diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 2ec17842e6c..02c0899d5ef 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 
 ### Fixes
 
+- TUI/streaming watchdog: dismiss the `This response is taking longer than expected` notice as soon as a chat event for the same run arrives, so the message no longer sits next to the recovered response when the run was only briefly silent. Refs #67052, #69081 (closed), prior attempt #69026. Thanks @jpruit20 and @romneyda.
 - GitHub Copilot: drop unsafe native Responses reasoning replay items with non-replayable IDs before dispatch, preventing affected Copilot sessions from failing with `invalid_request_body`. Fixes #83220. Thanks @galiniliev.
 - QA-Lab: make runtime tool coverage fail on missing required tool exercise instead of treating pass/pass parity envelope drift as missing coverage.
 - Core/plugins: harden clawpatch-reported edge cases across gateway auth cleanup, Claude session id paths, plugin activation policy, apply-patch hunk handling, diagnostic redaction, and plugin metadata validation.
diff --git a/src/tui/components/chat-log.test.ts b/src/tui/components/chat-log.test.ts
index bab5b1325a3..7dce746034b 100644
--- a/src/tui/components/chat-log.test.ts
+++ b/src/tui/components/chat-log.test.ts
@@ -150,6 +150,33 @@ describe("ChatLog", () => {
     expect(chatLog.countPendingUsers()).toBe(0);
   });
 
+  it("dismisses a pending system notice by runId", () => {
+    const chatLog = new ChatLog(40);
+
+    chatLog.addPendingSystem("run-1", "taking longer than expected");
+    let rendered = chatLog.render(120).join("\n");
+    expect(rendered).toContain("taking longer than expected");
+
+    const dismissed = chatLog.dismissPendingSystem("run-1");
+    expect(dismissed).toBe(true);
+
+    rendered = chatLog.render(120).join("\n");
+    expect(rendered).not.toContain("taking longer than expected");
+    expect(chatLog.dismissPendingSystem("run-1")).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("replaces an existing pending system notice for the same runId", () => {
+    const chatLog = new ChatLog(40);
+
+    chatLog.addPendingSystem("run-1", "first notice");
+    chatLog.addPendingSystem("run-1", "second notice");
+
+    const rendered = chatLog.render(120).join("\n");
+    expect(rendered).not.toContain("first notice");
+    expect(rendered).toContain("second notice");
+    expect(chatLog.children.length).toBe(1);
+  });
+
   it("does not hide a new repeated prompt when only older history matches", () => {
     const chatLog = new ChatLog(40);
 
diff --git a/src/tui/components/chat-log.ts b/src/tui/components/chat-log.ts
index 9df80af2e56..138001f72a9 100644
--- a/src/tui/components/chat-log.ts
+++ b/src/tui/components/chat-log.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ export class ChatLog extends Container {
       createdAt: number;
     }
   >();
+  private pendingSystemNotices = new Map<string, Container>();
   private btwMessage: BtwInlineMessage | null = null;
   private toolsExpanded = false;
 
@@ -44,6 +45,11 @@ export class ChatLog extends Container {
         this.pendingUsers.delete(runId);
       }
     }
+    for (const [runId, entry] of this.pendingSystemNotices.entries()) {
+      if (entry === component) {
+        this.pendingSystemNotices.delete(runId);
+      }
+    }
     if (this.btwMessage === component) {
       this.btwMessage = null;
     }
@@ -69,6 +75,7 @@ export class ChatLog extends Container {
     this.clear();
     this.toolById.clear();
     this.streamingRuns.clear();
+    this.pendingSystemNotices.clear();
     this.btwMessage = null;
     if (!opts?.preservePendingUsers) {
       this.pendingUsers.clear();
@@ -102,6 +109,29 @@ export class ChatLog extends Container {
     this.append(this.createSystemMessage(text));
   }
 
+  // Tag a system notice with a runId so a later chat event for the same run
+  // can dismiss it. Used by the streaming watchdog so the "taking longer than
+  // expected" notice goes away if the response actually arrives afterwards.
+  addPendingSystem(runId: string, text: string) {
+    const existing = this.pendingSystemNotices.get(runId);
+    if (existing) {
+      this.removeChild(existing);
+    }
+    const entry = this.createSystemMessage(text);
+    this.pendingSystemNotices.set(runId, entry);
+    this.append(entry);
+  }
+
+  dismissPendingSystem(runId: string) {
+    const existing = this.pendingSystemNotices.get(runId);
+    if (!existing) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    this.removeChild(existing);
+    this.pendingSystemNotices.delete(runId);
+    return true;
+  }
+
   addUser(text: string) {
     this.append(new UserMessageComponent(text));
   }
diff --git a/src/tui/tui-event-handlers.test.ts b/src/tui/tui-event-handlers.test.ts
index 9aeb997de1a..1f970aa5e27 100644
--- a/src/tui/tui-event-handlers.test.ts
+++ b/src/tui/tui-event-handlers.test.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ type HandlerChatLog = {
   startTool: (...args: unknown[]) => void;
   updateToolResult: (...args: unknown[]) => void;
   addSystem: (...args: unknown[]) => void;
+  addPendingSystem: (...args: unknown[]) => void;
+  dismissPendingSystem: (...args: unknown[]) => void;
   updateAssistant: (...args: unknown[]) => void;
   finalizeAssistant: (...args: unknown[]) => void;
   dropAssistant: (...args: unknown[]) => void;
@@ -21,6 +23,8 @@ type MockChatLog = {
   startTool: MockFn;
   updateToolResult: MockFn;
   addSystem: MockFn;
+  addPendingSystem: MockFn;
+  dismissPendingSystem: MockFn;
   updateAssistant: MockFn;
   finalizeAssistant: MockFn;
   dropAssistant: MockFn;
@@ -36,6 +40,8 @@ function createMockChatLog(): MockChatLog & HandlerChatLog {
     startTool: vi.fn(),
     updateToolResult: vi.fn(),
     addSystem: vi.fn(),
+    addPendingSystem: vi.fn(),
+    dismissPendingSystem: vi.fn(),
     updateAssistant: vi.fn(),
     finalizeAssistant: vi.fn(),
     dropAssistant: vi.fn(),
@@ -1078,7 +1084,7 @@ describe("tui-event-handlers: streaming watchdog", () => {
 
     expect(setActivityStatus).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith("idle");
     expect(state.activeChatRunId).toBeNull();
-    expect(chatLog.addSystem).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expectedTimeoutMessage);
+    expect(chatLog.addPendingSystem).toHaveBeenCalledWith("run-stuck", expectedTimeoutMessage);
 
     handlers.dispose?.();
   });
@@ -1284,7 +1290,7 @@ describe("tui-event-handlers: streaming watchdog", () => {
     expect(setActivityStatus).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith("idle");
     expect(state.activeChatRunId).toBeNull();
     expect(loadHistory).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
-    expect(chatLog.addSystem).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith(expectedTimeoutMessage);
+    expect(chatLog.addPendingSystem).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
 
     handlers.dispose?.();
   });
@@ -1310,8 +1316,8 @@ describe("tui-event-handlers: streaming watchdog", () => {
     vi.advanceTimersByTime(10_000);
 
     const statusCalls = setActivityStatus.mock.calls.map((c) => c[0]);
-    expect(statusCalls.reduce((count, s) => count + (s === "idle" ? 1 : 0), 0)).toBe(1);
-    expect(chatLog.addSystem).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith(expectedTimeoutMessage);
+    expect(statusCalls.filter((s) => s === "idle").length).toBe(1);
+    expect(chatLog.addPendingSystem).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     expect(state.activeChatRunId).toBeNull();
 
     handlers.dispose?.();
@@ -1332,7 +1338,7 @@ describe("tui-event-handlers: streaming watchdog", () => {
     vi.advanceTimersByTime(60_000);
 
     expect(setActivityStatus).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith("idle");
-    expect(chatLog.addSystem).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(chatLog.addPendingSystem).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     expect(state.activeChatRunId).toBe("run-no-watchdog");
 
     handlers.dispose?.();
@@ -1374,7 +1380,7 @@ describe("tui-event-handlers: streaming watchdog", () => {
 
     expect(setActivityStatus).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith("idle");
     expect(state.activeChatRunId).toBeNull();
-    expect(chatLog.addSystem).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+    expect(chatLog.addPendingSystem).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
 
     handlers.dispose?.();
   });
@@ -1395,6 +1401,60 @@ describe("tui-event-handlers: streaming watchdog", () => {
     vi.advanceTimersByTime(10_000);
 
     expect(setActivityStatus).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith("idle");
-    expect(chatLog.addSystem).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(chatLog.addPendingSystem).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("dismisses the watchdog notice when a delta arrives after the watchdog fires", () => {
+    const { state, chatLog, handlers } = createHarness({
+      streamingWatchdogMs: 5_000,
+    });
+
+    handlers.handleChatEvent({
+      runId: "run-late",
+      sessionKey: state.currentSessionKey,
+      state: "delta",
+      message: { content: "starting" },
+    } satisfies ChatEvent);
+
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(5_001);
+    expect(chatLog.addPendingSystem).toHaveBeenCalledWith("run-late", expectedTimeoutMessage);
+
+    handlers.handleChatEvent({
+      runId: "run-late",
+      sessionKey: state.currentSessionKey,
+      state: "delta",
+      message: { content: "actually here" },
+    } satisfies ChatEvent);
+
+    expect(chatLog.dismissPendingSystem).toHaveBeenCalledWith("run-late");
+
+    handlers.dispose?.();
+  });
+
+  it("dismisses the watchdog notice when the final arrives after the watchdog fires", () => {
+    const { state, chatLog, handlers } = createHarness({
+      streamingWatchdogMs: 5_000,
+    });
+
+    handlers.handleChatEvent({
+      runId: "run-final-late",
+      sessionKey: state.currentSessionKey,
+      state: "delta",
+      message: { content: "starting" },
+    } satisfies ChatEvent);
+
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(5_001);
+    expect(chatLog.addPendingSystem).toHaveBeenCalledWith("run-final-late", expectedTimeoutMessage);
+
+    handlers.handleChatEvent({
+      runId: "run-final-late",
+      sessionKey: state.currentSessionKey,
+      state: "final",
+      message: { content: [{ type: "text", text: "done" }], stopReason: "stop" },
+    } satisfies ChatEvent);
+
+    expect(chatLog.dismissPendingSystem).toHaveBeenCalledWith("run-final-late");
+
+    handlers.dispose?.();
   });
 });
diff --git a/src/tui/tui-event-handlers.ts b/src/tui/tui-event-handlers.ts
index 619e68cb378..7ac707d349b 100644
--- a/src/tui/tui-event-handlers.ts
+++ b/src/tui/tui-event-handlers.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ type EventHandlerChatLog = {
     options?: { partial?: boolean; isError?: boolean },
   ) => void;
   addSystem: (text: string) => void;
+  addPendingSystem: (runId: string, text: string) => void;
+  dismissPendingSystem: (runId: string) => void;
   updateAssistant: (text: string, runId: string) => void;
   finalizeAssistant: (text: string, runId: string) => void;
   dropAssistant: (runId: string) => void;
@@ -131,7 +133,7 @@ export function createEventHandlers(context: EventHandlerContext) {
         return;
       }
       flushPendingHistoryRefreshIfIdle();
-      chatLog.addSystem(STREAMING_WATCHDOG_USER_MESSAGE);
+      chatLog.addPendingSystem(runId, STREAMING_WATCHDOG_USER_MESSAGE);
       tui.requestRender();
     }, streamingWatchdogMs);
     const maybeUnref = (streamingWatchdogTimer as { unref?: () => void }).unref;
@@ -391,6 +393,10 @@ export function createEventHandlers(context: EventHandlerContext) {
     if (reconnectPendingRunId === evt.runId) {
       reconnectPendingRunId = null;
     }
+    // Any chat event for a run that previously tripped the streaming watchdog
+    // is proof the response is no longer stuck — drop the stale notice so it
+    // doesn't sit alongside the recovered content.
+    chatLog.dismissPendingSystem(evt.runId);
     noteSessionRun(evt.runId);
     if (!state.activeChatRunId && !isLocalBtwRunId?.(evt.runId)) {
       state.activeChatRunId = evt.runId;