diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 2f777d594ab..76fc7a145f1 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Plugins/runtime: honor explicit capability allowlists during fallback speech, media-understanding, and image-generation provider loading so bundled capability plugins do not bypass restrictive `plugins.allow` config. (#52262) Thanks @PerfectPan.
 - Hooks/tool policy: block tool calls when a `before_tool_call` hook crashes so hook failures fail closed instead of silently allowing execution. (#59822) Thanks @pgondhi987.
 - Matrix/media: surface a dedicated `[matrix <kind> attachment too large]` marker for oversized inbound media instead of the generic unavailable marker, and classify size-limit failures with a typed Matrix error. (#60289) Thanks @efe-arv.
+- WhatsApp/watchdog: reset watchdog timeout after reconnect so quiet channels no longer enter a tight reconnect loop from stale message timestamps carried across connection runs. (#60007) Thanks @MonkeyLeeT.
 
 ## 2026.4.2
 
diff --git a/extensions/whatsapp/src/auto-reply.web-auto-reply.connection-and-logging.e2e.test.ts b/extensions/whatsapp/src/auto-reply.web-auto-reply.connection-and-logging.e2e.test.ts
index cbd9d07e70c..cdbcd3080f1 100644
--- a/extensions/whatsapp/src/auto-reply.web-auto-reply.connection-and-logging.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/extensions/whatsapp/src/auto-reply.web-auto-reply.connection-and-logging.e2e.test.ts
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ describe("web auto-reply connection", () => {
     }
   });
 
-  it("keeps watchdog message age across reconnects", async () => {
+  it("gives a reconnected listener a fresh watchdog window", async () => {
     vi.useFakeTimers();
     try {
       const { scripted, controller, run } = await startWatchdogScenario({
@@ -203,7 +203,11 @@ describe("web auto-reply connection", () => {
         { timeout: 250, interval: 2 },
       );
 
-      await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(200);
+      await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(20);
+      await Promise.resolve();
+      expect(scripted.getListenerCount()).toBe(2);
+
+      await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(20);
       await Promise.resolve();
       await vi.waitFor(
         () => {
diff --git a/extensions/whatsapp/src/auto-reply/monitor.ts b/extensions/whatsapp/src/auto-reply/monitor.ts
index 9f371ab23eb..befc6ea7681 100644
--- a/extensions/whatsapp/src/auto-reply/monitor.ts
+++ b/extensions/whatsapp/src/auto-reply/monitor.ts
@@ -50,13 +50,13 @@ type ActiveConnectionRun = {
   backgroundTasks: Set<Promise<unknown>>;
 };
 
-function createActiveConnectionRun(lastInboundAt: number | null): ActiveConnectionRun {
+function createActiveConnectionRun(): ActiveConnectionRun {
   return {
     connectionId: newConnectionId(),
     startedAt: Date.now(),
     heartbeat: null,
     watchdogTimer: null,
-    lastInboundAt,
+    lastInboundAt: null,
     handledMessages: 0,
     unregisterUnhandled: null,
     backgroundTasks: new Set<Promise<unknown>>(),
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ export async function monitorWebChannel(
       break;
     }
 
-    const active = createActiveConnectionRun(status.lastInboundAt ?? status.lastMessageAt ?? null);
+    const active = createActiveConnectionRun();
 
     // Watchdog to detect stuck message processing (e.g., event emitter died).
     // Tuning overrides are test-oriented; production defaults remain unchanged.
@@ -306,10 +306,9 @@ export async function monitorWebChannel(
       }, heartbeatSeconds * 1000);
 
       active.watchdogTimer = setInterval(() => {
-        if (!active.lastInboundAt) {
-          return;
-        }
-        const timeSinceLastMessage = Date.now() - active.lastInboundAt;
+        // A reconnect should get a fresh watchdog window even before the next inbound arrives.
+        const watchdogBaselineAt = active.lastInboundAt ?? active.startedAt;
+        const timeSinceLastMessage = Date.now() - watchdogBaselineAt;
         if (timeSinceLastMessage <= MESSAGE_TIMEOUT_MS) {
           return;
         }
@@ -319,7 +318,7 @@ export async function monitorWebChannel(
           {
             connectionId: active.connectionId,
             minutesSinceLastMessage,
-            lastInboundAt: new Date(active.lastInboundAt),
+            lastInboundAt: active.lastInboundAt ? new Date(active.lastInboundAt) : null,
             messagesHandled: active.handledMessages,
           },
           "Message timeout detected - forcing reconnect",