diff --git a/backend/app/services/openclaw/gateway_compat.py b/backend/app/services/openclaw/gateway_compat.py
index ace829c4..2ef7ff8d 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/openclaw/gateway_compat.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/openclaw/gateway_compat.py
@@ -7,7 +7,12 @@ from dataclasses import dataclass
 from typing import Any
 
 from app.core.config import settings
-from app.services.openclaw.gateway_rpc import GatewayConfig, OpenClawGatewayError, openclaw_call
+from app.services.openclaw.gateway_rpc import (
+    GatewayConfig,
+    OpenClawGatewayError,
+    openclaw_call,
+    openclaw_connect_metadata,
+)
 
 _VERSION_PATTERN = re.compile(r"(?i)v?(?P<version>\d+(?:\.\d+)+)")
 _PRIMARY_VERSION_PATHS: tuple[tuple[str, ...], ...] = (
@@ -192,12 +197,27 @@ async def _fetch_schema_metadata(config: GatewayConfig) -> object | None:
         return None
 
 
+async def _fetch_connect_metadata(config: GatewayConfig) -> object | None:
+    try:
+        return await openclaw_connect_metadata(config=config)
+    except OpenClawGatewayError:
+        return None
+
+
 async def check_gateway_runtime_compatibility(
     config: GatewayConfig,
     *,
     minimum_version: str | None = None,
 ) -> GatewayVersionCheckResult:
     """Fetch runtime metadata and evaluate gateway version compatibility."""
+    connect_payload = await _fetch_connect_metadata(config)
+    current_version = extract_gateway_version(connect_payload)
+    if current_version is not None:
+        return evaluate_gateway_version(
+            current_version=current_version,
+            minimum_version=minimum_version,
+        )
+
     schema_payload = await _fetch_schema_metadata(config)
     current_version = extract_gateway_version(schema_payload)
     if current_version is not None:
diff --git a/backend/app/services/openclaw/gateway_rpc.py b/backend/app/services/openclaw/gateway_rpc.py
index a4fdefa1..0765d54d 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/openclaw/gateway_rpc.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/openclaw/gateway_rpc.py
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ async def _ensure_connected(
     ws: websockets.ClientConnection,
     first_message: str | bytes | None,
     config: GatewayConfig,
-) -> None:
+) -> object:
     if first_message:
         if isinstance(first_message, bytes):
             first_message = first_message.decode("utf-8")
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ async def _ensure_connected(
         "params": _build_connect_params(config),
     }
     await ws.send(json.dumps(response))
-    await _await_response(ws, connect_id)
+    return await _await_response(ws, connect_id)
 
 
 async def openclaw_call(
@@ -327,6 +327,48 @@ async def openclaw_call(
         raise OpenClawGatewayError(str(exc)) from exc
 
 
+async def openclaw_connect_metadata(*, config: GatewayConfig) -> object:
+    """Open a gateway connection and return the connect/hello payload."""
+    gateway_url = _build_gateway_url(config)
+    started_at = perf_counter()
+    logger.debug(
+        "gateway.rpc.connect_metadata.start gateway_url=%s",
+        _redacted_url_for_log(gateway_url),
+    )
+    try:
+        async with websockets.connect(gateway_url, ping_interval=None) as ws:
+            first_message = None
+            try:
+                first_message = await asyncio.wait_for(ws.recv(), timeout=2)
+            except TimeoutError:
+                first_message = None
+            metadata = await _ensure_connected(ws, first_message, config)
+            logger.debug(
+                "gateway.rpc.connect_metadata.success duration_ms=%s",
+                int((perf_counter() - started_at) * 1000),
+            )
+            return metadata
+    except OpenClawGatewayError:
+        logger.warning(
+            "gateway.rpc.connect_metadata.gateway_error duration_ms=%s",
+            int((perf_counter() - started_at) * 1000),
+        )
+        raise
+    except (
+        TimeoutError,
+        ConnectionError,
+        OSError,
+        ValueError,
+        WebSocketException,
+    ) as exc:  # pragma: no cover - network/protocol errors
+        logger.error(
+            "gateway.rpc.connect_metadata.transport_error duration_ms=%s error_type=%s",
+            int((perf_counter() - started_at) * 1000),
+            exc.__class__.__name__,
+        )
+        raise OpenClawGatewayError(str(exc)) from exc
+
+
 async def send_message(
     message: str,
     *,
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_gateway_version_compat.py b/backend/tests/test_gateway_version_compat.py
index 37f177cb..c6e6b4d3 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_gateway_version_compat.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_gateway_version_compat.py
@@ -50,6 +50,11 @@ async def test_check_gateway_runtime_compatibility_prefers_schema_version(
             return {"version": "2026.2.13"}
         raise AssertionError(f"unexpected method: {method}")
 
+    async def _fake_connect_metadata(*, config: GatewayConfig) -> object | None:
+        _ = config
+        return None
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(gateway_compat, "openclaw_connect_metadata", _fake_connect_metadata)
     monkeypatch.setattr(gateway_compat, "openclaw_call", _fake_openclaw_call)
 
     result = await gateway_compat.check_gateway_runtime_compatibility(
@@ -62,6 +67,34 @@ async def test_check_gateway_runtime_compatibility_prefers_schema_version(
     assert result.current_version == "2026.2.13"
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_check_gateway_runtime_compatibility_prefers_connect_metadata(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    calls: list[str] = []
+
+    async def _fake_connect_metadata(*, config: GatewayConfig) -> object | None:
+        _ = config
+        return {"server": {"version": "2026.2.21-2"}}
+
+    async def _fake_openclaw_call(method: str, params: object = None, *, config: object) -> object:
+        _ = (params, config)
+        calls.append(method)
+        raise AssertionError(f"unexpected method: {method}")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(gateway_compat, "openclaw_connect_metadata", _fake_connect_metadata)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(gateway_compat, "openclaw_call", _fake_openclaw_call)
+
+    result = await gateway_compat.check_gateway_runtime_compatibility(
+        GatewayConfig(url="ws://gateway.example/ws"),
+        minimum_version="2026.1.30",
+    )
+
+    assert calls == []
+    assert result.compatible is True
+    assert result.current_version == "2026.2.21-2"
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_check_gateway_runtime_compatibility_falls_back_to_health(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
@@ -77,6 +110,11 @@ async def test_check_gateway_runtime_compatibility_falls_back_to_health(
             raise OpenClawGatewayError("unknown method")
         return {"version": "2026.2.0"}
 
+    async def _fake_connect_metadata(*, config: GatewayConfig) -> object | None:
+        _ = config
+        return None
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(gateway_compat, "openclaw_connect_metadata", _fake_connect_metadata)
     monkeypatch.setattr(gateway_compat, "openclaw_call", _fake_openclaw_call)
 
     result = await gateway_compat.check_gateway_runtime_compatibility(
@@ -104,6 +142,11 @@ async def test_check_gateway_runtime_compatibility_uses_health_when_status_has_n
             return {"uptime": 1234}
         return {"version": "2026.2.0"}
 
+    async def _fake_connect_metadata(*, config: GatewayConfig) -> object | None:
+        _ = config
+        return None
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(gateway_compat, "openclaw_connect_metadata", _fake_connect_metadata)
     monkeypatch.setattr(gateway_compat, "openclaw_call", _fake_openclaw_call)
 
     result = await gateway_compat.check_gateway_runtime_compatibility(