diff --git a/src/cli/plugins-list-command.ts b/src/cli/plugins-list-command.ts
index 9cbbf05101b1..7bfdc4288636 100644
--- a/src/cli/plugins-list-command.ts
+++ b/src/cli/plugins-list-command.ts
@@ -44,7 +44,8 @@ export async function runPluginsListCommand(
   runtime: RuntimeEnv = defaultRuntime,
 ): Promise<void> {
   const { buildPluginRegistrySnapshotReport } = await import("../plugins/status-snapshot.js");
-  const cfg = getRuntimeConfig();
+  // The inventory projector owns plugin metadata validation from the installed index.
+  const cfg = getRuntimeConfig({ skipPluginValidation: true });
   const report = buildPluginRegistrySnapshotReport({
     config: cfg,
     ...(opts.json ? { logger: quietPluginJsonLogger } : {}),
diff --git a/src/cli/plugins-list-route-cold-imports.test.ts b/src/cli/plugins-list-route-cold-imports.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..15e6946fcbb1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/plugins-list-route-cold-imports.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+// The default plugin inventory route must render manifest facts without executing plugin code.
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import os from "node:os";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { afterAll, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import type { OpenClawConfig } from "../config/types.openclaw.js";
+import {
+  createColdPluginFixture,
+  isColdPluginRuntimeLoaded,
+} from "../plugins/test-helpers/cold-plugin-fixtures.js";
+
+const testState = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+  config: {} as OpenClawConfig,
+  loadedModules: new Set<string>(),
+  logs: [] as string[],
+}));
+
+vi.mock("./command-execution-startup.js", () => ({
+  applyCliExecutionStartupPresentation: vi.fn(async () => {}),
+  ensureCliExecutionBootstrap: vi.fn(async () => {}),
+  resolveCliExecutionStartupContext: vi.fn(() => ({
+    startupPolicy: { loadPlugins: false, suppressDoctorStdout: true },
+  })),
+}));
+
+vi.mock("../config/config.js", () => ({
+  getRuntimeConfig: () => testState.config,
+}));
+
+vi.mock("../runtime.js", () => ({
+  defaultRuntime: {
+    error: vi.fn(),
+    exit: vi.fn(),
+    log: (...args: unknown[]) => testState.logs.push(args.map(String).join(" ")),
+    writeJson: vi.fn(),
+    writeStdout: vi.fn(),
+  },
+  writeRuntimeJson: vi.fn(),
+}));
+
+vi.mock("./plugins-cli.js", () => {
+  testState.loadedModules.add("plugins-cli");
+  return { registerPluginsCli: vi.fn() };
+});
+
+vi.mock("../plugins/loader-module-runtime.js", () => {
+  testState.loadedModules.add("plugin-module-runtime");
+  return {};
+});
+
+import { tryRouteCli } from "./route.js";
+
+const tempRoot = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "openclaw-plugins-list-route-"));
+
+afterAll(() => {
+  fs.rmSync(tempRoot, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  vi.unstubAllEnvs();
+});
+
+it("renders the default list from metadata without loading plugin modules", async () => {
+  const pluginRoot = path.join(tempRoot, "route-demo");
+  fs.mkdirSync(pluginRoot, { recursive: true });
+  const fixture = createColdPluginFixture({
+    rootDir: pluginRoot,
+    pluginId: "route-demo",
+    packageName: "@example/route-demo",
+    packageVersion: "4.2.0",
+    manifest: {
+      name: "Route Demo",
+      description: "Prepared inventory metadata",
+    },
+  });
+  const bundledRoot = path.join(tempRoot, "bundled");
+  fs.mkdirSync(bundledRoot, { recursive: true });
+  vi.stubEnv("OPENCLAW_BUNDLED_PLUGINS_DIR", bundledRoot);
+  vi.stubEnv("OPENCLAW_DISABLE_BUNDLED_PLUGINS", "1");
+  vi.stubEnv("OPENCLAW_HOME", path.join(tempRoot, "home"));
+  vi.stubEnv("OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR", path.join(tempRoot, "state"));
+  testState.config = {
+    plugins: {
+      load: { paths: [pluginRoot] },
+      entries: { "route-demo": { enabled: true } },
+    },
+  };
+
+  await expect(tryRouteCli(["node", "openclaw", "plugins", "list"])).resolves.toBe(true);
+
+  const output = testState.logs.join("\n");
+  expect(output).toContain("Route Demo");
+  expect(output).toContain("route-demo");
+  expect(output).toContain("Prepared inventory metadata");
+  expect(output).toContain("4.2.0");
+  expect(isColdPluginRuntimeLoaded(fixture)).toBe(false);
+  expect(testState.loadedModules).not.toContain("plugin-module-runtime");
+  expect(testState.loadedModules).not.toContain("plugins-cli");
+});
diff --git a/src/cli/program/route-args.ts b/src/cli/program/route-args.ts
index 9049999fe30e..f1fedea17ec5 100644
--- a/src/cli/program/route-args.ts
+++ b/src/cli/program/route-args.ts
@@ -449,11 +449,8 @@ export function parseChannelsStatusRouteArgs(argv: string[]) {
   };
 }
 
-/** Parse JSON-only `openclaw plugins list` flags for plugin inventory output. */
+/** Parse `openclaw plugins list` flags for the metadata-only inventory path. */
 export function parsePluginsListRouteArgs(argv: string[]) {
-  if (!hasFlag(argv, "--json")) {
-    return null;
-  }
   const positionals = getRoutedCommandPositionals(argv, {
     commandPath: ["plugins", "list"],
     booleanFlags: ["--json", "--enabled", "--verbose"],
@@ -462,7 +459,7 @@ export function parsePluginsListRouteArgs(argv: string[]) {
     return null;
   }
   return {
-    json: true as const,
+    json: hasFlag(argv, "--json"),
     enabled: hasFlag(argv, "--enabled"),
     verbose: hasFlag(argv, "--verbose"),
   };
diff --git a/src/cli/program/routes.test.ts b/src/cli/program/routes.test.ts
index 800831f6fa53..38c51378bdc9 100644
--- a/src/cli/program/routes.test.ts
+++ b/src/cli/program/routes.test.ts
@@ -169,27 +169,41 @@ describe("program routes", () => {
     );
   });
 
-  it("routes plugins list JSON without importing the full plugins CLI", async () => {
-    const route = expectRoute(["plugins", "list"]);
-    expect(route.loadPlugins).toBeUndefined();
-    expect(route.canRun?.(["node", "openclaw", "plugins", "list"])).toBe(false);
+  it.each([
+    { label: "default", flags: [], options: { json: false, enabled: false, verbose: false } },
+    {
+      label: "enabled",
+      flags: ["--enabled"],
+      options: { json: false, enabled: true, verbose: false },
+    },
+    {
+      label: "verbose",
+      flags: ["--verbose"],
+      options: { json: false, enabled: false, verbose: true },
+    },
+    {
+      label: "JSON",
+      flags: ["--json", "--enabled", "--verbose"],
+      options: { json: true, enabled: true, verbose: true },
+    },
+  ])(
+    "routes plugins list $label without importing the full plugins CLI",
+    async ({ flags, options }) => {
+      const route = expectRoute(["plugins", "list"]);
+      expect(route.loadPlugins).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(route.canRun?.(["node", "openclaw", "plugins", "list", ...flags])).toBe(true);
 
-    await expect(
-      route.run(["node", "openclaw", "plugins", "list", "--json", "--enabled", "--verbose"]),
-    ).resolves.toBe(true);
+      await expect(route.run(["node", "openclaw", "plugins", "list", ...flags])).resolves.toBe(
+        true,
+      );
 
-    expect(runPluginsListCommandMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
-      { json: true, enabled: true, verbose: true },
-      defaultRuntime,
-    );
-    expect(pluginsCliLoadedMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
-  });
+      expect(runPluginsListCommandMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith(options, defaultRuntime);
+      expect(pluginsCliLoadedMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    },
+  );
 
-  it("returns false for plugins list JSON route with unsupported arguments", async () => {
-    await expectRunFalse(
-      ["plugins", "list"],
-      ["node", "openclaw", "plugins", "list", "--json", "--wat"],
-    );
+  it("returns false for plugins list route with unsupported arguments", async () => {
+    await expectRunFalse(["plugins", "list"], ["node", "openclaw", "plugins", "list", "--wat"]);
   });
 
   it("matches gateway status route without plugin preload", () => {