diff --git a/src/config/schema-base.ts b/src/config/schema-base.ts
index eb3bdb87622..1aa1d72a641 100644
--- a/src/config/schema-base.ts
+++ b/src/config/schema-base.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ export type BaseConfigSchemaResponse = {
   generatedAt: string;
 };
 
+type BaseConfigSchemaStablePayload = Omit<BaseConfigSchemaResponse, "generatedAt">;
+
 function cloneSchema<T>(value: T): T {
   if (typeof structuredClone === "function") {
     return structuredClone(value);
@@ -54,19 +56,42 @@ function stripChannelSchema(schema: ConfigSchema): ConfigSchema {
   return next;
 }
 
-export function computeBaseConfigSchemaResponse(params?: {
-  generatedAt?: string;
-}): BaseConfigSchemaResponse {
+let baseConfigSchemaStablePayload: BaseConfigSchemaStablePayload | null = null;
+
+function computeBaseConfigSchemaStablePayload(): BaseConfigSchemaStablePayload {
+  if (baseConfigSchemaStablePayload) {
+    return {
+      schema: cloneSchema(baseConfigSchemaStablePayload.schema),
+      uiHints: cloneSchema(baseConfigSchemaStablePayload.uiHints),
+      version: baseConfigSchemaStablePayload.version,
+    };
+  }
   const schema = OpenClawSchema.toJSONSchema({
     target: "draft-07",
     unrepresentable: "any",
   });
   schema.title = "OpenClawConfig";
-  const hints = applyDerivedTags(mapSensitivePaths(OpenClawSchema, "", buildBaseHints()));
-  return {
+  const stablePayload = {
     schema: stripChannelSchema(schema),
-    uiHints: hints,
+    uiHints: applyDerivedTags(mapSensitivePaths(OpenClawSchema, "", buildBaseHints())),
     version: VERSION,
+  } satisfies BaseConfigSchemaStablePayload;
+  baseConfigSchemaStablePayload = stablePayload;
+  return {
+    schema: cloneSchema(stablePayload.schema),
+    uiHints: cloneSchema(stablePayload.uiHints),
+    version: stablePayload.version,
+  };
+}
+
+export function computeBaseConfigSchemaResponse(params?: {
+  generatedAt?: string;
+}): BaseConfigSchemaResponse {
+  const stablePayload = computeBaseConfigSchemaStablePayload();
+  return {
+    schema: stablePayload.schema,
+    uiHints: stablePayload.uiHints,
+    version: stablePayload.version,
     generatedAt: params?.generatedAt ?? new Date().toISOString(),
   };
 }
diff --git a/src/memory/index.test.ts b/src/memory/index.test.ts
index 950346bd3e4..1b5b939aea4 100644
--- a/src/memory/index.test.ts
+++ b/src/memory/index.test.ts
@@ -957,6 +957,7 @@ describe("memory index", () => {
 
     const result = await getMemorySearchManager({ cfg, agentId: "main" });
     const manager = requireManager(result);
+    await manager.probeEmbeddingAvailability();
 
     expect(
       providerCalls.some(
diff --git a/src/memory/manager.get-concurrency.test.ts b/src/memory/manager.get-concurrency.test.ts
index 5f2fa417f7d..1e8a09d0e06 100644
--- a/src/memory/manager.get-concurrency.test.ts
+++ b/src/memory/manager.get-concurrency.test.ts
@@ -93,17 +93,15 @@ describe("memory manager cache hydration", () => {
 
     expect(managers).toHaveLength(12);
     expect(new Set(managers).size).toBe(1);
-    expect(hoisted.providerCreateCalls).toBe(1);
+    expect(hoisted.providerCreateCalls).toBe(0);
 
     await managers[0].close();
   });
 
-  it("drains in-flight manager creation during global teardown", async () => {
+  it("evicts cached managers during global teardown", async () => {
     const indexPath = path.join(workspaceDir, "index.sqlite");
     const cfg = createMemoryConcurrencyConfig(indexPath);
 
-    hoisted.providerDelayMs = 100;
-
     const pendingResult = RawMemoryIndexManager.get({ cfg, agentId: "main" });
     await closeAllMemoryIndexManagers();
     const firstManager = await pendingResult;
@@ -113,7 +111,7 @@ describe("memory manager cache hydration", () => {
     expect(firstManager).toBeTruthy();
     expect(secondManager).toBeTruthy();
     expect(Object.is(secondManager, firstManager)).toBe(false);
-    expect(hoisted.providerCreateCalls).toBe(2);
+    expect(hoisted.providerCreateCalls).toBe(0);
 
     await secondManager?.close?.();
   });
diff --git a/src/memory/manager.ts b/src/memory/manager.ts
index 5d14c7b968c..fe8622f6ae3 100644
--- a/src/memory/manager.ts
+++ b/src/memory/manager.ts
@@ -193,11 +193,6 @@ export class MemoryIndexManager extends MemoryManagerEmbeddingOps implements Mem
       return pending;
     }
     const createPromise = (async () => {
-      const providerResult = await MemoryIndexManager.loadProviderResult({
-        cfg,
-        agentId,
-        settings,
-      });
       const refreshed = INDEX_CACHE.get(key);
       if (refreshed) {
         return refreshed;
@@ -208,7 +203,6 @@ export class MemoryIndexManager extends MemoryManagerEmbeddingOps implements Mem
         agentId,
         workspaceDir,
         settings,
-        providerResult,
         purpose: params.purpose,
       });
       INDEX_CACHE.set(key, manager);
@@ -334,17 +328,21 @@ export class MemoryIndexManager extends MemoryManagerEmbeddingOps implements Mem
       sessionKey?: string;
     },
   ): Promise<MemorySearchResult[]> {
-    await this.ensureProviderInitialized();
+    const cleaned = query.trim();
+    if (!cleaned) {
+      return [];
+    }
     void this.warmSession(opts?.sessionKey);
     if (this.settings.sync.onSearch && (this.dirty || this.sessionsDirty)) {
       void this.sync({ reason: "search" }).catch((err) => {
         log.warn(`memory sync failed (search): ${String(err)}`);
       });
     }
-    const cleaned = query.trim();
-    if (!cleaned) {
+    const hasIndexedContent = this.hasIndexedContent();
+    if (!hasIndexedContent) {
       return [];
     }
+    await this.ensureProviderInitialized();
     const minScore = opts?.minScore ?? this.settings.query.minScore;
     const maxResults = opts?.maxResults ?? this.settings.query.maxResults;
     const hybrid = this.settings.query.hybrid;
@@ -437,6 +435,32 @@ export class MemoryIndexManager extends MemoryManagerEmbeddingOps implements Mem
       .slice(0, maxResults);
   }
 
+  private hasIndexedContent(): boolean {
+    const chunks =
+      (
+        this.db.prepare(`SELECT COUNT(*) as c FROM chunks`).get() as
+          | {
+              c: number;
+            }
+          | undefined
+      )?.c ?? 0;
+    if (chunks > 0) {
+      return true;
+    }
+    if (!this.fts.enabled || !this.fts.available) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    const ftsRows =
+      (
+        this.db.prepare(`SELECT COUNT(*) as c FROM ${FTS_TABLE}`).get() as
+          | {
+              c: number;
+            }
+          | undefined
+      )?.c ?? 0;
+    return ftsRows > 0;
+  }
+
   private async searchVector(
     queryVec: number[],
     limit: number,