diff --git a/src/infra/update-runner-install-surface.ts b/src/infra/update-runner-install-surface.ts
index 7f0cec75d623..15f40e149586 100644
--- a/src/infra/update-runner-install-surface.ts
+++ b/src/infra/update-runner-install-surface.ts
@@ -64,13 +64,16 @@ export async function resolveGitRoot(
   runCommand: CommandRunner,
   candidates: string[],
   timeoutMs: number,
+  packageRoot?: string | null,
 ): Promise<string | null> {
   for (const dir of candidates) {
     const result = await runCommand(["git", "-C", dir, "rev-parse", "--show-toplevel"], {
       timeoutMs,
     }).catch(() => null);
     const root = result?.code === 0 ? result.stdout.trim() : "";
-    if (root) {
+    // A launcher may live inside an unrelated checkout (for example nvm).
+    // Keep probing until the Git root owns the discovered OpenClaw package.
+    if (root && (!packageRoot || updateInstallRootsMatch(root, packageRoot))) {
       return root;
     }
   }
@@ -117,10 +120,7 @@ export async function resolveUpdateInstallSurface(
   const candidates = buildStartDirs(opts);
   const packageRoot = await findPackageRoot(candidates);
 
-  let gitRoot = await resolveGitRoot(runCommand, candidates, timeoutMs);
-  if (gitRoot && packageRoot && !updateInstallRootsMatch(gitRoot, packageRoot)) {
-    gitRoot = null;
-  }
+  const gitRoot = await resolveGitRoot(runCommand, candidates, timeoutMs, packageRoot);
   if (gitRoot && !packageRoot) {
     return { kind: "missing", mode: "unknown", root: resolveUpdateInstallRoot(gitRoot) };
   }
diff --git a/src/infra/update-runner.test.ts b/src/infra/update-runner.test.ts
index 362041475e13..b76d55334eaf 100644
--- a/src/infra/update-runner.test.ts
+++ b/src/infra/update-runner.test.ts
@@ -302,6 +302,41 @@ describe("runGatewayUpdate", () => {
     },
   );
 
+  it("skips an unrelated enclosing git root before the OpenClaw checkout", async () => {
+    const versionManagerRoot = path.join(tempDir, "version-manager");
+    const binDir = path.join(versionManagerRoot, "bin");
+    const sourceRoot = path.join(tempDir, "source");
+    await Promise.all([
+      fs.mkdir(binDir, { recursive: true }),
+      fs.mkdir(sourceRoot, { recursive: true }),
+    ]);
+    await fs.writeFile(
+      path.join(sourceRoot, "package.json"),
+      JSON.stringify({ name: "openclaw", version: "1.0.0" }),
+      "utf8",
+    );
+
+    const { runner, calls } = createRunner({
+      [`git -C ${binDir} rev-parse --show-toplevel`]: { stdout: versionManagerRoot },
+      [`git -C ${sourceRoot} rev-parse --show-toplevel`]: { stdout: sourceRoot },
+    });
+
+    await expect(
+      resolveUpdateInstallSurface({
+        argv1: path.join(binDir, "openclaw"),
+        cwd: sourceRoot,
+        timeoutMs: 1000,
+        runCommand: runner,
+      }),
+    ).resolves.toMatchObject({
+      kind: "git",
+      mode: "git",
+      root: sourceRoot,
+      packageRoot: sourceRoot,
+    });
+    expect(calls).toContain(`git -C ${sourceRoot} rev-parse --show-toplevel`);
+  });
+
   async function setupUiIndex() {
     const uiIndexPath = path.join(tempDir, "dist", "control-ui", "index.html");
     await fs.mkdir(path.dirname(uiIndexPath), { recursive: true });
diff --git a/src/infra/update-runner.ts b/src/infra/update-runner.ts
index 9937e361c094..65830154eab7 100644
--- a/src/infra/update-runner.ts
+++ b/src/infra/update-runner.ts
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ export async function runGatewayUpdate(opts: UpdateRunnerOptions = {}): Promise<
   const candidates = buildStartDirs(opts);
   const pkgRoot = await findPackageRoot(candidates);
 
-  let gitRoot = await resolveGitRoot(runCommand, candidates, timeoutMs);
+  let gitRoot = await resolveGitRoot(runCommand, candidates, timeoutMs, pkgRoot);
   if (!gitRoot && pkgRoot) {
     const cwdRoot = normalizeDir(opts.cwd);
     if (
@@ -43,9 +43,6 @@ export async function runGatewayUpdate(opts: UpdateRunnerOptions = {}): Promise<
       gitRoot = resolveUpdateInstallRoot(cwdRoot);
     }
   }
-  if (gitRoot && pkgRoot && !updateInstallRootsMatch(gitRoot, pkgRoot)) {
-    gitRoot = null;
-  }
   if (gitRoot && !pkgRoot) {
     return {
       status: "error",
@@ -56,7 +53,7 @@ export async function runGatewayUpdate(opts: UpdateRunnerOptions = {}): Promise<
       durationMs: Date.now() - startedAt,
     };
   }
-  if (gitRoot && pkgRoot && updateInstallRootsMatch(gitRoot, pkgRoot)) {
+  if (gitRoot && pkgRoot) {
     return await updateGitCheckout({
       opts,
       gitRoot,