diff --git a/scripts/run-node.mjs b/scripts/run-node.mjs
index 60084a0e4a7e..8eb95dab34b7 100644
--- a/scripts/run-node.mjs
+++ b/scripts/run-node.mjs
@@ -32,10 +32,7 @@ import {
   runNodeSourceRoots,
   runNodeWatchedPaths,
 } from "./run-node-watch-paths.mjs";
-import {
-  listCoreRuntimePostBuildOutputs,
-  runRuntimePostBuild,
-} from "./runtime-postbuild.mjs";
+import { listCoreRuntimePostBuildOutputs, runRuntimePostBuild } from "./runtime-postbuild.mjs";
 
 export { isBuildRelevantRunNodePath, isRestartRelevantRunNodePath, runNodeWatchedPaths };
 
@@ -405,6 +402,10 @@ const listRequiredBundledPluginRuntimeOverlayOutputs = (pluginEntries, deps) =>
 
 const listRequiredOpenClawExtensionAliasOutputs = (deps) => {
   const distRoot = resolveRuntimePostBuildDistRoot(deps);
+  const distExtensionsRoot = path.join(distRoot, "extensions");
+  if (!deps.fs.existsSync(distExtensionsRoot)) {
+    return [];
+  }
   const pluginSdkDir = path.join(distRoot, "plugin-sdk");
   let dirents = [];
   try {
@@ -1070,7 +1071,8 @@ const writeBuildStamp = (deps) => {
 const shouldSkipWatchRuntimeSync = (deps, requirement) =>
   deps.env.OPENCLAW_WATCH_MODE === "1" &&
   requirement.reason === "missing_runtime_postbuild_stamp" &&
-  hasDirtyRuntimePostBuildInputs(deps) !== true;
+  hasDirtyRuntimePostBuildInputs(deps) !== true &&
+  !hasMissingRequiredRuntimePostBuildOutput(deps);
 
 const isGatewayClientCommand = (args) =>
   args[0] === "gateway" && (args[1] === "call" || args[1] === "status");
diff --git a/src/infra/run-node.test.ts b/src/infra/run-node.test.ts
index 52de06736e69..1c46a38b8de3 100644
--- a/src/infra/run-node.test.ts
+++ b/src/infra/run-node.test.ts
@@ -569,9 +569,21 @@ describe("run-node script", () => {
       await setupTrackedProject(tmp, {
         files: {
           [ROOT_SRC]: "export const value = 1;\n",
+          [DIST_PLUGIN_SDK_ROOT_ALIAS]: "module.exports = {};\n",
+          [DIST_CHANNEL_CATALOG]: '{"entries":[]}\n',
+          [DIST_LEGACY_CLI_EXIT_COMPAT]: "export function hasMemoryRuntime() { return false; }\n",
+          [DIST_LEGACY_CLI_EXIT_COMPAT_ALT]:
+            "export function hasMemoryRuntime() { return false; }\n",
         },
         oldPaths: [ROOT_SRC, ROOT_TSCONFIG, ROOT_PACKAGE],
-        buildPaths: [DIST_ENTRY, BUILD_STAMP],
+        buildPaths: [
+          DIST_ENTRY,
+          DIST_PLUGIN_SDK_ROOT_ALIAS,
+          DIST_CHANNEL_CATALOG,
+          DIST_LEGACY_CLI_EXIT_COMPAT,
+          DIST_LEGACY_CLI_EXIT_COMPAT_ALT,
+          BUILD_STAMP,
+        ],
       });
       const profileDir = path.join(tmp, ".artifacts", "profiles");
       const spawnCalls: Array<{ args: string[]; env: Record<string, string | undefined> }> = [];
@@ -901,6 +913,46 @@ describe("run-node script", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it("reruns runtime postbuild in watch mode when required outputs are missing with no runtime stamp", async () => {
+    await withTempDir({ prefix: "openclaw-run-node-" }, async (tmp) => {
+      await setupTrackedProject(tmp, {
+        files: {
+          [ROOT_SRC]: "export const value = 1;\n",
+          [DIST_PLUGIN_SDK_ROOT_ALIAS]: "module.exports = {};\n",
+          [DIST_LEGACY_CLI_EXIT_COMPAT]: "export function hasMemoryRuntime() { return false; }\n",
+          [DIST_LEGACY_CLI_EXIT_COMPAT_ALT]:
+            "export function hasMemoryRuntime() { return false; }\n",
+        },
+        oldPaths: [ROOT_SRC, ROOT_TSCONFIG, ROOT_PACKAGE],
+        buildPaths: [
+          DIST_ENTRY,
+          DIST_PLUGIN_SDK_ROOT_ALIAS,
+          DIST_LEGACY_CLI_EXIT_COMPAT,
+          DIST_LEGACY_CLI_EXIT_COMPAT_ALT,
+          BUILD_STAMP,
+        ],
+      });
+      await fs.rm(resolvePath(tmp, DIST_OPENCLAW_ALIAS_PACKAGE));
+
+      const runRuntimePostBuild = vi.fn();
+      const { spawnCalls, spawn, spawnSync } = createSpawnRecorder({
+        gitHead: "abc123\n",
+        gitStatus: "",
+      });
+      const exitCode = await runStatusCommand({
+        tmp,
+        spawn,
+        spawnSync,
+        env: { OPENCLAW_WATCH_MODE: "1" },
+        runRuntimePostBuild,
+      });
+
+      expect(exitCode).toBe(0);
+      expect(spawnCalls).toEqual([statusCommandSpawn()]);
+      expect(runRuntimePostBuild).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+    });
+  });
+
   it("reruns runtime postbuild for dirty extension package metadata in watch mode", async () => {
     await withTempDir({ prefix: "openclaw-run-node-" }, async (tmp) => {
       await setupTrackedProject(tmp, {
@@ -1722,6 +1774,47 @@ describe("run-node script", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it("does not require OpenClaw SDK alias outputs when dist extensions are absent", async () => {
+    await withTempDir({ prefix: "openclaw-run-node-" }, async (tmp) => {
+      await setupTrackedProject(tmp, {
+        files: {
+          [ROOT_SRC]: "export const value = 1;\n",
+          [DIST_PLUGIN_SDK_INDEX]: "export * from './core.js';\n",
+          [DIST_PLUGIN_SDK_ROOT_ALIAS]: "module.exports = {};\n",
+          [DIST_CHANNEL_CATALOG]: '{"entries":[]}\n',
+          [DIST_LEGACY_CLI_EXIT_COMPAT]: "export function hasMemoryRuntime() { return false; }\n",
+          [DIST_LEGACY_CLI_EXIT_COMPAT_ALT]:
+            "export function hasMemoryRuntime() { return false; }\n",
+          [RUNTIME_POSTBUILD_STAMP]: '{"head":"abc123"}\n',
+        },
+        buildPaths: [
+          ROOT_SRC,
+          DIST_ENTRY,
+          DIST_PLUGIN_SDK_INDEX,
+          DIST_PLUGIN_SDK_ROOT_ALIAS,
+          DIST_CHANNEL_CATALOG,
+          DIST_LEGACY_CLI_EXIT_COMPAT,
+          DIST_LEGACY_CLI_EXIT_COMPAT_ALT,
+          BUILD_STAMP,
+          RUNTIME_POSTBUILD_STAMP,
+        ],
+      });
+      await fs.rm(path.join(tmp, "dist", "extensions"), { recursive: true, force: true });
+
+      const requirement = resolveRuntimePostBuildRequirement(
+        createBuildRequirementDeps(tmp, {
+          gitHead: "abc123\n",
+          gitStatus: "",
+        }),
+      );
+
+      expect(requirement).toEqual({
+        shouldSync: false,
+        reason: "clean",
+      });
+    });
+  });
+
   it("reports missing OpenClaw SDK alias outputs when runtime stamps match HEAD", async () => {
     await withTempDir({ prefix: "openclaw-run-node-" }, async (tmp) => {
       await setupTrackedProject(tmp, {