diff --git a/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/Onboarding.swift b/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/Onboarding.swift
index 5bc7db526502..aa27eb410dae 100644
--- a/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/Onboarding.swift
+++ b/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/Onboarding.swift
@@ -605,10 +605,17 @@ final class OnboardingController: NSObject, NSWindowDelegate {
 
     func close() {
         self.busyReason = nil
+        // AppKit ignores close while its modal sheet is still attached.
+        self.dismissAttachedSheet()
         self.window?.close()
         self.window = nil
     }
 
+    func dismissAttachedSheet() {
+        guard let window, let sheet = window.attachedSheet else { return }
+        window.endSheet(sheet)
+    }
+
     func setWindowCloseEnabled(_ enabled: Bool) {
         self.window?.standardWindowButton(.closeButton)?.isEnabled = enabled
     }
diff --git a/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/OnboardingView+Monitoring.swift b/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/OnboardingView+Monitoring.swift
index 8b8e5c2fed31..a75a60c97f83 100644
--- a/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/OnboardingView+Monitoring.swift
+++ b/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/OnboardingView+Monitoring.swift
@@ -94,8 +94,24 @@ extension OnboardingView {
         }
     }
 
+    static func shouldResolveInstallPromptForRunningGateway(
+        gatewayStatus: GatewayProcessManager.Status,
+        isLocal: Bool,
+        phase: CLIInstallPhase) -> Bool
+    {
+        guard isLocal, phase == .choosingTarget else { return false }
+        return switch gatewayStatus {
+        case .running, .attachedExisting: true
+        case .stopped, .starting, .failed: false
+        }
+    }
+
     func reviseCLIActivationFailureIfGatewayReady(_ status: GatewayProcessManager.Status) {
-        guard Self.shouldReviseCLIActivationFailure(
+        let resolvesInstallPrompt = Self.shouldResolveInstallPromptForRunningGateway(
+            gatewayStatus: status,
+            isLocal: state.connectionMode == .local,
+            phase: cliInstallPhase)
+        guard resolvesInstallPrompt || Self.shouldReviseCLIActivationFailure(
             gatewayStatus: status,
             isLocal: state.connectionMode == .local,
             executableReady: cliExecutableReady,
@@ -104,6 +120,10 @@ extension OnboardingView {
         cliInstalled = true
         cliStatusKnown = true
         cliStatus = nil
+        if resolvesInstallPrompt {
+            // A running local gateway already fulfills the pending install prompt.
+            OnboardingController.shared.dismissAttachedSheet()
+        }
     }
 
     /// LocalGatewayActivation.failed carries the reason bound to that specific activation
@@ -167,6 +187,8 @@ extension OnboardingView {
         guard let target = await CLIInstallPrompter.shared.installTargetForCurrentBuild(
             presentingSheetOn: OnboardingController.shared.sheetPresentationWindow)
         else {
+            // Gateway readiness can resolve onboarding while this sheet is open.
+            guard !cliInstalled else { return }
             cliStatus = "CLI installation cancelled."
             return
         }
diff --git a/apps/macos/Tests/OpenClawIPCTests/OnboardingViewSmokeTests.swift b/apps/macos/Tests/OpenClawIPCTests/OnboardingViewSmokeTests.swift
index 6499f478b028..ee832ca437ee 100644
--- a/apps/macos/Tests/OpenClawIPCTests/OnboardingViewSmokeTests.swift
+++ b/apps/macos/Tests/OpenClawIPCTests/OnboardingViewSmokeTests.swift
@@ -255,6 +255,33 @@ struct OnboardingViewSmokeTests {
             installed: false))
     }
 
+    @Test func `running local gateway resolves only its pending CLI install prompt`() {
+        for status in [GatewayProcessManager.Status.running(details: nil), .attachedExisting(details: "pid 4242")] {
+            #expect(OnboardingView.shouldResolveInstallPromptForRunningGateway(
+                gatewayStatus: status,
+                isLocal: true,
+                phase: .choosingTarget))
+        }
+        for status in [GatewayProcessManager.Status.starting, .stopped, .failed("unavailable")] {
+            #expect(!OnboardingView.shouldResolveInstallPromptForRunningGateway(
+                gatewayStatus: status,
+                isLocal: true,
+                phase: .choosingTarget))
+        }
+        for mode in [AppState.ConnectionMode.remote, .unconfigured] {
+            #expect(!OnboardingView.shouldResolveInstallPromptForRunningGateway(
+                gatewayStatus: .running(details: nil),
+                isLocal: mode == .local,
+                phase: .choosingTarget))
+        }
+        for phase in [OnboardingView.CLIInstallPhase.idle, .installing, .startingService] {
+            #expect(!OnboardingView.shouldResolveInstallPromptForRunningGateway(
+                gatewayStatus: .running(details: nil),
+                isLocal: true,
+                phase: phase))
+        }
+    }
+
     @Test func `gateway start failure message retains the concrete reason`() {
         #expect(
             OnboardingView.gatewayStartFailureMessage(