diff --git a/src/cli/plugins-cli.ts b/src/cli/plugins-cli.ts
index fa70fce794f..954359c1908 100644
--- a/src/cli/plugins-cli.ts
+++ b/src/cli/plugins-cli.ts
@@ -159,6 +159,19 @@ function isPackageNotFoundInstallError(message: string): boolean {
   );
 }
 
+/**
+ * True when npm downloaded a package successfully but it is not a valid
+ * OpenClaw plugin (e.g. `diffs` resolves to the unrelated npm package
+ * `diffs@0.1.1` instead of `@openclaw/diffs`).
+ * See: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/issues/32019
+ */
+function isNotAnOpenClawPluginError(message: string): boolean {
+  const lower = message.toLowerCase();
+  return (
+    lower.includes("missing openclaw.extensions") || lower.includes("openclaw.extensions is empty")
+  );
+}
+
 export function registerPluginsCli(program: Command) {
   const plugins = program
     .command("plugins")
@@ -625,7 +638,9 @@ export function registerPluginsCli(program: Command) {
         logger: createPluginInstallLogger(),
       });
       if (!result.ok) {
-        const bundledFallback = isPackageNotFoundInstallError(result.error)
+        const shouldTryBundledFallback =
+          isPackageNotFoundInstallError(result.error) || isNotAnOpenClawPluginError(result.error);
+        const bundledFallback = shouldTryBundledFallback
           ? findBundledPluginByNpmSpec({ spec: raw })
           : undefined;
         if (!bundledFallback) {
diff --git a/src/plugins/bundled-sources.test.ts b/src/plugins/bundled-sources.test.ts
index 437b06c193e..603b387fc90 100644
--- a/src/plugins/bundled-sources.test.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/bundled-sources.test.ts
@@ -94,4 +94,26 @@ describe("bundled plugin sources", () => {
     expect(resolved?.localPath).toBe("/app/extensions/feishu");
     expect(missing).toBeUndefined();
   });
+
+  it("finds bundled source by plugin id when npm spec does not match (#32019)", () => {
+    discoverOpenClawPluginsMock.mockReturnValue({
+      candidates: [
+        {
+          origin: "bundled",
+          rootDir: "/app/extensions/diffs",
+          packageName: "@openclaw/diffs",
+          packageManifest: {},
+        },
+      ],
+      diagnostics: [],
+    });
+    loadPluginManifestMock.mockReturnValue({ ok: true, manifest: { id: "diffs" } });
+
+    // Searching by unscoped name "diffs" should match by pluginId even though
+    // the npmSpec is "@openclaw/diffs".
+    const resolved = findBundledPluginByNpmSpec({ spec: "diffs" });
+
+    expect(resolved?.pluginId).toBe("diffs");
+    expect(resolved?.localPath).toBe("/app/extensions/diffs");
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/plugins/bundled-sources.ts b/src/plugins/bundled-sources.ts
index 44ac618f211..097e980ca35 100644
--- a/src/plugins/bundled-sources.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/bundled-sources.ts
@@ -54,6 +54,13 @@ export function findBundledPluginByNpmSpec(params: {
     if (source.npmSpec === targetSpec) {
       return source;
     }
+    // Also match by plugin id so that e.g. `openclaw plugins install diffs`
+    // resolves to the bundled @openclaw/diffs plugin when the unscoped npm
+    // package `diffs` is not a valid OpenClaw plugin.
+    // See: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/issues/32019
+    if (source.pluginId === targetSpec) {
+      return source;
+    }
   }
   return undefined;
 }