diff --git a/docs/cli/index.md b/docs/cli/index.md
index 780e6418a490..28ba5a547648 100644
--- a/docs/cli/index.md
+++ b/docs/cli/index.md
@@ -48,6 +48,10 @@ Setup commands by intent:
 | `--update`              | Shorthand for [`openclaw update`](/cli/update); works for both source checkouts and package installs    |
 | `-V`, `--version`, `-v` | Print version and exit                                                                                  |
 
+A named `--profile` replaces canonical state and config paths inherited from
+another profile, including a running Gateway service. Explicitly customized
+state directories and config paths remain unchanged.
+
 ## Output modes
 
 - ANSI colors and progress indicators render only in TTY sessions.
diff --git a/src/cli/profile.test.ts b/src/cli/profile.test.ts
index 3a15d18866f6..862904295e86 100644
--- a/src/cli/profile.test.ts
+++ b/src/cli/profile.test.ts
@@ -306,6 +306,128 @@ describe("applyCliProfileEnv", () => {
     expect(env.OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH).toBe(path.join("/custom", "openclaw.json"));
   });
 
+  it.each([
+    {
+      name: "the default profile without a profile marker",
+      inheritedProfile: undefined,
+      inheritedStateDir: "/home/peter/.openclaw",
+    },
+    {
+      name: "the explicitly marked default profile",
+      inheritedProfile: "default",
+      inheritedStateDir: "/home/peter/.openclaw",
+    },
+    {
+      name: "another named profile",
+      inheritedProfile: "main",
+      inheritedStateDir: "/home/peter/.openclaw-main",
+    },
+    {
+      name: "a home-relative default state directory",
+      inheritedProfile: undefined,
+      inheritedStateDir: "~/.openclaw",
+    },
+  ])(
+    "switches inherited canonical state from $name to the requested profile",
+    ({ inheritedProfile, inheritedStateDir }) => {
+      const env: Record<string, string | undefined> = {
+        OPENCLAW_PROFILE: inheritedProfile,
+        OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR: inheritedStateDir,
+        OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH: path.join(inheritedStateDir, "openclaw.json"),
+      };
+
+      applyCliProfileEnv({ profile: "work", env, homedir: () => "/home/peter" });
+
+      const expectedStateDir = path.join(path.resolve("/home/peter"), ".openclaw-work");
+      expect(env.OPENCLAW_PROFILE).toBe("work");
+      expect(env.OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR).toBe(expectedStateDir);
+      expect(env.OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH).toBe(path.join(expectedStateDir, "openclaw.json"));
+    },
+  );
+
+  it("preserves an explicit config outside inherited canonical profile state", () => {
+    const env: Record<string, string | undefined> = {
+      OPENCLAW_PROFILE: "main",
+      OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR: "/home/peter/.openclaw-main",
+      OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH: "/srv/openclaw/custom.json",
+    };
+
+    applyCliProfileEnv({ profile: "work", env, homedir: () => "/home/peter" });
+
+    expect(env.OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR).toBe("/home/peter/.openclaw-work");
+    expect(env.OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH).toBe("/srv/openclaw/custom.json");
+  });
+
+  it.each([
+    { inheritedProfile: "Main", selectedProfile: "main" },
+    { inheritedProfile: "main", selectedProfile: "Main" },
+  ])(
+    "keeps case-distinct named profiles isolated ($inheritedProfile to $selectedProfile)",
+    ({ inheritedProfile, selectedProfile }) => {
+      const inheritedStateDir = `/home/peter/.openclaw-${inheritedProfile}`;
+      const env: Record<string, string | undefined> = {
+        OPENCLAW_PROFILE: inheritedProfile,
+        OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR: inheritedStateDir,
+        OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH: path.join(inheritedStateDir, "openclaw.json"),
+      };
+
+      applyCliProfileEnv({ profile: selectedProfile, env, homedir: () => "/home/peter" });
+
+      const expectedStateDir = `/home/peter/.openclaw-${selectedProfile}`;
+      expect(env.OPENCLAW_PROFILE).toBe(selectedProfile);
+      expect(env.OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR).toBe(expectedStateDir);
+      expect(env.OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH).toBe(path.join(expectedStateDir, "openclaw.json"));
+    },
+  );
+
+  it("treats case variants of the default profile as the same canonical profile", () => {
+    const stateDir = "/home/peter/.openclaw";
+    const env: Record<string, string | undefined> = {
+      OPENCLAW_PROFILE: "Default",
+      OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR: stateDir,
+      OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH: path.join(stateDir, "openclaw.json"),
+    };
+
+    applyCliProfileEnv({ profile: "default", env, homedir: () => "/home/peter" });
+
+    expect(env.OPENCLAW_PROFILE).toBe("default");
+    expect(env.OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR).toBe(stateDir);
+    expect(env.OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH).toBe(path.join(stateDir, "openclaw.json"));
+  });
+
+  it.each([
+    {
+      name: "the default profile",
+      inheritedProfile: undefined,
+      inheritedConfigPath: "/home/peter/.openclaw/openclaw.json",
+    },
+    {
+      name: "another named profile",
+      inheritedProfile: "main",
+      inheritedConfigPath: "/home/peter/.openclaw-main/openclaw.json",
+    },
+    {
+      name: "a home-relative named profile",
+      inheritedProfile: "main",
+      inheritedConfigPath: "~/.openclaw-main/openclaw.json",
+    },
+  ])(
+    "switches an inherited $name config when the state directory is absent",
+    ({ inheritedProfile, inheritedConfigPath }) => {
+      const env: Record<string, string | undefined> = {
+        OPENCLAW_PROFILE: inheritedProfile,
+        OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH: inheritedConfigPath,
+      };
+
+      applyCliProfileEnv({ profile: "work", env, homedir: () => "/home/peter" });
+
+      const expectedStateDir = "/home/peter/.openclaw-work";
+      expect(env.OPENCLAW_PROFILE).toBe("work");
+      expect(env.OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR).toBe(expectedStateDir);
+      expect(env.OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH).toBe(path.join(expectedStateDir, "openclaw.json"));
+    },
+  );
+
   it("uses OPENCLAW_HOME when deriving profile state dir", () => {
     const env: Record<string, string | undefined> = {
       OPENCLAW_HOME: "/srv/openclaw-home",
diff --git a/src/cli/profile.ts b/src/cli/profile.ts
index b354badcf4f3..309613c7cc3a 100644
--- a/src/cli/profile.ts
+++ b/src/cli/profile.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import {
   normalizeLowercaseStringOrEmpty,
   normalizeOptionalString,
 } from "@openclaw/normalization-core/string-coerce";
-import { resolveRequiredHomeDir } from "../infra/home-dir.js";
+import { resolveHomeRelativePath, resolveRequiredHomeDir } from "../infra/home-dir.js";
 import { resolveCliArgvInvocation } from "./argv-invocation.js";
 import { isValidProfileName } from "./profile-utils.js";
 import { scanCliRootOptions } from "./root-option-scan.js";
@@ -91,16 +91,41 @@ export function applyCliProfileEnv(params: {
     return;
   }
 
-  // Convenience only: fill defaults, never override explicit env values.
+  const inheritedProfile = normalizeOptionalString(env.OPENCLAW_PROFILE) ?? "default";
+  const existingStateDir = normalizeOptionalString(env.OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR);
+  const existingConfigPath = normalizeOptionalString(env.OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH);
+  const inheritedProfileStateDir = resolveProfileStateDir(inheritedProfile, env, homedir);
+  const selectedProfileStateDir = resolveProfileStateDir(profile, env, homedir);
+  const switchesInheritedProfile = inheritedProfileStateDir !== selectedProfileStateDir;
+  const switchesInheritedProfileState = Boolean(
+    existingStateDir &&
+    switchesInheritedProfile &&
+    resolveHomeRelativePath(existingStateDir, {
+      env: env as NodeJS.ProcessEnv,
+      homedir,
+    }) === inheritedProfileStateDir,
+  );
+  const replacesInheritedProfileConfig = Boolean(
+    switchesInheritedProfile &&
+    (!existingStateDir || switchesInheritedProfileState) &&
+    existingConfigPath &&
+    resolveHomeRelativePath(existingConfigPath, {
+      env: env as NodeJS.ProcessEnv,
+      homedir,
+    }) === path.join(inheritedProfileStateDir, "openclaw.json"),
+  );
+
+  // A service's canonical profile paths are inherited defaults, not custom overrides.
+  // Switch them together so an explicit profile cannot mutate the service's profile.
   env.OPENCLAW_PROFILE = profile;
 
-  const existingStateDir = normalizeOptionalString(env.OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR);
-  const stateDir = existingStateDir || resolveProfileStateDir(profile, env, homedir);
-  if (!existingStateDir) {
+  const stateDir =
+    existingStateDir && !switchesInheritedProfileState ? existingStateDir : selectedProfileStateDir;
+  if (!existingStateDir || switchesInheritedProfileState) {
     env.OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR = stateDir;
   }
 
-  if (!normalizeOptionalString(env.OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH)) {
+  if (!existingConfigPath || replacesInheritedProfileConfig) {
     env.OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH = path.join(stateDir, "openclaw.json");
   }
 
diff --git a/test/cli-json-stdout.e2e.test.ts b/test/cli-json-stdout.e2e.test.ts
index 652c15c10f7f..ccda1cde616e 100644
--- a/test/cli-json-stdout.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/test/cli-json-stdout.e2e.test.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,55 @@ function runSourceCli(tempHome: string, args: string[], envOverrides: NodeJS.Pro
 }
 
 describe("cli json stdout contract", () => {
+  it.each([
+    { name: "default service", inheritedProfile: undefined, inheritedStateName: ".openclaw" },
+    { name: "named service", inheritedProfile: "main", inheritedStateName: ".openclaw-main" },
+  ])("resolves the requested profile from inherited $name state", async (inherited) => {
+    await withTempHome(
+      async (tempHome) => {
+        const inheritedStateDir = path.join(tempHome, inherited.inheritedStateName);
+        const result = runSourceCli(tempHome, ["--profile", "work", "config", "file"], {
+          OPENCLAW_PROFILE: inherited.inheritedProfile,
+          OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR: inheritedStateDir,
+          OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH: path.join(inheritedStateDir, "openclaw.json"),
+        });
+
+        expect(result.status, result.stderr).toBe(0);
+        expect(result.stdout.trim()).toBe(path.join(tempHome, ".openclaw-work", "openclaw.json"));
+      },
+      { prefix: "openclaw-profile-isolation-e2e-" },
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("keeps default-profile exec approvals untouched for a scratch-state config query", async () => {
+    await withTempHome(
+      async (tempHome) => {
+        const defaultStateDir = path.join(tempHome, ".openclaw");
+        const scratchStateDir = path.join(tempHome, "scratch-state");
+        const approvalsPath = path.join(defaultStateDir, "exec-approvals.json");
+        const approvals = '{"version":1,"approvals":{"demo":true}}\n';
+        await fs.mkdir(defaultStateDir, { recursive: true });
+        await fs.mkdir(scratchStateDir, { recursive: true });
+        await fs.writeFile(approvalsPath, approvals, "utf8");
+
+        const result = runSourceCli(tempHome, ["config", "file"], {
+          OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR: scratchStateDir,
+        });
+
+        expect(result.status, result.stderr).toBe(0);
+        expect(result.stdout.trim()).toBe(path.join(scratchStateDir, "openclaw.json"));
+        await expect(fs.readFile(approvalsPath, "utf8")).resolves.toBe(approvals);
+        await expect(fs.access(`${approvalsPath}.migrated`)).rejects.toMatchObject({
+          code: "ENOENT",
+        });
+        await expect(
+          fs.access(path.join(scratchStateDir, "exec-approvals.json")),
+        ).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: "ENOENT" });
+      },
+      { prefix: "openclaw-read-only-state-e2e-" },
+    );
+  });
+
   it("keeps `update status --json` stdout parseable even with legacy doctor preflight inputs", async () => {
     await withTempHome(
       async (tempHome) => {