diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 7b879f2b9..e4a2d57c8 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - State dir: honor `OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR` for default device identity and canvas storage paths. (#4824) Thanks @kossoy.
 - Doctor/State dir: suppress repeated legacy migration warnings only for valid symlink mirrors, while keeping warnings for empty or invalid legacy trees. (#11709) Thanks @gumadeiras.
 - Tests: harden flaky hotspots by removing timer sleeps, consolidating onboarding provider-auth coverage, and improving memory test realism. (#11598) Thanks @gumadeiras.
+- macOS: honor Nix-managed defaults suite (`ai.openclaw.mac`) for nixMode to prevent onboarding from reappearing after bundle-id churn. (#12205) Thanks @joshp123.
 
 ## 2026.2.6
 
diff --git a/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/Constants.swift b/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/Constants.swift
index 40a0acbba..7065702d6 100644
--- a/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/Constants.swift
+++ b/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/Constants.swift
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 import Foundation
 
+// Stable identifier used for both the macOS LaunchAgent label and Nix-managed defaults suite.
+// nix-openclaw writes app defaults into this suite to survive app bundle identifier churn.
 let launchdLabel = "ai.openclaw.mac"
 let gatewayLaunchdLabel = "ai.openclaw.gateway"
 let onboardingVersionKey = "openclaw.onboardingVersion"
diff --git a/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/MenuBar.swift b/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/MenuBar.swift
index e2af09232..406d4e063 100644
--- a/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/MenuBar.swift
+++ b/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/MenuBar.swift
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ struct OpenClawApp: App {
 
     init() {
         OpenClawLogging.bootstrapIfNeeded()
+
         Self.applyAttachOnlyOverrideIfNeeded()
         _state = State(initialValue: AppStateStore.shared)
     }
diff --git a/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/ProcessInfo+OpenClaw.swift b/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/ProcessInfo+OpenClaw.swift
index 65ea48e0f..d05e59338 100644
--- a/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/ProcessInfo+OpenClaw.swift
+++ b/apps/macos/Sources/OpenClaw/ProcessInfo+OpenClaw.swift
@@ -6,9 +6,32 @@ extension ProcessInfo {
         return String(cString: raw) == "1"
     }
 
+    /// Nix deployments may write defaults into a stable suite (`ai.openclaw.mac`) even if the shipped
+    /// app bundle identifier changes (and therefore `UserDefaults.standard` domain changes).
+    static func resolveNixMode(
+        environment: [String: String],
+        standard: UserDefaults,
+        stableSuite: UserDefaults?,
+        isAppBundle: Bool
+    ) -> Bool {
+        if environment["OPENCLAW_NIX_MODE"] == "1" { return true }
+        if standard.bool(forKey: "openclaw.nixMode") { return true }
+
+        // Only consult the stable suite when running as a .app bundle.
+        // This avoids local developer machines accidentally influencing unit tests.
+        if isAppBundle, let stableSuite, stableSuite.bool(forKey: "openclaw.nixMode") { return true }
+
+        return false
+    }
+
     var isNixMode: Bool {
-        if let raw = getenv("OPENCLAW_NIX_MODE"), String(cString: raw) == "1" { return true }
-        return UserDefaults.standard.bool(forKey: "openclaw.nixMode")
+        let isAppBundle = Bundle.main.bundleURL.pathExtension == "app"
+        let stableSuite = UserDefaults(suiteName: launchdLabel)
+        return Self.resolveNixMode(
+            environment: self.environment,
+            standard: .standard,
+            stableSuite: stableSuite,
+            isAppBundle: isAppBundle)
     }
 
     var isRunningTests: Bool {
diff --git a/apps/macos/Tests/OpenClawIPCTests/NixModeStableSuiteTests.swift b/apps/macos/Tests/OpenClawIPCTests/NixModeStableSuiteTests.swift
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..98f7b4c86
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/macos/Tests/OpenClawIPCTests/NixModeStableSuiteTests.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+import Foundation
+import Testing
+@testable import OpenClaw
+
+@Suite(.serialized)
+struct NixModeStableSuiteTests {
+    @Test func resolvesFromStableSuiteForAppBundles() {
+        let suite = UserDefaults(suiteName: launchdLabel)!
+        let key = "openclaw.nixMode"
+        let prev = suite.object(forKey: key)
+        defer {
+            if let prev { suite.set(prev, forKey: key) } else { suite.removeObject(forKey: key) }
+        }
+
+        suite.set(true, forKey: key)
+
+        let standard = UserDefaults(suiteName: "NixModeStableSuiteTests.\(UUID().uuidString)")!
+        #expect(!standard.bool(forKey: key))
+
+        let resolved = ProcessInfo.resolveNixMode(
+            environment: [:],
+            standard: standard,
+            stableSuite: suite,
+            isAppBundle: true)
+        #expect(resolved)
+    }
+
+    @Test func ignoresStableSuiteOutsideAppBundles() {
+        let suite = UserDefaults(suiteName: launchdLabel)!
+        let key = "openclaw.nixMode"
+        let prev = suite.object(forKey: key)
+        defer {
+            if let prev { suite.set(prev, forKey: key) } else { suite.removeObject(forKey: key) }
+        }
+
+        suite.set(true, forKey: key)
+        let standard = UserDefaults(suiteName: "NixModeStableSuiteTests.\(UUID().uuidString)")!
+
+        let resolved = ProcessInfo.resolveNixMode(
+            environment: [:],
+            standard: standard,
+            stableSuite: suite,
+            isAppBundle: false)
+        #expect(!resolved)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/apps/macos/Tests/OpenClawIPCTests/WideAreaGatewayDiscoveryTests.swift b/apps/macos/Tests/OpenClawIPCTests/WideAreaGatewayDiscoveryTests.swift
index 4bea51890..24644a2f1 100644
--- a/apps/macos/Tests/OpenClawIPCTests/WideAreaGatewayDiscoveryTests.swift
+++ b/apps/macos/Tests/OpenClawIPCTests/WideAreaGatewayDiscoveryTests.swift
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import Darwin
 import Testing
 @testable import OpenClawDiscovery