diff --git a/src/gateway/server-reload-handlers.ts b/src/gateway/server-reload-handlers.ts
index c16b2eb399..306d3cf472 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server-reload-handlers.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server-reload-handlers.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@ import { getTotalPendingReplies } from "../auto-reply/reply/dispatcher-registry.
 import type { CliDeps } from "../cli/deps.js";
 import { resolveAgentMaxConcurrent, resolveSubagentMaxConcurrent } from "../config/agent-limits.js";
 import type { loadConfig } from "../config/config.js";
-import { startGmailWatcher, stopGmailWatcher } from "../hooks/gmail-watcher.js";
+import { startGmailWatcherWithLogs } from "../hooks/gmail-watcher-lifecycle.js";
+import { stopGmailWatcher } from "../hooks/gmail-watcher.js";
 import { isTruthyEnvValue } from "../infra/env.js";
 import type { HeartbeatRunner } from "../infra/heartbeat-runner.js";
 import { resetDirectoryCache } from "../infra/outbound/target-resolver.js";
@@ -90,24 +91,12 @@ export function createGatewayReloadHandlers(params: {
 
     if (plan.restartGmailWatcher) {
       await stopGmailWatcher().catch(() => {});
-      if (!isTruthyEnvValue(process.env.OPENCLAW_SKIP_GMAIL_WATCHER)) {
-        try {
-          const gmailResult = await startGmailWatcher(nextConfig);
-          if (gmailResult.started) {
-            params.logHooks.info("gmail watcher started");
-          } else if (
-            gmailResult.reason &&
-            gmailResult.reason !== "hooks not enabled" &&
-            gmailResult.reason !== "no gmail account configured"
-          ) {
-            params.logHooks.warn(`gmail watcher not started: ${gmailResult.reason}`);
-          }
-        } catch (err) {
-          params.logHooks.error(`gmail watcher failed to start: ${String(err)}`);
-        }
-      } else {
-        params.logHooks.info("skipping gmail watcher restart (OPENCLAW_SKIP_GMAIL_WATCHER=1)");
-      }
+      await startGmailWatcherWithLogs({
+        cfg: nextConfig,
+        log: params.logHooks,
+        onSkipped: () =>
+          params.logHooks.info("skipping gmail watcher restart (OPENCLAW_SKIP_GMAIL_WATCHER=1)"),
+      });
     }
 
     if (plan.restartChannels.size > 0) {
diff --git a/src/gateway/server-startup.ts b/src/gateway/server-startup.ts
index 7ebda43ef9..15bf67f4c0 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server-startup.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server-startup.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import { cleanStaleLockFiles } from "../agents/session-write-lock.js";
 import type { CliDeps } from "../cli/deps.js";
 import type { loadConfig } from "../config/config.js";
 import { resolveStateDir } from "../config/paths.js";
-import { startGmailWatcher } from "../hooks/gmail-watcher.js";
+import { startGmailWatcherWithLogs } from "../hooks/gmail-watcher-lifecycle.js";
 import {
   clearInternalHooks,
   createInternalHookEvent,
@@ -68,22 +68,10 @@ export async function startGatewaySidecars(params: {
   }
 
   // Start Gmail watcher if configured (hooks.gmail.account).
-  if (!isTruthyEnvValue(process.env.OPENCLAW_SKIP_GMAIL_WATCHER)) {
-    try {
-      const gmailResult = await startGmailWatcher(params.cfg);
-      if (gmailResult.started) {
-        params.logHooks.info("gmail watcher started");
-      } else if (
-        gmailResult.reason &&
-        gmailResult.reason !== "hooks not enabled" &&
-        gmailResult.reason !== "no gmail account configured"
-      ) {
-        params.logHooks.warn(`gmail watcher not started: ${gmailResult.reason}`);
-      }
-    } catch (err) {
-      params.logHooks.error(`gmail watcher failed to start: ${String(err)}`);
-    }
-  }
+  await startGmailWatcherWithLogs({
+    cfg: params.cfg,
+    log: params.logHooks,
+  });
 
   // Validate hooks.gmail.model if configured.
   if (params.cfg.hooks?.gmail?.model) {
diff --git a/src/hooks/gmail-watcher-lifecycle.test.ts b/src/hooks/gmail-watcher-lifecycle.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8ded1e24f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/hooks/gmail-watcher-lifecycle.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+const { startGmailWatcherMock } = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+  startGmailWatcherMock: vi.fn(),
+}));
+
+vi.mock("./gmail-watcher.js", () => ({
+  startGmailWatcher: startGmailWatcherMock,
+}));
+
+import { startGmailWatcherWithLogs } from "./gmail-watcher-lifecycle.js";
+
+describe("startGmailWatcherWithLogs", () => {
+  const log = {
+    info: vi.fn(),
+    warn: vi.fn(),
+    error: vi.fn(),
+  };
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    startGmailWatcherMock.mockReset();
+    log.info.mockReset();
+    log.warn.mockReset();
+    log.error.mockReset();
+    delete process.env.OPENCLAW_SKIP_GMAIL_WATCHER;
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    delete process.env.OPENCLAW_SKIP_GMAIL_WATCHER;
+  });
+
+  it("logs startup success", async () => {
+    startGmailWatcherMock.mockResolvedValue({ started: true, reason: undefined });
+
+    await startGmailWatcherWithLogs({
+      cfg: {},
+      log,
+    });
+
+    expect(log.info).toHaveBeenCalledWith("gmail watcher started");
+    expect(log.warn).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(log.error).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("logs actionable non-start reason", async () => {
+    startGmailWatcherMock.mockResolvedValue({ started: false, reason: "auth failed" });
+
+    await startGmailWatcherWithLogs({
+      cfg: {},
+      log,
+    });
+
+    expect(log.warn).toHaveBeenCalledWith("gmail watcher not started: auth failed");
+  });
+
+  it("suppresses expected non-start reasons", async () => {
+    startGmailWatcherMock.mockResolvedValue({
+      started: false,
+      reason: "hooks not enabled",
+    });
+
+    await startGmailWatcherWithLogs({
+      cfg: {},
+      log,
+    });
+
+    expect(log.warn).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("supports skip callback when watcher is disabled", async () => {
+    process.env.OPENCLAW_SKIP_GMAIL_WATCHER = "1";
+    const onSkipped = vi.fn();
+
+    await startGmailWatcherWithLogs({
+      cfg: {},
+      log,
+      onSkipped,
+    });
+
+    expect(startGmailWatcherMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(onSkipped).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+
+  it("logs startup errors", async () => {
+    startGmailWatcherMock.mockRejectedValue(new Error("boom"));
+
+    await startGmailWatcherWithLogs({
+      cfg: {},
+      log,
+    });
+
+    expect(log.error).toHaveBeenCalledWith("gmail watcher failed to start: Error: boom");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/hooks/gmail-watcher-lifecycle.ts b/src/hooks/gmail-watcher-lifecycle.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..975206b34c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/hooks/gmail-watcher-lifecycle.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+import type { OpenClawConfig } from "../config/config.js";
+import { isTruthyEnvValue } from "../infra/env.js";
+import { startGmailWatcher } from "./gmail-watcher.js";
+
+export type GMailWatcherLog = {
+  info: (msg: string) => void;
+  warn: (msg: string) => void;
+  error: (msg: string) => void;
+};
+
+export async function startGmailWatcherWithLogs(params: {
+  cfg: OpenClawConfig;
+  log: GMailWatcherLog;
+  onSkipped?: () => void;
+}) {
+  if (isTruthyEnvValue(process.env.OPENCLAW_SKIP_GMAIL_WATCHER)) {
+    params.onSkipped?.();
+    return;
+  }
+
+  try {
+    const gmailResult = await startGmailWatcher(params.cfg);
+    if (gmailResult.started) {
+      params.log.info("gmail watcher started");
+      return;
+    }
+    if (
+      gmailResult.reason &&
+      gmailResult.reason !== "hooks not enabled" &&
+      gmailResult.reason !== "no gmail account configured"
+    ) {
+      params.log.warn(`gmail watcher not started: ${gmailResult.reason}`);
+    }
+  } catch (err) {
+    params.log.error(`gmail watcher failed to start: ${String(err)}`);
+  }
+}