diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 06c04ecce..3d7059b51 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Gateway/security default response headers: add `Permissions-Policy: camera=(), microphone=(), geolocation=()` to baseline gateway HTTP security headers for all responses. (#30186) thanks @habakan.
 - Plugins/startup loading: lazily initialize plugin runtime, split startup-critical plugin SDK imports into `openclaw/plugin-sdk/core` and `openclaw/plugin-sdk/telegram`, and preserve `api.runtime` reflection semantics for plugin compatibility. (#28620) thanks @hmemcpy.
 - Build/lazy runtime boundaries: replace ineffective dynamic import sites with dedicated lazy runtime boundaries across Slack slash handling, Telegram audit, CLI send deps, memory fallback, and outbound delivery paths while preserving behavior. (#33690) thanks @gumadeiras.
+- Config/heartbeat legacy-path handling: auto-migrate top-level `heartbeat` into `agents.defaults.heartbeat` (with merge semantics that preserve explicit defaults), and keep startup failures on non-migratable legacy entries in the detailed invalid-config path instead of generic migration-failed errors. (#32706) thanks @xiwan.
 - Security/auth labels: remove token and API-key snippets from user-facing auth status labels so `/status` and `/models` do not expose credential fragments. (#33262) thanks @cu1ch3n.
 - Security/audit denyCommands guidance: suggest likely exact node command IDs for unknown `gateway.nodes.denyCommands` entries so ineffective denylist entries are easier to correct. (#29713) thanks @liquidhorizon88-bot.
 - Docs/security hardening guidance: document Docker `DOCKER-USER` + UFW policy and add cross-linking from Docker install docs for VPS/public-host setups. (#27613) thanks @dorukardahan.
diff --git a/src/commands/doctor-config-flow.test.ts b/src/commands/doctor-config-flow.test.ts
index ff4763987..64db401e7 100644
--- a/src/commands/doctor-config-flow.test.ts
+++ b/src/commands/doctor-config-flow.test.ts
@@ -600,6 +600,67 @@ describe("doctor config flow", () => {
     expectGoogleChatDmAllowFromRepaired(result.cfg);
   });
 
+  it("migrates top-level heartbeat into agents.defaults.heartbeat on repair", async () => {
+    const result = await runDoctorConfigWithInput({
+      repair: true,
+      config: {
+        heartbeat: {
+          model: "anthropic/claude-3-5-haiku-20241022",
+          every: "30m",
+        },
+      },
+      run: loadAndMaybeMigrateDoctorConfig,
+    });
+
+    const cfg = result.cfg as {
+      heartbeat?: unknown;
+      agents?: {
+        defaults?: {
+          heartbeat?: {
+            model?: string;
+            every?: string;
+          };
+        };
+      };
+    };
+    expect(cfg.heartbeat).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(cfg.agents?.defaults?.heartbeat).toMatchObject({
+      model: "anthropic/claude-3-5-haiku-20241022",
+      every: "30m",
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("migrates top-level heartbeat visibility into channels.defaults.heartbeat on repair", async () => {
+    const result = await runDoctorConfigWithInput({
+      repair: true,
+      config: {
+        heartbeat: {
+          showOk: true,
+          showAlerts: false,
+        },
+      },
+      run: loadAndMaybeMigrateDoctorConfig,
+    });
+
+    const cfg = result.cfg as {
+      heartbeat?: unknown;
+      channels?: {
+        defaults?: {
+          heartbeat?: {
+            showOk?: boolean;
+            showAlerts?: boolean;
+            useIndicator?: boolean;
+          };
+        };
+      };
+    };
+    expect(cfg.heartbeat).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(cfg.channels?.defaults?.heartbeat).toMatchObject({
+      showOk: true,
+      showAlerts: false,
+    });
+  });
+
   it("repairs googlechat account dm.policy open by setting dm.allowFrom on repair", async () => {
     const result = await runDoctorConfigWithInput({
       repair: true,
diff --git a/src/config/config.legacy-config-detection.accepts-imessage-dmpolicy.test.ts b/src/config/config.legacy-config-detection.accepts-imessage-dmpolicy.test.ts
index 87df61303..89632bbc5 100644
--- a/src/config/config.legacy-config-detection.accepts-imessage-dmpolicy.test.ts
+++ b/src/config/config.legacy-config-detection.accepts-imessage-dmpolicy.test.ts
@@ -274,6 +274,15 @@ describe("legacy config detection", () => {
       },
     );
   });
+  it("flags top-level heartbeat as legacy in snapshot", async () => {
+    await withSnapshotForConfig(
+      { heartbeat: { model: "anthropic/claude-3-5-haiku-20241022", every: "30m" } },
+      async (ctx) => {
+        expect(ctx.snapshot.valid).toBe(false);
+        expect(ctx.snapshot.legacyIssues.some((issue) => issue.path === "heartbeat")).toBe(true);
+      },
+    );
+  });
   it("flags legacy provider sections in snapshot", async () => {
     await withSnapshotForConfig({ whatsapp: { allowFrom: ["+1555"] } }, async (ctx) => {
       expect(ctx.snapshot.valid).toBe(false);
diff --git a/src/config/legacy-migrate.test.ts b/src/config/legacy-migrate.test.ts
index 63d971af0..1e19f15e5 100644
--- a/src/config/legacy-migrate.test.ts
+++ b/src/config/legacy-migrate.test.ts
@@ -96,6 +96,130 @@ describe("legacy migrate mention routing", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("legacy migrate heartbeat config", () => {
+  it("moves top-level heartbeat into agents.defaults.heartbeat", () => {
+    const res = migrateLegacyConfig({
+      heartbeat: {
+        model: "anthropic/claude-3-5-haiku-20241022",
+        every: "30m",
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(res.changes).toContain("Moved heartbeat → agents.defaults.heartbeat.");
+    expect(res.config?.agents?.defaults?.heartbeat).toEqual({
+      model: "anthropic/claude-3-5-haiku-20241022",
+      every: "30m",
+    });
+    expect((res.config as { heartbeat?: unknown } | null)?.heartbeat).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it("moves top-level heartbeat visibility into channels.defaults.heartbeat", () => {
+    const res = migrateLegacyConfig({
+      heartbeat: {
+        showOk: true,
+        showAlerts: false,
+        useIndicator: false,
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(res.changes).toContain("Moved heartbeat visibility → channels.defaults.heartbeat.");
+    expect(res.config?.channels?.defaults?.heartbeat).toEqual({
+      showOk: true,
+      showAlerts: false,
+      useIndicator: false,
+    });
+    expect((res.config as { heartbeat?: unknown } | null)?.heartbeat).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it("keeps explicit agents.defaults.heartbeat values when merging top-level heartbeat", () => {
+    const res = migrateLegacyConfig({
+      heartbeat: {
+        model: "anthropic/claude-3-5-haiku-20241022",
+        every: "30m",
+      },
+      agents: {
+        defaults: {
+          heartbeat: {
+            every: "1h",
+            target: "telegram",
+          },
+        },
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(res.changes).toContain(
+      "Merged heartbeat → agents.defaults.heartbeat (filled missing fields from legacy; kept explicit agents.defaults values).",
+    );
+    expect(res.config?.agents?.defaults?.heartbeat).toEqual({
+      every: "1h",
+      target: "telegram",
+      model: "anthropic/claude-3-5-haiku-20241022",
+    });
+    expect((res.config as { heartbeat?: unknown } | null)?.heartbeat).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it("keeps explicit channels.defaults.heartbeat values when merging top-level heartbeat visibility", () => {
+    const res = migrateLegacyConfig({
+      heartbeat: {
+        showOk: true,
+        showAlerts: true,
+      },
+      channels: {
+        defaults: {
+          heartbeat: {
+            showOk: false,
+            useIndicator: false,
+          },
+        },
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(res.changes).toContain(
+      "Merged heartbeat visibility → channels.defaults.heartbeat (filled missing fields from legacy; kept explicit channels.defaults values).",
+    );
+    expect(res.config?.channels?.defaults?.heartbeat).toEqual({
+      showOk: false,
+      showAlerts: true,
+      useIndicator: false,
+    });
+    expect((res.config as { heartbeat?: unknown } | null)?.heartbeat).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it("preserves agent.heartbeat precedence over top-level heartbeat legacy key", () => {
+    const res = migrateLegacyConfig({
+      agent: {
+        heartbeat: {
+          every: "1h",
+          target: "telegram",
+        },
+      },
+      heartbeat: {
+        every: "30m",
+        target: "discord",
+        model: "anthropic/claude-3-5-haiku-20241022",
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(res.config?.agents?.defaults?.heartbeat).toEqual({
+      every: "1h",
+      target: "telegram",
+      model: "anthropic/claude-3-5-haiku-20241022",
+    });
+    expect((res.config as { heartbeat?: unknown } | null)?.heartbeat).toBeUndefined();
+    expect((res.config as { agent?: unknown } | null)?.agent).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it("records a migration change when removing empty top-level heartbeat", () => {
+    const res = migrateLegacyConfig({
+      heartbeat: {},
+    });
+
+    expect(res.changes).toContain("Removed empty top-level heartbeat.");
+    expect(res.config).not.toBeNull();
+    expect((res.config as { heartbeat?: unknown } | null)?.heartbeat).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+});
+
 describe("legacy migrate controlUi.allowedOrigins seed (issue #29385)", () => {
   it("seeds allowedOrigins for bind=lan with no existing controlUi config", () => {
     const res = migrateLegacyConfig({
diff --git a/src/config/legacy.migrations.part-3.ts b/src/config/legacy.migrations.part-3.ts
index 3ce29ea63..db4d3a9c9 100644
--- a/src/config/legacy.migrations.part-3.ts
+++ b/src/config/legacy.migrations.part-3.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,51 @@ import {
 } from "./legacy.shared.js";
 import { DEFAULT_GATEWAY_PORT } from "./paths.js";
 
+const AGENT_HEARTBEAT_KEYS = new Set([
+  "every",
+  "activeHours",
+  "model",
+  "session",
+  "includeReasoning",
+  "target",
+  "directPolicy",
+  "to",
+  "accountId",
+  "prompt",
+  "ackMaxChars",
+  "suppressToolErrorWarnings",
+  "lightContext",
+]);
+
+const CHANNEL_HEARTBEAT_KEYS = new Set(["showOk", "showAlerts", "useIndicator"]);
+
+function splitLegacyHeartbeat(legacyHeartbeat: Record<string, unknown>): {
+  agentHeartbeat: Record<string, unknown> | null;
+  channelHeartbeat: Record<string, unknown> | null;
+} {
+  const agentHeartbeat: Record<string, unknown> = {};
+  const channelHeartbeat: Record<string, unknown> = {};
+
+  for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(legacyHeartbeat)) {
+    if (CHANNEL_HEARTBEAT_KEYS.has(key)) {
+      channelHeartbeat[key] = value;
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (AGENT_HEARTBEAT_KEYS.has(key)) {
+      agentHeartbeat[key] = value;
+      continue;
+    }
+    // Preserve unknown fields under the agent heartbeat namespace so validation
+    // still surfaces unsupported keys instead of silently dropping user input.
+    agentHeartbeat[key] = value;
+  }
+
+  return {
+    agentHeartbeat: Object.keys(agentHeartbeat).length > 0 ? agentHeartbeat : null,
+    channelHeartbeat: Object.keys(channelHeartbeat).length > 0 ? channelHeartbeat : null,
+  };
+}
+
 // NOTE: tools.alsoAllow was introduced after legacy migrations; no legacy migration needed.
 
 // tools.alsoAllow legacy migration intentionally omitted (field not shipped in prod).
@@ -245,6 +290,65 @@ export const LEGACY_CONFIG_MIGRATIONS_PART_3: LegacyConfigMigration[] = [
       changes.push("Moved agent → agents.defaults.");
     },
   },
+  {
+    id: "heartbeat->agents.defaults.heartbeat",
+    describe: "Move top-level heartbeat to agents.defaults.heartbeat/channels.defaults.heartbeat",
+    apply: (raw, changes) => {
+      const legacyHeartbeat = getRecord(raw.heartbeat);
+      if (!legacyHeartbeat) {
+        return;
+      }
+
+      const { agentHeartbeat, channelHeartbeat } = splitLegacyHeartbeat(legacyHeartbeat);
+
+      if (agentHeartbeat) {
+        const agents = ensureRecord(raw, "agents");
+        const defaults = ensureRecord(agents, "defaults");
+        const existing = getRecord(defaults.heartbeat);
+        if (!existing) {
+          defaults.heartbeat = agentHeartbeat;
+          changes.push("Moved heartbeat → agents.defaults.heartbeat.");
+        } else {
+          // agents.defaults stays authoritative; legacy top-level config only fills gaps.
+          const merged = structuredClone(existing);
+          mergeMissing(merged, agentHeartbeat);
+          defaults.heartbeat = merged;
+          changes.push(
+            "Merged heartbeat → agents.defaults.heartbeat (filled missing fields from legacy; kept explicit agents.defaults values).",
+          );
+        }
+
+        agents.defaults = defaults;
+        raw.agents = agents;
+      }
+
+      if (channelHeartbeat) {
+        const channels = ensureRecord(raw, "channels");
+        const defaults = ensureRecord(channels, "defaults");
+        const existing = getRecord(defaults.heartbeat);
+        if (!existing) {
+          defaults.heartbeat = channelHeartbeat;
+          changes.push("Moved heartbeat visibility → channels.defaults.heartbeat.");
+        } else {
+          // channels.defaults stays authoritative; legacy top-level config only fills gaps.
+          const merged = structuredClone(existing);
+          mergeMissing(merged, channelHeartbeat);
+          defaults.heartbeat = merged;
+          changes.push(
+            "Merged heartbeat visibility → channels.defaults.heartbeat (filled missing fields from legacy; kept explicit channels.defaults values).",
+          );
+        }
+
+        channels.defaults = defaults;
+        raw.channels = channels;
+      }
+
+      if (!agentHeartbeat && !channelHeartbeat) {
+        changes.push("Removed empty top-level heartbeat.");
+      }
+      delete raw.heartbeat;
+    },
+  },
   {
     id: "identity->agents.list",
     describe: "Move identity to agents.list[].identity",
diff --git a/src/config/legacy.rules.ts b/src/config/legacy.rules.ts
index 9f4ef6098..420f6a468 100644
--- a/src/config/legacy.rules.ts
+++ b/src/config/legacy.rules.ts
@@ -204,4 +204,9 @@ export const LEGACY_CONFIG_RULES: LegacyConfigRule[] = [
     match: (value) => isLegacyGatewayBindHostAlias(value),
     requireSourceLiteral: true,
   },
+  {
+    path: ["heartbeat"],
+    message:
+      "top-level heartbeat is not a valid config path; use agents.defaults.heartbeat (cadence/target/model settings) or channels.defaults.heartbeat (showOk/showAlerts/useIndicator).",
+  },
 ];
diff --git a/src/gateway/server.impl.ts b/src/gateway/server.impl.ts
index d714ea61e..bd4ae5078 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server.impl.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server.impl.ts
@@ -256,17 +256,18 @@ export async function startGatewayServer(
     }
     const { config: migrated, changes } = migrateLegacyConfig(configSnapshot.parsed);
     if (!migrated) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `Legacy config entries detected but auto-migration failed. Run "${formatCliCommand("openclaw doctor")}" to migrate.`,
-      );
-    }
-    await writeConfigFile(migrated);
-    if (changes.length > 0) {
-      log.info(
-        `gateway: migrated legacy config entries:\n${changes
-          .map((entry) => `- ${entry}`)
-          .join("\n")}`,
+      log.warn(
+        "gateway: legacy config entries detected but no auto-migration changes were produced; continuing with validation.",
       );
+    } else {
+      await writeConfigFile(migrated);
+      if (changes.length > 0) {
+        log.info(
+          `gateway: migrated legacy config entries:\n${changes
+            .map((entry) => `- ${entry}`)
+            .join("\n")}`,
+        );
+      }
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/src/gateway/server.legacy-migration.test.ts b/src/gateway/server.legacy-migration.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0522f8a85
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/gateway/server.legacy-migration.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from "vitest";
+import {
+  getFreePort,
+  installGatewayTestHooks,
+  startGatewayServer,
+  testState,
+} from "./test-helpers.js";
+
+installGatewayTestHooks({ scope: "suite" });
+
+describe("gateway startup legacy migration fallback", () => {
+  test("surfaces detailed validation errors when legacy entries have no migration output", async () => {
+    testState.legacyIssues = [
+      {
+        path: "heartbeat",
+        message:
+          "top-level heartbeat is not a valid config path; use agents.defaults.heartbeat (cadence/target/model settings) or channels.defaults.heartbeat (showOk/showAlerts/useIndicator).",
+      },
+    ];
+    testState.legacyParsed = {
+      heartbeat: { model: "anthropic/claude-3-5-haiku-20241022", every: "30m" },
+    };
+    testState.migrationConfig = null;
+    testState.migrationChanges = [];
+
+    let server: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof startGatewayServer>> | undefined;
+    let thrown: unknown;
+    try {
+      server = await startGatewayServer(await getFreePort());
+    } catch (err) {
+      thrown = err;
+    }
+
+    if (server) {
+      await server.close();
+    }
+
+    expect(thrown).toBeInstanceOf(Error);
+    const message = String((thrown as Error).message);
+    expect(message).toContain("Invalid config at");
+    expect(message).toContain(
+      "heartbeat: top-level heartbeat is not a valid config path; use agents.defaults.heartbeat (cadence/target/model settings) or channels.defaults.heartbeat (showOk/showAlerts/useIndicator).",
+    );
+    expect(message).not.toContain("Legacy config entries detected but auto-migration failed.");
+  });
+
+  test("keeps detailed validation errors when heartbeat comes from include-resolved config", async () => {
+    testState.legacyIssues = [
+      {
+        path: "heartbeat",
+        message:
+          "top-level heartbeat is not a valid config path; use agents.defaults.heartbeat (cadence/target/model settings) or channels.defaults.heartbeat (showOk/showAlerts/useIndicator).",
+      },
+    ];
+    // Simulate a parsed source that only contains include directives, while
+    // legacy heartbeat is surfaced from the resolved config.
+    testState.legacyParsed = {
+      $include: ["heartbeat.defaults.json"],
+    };
+    testState.migrationConfig = null;
+    testState.migrationChanges = [];
+
+    let server: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof startGatewayServer>> | undefined;
+    let thrown: unknown;
+    try {
+      server = await startGatewayServer(await getFreePort());
+    } catch (err) {
+      thrown = err;
+    }
+
+    if (server) {
+      await server.close();
+    }
+
+    expect(thrown).toBeInstanceOf(Error);
+    const message = String((thrown as Error).message);
+    expect(message).toContain("Invalid config at");
+    expect(message).toContain(
+      "heartbeat: top-level heartbeat is not a valid config path; use agents.defaults.heartbeat (cadence/target/model settings) or channels.defaults.heartbeat (showOk/showAlerts/useIndicator).",
+    );
+    expect(message).not.toContain("Legacy config entries detected but auto-migration failed.");
+  });
+});