diff --git a/src/infra/state-migrations.device-identity.test.ts b/src/infra/state-migrations.device-identity.test.ts
index e40059448868..e64118c8584a 100644
--- a/src/infra/state-migrations.device-identity.test.ts
+++ b/src/infra/state-migrations.device-identity.test.ts
@@ -708,7 +708,58 @@ describe("legacy device identity Doctor migration", () => {
     expect(receipt(env)).toMatchObject({ removed_source: 1 });
   });
 
-  it("does not discard recreated bytes that differ from the receipt", async () => {
+  it("preserves a divergent recreated identity as a boot-safe notice while the canonical row is valid", async () => {
+    const { env, stateDir } = useStateDir();
+    const sourcePath = await writeLegacy({ stateDir });
+    await migrate(stateDir, env, {
+      removeSource: () => {
+        throw new Error("simulated unlink failure");
+      },
+    });
+    const divergent = anotherIdentity();
+    const replacement = `${JSON.stringify({
+      version: 1,
+      deviceId: divergent.deviceId,
+      publicKeyPem: divergent.publicKeyPem,
+      privateKeyPem: divergent.privateKeyPem,
+      createdAtMs: divergent.createdAtMs,
+    })}\n`;
+    await fsp.writeFile(sourcePath, replacement, "utf8");
+
+    closeOpenClawStateDatabaseForTest();
+    const retry = await migrate(stateDir, env);
+
+    // The startup readiness gate hard-fails on any migration warning, so this exact
+    // classification is what keeps a divergent inert file from crash-looping the gateway.
+    expect(retry.warnings).toEqual([]);
+    expect(retry.notices?.join("\n")).toContain("canonical SQLite identity remains authoritative");
+    await expect(fsp.readFile(sourcePath, "utf8")).resolves.toBe(replacement);
+    expect(identityRow(env)?.created_at_ms).toBe(CREATED_AT_MS);
+    expect(receipt(env)).toMatchObject({ removed_source: 1 });
+  });
+
+  it("does not mark a divergent preserved claim as removed", async () => {
+    const { env, stateDir } = useStateDir();
+    const sourcePath = await writeLegacy({ stateDir });
+    await migrate(stateDir, env, {
+      removeSource: () => {
+        throw new Error("simulated unlink failure");
+      },
+    });
+    const claimPath = `${sourcePath}.doctor-importing`;
+    const replacement = `${JSON.stringify({ version: 1, ...anotherIdentity() })}\n`;
+    await fsp.writeFile(claimPath, replacement, "utf8");
+
+    closeOpenClawStateDatabaseForTest();
+    const retry = await migrate(stateDir, env);
+
+    expect(retry.warnings).toEqual([]);
+    expect(retry.notices?.join("\n")).toContain("canonical SQLite identity remains authoritative");
+    await expect(fsp.readFile(claimPath, "utf8")).resolves.toBe(replacement);
+    expect(receipt(env)).toMatchObject({ removed_source: 0 });
+  });
+
+  it("keeps the divergent-file warning fatal when the canonical row is invalid", async () => {
     const { env, stateDir } = useStateDir();
     const sourcePath = await writeLegacy({ stateDir });
     await migrate(stateDir, env, {
@@ -718,13 +769,21 @@ describe("legacy device identity Doctor migration", () => {
     });
     const replacement = `${JSON.stringify({ ...nodeIdentity(), createdAtMs: CREATED_AT_MS + 1 })}\n`;
     await fsp.writeFile(sourcePath, replacement, "utf8");
+    const db = database(env);
+    executeSqliteQuerySync(
+      db,
+      getNodeSqliteKysely<MigrationDatabase>(db)
+        .updateTable("device_identities")
+        .set({ public_key_pem: "invalid-public-key", private_key_pem: "invalid-private-key" })
+        .where("identity_key", "=", "primary"),
+    );
 
     closeOpenClawStateDatabaseForTest();
     const retry = await migrate(stateDir, env);
 
     expect(retry.warnings.join("\n")).toContain("bytes differ from the migration receipt");
+    expect(retry.notices ?? []).toEqual([]);
     await expect(fsp.readFile(sourcePath, "utf8")).resolves.toBe(replacement);
-    expect(identityRow(env)?.created_at_ms).toBe(CREATED_AT_MS);
   });
 
   it("rejects symlinked, hardlinked, oversized, non-UTF-8, and invalid sources", async () => {
diff --git a/src/infra/state-migrations.device-identity.ts b/src/infra/state-migrations.device-identity.ts
index 3a9b92b13442..6eaf463068a7 100644
--- a/src/infra/state-migrations.device-identity.ts
+++ b/src/infra/state-migrations.device-identity.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {
   type NormalizedLegacyDeviceIdentity,
 } from "./device-identity-legacy.js";
 import {
+  readStoredDeviceIdentityReadOnly,
   resolveDeviceIdentityStore,
   validateStoredDeviceIdentity,
   type DeviceIdentity,
@@ -316,6 +317,7 @@ async function cleanupReceiptSources(params: {
   }
   const changes: string[] = [];
   const warnings: string[] = [];
+  const notices: string[] = [];
   let removed = 0;
   for (const candidate of [params.detected.sourcePath, params.detected.claimPath]) {
     if (!(await params.stateRoot.exists(relativeLegacyPath(params.stateDir, candidate)))) {
@@ -333,6 +335,18 @@ async function cleanupReceiptSources(params: {
       continue;
     }
     if (snapshot.sha256 !== params.receipt.sourceSha256) {
+      // SQLite owns runtime identity; warning about inert retired bytes would
+      // make startup refuse an otherwise healthy gateway.
+      try {
+        if (readStoredDeviceIdentityReadOnly({ env: params.env, identityKey: IDENTITY_KEY })) {
+          notices.push(
+            `Preserved retired device identity ${candidate}: bytes differ from the migration receipt; the canonical SQLite identity remains authoritative. Archive or delete the file to clear this notice.`,
+          );
+          continue;
+        }
+      } catch {
+        // Invalid canonical identity must retain its readiness-blocking warning.
+      }
       warnings.push(
         `Retired device identity cleanup preserved ${candidate}: bytes differ from the migration receipt.`,
       );
@@ -346,13 +360,19 @@ async function cleanupReceiptSources(params: {
       warnings.push(`Retired device identity cleanup failed for ${candidate}: ${String(error)}`);
     }
   }
-  if (warnings.length === 0 && (!params.receipt.removedSource || removed > 0)) {
+  // A divergent preserved claim cannot complete its interrupted receipt unless
+  // receipt-covered original bytes were actually removed during this pass.
+  if (
+    warnings.length === 0 &&
+    (!params.receipt.removedSource || removed > 0) &&
+    (notices.length === 0 || removed > 0)
+  ) {
     markLegacyMigrationSourceRemoved(params.receipt.sourceKey, params.env);
   }
   if (removed > 0) {
     changes.push("Removed retired device identity JSON covered by its SQLite receipt.");
   }
-  return { changes, warnings };
+  return { changes, warnings, notices };
 }
 
 async function migrateWithExclusiveStateOwnership(params: {
diff --git a/src/node-host/startup-state-migrations.test.ts b/src/node-host/startup-state-migrations.test.ts
index 0ba978c3692a..a21ce1fc3d34 100644
--- a/src/node-host/startup-state-migrations.test.ts
+++ b/src/node-host/startup-state-migrations.test.ts
@@ -128,6 +128,23 @@ describe("node-host startup state migrations", () => {
     expect(log.warn).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  it("reports a recreated divergent identity as a notice while preserving the canonical identity", async () => {
+    const { env, stateDir } = useStateDir();
+    const { deviceId } = await writeDeviceIdentity(stateDir);
+    await runStartupMigrations({ env, log });
+    vi.clearAllMocks();
+
+    const { sourcePath } = await writeDeviceIdentity(stateDir);
+    await runStartupMigrations({ env, log });
+
+    expect(fs.existsSync(sourcePath)).toBe(true);
+    expect(loadDeviceIdentityIfPresent({ env })?.deviceId).toBe(deviceId);
+    expect(log.info).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.stringContaining("canonical SQLite identity remains authoritative"),
+    );
+    expect(log.warn).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
   it("preserves a pending native device identity claim and continues", async () => {
     const { env, stateDir } = useStateDir();
     const { sourcePath } = await writeDeviceIdentity(stateDir);
diff --git a/src/node-host/startup-state-migrations.ts b/src/node-host/startup-state-migrations.ts
index ad52bd45c57c..376f9f7123bd 100644
--- a/src/node-host/startup-state-migrations.ts
+++ b/src/node-host/startup-state-migrations.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ async function reportMigration(
     for (const change of result?.changes ?? []) {
       log.info(change);
     }
+    for (const notice of result?.notices ?? []) {
+      log.info(notice);
+    }
     for (const warning of result?.warnings ?? []) {
       log.warn(warning);
     }