fix(cli): avoid restart hint for unchanged config (#122953)

* fix(cli): avoid restart hint for unchanged config

* docs(cli): clarify no-op restart guidance

docs/cli/config.md

@@ -461,7 +461,7 @@ After every successful `config set` / `config patch` / `config unset`, the CLI p
 | `Change will apply without restarting the gateway.` | Hot reload picks it up automatically.  |
 | `No gateway restart needed.`                        | Nothing runtime-relevant changed.      |
 
-Writes to `plugins.entries` (or any subpath) always require a restart, since the CLI cannot prove every plugin's reload metadata is loaded.
+Effective changes to `plugins.entries` (or any subpath) require a restart, since the CLI cannot prove every plugin's reload metadata is loaded. Idempotent writes with no effective diff report `No gateway restart needed.`
 
 ## Write safety
 

src/cli/config-cli-runner.ts

@@ -235,10 +235,10 @@ export function configApplyHintForOperations(
     beforeConfig,
     afterConfig,
   );
-  if (
-    paths.length === 0 ||
-    paths.some((path) => path === "plugins.entries" || path.startsWith("plugins.entries."))
-  ) {
+  if (paths.length === 0) {
+    return "No gateway restart needed.";
+  }
+  if (paths.some((path) => path === "plugins.entries" || path.startsWith("plugins.entries."))) {
     return "Restart the gateway to apply.";
   }
   const plan = buildGatewayReloadPlan(paths, { candidateConfig: afterConfig });

src/cli/config-cli.test.ts

@@ -4215,6 +4215,35 @@ describe("config cli", () => {
   });
 
   describe("config apply hints - issue #80722", () => {
+    it("prints a no-restart hint for a same-value config set", async () => {
+      setGatewaySnapshot();
+
+      await runConfigSet("gateway.port", "18789", "--strict-json");
+
+      expect(mockWriteConfigFile).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      expectLogIncludes("Updated gateway.port. No gateway restart needed.");
+      expectLogExcludes("Restart the gateway to apply.");
+      expectLogExcludes("Change will apply without restarting the gateway.");
+    });
+
+    it("prints a no-restart hint for a same-value config patch", async () => {
+      setGatewaySnapshot();
+      const pathname = writeTempJson5File("openclaw-config-patch-same-value", {
+        gateway: { port: 18789 },
+      });
+
+      try {
+        await runConfigCommand(["config", "patch", "--file", pathname]);
+      } finally {
+        fs.rmSync(pathname, { force: true });
+      }
+
+      expect(mockWriteConfigFile).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      expectLogIncludes("Applied 1 config update(s). No gateway restart needed.");
+      expectLogExcludes("Restart the gateway to apply.");
+      expectLogExcludes("Change will apply without restarting the gateway.");
+    });
+
     it("prints a hot-reload hint for agents.list model changes", async () => {
       const resolved: OpenClawConfig = {
         agents: {
@@ -4429,6 +4458,7 @@ describe("config cli", () => {
       expectLogIncludes("Updated plugins.entries.canvas.enabled");
       expectLogIncludes("Restart the gateway to apply.");
       expectLogExcludes("Change will apply without restarting the gateway.");
+      expectLogExcludes("No gateway restart needed.");
     });
 
     it("keeps the restart hint for mixed hot and restart batch updates", async () => {