diff --git a/.github/workflows/crabbox-hydrate.yml b/.github/workflows/crabbox-hydrate.yml
index b58b58bf5509..862ed16e048f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/crabbox-hydrate.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/crabbox-hydrate.yml
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ jobs:
             echo "PNPM_HOME=$PNPM_HOME"
             echo "PNPM_CONFIG_STORE_DIR=$PNPM_CONFIG_STORE_DIR"
             echo "PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR=$PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR"
+            echo "CRABBOX_PNPM_MODULES_DIR=$PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR"
             echo "PNPM_CONFIG_PACKAGE_IMPORT_METHOD=${PNPM_CONFIG_PACKAGE_IMPORT_METHOD:-}"
             echo "PNPM_CONFIG_VIRTUAL_STORE_DIR=$PNPM_CONFIG_VIRTUAL_STORE_DIR"
           } >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
@@ -388,7 +389,9 @@ jobs:
             fi
           }
           {
-            for key in CI GITHUB_ACTIONS GITHUB_WORKSPACE GITHUB_REPOSITORY GITHUB_RUN_ID GITHUB_RUN_NUMBER GITHUB_RUN_ATTEMPT GITHUB_REF GITHUB_REF_NAME GITHUB_SHA GITHUB_EVENT_NAME GITHUB_ACTOR RUNNER_OS RUNNER_ARCH RUNNER_TEMP RUNNER_TOOL_CACHE XDG_CACHE_HOME COREPACK_HOME NODE_BIN OPENCLAW_CRABBOX_DOCKER_AVAILABLE PNPM_HOME PNPM_CONFIG_CHILD_CONCURRENCY PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR PNPM_CONFIG_NETWORK_CONCURRENCY PNPM_CONFIG_PACKAGE_IMPORT_METHOD PNPM_CONFIG_STORE_DIR PNPM_CONFIG_VERIFY_DEPS_BEFORE_RUN PNPM_CONFIG_VIRTUAL_STORE_DIR PATH; do
+            # Keep workspace paths out of PNPM_CONFIG_* in the reusable shell. pnpm dlx owns a
+            # separate project and would otherwise overwrite this workspace's current lockfile.
+            for key in CI GITHUB_ACTIONS GITHUB_WORKSPACE GITHUB_REPOSITORY GITHUB_RUN_ID GITHUB_RUN_NUMBER GITHUB_RUN_ATTEMPT GITHUB_REF GITHUB_REF_NAME GITHUB_SHA GITHUB_EVENT_NAME GITHUB_ACTOR RUNNER_OS RUNNER_ARCH RUNNER_TEMP RUNNER_TOOL_CACHE XDG_CACHE_HOME COREPACK_HOME NODE_BIN OPENCLAW_CRABBOX_DOCKER_AVAILABLE CRABBOX_PNPM_MODULES_DIR PNPM_HOME PNPM_CONFIG_CHILD_CONCURRENCY PNPM_CONFIG_NETWORK_CONCURRENCY PNPM_CONFIG_PACKAGE_IMPORT_METHOD PNPM_CONFIG_STORE_DIR PNPM_CONFIG_VERIFY_DEPS_BEFORE_RUN PATH; do
               write_export "$key"
             done
           } > "${env_file}.tmp"
@@ -514,6 +517,7 @@ jobs:
             "PNPM_HOME=$env:PNPM_HOME"
             "PNPM_CONFIG_STORE_DIR=$env:PNPM_CONFIG_STORE_DIR"
             "PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR=$env:PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR"
+            "CRABBOX_PNPM_MODULES_DIR=$env:PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR"
             "PNPM_CONFIG_VIRTUAL_STORE_DIR=$env:PNPM_CONFIG_VIRTUAL_STORE_DIR"
             "PNPM_CONFIG_CHILD_CONCURRENCY=$env:PNPM_CONFIG_CHILD_CONCURRENCY"
             "PNPM_CONFIG_NETWORK_CONCURRENCY=$env:PNPM_CONFIG_NETWORK_CONCURRENCY"
@@ -614,10 +618,9 @@ jobs:
             "GITHUB_REF", "GITHUB_REF_NAME", "GITHUB_SHA", "GITHUB_EVENT_NAME",
             "GITHUB_ACTOR", "RUNNER_OS", "RUNNER_ARCH", "RUNNER_TEMP",
             "RUNNER_TOOL_CACHE", "XDG_CACHE_HOME", "COREPACK_HOME", "NODE_BIN",
-            "PNPM_HOME", "PNPM_CONFIG_CHILD_CONCURRENCY", "PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR",
+            "PNPM_HOME", "CRABBOX_PNPM_MODULES_DIR", "PNPM_CONFIG_CHILD_CONCURRENCY",
             "PNPM_CONFIG_NETWORK_CONCURRENCY", "PNPM_CONFIG_STORE_DIR",
-            "PNPM_CONFIG_VERIFY_DEPS_BEFORE_RUN", "PNPM_CONFIG_VIRTUAL_STORE_DIR",
-            "PNPM_CONFIG_SIDE_EFFECTS_CACHE", "PATH"
+            "PNPM_CONFIG_VERIFY_DEPS_BEFORE_RUN", "PNPM_CONFIG_SIDE_EFFECTS_CACHE", "PATH"
           )
           $envLines = foreach ($key in $keys) {
             $value = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable($key)
diff --git a/scripts/crabbox-wrapper.mts b/scripts/crabbox-wrapper.mts
index cdd8c7e35395..9836697b7db1 100755
--- a/scripts/crabbox-wrapper.mts
+++ b/scripts/crabbox-wrapper.mts
@@ -2643,9 +2643,9 @@ function isHydratedNativeWindowsProvider(providerName: string) {
 
 function remoteWindowsHydratedNodeModulesBootstrap() {
   return [
-    "$openclawModulesDir = $env:PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR",
+    "$openclawModulesDir = if ($env:CRABBOX_PNPM_MODULES_DIR) { $env:CRABBOX_PNPM_MODULES_DIR } else { $env:PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR }",
     "if ($openclawModulesDir) {",
-    'if (-not (Test-Path $openclawModulesDir)) { throw "PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR does not exist: $openclawModulesDir" }',
+    'if (-not (Test-Path $openclawModulesDir)) { throw "hydrated pnpm modules directory does not exist: $openclawModulesDir" }',
     '$openclawWorkspaceModules = Join-Path (Get-Location).Path "node_modules"',
     '$openclawSelfModules = Join-Path $openclawModulesDir "node_modules"',
     'if (-not (Test-Path $openclawSelfModules)) { cmd /c mklink /J "$openclawSelfModules" "$openclawModulesDir" | Out-Host; if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) { throw "failed to link hydrated pnpm node_modules" } }',
@@ -2657,7 +2657,7 @@ function remoteWindowsHydratedNodeModulesBootstrap() {
 function remotePosixHydratedNodeModulesBootstrap() {
   // Knip and other non-pnpm tools walk node_modules, while hydrated boxes keep it external.
   // Without this link, dead-code scans silently lose consumer edges and report false positives.
-  return 'if [ -n "${PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR" ] && [ ! -e node_modules ]; then ln -s "$PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR" node_modules; fi;';
+  return 'openclaw_modules_dir="${CRABBOX_PNPM_MODULES_DIR:-${PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR:-}}"; if [ -n "$openclaw_modules_dir" ] && [ -d "$openclaw_modules_dir" ] && [ ! -e node_modules ]; then ln -s "$openclaw_modules_dir" node_modules; fi;';
 }
 
 function injectRemoteWindowsHydratedNodeModulesBootstrap(
diff --git a/test/scripts/crabbox-wrapper.test.ts b/test/scripts/crabbox-wrapper.test.ts
index 4cb3fdfe829c..0152292ac19f 100644
--- a/test/scripts/crabbox-wrapper.test.ts
+++ b/test/scripts/crabbox-wrapper.test.ts
@@ -583,7 +583,10 @@ function runSuccessfulNativeWindows(
 
 function expectHydratedWindowsShell(run: ParsedWrapperRun, command: string): void {
   expect(run.output.args).toContain("--shell");
-  expect(run.remoteCommand).toContain("$openclawModulesDir = $env:PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR");
+  expect(run.remoteCommand).toContain(
+    "$env:CRABBOX_PNPM_MODULES_DIR) { $env:CRABBOX_PNPM_MODULES_DIR } else { $env:PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR }",
+  );
+  expect(run.remoteCommand).toContain("hydrated pnpm modules directory does not exist");
   expect(run.remoteCommand).toContain('mklink /J "$openclawSelfModules" "$openclawModulesDir"');
   expect(run.remoteCommand).toContain(
     'mklink /J "$openclawWorkspaceModules" "$openclawModulesDir"',
@@ -592,7 +595,7 @@ function expectHydratedWindowsShell(run: ParsedWrapperRun, command: string): voi
 }
 
 const remotePosixHydratedModulesBootstrap =
-  'if [ -n "${PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR" ] && [ ! -e node_modules ]; then ln -s "$PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR" node_modules; fi;';
+  'openclaw_modules_dir="${CRABBOX_PNPM_MODULES_DIR:-${PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR:-}}"; if [ -n "$openclaw_modules_dir" ] && [ -d "$openclaw_modules_dir" ] && [ ! -e node_modules ]; then ln -s "$openclaw_modules_dir" node_modules; fi;';
 
 function expectHydratedPosixShell(
   run: Pick<ParsedWrapperRun, "output" | "remoteCommand">,
@@ -3033,7 +3036,7 @@ describe("scripts/crabbox-wrapper", () => {
       "test",
     ]);
     expect(output.args).toContain("--shell");
-    expect(remoteCommand).toContain("$openclawModulesDir = $env:PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR");
+    expect(remoteCommand).toContain("$env:CRABBOX_PNPM_MODULES_DIR");
     expect(remoteCommand).toContain("pnpm --filter '@openclaw/discord' test");
   });
 
diff --git a/test/scripts/package-acceptance-workflow.test.ts b/test/scripts/package-acceptance-workflow.test.ts
index 3f83413c2fcf..f2d690e8f36a 100644
--- a/test/scripts/package-acceptance-workflow.test.ts
+++ b/test/scripts/package-acceptance-workflow.test.ts
@@ -1563,6 +1563,7 @@ describe("package acceptance workflow", () => {
     );
     expect(hydratePnpm.run).toContain('echo "PNPM_CONFIG_STORE_DIR=$PNPM_CONFIG_STORE_DIR"');
     expect(hydratePnpm.run).toContain('echo "PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR=$PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR"');
+    expect(hydratePnpm.run).toContain('echo "CRABBOX_PNPM_MODULES_DIR=$PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR"');
     expect(hydratePnpm.run).toContain(
       'echo "PNPM_CONFIG_PACKAGE_IMPORT_METHOD=${PNPM_CONFIG_PACKAGE_IMPORT_METHOD:-}"',
     );
@@ -1647,7 +1648,10 @@ describe("package acceptance workflow", () => {
     const markCrabboxReady = workflowStep(hydrate, "Mark Crabbox ready").run;
     expect(markCrabboxReady).toContain("COREPACK_HOME");
     expect(markCrabboxReady).toContain("OPENCLAW_CRABBOX_DOCKER_AVAILABLE");
+    expect(markCrabboxReady).toContain("CRABBOX_PNPM_MODULES_DIR");
     expect(markCrabboxReady).toContain("PNPM_CONFIG_PACKAGE_IMPORT_METHOD");
+    expect(markCrabboxReady).not.toContain("PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR");
+    expect(markCrabboxReady).not.toContain("PNPM_CONFIG_VIRTUAL_STORE_DIR");
     expect(workflowStep(hydrate, "Hydrate provider env helper").env).toBeUndefined();
 
     expect(hydrateWindowsDaemon.if).toBe("${{ inputs.crabbox_job == 'hydrate-windows-daemon' }}");
@@ -1705,9 +1709,13 @@ describe("package acceptance workflow", () => {
     );
     expect(hydrateWindowsFetch.run).toContain('"+refs/heads/main:refs/remotes/origin/main"');
     expect(workflowStep(hydrateWindowsDaemon, "Mark Crabbox ready").shell).toBe("powershell");
-    expect(workflowStep(hydrateWindowsDaemon, "Mark Crabbox ready").run).toContain('"NODE_BIN"');
-    expect(workflowStep(hydrateWindowsDaemon, "Mark Crabbox ready").run).toContain('"PNPM_HOME"');
-    expect(workflowStep(hydrateWindowsDaemon, "Mark Crabbox ready").run).toContain('"PATH"');
+    const markWindowsCrabboxReady = workflowStep(hydrateWindowsDaemon, "Mark Crabbox ready").run;
+    expect(markWindowsCrabboxReady).toContain('"NODE_BIN"');
+    expect(markWindowsCrabboxReady).toContain('"PNPM_HOME"');
+    expect(markWindowsCrabboxReady).toContain('"CRABBOX_PNPM_MODULES_DIR"');
+    expect(markWindowsCrabboxReady).not.toContain('"PNPM_CONFIG_MODULES_DIR"');
+    expect(markWindowsCrabboxReady).not.toContain('"PNPM_CONFIG_VIRTUAL_STORE_DIR"');
+    expect(markWindowsCrabboxReady).toContain('"PATH"');
     expect(workflowText).toContain("OPENCLAW_CRABBOX_HYDRATE_DOWNLOAD_TIMEOUT_SECONDS:-300");
     expect(workflowText).toContain("OPENCLAW_CRABBOX_HYDRATE_DOWNLOAD_RETRIES:-3");
     expect(workflowText).toContain("--retry-all-errors");