diff --git a/src/gateway/server-close.model-acquisition.test.ts b/src/gateway/server-close.model-acquisition.test.ts
index 4da832e07acc..ac4bad9a2b2b 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server-close.model-acquisition.test.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server-close.model-acquisition.test.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import { registerPreparedModelRuntimePublicationListener } from "../agents/prepa
 import { registerPreparedModelRuntimeClose } from "../agents/prepared-model-runtime.lifecycle.js";
 import { getPreparedModelRuntimeStartupStatus } from "../agents/prepared-model-runtime.startup-status.js";
 import { GATEWAY_SHUTDOWN_TIMEOUT_MS } from "../infra/gateway-shutdown-budget.js";
+import { waitForPluginCacheRetirement } from "../plugins/plugin-cache.js";
 import { getPluginValueInstance } from "../plugins/plugin-instance-scope.js";
 import { createDeferredCore } from "../shared/deferred.js";
 import { createGatewayMetadataCloseFixture } from "./server-close.metadata.test-support.js";
@@ -189,6 +190,10 @@ it.each(["static catalog", "synthetic auth"] as const)(
       if (cleanupFailure) {
         // Other shutdown work must not hide a discarded plugin cleanup outcome.
         expect(collectNestedErrorCandidates(closeError)).toContain(cleanupFailure);
+        // The process-cache reset retains the same outcome for its next observer.
+        expect((await waitForPluginCacheRetirement()).failures).toEqual([
+          { pluginId: fixture.pluginId, hookId: "instance", error: cleanupFailure },
+        ]);
       } else {
         expect(closeError).toBeUndefined();
       }
diff --git a/src/gateway/server-close.plugin-failure.test.ts b/src/gateway/server-close.plugin-failure.test.ts
index 369f76fd2cfc..c9469129cabd 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server-close.plugin-failure.test.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server-close.plugin-failure.test.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {
 import { SUPERVISOR_HINT_ENV_VARS } from "../infra/supervisor-markers.js";
 import { flushLogger, setLoggerOverride } from "../logging/logger.js";
 import { getGatewayPluginMetadataSnapshot } from "../plugins/current-plugin-metadata-state.js";
+import { waitForPluginCacheRetirement } from "../plugins/plugin-cache.js";
 import { getPluginValueInstance } from "../plugins/plugin-instance-scope.js";
 import { PluginInstance } from "../plugins/plugin-instance.js";
 import type { MemoryPluginRuntime } from "../plugins/registry-contribution-types.js";
@@ -218,6 +219,12 @@ it.each(["final", "sibling", "cache", "restart", "memory-and-plugin", "memory-on
       if (hasPluginFailure) {
         expect.soft(collectNestedErrorCandidates(error)).toContain(pluginFailure);
         expect(pluginSawOpenDatabase).toBe(true);
+        if (mode === "cache" || mode === "restart") {
+          // The process-cache reset retains the same outcome for its next observer.
+          expect((await waitForPluginCacheRetirement()).failures).toEqual([
+            { pluginId: fixture.pluginId, hookId: "instance", error: pluginFailure },
+          ]);
+        }
       } else {
         expect(error).toBeUndefined();
       }
diff --git a/test/setup-openclaw-runtime.ts b/test/setup-openclaw-runtime.ts
index 172f55b651fc..082df76f2f6e 100644
--- a/test/setup-openclaw-runtime.ts
+++ b/test/setup-openclaw-runtime.ts
@@ -340,6 +340,16 @@ function resolveDefaultPluginRegistryProxy(): PluginRegistry {
   return workerRuntimeState.defaultPluginRegistry;
 }
 
+async function settlePluginCacheRetirements(): Promise<void> {
+  const { waitForPluginCacheRetirement } = await vi.importActual<
+    typeof import("../src/plugins/plugin-cache.js")
+  >("../src/plugins/plugin-cache.js");
+  const { failures } = await waitForPluginCacheRetirement();
+  if (failures.length > 0) {
+    throw new AggregateError(failures, "Plugin cache retirement failed during test cleanup");
+  }
+}
+
 async function installDefaultPluginRegistry(): Promise<void> {
   // Worker module resets retire the lifecycle maps. Activate through the current
   // real module, never a cached closure or a suite's partial runtime mock.
@@ -349,6 +359,7 @@ async function installDefaultPluginRegistry(): Promise<void> {
   workerRuntimeState.materializedDefaultPluginRegistry = null;
   resetPluginRuntimeStateForTest();
   setActivePluginRegistry(resolveDefaultPluginRegistryProxy());
+  await settlePluginCacheRetirements();
 }
 
 // Some suites import channel/plugin consumers at module top level, before
@@ -393,4 +404,5 @@ afterAll(async () => {
   await drainSessionStoreWriterQueuesForTest();
   clearSessionStoreCacheForTest();
   await drainFileLockStateForTest();
+  await settlePluginCacheRetirements();
 });