diff --git a/src/lib/onboard/machine/handlers/sandbox.test.ts b/src/lib/onboard/machine/handlers/sandbox.test.ts
index 23ed0e5f6ac..aef3562ab16 100644
--- a/src/lib/onboard/machine/handlers/sandbox.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/onboard/machine/handlers/sandbox.test.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,20 @@
 // SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2026 NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved.
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
-import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 
 import type { SandboxMessagingPlan } from "../../../messaging/manifest";
 import { hashCredential } from "../../../security/credential-hash";
 import { createSession, type Session, type SessionUpdates } from "../../../state/onboard-session";
+import { detectMessagingChannelsFromEnv } from "../../messaging-channel-setup";
 import { handleSandboxState, type SandboxStateOptions } from "./sandbox";
 
+vi.mock("../../messaging-channel-setup", () => ({
+  detectMessagingChannelsFromEnv: vi.fn(() => []),
+}));
+
+const detectMessagingChannelsFromEnvMock = vi.mocked(detectMessagingChannelsFromEnv);
+
 function makeMinimalPlan(
   sandboxName: string,
   agent = "openclaw",
@@ -217,6 +224,10 @@ function baseOptions(
 }
 
 describe("handleSandboxState", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    detectMessagingChannelsFromEnvMock.mockReturnValue([]);
+  });
+
   it("creates a sandbox and records messaging/web search state", async () => {
     const { deps, calls } = createDeps({
       configureWebSearch: vi.fn(async () => ({ fetchEnabled: true as const })),
@@ -625,6 +636,78 @@ describe("handleSandboxState", () => {
     expect(getSession().messagingPlan).toBeNull();
   });
 
+  it("refreshes a reused empty registry messaging plan when env supplies new channel inputs", async () => {
+    // Reporter scenario (#5680): a fresh non-interactive onboard targets an
+    // existing sandbox whose registry messaging plan has no active channels, but
+    // the process now exports TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN. The empty plan must not be
+    // accepted as authoritative; messaging setup must run so the Telegram
+    // reachability check executes instead of being silently bypassed.
+    detectMessagingChannelsFromEnvMock.mockReturnValue(["telegram"]);
+    // Reused registry plan has no ACTIVE channels but records a previously
+    // configured in-sandbox-QR channel (whatsapp, disabled) with no host token.
+    // The rebuild must seed `existing` from this authoritative registry plan,
+    // not from the session plan, so whatsapp is preserved across the refresh.
+    const registryPlan = makeMinimalPlan("my-assistant", "openclaw", ["whatsapp"], ["whatsapp"]);
+    const refreshedPlan = makeMinimalPlan("my-assistant", "openclaw", ["telegram"], ["telegram"]);
+    const session = createSession({
+      sandboxName: "my-assistant",
+      // A divergent/stale session plan that must NOT be used as the seed source.
+      messagingPlan: makeMinimalPlan("my-assistant", "openclaw", ["slack"]),
+    });
+    const writePlanToEnv = vi.fn();
+    const readMessagingPlanFromEnv = vi
+      .fn()
+      .mockReturnValueOnce(null)
+      .mockReturnValue(refreshedPlan);
+    const { deps, calls, getSession } = createDeps({
+      getRecordedMessagingChannelsForResume: vi.fn(() => null),
+      writePlanToEnv,
+      readMessagingPlanFromEnv,
+      getRegistrySandboxMessagingPlan: () => registryPlan,
+    });
+    // Fake-token rejection disables Telegram, so no channel survives setup.
+    calls.setupMessaging.mockResolvedValue([]);
+
+    const result = await handleSandboxState({
+      ...baseOptions(deps, session),
+      sandboxName: "my-assistant",
+    });
+
+    expect(calls.setupMessaging).toHaveBeenCalledWith(null, ["whatsapp"], "my-assistant");
+    expect(writePlanToEnv).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(calls.note).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      "  [non-interactive] Detected messaging channel inputs for telegram; refreshing reused sandbox messaging plan.",
+    );
+    expect(result.selectedMessagingChannels).toEqual([]);
+    expect(getSession().messagingPlan).toEqual(refreshedPlan);
+  });
+
+  it("preserves an active registry channel without refresh when env adds a different channel", async () => {
+    // Regression guard: a reused plan with an active channel (slack) must not be
+    // rebuilt just because a new token (telegram) now appears in env. Rebuilding
+    // non-interactively would re-derive the plan from env and drop slack when
+    // its token is absent from this run, so active plans are preserved as-is.
+    detectMessagingChannelsFromEnvMock.mockReturnValue(["telegram"]);
+    const registryPlan = makeMinimalPlan("my-assistant", "openclaw", ["slack"]);
+    const session = createSession({ sandboxName: "my-assistant", messagingPlan: registryPlan });
+    const writePlanToEnv = vi.fn();
+    const { deps, calls } = createDeps({
+      getRecordedMessagingChannelsForResume: vi.fn(() => null),
+      writePlanToEnv,
+      readMessagingPlanFromEnv: () => null,
+      getRegistrySandboxMessagingPlan: () => registryPlan,
+    });
+
+    const result = await handleSandboxState({
+      ...baseOptions(deps, session),
+      sandboxName: "my-assistant",
+    });
+
+    expect(calls.setupMessaging).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(writePlanToEnv).toHaveBeenCalledWith(registryPlan);
+    expect(result.selectedMessagingChannels).toEqual(["slack"]);
+  });
+
   it("does not restore plan to env when registry has no entry", async () => {
     const session = createSession({
       sandboxName: "my-assistant",
diff --git a/src/lib/onboard/machine/handlers/sandbox.ts b/src/lib/onboard/machine/handlers/sandbox.ts
index ef51b159bba..dafa4a9b967 100644
--- a/src/lib/onboard/machine/handlers/sandbox.ts
+++ b/src/lib/onboard/machine/handlers/sandbox.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { isMessagingSupportedAgent, tryGetMessagingAgentId } from "../../../mess
 import type { MessagingAgentId, SandboxMessagingPlan } from "../../../messaging/manifest";
 import { hashCredential } from "../../../security/credential-hash";
 import type { Session, SessionUpdates } from "../../../state/onboard-session";
+import { detectMessagingChannelsFromEnv } from "../../messaging-channel-setup";
 import { getActiveChannelsFromPlan, getChannelsFromPlan } from "../../messaging-plan-session";
 import { withSandboxPhaseTrace } from "../../tracing";
 import { branchTo, type OnboardStateTransitionResult } from "../result";
@@ -420,6 +421,38 @@ export async function handleSandboxState<
         deps.writePlanToEnv(filtered);
       }
     };
+    // Run messaging channel setup, then adopt the plan it stages in env:
+    // filter both the selected channels and the plan for the current agent,
+    // clearing env when no channel is supported and writing the filtered plan
+    // back when it changed. Shared by the registry-refresh branch (#5680) and
+    // the normal setup branch so plan adoption stays consistent across both.
+    const setupAndAdoptMessagingPlan = async (
+      existingChannels: string[] | null,
+      targetSandboxName: string,
+    ): Promise<void> => {
+      const existing = existingChannels
+        ? filterChannelNamesForCurrentAgent(existingChannels, agent)
+        : existingChannels;
+      let selected = filterChannelNamesForCurrentAgent(
+        await deps.setupMessagingChannels(agent, existing, targetSandboxName),
+        agent,
+      );
+      let plan = deps.readMessagingPlanFromEnv();
+      if (plan) {
+        const filtered = filterMessagingPlanForCurrentAgent(plan, agent);
+        if (!filtered) {
+          deps.clearPlanEnv();
+          plan = null;
+          selected = [];
+        } else if (filtered !== plan) {
+          plan = filtered;
+          selected = getActiveChannelsFromPlan(plan) ?? [];
+          deps.writePlanToEnv(filtered);
+        }
+      }
+      messagingPlan = plan;
+      selectedMessagingChannels = selected;
+    };
 
     if (recordedMessagingChannels) {
       selectedMessagingChannels = filterChannelNamesForCurrentAgent(
@@ -439,30 +472,42 @@ export async function handleSandboxState<
     } else if (envMessagingPlan) {
       reuseMessagingPlan(envMessagingPlan, false);
     } else if (registryMessagingPlan) {
-      reuseMessagingPlan(registryMessagingPlan, true);
-    } else {
-      const existingChannels = getChannelsFromPlan(session?.messagingPlan);
-      const existing = existingChannels
-        ? filterChannelNamesForCurrentAgent(existingChannels, agent)
-        : existingChannels;
-      selectedMessagingChannels = await deps.setupMessagingChannels(agent, existing, sandboxName);
-      selectedMessagingChannels = filterChannelNamesForCurrentAgent(
-        selectedMessagingChannels,
+      // Honor newly supplied messaging env inputs when the reused registry plan
+      // has no active channels for the current agent (the reporter's empty/stale
+      // "Messaging: none" case). Rebuild via setupMessagingChannels so newly
+      // supplied channels (e.g. Telegram via TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN) are discovered
+      // and run their reachability checks instead of being silently bypassed
+      // (#5680). When the reused plan already has active channels, preserve it
+      // as-is so we never drop an existing channel whose token is absent from
+      // this run's env. The explicit env-staged branch above stays authoritative.
+      const registryActiveChannels = filterChannelNamesForCurrentAgent(
+        getActiveChannelsFromPlan(registryMessagingPlan) ?? [],
         agent,
       );
-      messagingPlan = deps.readMessagingPlanFromEnv();
-      if (messagingPlan) {
-        const filtered = filterMessagingPlanForCurrentAgent(messagingPlan, agent);
-        if (!filtered) {
-          deps.clearPlanEnv();
-          messagingPlan = null;
-          selectedMessagingChannels = [];
-        } else if (filtered !== messagingPlan) {
-          messagingPlan = filtered;
-          selectedMessagingChannels = getActiveChannelsFromPlan(messagingPlan) ?? [];
-          deps.writePlanToEnv(filtered);
-        }
+      const envDetectedChannels = filterChannelNamesForCurrentAgent(
+        detectMessagingChannelsFromEnv(
+          agent as Parameters<typeof detectMessagingChannelsFromEnv>[0],
+        ),
+        agent,
+      );
+      if (registryActiveChannels.length === 0 && envDetectedChannels.length > 0) {
+        deps.note(
+          `  [non-interactive] Detected messaging channel inputs for ${envDetectedChannels.join(", ")}; refreshing reused sandbox messaging plan.`,
+        );
+        // Seed previously-configured channels from the authoritative reused
+        // registry plan, not session?.messagingPlan (which may be null or stale
+        // on a fresh non-interactive run). This preserves channels configured on
+        // the sandbox whose inputs aren't re-derivable from env this run — e.g.
+        // an in-sandbox-QR channel like WhatsApp that has no host-side token.
+        await setupAndAdoptMessagingPlan(
+          getChannelsFromPlan(registryMessagingPlan) ?? getChannelsFromPlan(session?.messagingPlan),
+          sandboxName,
+        );
+      } else {
+        reuseMessagingPlan(registryMessagingPlan, true);
       }
+    } else {
+      await setupAndAdoptMessagingPlan(getChannelsFromPlan(session?.messagingPlan), sandboxName);
     }
     session = deps.updateSession((current) => {
       current.messagingPlan = messagingPlan;
diff --git a/src/lib/onboard/messaging-channel-setup.test.ts b/src/lib/onboard/messaging-channel-setup.test.ts
index 29de917a366..35590537262 100644
--- a/src/lib/onboard/messaging-channel-setup.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/onboard/messaging-channel-setup.test.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,11 @@ import { createBuiltInChannelManifestRegistry, MessagingSetupApplier } from "../
 import { MESSAGING_SETUP_APPLIER_ENV_KEY } from "../messaging/applier/types";
 import { validateSlackCredentials } from "../messaging/channels/slack/hooks/credential-validation";
 import { runWechatHostQrLogin } from "../messaging/channels/wechat/login";
-import { setupMessagingChannels, setupSelectedMessagingChannels } from "./messaging-channel-setup";
+import {
+  detectMessagingChannelsFromEnv,
+  setupMessagingChannels,
+  setupSelectedMessagingChannels,
+} from "./messaging-channel-setup";
 
 vi.mock("../credentials/store", () => ({
   getCredential: vi.fn(() => null),
@@ -569,3 +573,43 @@ describe("setupMessagingChannels", () => {
     expect(output).toContain("slack — already configured");
   });
 });
+
+describe("detectMessagingChannelsFromEnv", () => {
+  function clearMessagingEnv(): void {
+    const envKeys = manifestRegistry
+      .listAvailable({ agent: "openclaw", supportedChannelIds: null })
+      .flatMap((manifest) => manifest.inputs)
+      .map((input) => input.envKey)
+      .filter((envKey): envKey is string => Boolean(envKey));
+    for (const envKey of envKeys) delete process.env[envKey];
+    delete process.env.NEMOCLAW_POLICY_PRESETS;
+  }
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    process.env = { ...ORIGINAL_ENV };
+    vi.clearAllMocks();
+    vi.mocked(getCredential).mockReturnValue(null);
+    clearMessagingEnv();
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    process.env = { ...ORIGINAL_ENV };
+    vi.restoreAllMocks();
+  });
+
+  it("returns no telegram channel when no messaging env inputs are present", () => {
+    expect(detectMessagingChannelsFromEnv(null)).not.toContain("telegram");
+  });
+
+  it("detects telegram when TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN is supplied", () => {
+    process.env.TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN = "123456:ABC-test-token";
+
+    expect(detectMessagingChannelsFromEnv(null)).toContain("telegram");
+  });
+
+  it("does not select telegram from NEMOCLAW_POLICY_PRESETS alone", () => {
+    process.env.NEMOCLAW_POLICY_PRESETS = "telegram";
+
+    expect(detectMessagingChannelsFromEnv(null)).not.toContain("telegram");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/lib/onboard/messaging-channel-setup.ts b/src/lib/onboard/messaging-channel-setup.ts
index 556c89a0c80..2e1e5c81309 100644
--- a/src/lib/onboard/messaging-channel-setup.ts
+++ b/src/lib/onboard/messaging-channel-setup.ts
@@ -55,6 +55,24 @@ const getMessagingInputValue = (input: ChannelInputSpec): string | null => {
   return normalizeCredentialValue(process.env[input.envKey]) || null;
 };
 
+/**
+ * Detect which built-in messaging channels currently have complete required
+ * inputs in the process environment, using the same manifest input rules as
+ * {@link setupMessagingChannels}. Pure and side-effect free: it only reads env
+ * via the manifest input resolvers so callers can compare current env inputs
+ * against a reused/stale sandbox messaging plan before treating that plan as
+ * authoritative. NEMOCLAW_POLICY_PRESETS is intentionally ignored — policy
+ * presets are not messaging channel selection.
+ */
+export function detectMessagingChannelsFromEnv(agent: AgentDefinition | null = null): string[] {
+  const manifestRegistry = createBuiltInChannelManifestRegistry();
+  const availabilityContext = getMessagingManifestAvailabilityContext(agent);
+  const availableChannels = manifestRegistry.listAvailable(availabilityContext);
+  return availableChannels
+    .filter((manifest) => hasMessagingManifestRequiredInputs(manifest, getMessagingInputValue))
+    .map((manifest) => manifest.id);
+}
+
 export async function setupMessagingChannels(
   agent: AgentDefinition | null = null,
   existingChannels: string[] | null = null,