diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 45f11935004..69f10411241 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "openclaw",
-  "version": "2026.2.22-1",
+  "version": "2026.2.22-2",
   "description": "Multi-channel AI gateway with extensible messaging integrations",
   "keywords": [],
   "homepage": "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw#readme",
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-tools-agent-config.test.ts b/src/agents/pi-tools-agent-config.test.ts
index a87fdf884cc..96cac05019b 100644
--- a/src/agents/pi-tools-agent-config.test.ts
+++ b/src/agents/pi-tools-agent-config.test.ts
@@ -604,6 +604,31 @@ describe("Agent-specific tool filtering", () => {
     expect(resultDetails?.status).toBe("completed");
   });
 
+  it("keeps sandbox as the implicit exec host default without forcing gateway approvals", async () => {
+    const tools = createOpenClawCodingTools({
+      config: {},
+      sessionKey: "agent:main:main",
+      workspaceDir: "/tmp/test-main-implicit-sandbox",
+      agentDir: "/tmp/agent-main-implicit-sandbox",
+    });
+    const execTool = tools.find((tool) => tool.name === "exec");
+    expect(execTool).toBeDefined();
+
+    const result = await execTool!.execute("call-implicit-sandbox-default", {
+      command: "echo done",
+      yieldMs: 10,
+    });
+    const details = result?.details as { status?: string } | undefined;
+    expect(details?.status).toBe("completed");
+
+    await expect(
+      execTool!.execute("call-implicit-sandbox-gateway", {
+        command: "echo done",
+        host: "gateway",
+      }),
+    ).rejects.toThrow("exec host not allowed");
+  });
+
   it("fails closed when exec host=sandbox is requested without sandbox runtime", async () => {
     const tools = createOpenClawCodingTools({
       config: {},
@@ -618,7 +643,7 @@ describe("Agent-specific tool filtering", () => {
         command: "echo done",
         host: "sandbox",
       }),
-    ).rejects.toThrow("exec host not allowed");
+    ).rejects.toThrow("exec host=sandbox is configured");
   });
 
   it("should apply agent-specific exec host defaults over global defaults", async () => {
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-tools.ts b/src/agents/pi-tools.ts
index 361ca903fc6..f40226c960c 100644
--- a/src/agents/pi-tools.ts
+++ b/src/agents/pi-tools.ts
@@ -364,13 +364,9 @@ export function createOpenClawCodingTools(options?: {
     return [tool];
   });
   const { cleanupMs: cleanupMsOverride, ...execDefaults } = options?.exec ?? {};
-  // Fail-closed baseline: when no sandbox context exists, default exec to gateway
-  // so we never silently treat "sandbox" as host execution.
-  const resolvedExecHost =
-    options?.exec?.host ?? execConfig.host ?? (sandbox ? "sandbox" : "gateway");
   const execTool = createExecTool({
     ...execDefaults,
-    host: resolvedExecHost,
+    host: options?.exec?.host ?? execConfig.host,
     security: options?.exec?.security ?? execConfig.security,
     ask: options?.exec?.ask ?? execConfig.ask,
     node: options?.exec?.node ?? execConfig.node,
diff --git a/src/config/types.tools.ts b/src/config/types.tools.ts
index 98a59cdfd8e..164eacc6ae0 100644
--- a/src/config/types.tools.ts
+++ b/src/config/types.tools.ts
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ export function parseToolsBySenderTypedKey(
 export type GroupToolPolicyBySenderConfig = Record<string, GroupToolPolicyConfig>;
 
 export type ExecToolConfig = {
-  /** Exec host routing (default: sandbox with sandbox runtime, otherwise gateway). */
+  /** Exec host routing (default: sandbox). */
   host?: "sandbox" | "gateway" | "node";
   /** Exec security mode (default: deny). */
   security?: "deny" | "allowlist" | "full";