Environment

• OS: Arch Linux (x86_64)
• OpenClaw: 2026.2.24 → 2026.2.26 (pnpm global install)
• Install kind: package (pnpm)
• Node.js: v22.x

Description

After updating OpenClaw from 2026.2.24 to 2026.2.26 via openclaw update, the Gateway fails to connect with repeated device signature invalid errors.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Running OpenClaw 2026.2.24 with Gateway working normally
2. Run openclaw update → updates to 2026.2.26
3. Gateway restarts automatically
4. TUI shows: gateway disconnected: device signature invalid
5. Repeated gateway connect failed: Error: device signature invalid

Additional Context

• Port 18789 shows as in use but Gateway cannot establish connection
• openclaw gateway status shows service=running, state=active but unhealthy
• Same issue was encountered on a separate CentOS node (Central server) after the same upgrade path — root cause there was systemd pointing to the old install path. But on this Arch node, the binary path is correct (single pnpm global install).
• Possibly related to #BUG gateway.controlUi.allowInsecureAuth does not prevent device signature validation - all dashboard connections fail with "device signature expired" #2248 but that was about signature expired, not signature invalid

Workaround Attempted

• openclaw setup --repair
• Removing ~/.openclaw/device.json and restarting Gateway

Expected Behavior

Gateway should reconnect successfully after a minor version update without requiring manual device re-registration.