 },
+    {
+      requested: "beta",
+      outcome: "transient",
+      error: "ECONNRESET socket hang up",
+      calls: 2,
+      status: 0,
+    },
+    {
+      requested: "next",
+      outcome: "transient",
+      error: "ECONNRESET socket hang up",
+      calls: 2,
+      status: 0,
+    },
+    {
+      requested: "2026.8.1",
+      outcome: "transient",
+      error: "ECONNRESET socket hang up",
+      calls: 2,
+      status: 0,
+    },
+    {
+      requested: "latest",
+      outcome: "persistent",
+      error: "EACCES permission denied",
+      calls: 2,
+      status: 1,
+    },
+    {
+      requested: "beta",
+      outcome: "persistent",
+      error: "ENOSPC no space left",
+      calls: 2,
+      status: 1,
+    },
+  ])(
+    "keeps openclaw@$requested immutable across $outcome npm installs",
+    ({ requested, outcome, error, calls: expectedCalls, status }) => {
+      const tmp = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "openclaw-install-cli-npm-retry-"));
+      const fakeNpm = join(tmp, "npm");
+      const calls = join(tmp, "calls");
+      const nodeDir = join(tmp, "node");
+      const prefix = join(tmp, "prefix");
+      writeNpmInstallRetryFixture(fakeNpm);
+
+      try {
+        const result = runInstallCliShell(
+          [
+            "set -euo pipefail",
+            `source ${JSON.stringify(SCRIPT_PATH)}`,
+            `npm_bin() { printf '%s\\n' ${JSON.stringify(fakeNpm)}; }`,
+            `node_dir() { printf '%s\\n' ${JSON.stringify(nodeDir)}; }`,
+            "npm_config_has_raw_key() { return 1; }",
+            `PREFIX=${JSON.stringify(prefix)}`,
+            `OPENCLAW_VERSION=${requested}`,
+            "JSON=1",
+            "set +e",
+            "install_openclaw",
+            "status=$?",
+            'exit "$status"',
+          ].join("\n"),
+          {
+            NPM_FAKE_CALLS: calls,
+            NPM_FAKE_ERROR: error,
+            NPM_FAKE_OUTCOME: outcome,
+            NPM_FAKE_PACKAGE_DIR: join(nodeDir, "lib", "node_modules", "openclaw"),
+          },
+        );
+
+        expect(result.status).toBe(status);
+        expect(readFileSync(calls, "utf8").trim().split("\n")).toEqual(
+          Array.from({ length: expectedCalls }, () => `openclaw@${requested}`),
+        );
+        if (status !== 0) {
+          expect(result.stderr).toContain(`${error} (attempt 2)`);
+          expect(result.stdout).not.toContain('"status":"ok"');
+          expect(existsSync(join(prefix, "bin", "openclaw"))).toBe(false);
+        }
+        if (requested !== "next") {
+          expect(`${result.stdout}\n${result.stderr}`).not.toContain("openclaw@next");
+        }
+      } finally {
+        rmSync(tmp, { force: true, recursive: true });
+      }
+    },
+  );
+
+  it("fails after retrying the exact npm spec when npm exits zero without installing OpenClaw", () => {
+    const tmp = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "openclaw-install-cli-empty-success-"));
+    const fakeNpm = join(tmp, "npm");
+    const calls = join(tmp, "calls");
+    const nodeDir = join(tmp, "node");
+    const prefix = join(tmp, "prefix");
+    writeNpmInstallRetryFixture(fakeNpm);
+
+    try {
+      const result = runInstallCliShell(
+        [
+          "set -euo pipefail",
+          `source ${JSON.stringify(SCRIPT_PATH)}`,
+          `npm_bin() { printf '%s\\n' ${JSON.stringify(fakeNpm)}; }`,
+          `node_dir() { printf '%s\\n' ${JSON.stringify(nodeDir)}; }`,
+          "npm_config_has_raw_key() { return 1; }",
+          `PREFIX=${JSON.stringify(prefix)}`,
+          "OPENCLAW_VERSION=latest",
+          "JSON=1",
+          "install_openclaw",
+        ].join("\n"),
+        {
+          NPM_FAKE_CALLS: calls,
+          NPM_FAKE_ERROR: "",
+          NPM_FAKE_OUTCOME: "success",
+        },
+      );
+
+      expect(result.status).toBe(1);
+      expect(readFileSync(calls, "utf8").trim().split("\n")).toEqual([
+        "openclaw@latest",
+        "openclaw@latest",
+      ]);
+      expect(result.stdout).toContain("npm install did not produce a usable OpenClaw package");
+      expect(result.stdout).not.toContain('"status":"ok"');
+      expect(result.stdout).not.toContain("openclaw@next");
+      expect(existsSync(join(prefix, "bin", "openclaw"))).toBe(false);
+    } finally {
+      rmSync(tmp, { force: true, recursive: true });
+    }
+  });
+
   it("does not emit before args when npmrc min-release-age computes a before cutoff", () => {
     const tmp = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "openclaw-install-cli-freshness-"));
     const prefix = join(tmp, "prefix");
@@ -1606,6 +1746,7 @@ describe("install-cli.sh", () => {
     const argsLog = join(tmp, "npm-args.log");
     mkdirSync(nodeBin, { recursive: true });
     mkdirSync(home, { recursive: true });
+    writeInstalledOpenClawEntry(join(prefix, "tools", "node-v24.15.0"));
     writeFileSync(join(home, ".npmrc"), "min-release-age=7\n");
     writeNpmFreshnessConflictFixture(join(nodeBin, "npm"), argsLog);
 
@@ -1643,6 +1784,7 @@ describe("install-cli.sh", () => {
     mkdirSync(nodeBin, { recursive: true });
     mkdirSync(home, { recursive: true });
     mkdirSync(project, { recursive: true });
+    writeInstalledOpenClawEntry(join(prefix, "tools", "node-v24.15.0"));
     writeFileSync(join(home, ".npmrc"), "before=2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z\n");
     writeFileSync(join(project, ".npmrc"), "min-release-age=7\n");
     writeNpmBeforePolicyFixture(join(nodeBin, "npm"), argsLog);
diff --git a/test/scripts/install-npm-fixtures.ts b/test/scripts/install-npm-fixtures.ts
index 2ccd767bcee6..ba53001892d4 100644
--- a/test/scripts/install-npm-fixtures.ts
+++ b/test/scripts/install-npm-fixtures.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,38 @@
 // NPM CLI fixture writers used by installer shell-script tests.
 import { chmodSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
 
+export function writeNpmInstallRetryFixture(path: string) {
+  writeFileSync(
+    path,
+    [
+      "#!/usr/bin/env bash",
+      "set -euo pipefail",
+      'if [[ "${1:-}" == "config" ]]; then printf "null\\n"; exit 0; fi',
+      'if [[ "${1:-}" == "view" ]]; then printf "2026.8.1\\n"; exit 0; fi',
+      'if [[ "${1:-}" == "root" ]]; then printf "%s\\n" "${NPM_FAKE_ROOT:-}"; exit 0; fi',
+      "is_install=0",
+      'for arg in "$@"; do [[ "$arg" == "install" ]] && is_install=1; done',
+      'if [[ "$is_install" -eq 0 ]]; then exit 0; fi',
+      'spec="${!#}"',
+      'printf "%s\\n" "$spec" >> "$NPM_FAKE_CALLS"',
+      'attempt="$(wc -l < "$NPM_FAKE_CALLS")"',
+      'if [[ "$NPM_FAKE_OUTCOME" == "success" || "$NPM_FAKE_OUTCOME" == "transient" && "$attempt" -eq 2 ]]; then',
+      '  if [[ -n "${NPM_FAKE_PACKAGE_DIR:-}" ]]; then',
+      '    mkdir -p "$NPM_FAKE_PACKAGE_DIR/dist"',
+      '    printf "#!/bin/sh\\nprintf \'2026.8.1\\\\n\'\\n" > "$NPM_FAKE_PACKAGE_DIR/openclaw.mjs"',
+      '    printf "#!/usr/bin/env node\\n" > "$NPM_FAKE_PACKAGE_DIR/dist/entry.js"',
+      '    chmod +x "$NPM_FAKE_PACKAGE_DIR/openclaw.mjs" "$NPM_FAKE_PACKAGE_DIR/dist/entry.js"',
+      "  fi",
+      "  exit 0",
+      "fi",
+      'printf "%s (attempt %s)\\n" "$NPM_FAKE_ERROR" "$attempt" >&2',
+      "exit 1",
+      "",
+    ].join("\n"),
+  );
+  chmodSync(path, 0o755);
+}
+
 export function writeNpmFreshnessConflictFixture(path: string, argsLog: string) {
   writeFileSync(
     path,
diff --git a/test/scripts/install-sh.test.ts b/test/scripts/install-sh.test.ts
index bce15156e364..23be9bc60300 100644
--- a/test/scripts/install-sh.test.ts
+++ b/test/scripts/install-sh.test.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import {
   writeNpmBeforePolicyFixture,
   writeNpmFreshnessConflictFixture,
+  writeNpmInstallRetryFixture,
 } from "./install-npm-fixtures.js";
 
 const SCRIPT_PATH = "scripts/install.sh";
@@ -1343,6 +1344,222 @@ NODE
     expect(result.stdout).toContain("--install-method git --version main");
   });
 
+  it("links the executable package launcher when dist/entry.js is not executable", () => {
+    const tmp = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "openclaw-install-bin-link-"));
+    const bin = join(tmp, "bin");
+    const packageDir = join(tmp, "lib", "node_modules", "openclaw");
+    mkdirSync(join(packageDir, "dist"), { recursive: true });
+    mkdirSync(bin, { recursive: true });
+    writeFileSync(join(packageDir, "dist", "entry.js"), "export {};\n");
+    writeFileSync(
+      join(packageDir, "openclaw.mjs"),
+      '#!/usr/bin/env node\nprocess.stdout.write("OpenClaw fixture\\n");\n',
+    );
+    chmodSync(join(packageDir, "openclaw.mjs"), 0o755);
+
+    try {
+      const result = runInstallShell(
+        [
+          "set -euo pipefail",
+          `source ${JSON.stringify(SCRIPT_PATH)}`,
+          `npm() { [[ "$1" == "root" ]] && printf '%s\\n' ${JSON.stringify(join(tmp, "lib", "node_modules"))}; }`,
+          `npm_global_bin_dir() { printf '%s\\n' ${JSON.stringify(bin)}; }`,
+          "ensure_openclaw_bin_link",
+          `${JSON.stringify(join(bin, "openclaw"))} --version`,
+        ].join("\n"),
+      );
+
+      expect(result.status, result.stderr || result.stdout).toBe(0);
+      expect(result.stdout).toContain("OpenClaw fixture");
+    } finally {
+      rmSync(tmp, { force: true, recursive: true });
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("rejects an installed package whose executable launcher is missing", () => {
+    const tmp = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "openclaw-install-missing-bin-"));
+    const bin = join(tmp, "bin");
+    const packageDir = join(tmp, "lib", "node_modules", "openclaw");
+    mkdirSync(join(packageDir, "dist"), { recursive: true });
+    mkdirSync(bin, { recursive: true });
+    writeFileSync(join(packageDir, "dist", "entry.js"), "#!/usr/bin/env node\n");
+    chmodSync(join(packageDir, "dist", "entry.js"), 0o755);
+
+    try {
+      const result = runInstallShell(
+        [
+          "set -euo pipefail",
+          `source ${JSON.stringify(SCRIPT_PATH)}`,
+          `npm() { [[ "$1" == "root" ]] && printf '%s\\n' ${JSON.stringify(join(tmp, "lib", "node_modules"))}; }`,
+          `npm_global_bin_dir() { printf '%s\\n' ${JSON.stringify(bin)}; }`,
+          "ensure_openclaw_bin_link",
+        ].join("\n"),
+      );
+
+      expect(result.status).toBe(1);
+      expect(existsSync(join(bin, "openclaw"))).toBe(false);
+    } finally {
+      rmSync(tmp, { force: true, recursive: true });
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("rejects an installed package whose launcher fails version validation", () => {
+    const tmp = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "openclaw-install-invalid-bin-"));
+    const bin = join(tmp, "bin");
+    const packageDir = join(tmp, "lib", "node_modules", "openclaw");
+    mkdirSync(packageDir, { recursive: true });
+    mkdirSync(bin, { recursive: true });
+    writeFileSync(join(packageDir, "openclaw.mjs"), "#!/bin/sh\nexit 7\n");
+    chmodSync(join(packageDir, "openclaw.mjs"), 0o755);
+
+    try {
+      const result = runInstallShell(
+        [
+          "set -euo pipefail",
+          `source ${JSON.stringify(SCRIPT_PATH)}`,
+          `npm() { [[ "$1" == "root" ]] && printf '%s\\n' ${JSON.stringify(join(tmp, "lib", "node_modules"))}; }`,
+          `npm_global_bin_dir() { printf '%s\\n' ${JSON.stringify(bin)}; }`,
+          "ensure_openclaw_bin_link",
+        ].join("\n"),
+      );
+
+      expect(result.status).toBe(7);
+    } finally {
+      rmSync(tmp, { force: true, recursive: true });
+    }
+  });
+
+  it.each([
+    { requested: "latest", outcome: "success", error: "", calls: 1, status: 0 },
+    {
+      requested: "beta",
+      outcome: "transient",
+      error: "ECONNRESET socket hang up",
+      calls: 2,
+      status: 0,
+    },
+    {
+      requested: "next",
+      outcome: "transient",
+      error: "ECONNRESET socket hang up",
+      calls: 2,
+      status: 0,
+    },
+    {
+      requested: "2026.8.1",
+      outcome: "transient",
+      error: "ECONNRESET socket hang up",
+      calls: 2,
+      status: 0,
+    },
+    {
+      requested: "latest",
+      outcome: "persistent",
+      error: "EACCES permission denied",
+      calls: 2,
+      status: 1,
+    },
+    {
+      requested: "beta",
+      outcome: "persistent",
+      error: "ENOSPC no space left",
+      calls: 2,
+      status: 1,
+    },
+  ])(
+    "keeps openclaw@$requested immutable across $outcome npm installs",
+    ({ requested, outcome, error, calls: expectedCalls, status: expectedStatus }) => {
+      const tmp = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "openclaw-install-npm-retry-"));
+      const bin = join(tmp, "bin");
+      const calls = join(tmp, "calls");
+      const npmRoot = join(tmp, "lib", "node_modules");
+      mkdirSync(bin, { recursive: true });
+      writeNpmInstallRetryFixture(join(bin, "npm"));
+
+      try {
+        const result = runInstallShell(
+          [
+            "set -euo pipefail",
+            `source ${JSON.stringify(SCRIPT_PATH)}`,
+            `PATH=${JSON.stringify(`${bin}:/usr/bin:/bin`)}`,
+            `OPENCLAW_VERSION=${requested}`,
+            "USE_BETA=0",
+            "NPM_LOGLEVEL=error",
+            "NPM_SILENT_FLAG=",
+            `npm_global_bin_dir() { printf '%s\\n' ${JSON.stringify(bin)}; }`,
+            "set +e",
+            "install_openclaw",
+            "status=$?",
+            "exit $status",
+          ].join("\n"),
+          {
+            NPM_FAKE_CALLS: calls,
+            NPM_FAKE_ERROR: error,
+            NPM_FAKE_OUTCOME: outcome,
+            NPM_FAKE_PACKAGE_DIR: join(npmRoot, "openclaw"),
+            NPM_FAKE_ROOT: npmRoot,
+          },
+        );
+
+        expect(result.status).toBe(expectedStatus);
+        expect(readFileSync(calls, "utf8").trim().split("\n")).toEqual(
+          Array.from({ length: expectedCalls }, () => `openclaw@${requested}`),
+        );
+        if (expectedStatus !== 0) {
+          expect(`${result.stdout}\n${result.stderr}`).toContain(`${error} (attempt 2)`);
+        }
+        if (requested !== "next") {
+          expect(`${result.stdout}\n${result.stderr}`).not.toContain("openclaw@next");
+        }
+      } finally {
+        rmSync(tmp, { force: true, recursive: true });
+      }
+    },
+  );
+
+  it("fails after retrying the exact npm spec when npm exits zero without installing OpenClaw", () => {
+    const tmp = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "openclaw-install-npm-empty-success-"));
+    const bin = join(tmp, "bin");
+    const calls = join(tmp, "calls");
+    const npmRoot = join(tmp, "lib", "node_modules");
+    mkdirSync(bin, { recursive: true });
+    writeNpmInstallRetryFixture(join(bin, "npm"));
+
+    try {
+      const result = runInstallShell(
+        [
+          "set -euo pipefail",
+          `source ${JSON.stringify(SCRIPT_PATH)}`,
+          `PATH=${JSON.stringify(`${bin}:/usr/bin:/bin`)}`,
+          "OPENCLAW_VERSION=latest",
+          "USE_BETA=0",
+          "NPM_LOGLEVEL=error",
+          "NPM_SILENT_FLAG=",
+          `npm_global_bin_dir() { printf '%s\\n' ${JSON.stringify(bin)}; }`,
+          "install_openclaw",
+        ].join("\n"),
+        {
+          NPM_FAKE_CALLS: calls,
+          NPM_FAKE_ERROR: "",
+          NPM_FAKE_OUTCOME: "success",
+          NPM_FAKE_ROOT: npmRoot,
+        },
+      );
+
+      expect(result.status).toBe(1);
+      expect(readFileSync(calls, "utf8").trim().split("\n")).toEqual([
+        "openclaw@latest",
+        "openclaw@latest",
+      ]);
+      expect(`${result.stdout}\n${result.stderr}`).toContain(
+        "npm install did not produce a usable OpenClaw package",
+      );
+      expect(`${result.stdout}\n${result.stderr}`).not.toContain("openclaw@next");
+    } finally {
+      rmSync(tmp, { force: true, recursive: true });
+    }
+  });
+
   it("does not emit before args when npmrc min-release-age computes a before cutoff", () => {
     const tmp = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "openclaw-install-npm-freshness-"));
     const bin = join(tmp, "bin");