diff --git a/src/cli/nodes-cli/register.invoke.nodes-run-approval-timeout.test.ts b/src/cli/nodes-cli/register.invoke.nodes-run-approval-timeout.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..06de0cacf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/nodes-cli/register.invoke.nodes-run-approval-timeout.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { parseTimeoutMs } from "../nodes-run.js";
+
+/**
+ * Regression test for #12098:
+ * `openclaw nodes run` times out after 35s because the CLI transport timeout
+ * (35s default) is shorter than the exec approval timeout (120s). The
+ * exec.approval.request call must use a transport timeout at least as long
+ * as the approval timeout so the gateway has enough time to collect the
+ * user's decision.
+ *
+ * The root cause: callGatewayCli reads opts.timeout for the transport timeout.
+ * Before the fix, nodes run called callGatewayCli("exec.approval.request", opts, ...)
+ * without overriding opts.timeout, so the 35s CLI default raced against the
+ * 120s approval wait on the gateway side. The CLI always lost.
+ *
+ * The fix: override opts.timeout for the exec.approval.request call to be at
+ * least approvalTimeoutMs + 10_000.
+ */
+
+const callGatewaySpy = vi.fn(async () => ({ decision: "allow-once" }));
+
+vi.mock("../../gateway/call.js", () => ({
+  callGateway: (...args: unknown[]) => callGatewaySpy(...args),
+  randomIdempotencyKey: () => "mock-key",
+}));
+
+vi.mock("../progress.js", () => ({
+  withProgress: (_opts: unknown, fn: () => unknown) => fn(),
+}));
+
+describe("nodes run: approval transport timeout (#12098)", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    callGatewaySpy.mockReset();
+    callGatewaySpy.mockResolvedValue({ decision: "allow-once" });
+  });
+
+  it("callGatewayCli forwards opts.timeout as the transport timeoutMs", async () => {
+    const { callGatewayCli } = await import("./rpc.js");
+
+    await callGatewayCli("exec.approval.request", { timeout: "35000" } as never, {
+      timeoutMs: 120_000,
+    });
+
+    expect(callGatewaySpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    const callOpts = callGatewaySpy.mock.calls[0][0] as Record<string, unknown>;
+    expect(callOpts.method).toBe("exec.approval.request");
+    expect(callOpts.timeoutMs).toBe(35_000);
+  });
+
+  it("fix: overriding opts.timeout gives the approval enough transport time", async () => {
+    const { callGatewayCli } = await import("./rpc.js");
+
+    const approvalTimeoutMs = 120_000;
+    // Mirror the production code: parseTimeoutMs(opts.timeout) ?? 0
+    const fixedTimeout = String(Math.max(parseTimeoutMs("35000") ?? 0, approvalTimeoutMs + 10_000));
+    expect(Number(fixedTimeout)).toBe(130_000);
+
+    await callGatewayCli("exec.approval.request", { timeout: fixedTimeout } as never, {
+      timeoutMs: approvalTimeoutMs,
+    });
+
+    expect(callGatewaySpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    const callOpts = callGatewaySpy.mock.calls[0][0] as Record<string, unknown>;
+    expect(callOpts.timeoutMs).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(approvalTimeoutMs);
+    expect(callOpts.timeoutMs).toBe(130_000);
+  });
+
+  it("fix: user-specified timeout larger than approval is preserved", async () => {
+    const { callGatewayCli } = await import("./rpc.js");
+
+    const approvalTimeoutMs = 120_000;
+    const userTimeout = 200_000;
+    // Mirror the production code: parseTimeoutMs preserves valid large values
+    const fixedTimeout = String(
+      Math.max(parseTimeoutMs(String(userTimeout)) ?? 0, approvalTimeoutMs + 10_000),
+    );
+    expect(Number(fixedTimeout)).toBe(200_000);
+
+    await callGatewayCli("exec.approval.request", { timeout: fixedTimeout } as never, {
+      timeoutMs: approvalTimeoutMs,
+    });
+
+    const callOpts = callGatewaySpy.mock.calls[0][0] as Record<string, unknown>;
+    expect(callOpts.timeoutMs).toBe(200_000);
+  });
+
+  it("fix: non-numeric timeout falls back to approval floor", async () => {
+    const { callGatewayCli } = await import("./rpc.js");
+
+    const approvalTimeoutMs = 120_000;
+    // parseTimeoutMs returns undefined for garbage input, ?? 0 ensures
+    // Math.max picks the approval floor instead of producing NaN
+    const fixedTimeout = String(Math.max(parseTimeoutMs("foo") ?? 0, approvalTimeoutMs + 10_000));
+    expect(Number(fixedTimeout)).toBe(130_000);
+
+    await callGatewayCli("exec.approval.request", { timeout: fixedTimeout } as never, {
+      timeoutMs: approvalTimeoutMs,
+    });
+
+    const callOpts = callGatewaySpy.mock.calls[0][0] as Record<string, unknown>;
+    expect(callOpts.timeoutMs).toBe(130_000);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/cli/nodes-cli/register.invoke.ts b/src/cli/nodes-cli/register.invoke.ts
index 932391ce1..918ad5707 100644
--- a/src/cli/nodes-cli/register.invoke.ts
+++ b/src/cli/nodes-cli/register.invoke.ts
@@ -272,7 +272,19 @@ export function registerNodesInvokeCommands(nodes: Command) {
           let approvalId: string | null = null;
           if (requiresAsk) {
             approvalId = crypto.randomUUID();
-            const decisionResult = (await callGatewayCli("exec.approval.request", opts, {
+            const approvalTimeoutMs = 120_000;
+            // The CLI transport timeout (opts.timeout) must be longer than the
+            // gateway-side approval wait so the connection stays alive while the
+            // user decides.  Without this override the default 35 s transport
+            // timeout races — and always loses — against the 120 s approval
+            // timeout, causing "gateway timeout after 35000ms" (#12098).
+            const approvalOpts = {
+              ...opts,
+              timeout: String(
+                Math.max(parseTimeoutMs(opts.timeout) ?? 0, approvalTimeoutMs + 10_000),
+              ),
+            };
+            const decisionResult = (await callGatewayCli("exec.approval.request", approvalOpts, {
               id: approvalId,
               command: rawCommand ?? argv.join(" "),
               cwd: opts.cwd,
@@ -282,7 +294,7 @@ export function registerNodesInvokeCommands(nodes: Command) {
               agentId,
               resolvedPath: undefined,
               sessionKey: undefined,
-              timeoutMs: 120_000,
+              timeoutMs: approvalTimeoutMs,
             })) as { decision?: string } | null;
             const decision =
               decisionResult && typeof decisionResult === "object"