diff --git a/openclaw.mjs b/openclaw.mjs
index 432ee961fb0..01a74302112 100755
--- a/openclaw.mjs
+++ b/openclaw.mjs
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env node
 
+import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { access } from "node:fs/promises";
 import module from "node:module";
 import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
@@ -85,8 +86,6 @@ const installProcessWarningFilter = async () => {
   }
 };
 
-await installProcessWarningFilter();
-
 const tryImport = async (specifier) => {
   try {
     await import(specifier);
@@ -126,10 +125,56 @@ const buildMissingEntryErrorMessage = async () => {
   return lines.join("\n");
 };
 
-if (await tryImport("./dist/entry.js")) {
-  // OK
-} else if (await tryImport("./dist/entry.mjs")) {
+const isBareRootHelpInvocation = (argv) =>
+  argv.length === 3 && (argv[2] === "--help" || argv[2] === "-h");
+
+const loadPrecomputedRootHelpText = () => {
+  try {
+    const raw = readFileSync(new URL("./dist/cli-startup-metadata.json", import.meta.url), "utf8");
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(raw);
+    return typeof parsed?.rootHelpText === "string" && parsed.rootHelpText.length > 0
+      ? parsed.rootHelpText
+      : null;
+  } catch {
+    return null;
+  }
+};
+
+const tryOutputBareRootHelp = async () => {
+  if (!isBareRootHelpInvocation(process.argv)) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  const precomputed = loadPrecomputedRootHelpText();
+  if (precomputed) {
+    process.stdout.write(precomputed);
+    return true;
+  }
+  for (const specifier of ["./dist/cli/program/root-help.js", "./dist/cli/program/root-help.mjs"]) {
+    try {
+      const mod = await import(specifier);
+      if (typeof mod.outputRootHelp === "function") {
+        mod.outputRootHelp();
+        return true;
+      }
+    } catch (err) {
+      if (isDirectModuleNotFoundError(err, specifier)) {
+        continue;
+      }
+      throw err;
+    }
+  }
+  return false;
+};
+
+if (await tryOutputBareRootHelp()) {
   // OK
 } else {
-  throw new Error(await buildMissingEntryErrorMessage());
+  await installProcessWarningFilter();
+  if (await tryImport("./dist/entry.js")) {
+    // OK
+  } else if (await tryImport("./dist/entry.mjs")) {
+    // OK
+  } else {
+    throw new Error(await buildMissingEntryErrorMessage());
+  }
 }
diff --git a/scripts/write-cli-startup-metadata.ts b/scripts/write-cli-startup-metadata.ts
index 9f52b0fced3..67648c38646 100644
--- a/scripts/write-cli-startup-metadata.ts
+++ b/scripts/write-cli-startup-metadata.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { mkdirSync, readdirSync, readFileSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import path from "node:path";
 import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { renderRootHelpText } from "../src/cli/program/root-help.ts";
 
 function dedupe(values: string[]): string[] {
   const seen = new Set<string>();
@@ -77,6 +78,7 @@ function readBundledChannelCatalogIds(): string[] {
 
 const catalog = readBundledChannelCatalogIds();
 const channelOptions = dedupe([...CORE_CHANNEL_ORDER, ...catalog]);
+const rootHelpText = renderRootHelpText();
 
 mkdirSync(distDir, { recursive: true });
 writeFileSync(
@@ -85,6 +87,7 @@ writeFileSync(
     {
       generatedBy: "scripts/write-cli-startup-metadata.ts",
       channelOptions,
+      rootHelpText,
     },
     null,
     2,
diff --git a/src/cli/program/root-help.ts b/src/cli/program/root-help.ts
index 500dbe3b039..f62930f24f9 100644
--- a/src/cli/program/root-help.ts
+++ b/src/cli/program/root-help.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,23 @@ function buildRootHelpProgram(): Command {
   return program;
 }
 
-export function outputRootHelp(): void {
+export function renderRootHelpText(): string {
   const program = buildRootHelpProgram();
-  program.outputHelp();
+  let output = "";
+  const originalWrite = process.stdout.write.bind(process.stdout);
+  const captureWrite: typeof process.stdout.write = ((chunk: string | Uint8Array) => {
+    output += String(chunk);
+    return true;
+  }) as typeof process.stdout.write;
+  process.stdout.write = captureWrite;
+  try {
+    program.outputHelp();
+  } finally {
+    process.stdout.write = originalWrite;
+  }
+  return output;
+}
+
+export function outputRootHelp(): void {
+  process.stdout.write(renderRootHelpText());
 }