diff --git a/src/utils.test.ts b/src/utils.test.ts
index 4bb3b16422a..d9e9021de16 100644
--- a/src/utils.test.ts
+++ b/src/utils.test.ts
@@ -159,6 +159,18 @@ describe("resolveConfigDir", () => {
     const env = { OPENCLAW_HOME: "/srv/app" } as NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
     expect(resolveConfigDir(env)).toBe(path.resolve("/srv/app/.openclaw"));
   });
+
+  it("prefers existing nested config dir for backward compat (#45765)", () => {
+    const tmpDir = path.join(os.tmpdir(), `openclaw-test-config-${Date.now()}`);
+    const nestedDir = path.join(tmpDir, ".openclaw", ".openclaw");
+    fs.mkdirSync(nestedDir, { recursive: true });
+    try {
+      const env = { OPENCLAW_HOME: path.join(tmpDir, ".openclaw") } as NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
+      expect(resolveConfigDir(env)).toBe(path.join(tmpDir, ".openclaw", ".openclaw"));
+    } finally {
+      fs.rmSync(tmpDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  });
 });
 
 describe("resolveHomeDir", () => {
diff --git a/src/utils.ts b/src/utils.ts
index 158e4ff080c..8b6ec7aab5c 100644
--- a/src/utils.ts
+++ b/src/utils.ts
@@ -295,6 +295,16 @@ export function resolveConfigDir(
   const explicitHome = env.OPENCLAW_HOME?.trim();
   const resolvedHome = resolveRequiredHomeDir(env, homedir);
   if (explicitHome && ALL_STATE_DIRNAMES.has(path.basename(resolvedHome))) {
+    // Backward compat: if a nested config dir already exists from the old
+    // buggy behavior, prefer it so we don't orphan existing config data.
+    const nestedConfig = path.join(resolvedHome, ".openclaw");
+    try {
+      if (fs.existsSync(nestedConfig)) {
+        return nestedConfig;
+      }
+    } catch {
+      // best-effort
+    }
     return resolvedHome;
   }
   const newDir = path.join(resolvedHome, ".openclaw");