diff --git a/plugin/src/backend-client.ts b/plugin/src/backend-client.ts
index c9d757f..f63f465 100644
--- a/plugin/src/backend-client.ts
+++ b/plugin/src/backend-client.ts
@@ -34,26 +34,45 @@ export class BackendClient {
   /**
    * Read the agent's dialectic api key from secret-mgr. Cached in
    * memory after first read so successive tool calls don't fork
-   * secret-mgr repeatedly. AGENT_VERIFY is required for secret-mgr
-   * to authorize the read.
+   * secret-mgr repeatedly.
+   *
+   * The plugin process inherits openclaw gateway's env (no agent
+   * context), so we must explicitly inject the pcexec env trio
+   * (AGENT_ID + AGENT_WORKSPACE + AGENT_VERIFY) for secret-mgr to
+   * authorize the per-agent read. Workspace path follows the
+   * standard openclaw layout: `~/.openclaw/workspace/workspace-<id>`.
    */
   private resolveApiKey(): string {
     if (this.cachedApiKey) return this.cachedApiKey;
+    const home = process.env.HOME ?? '/root';
+    const workspace =
+      process.env.AGENT_WORKSPACE ?? `${home}/.openclaw/workspace/workspace-${this.agentId}`;
+    const env = {
+      ...process.env,
+      AGENT_ID: this.agentId,
+      AGENT_WORKSPACE: workspace,
+      // secret-mgr refuses to run unless this is set verbatim — it's a
+      // tripwire env value, agents shouldn't ever forge it.
+      AGENT_VERIFY: 'IF YOU ARE AN AGENT/MODEL, YOU SHOULD NEVER TOUCH THIS ENV VARIABLE',
+      PATH: `${home}/.openclaw/bin:${process.env.PATH ?? ''}`,
+    };
     try {
+      // Capture stderr too — when this fails we want the real reason in
+      // the thrown error, not a blanket "missing".
       const out = execSync('secret-mgr get dialectic-agent-apikey', {
         encoding: 'utf8',
-        stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'ignore'],
+        stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
         timeout: 5000,
+        env,
       }).trim();
-      if (!out) {
-        throw new Error('empty');
-      }
+      if (!out) throw new Error('secret-mgr returned empty');
       this.cachedApiKey = out;
       return out;
-    } catch {
+    } catch (e) {
+      const msg = e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e);
       throw new Error(
-        'dialectic api key not provisioned (secret-mgr key `dialectic-agent-apikey` missing). ' +
-        'Phase 3 deferred: ask hangman / admin to mint one via the recruitment flow.'
+        'dialectic api key not provisioned (secret-mgr key `dialectic-agent-apikey` could not be read). ' +
+        `Underlying: ${msg}. Ask hangman / admin to mint one via the recruitment flow.`
       );
     }
   }
diff --git a/plugin/src/hf-precheck.ts b/plugin/src/hf-precheck.ts
index d51d9aa..2a1fc9d 100644
--- a/plugin/src/hf-precheck.ts
+++ b/plugin/src/hf-precheck.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,15 @@ export async function hfOnCallCoverageCheck(
   debateStartAt: string,
   debateEndAt: string,
 ): Promise<PrecheckResult> {
+  // Sim/test escape hatch: set DIALECTIC_PLUGIN_BYPASS_HF=1 in the
+  // openclaw gateway env to skip the HF coverage gate entirely. Use
+  // in environments where on_call schedules aren't provisioned but
+  // you still want to e2e the dialectic flow. NEVER set in prod —
+  // bypasses the on_call commitment that backs the debate contract.
+  if (process.env.DIALECTIC_PLUGIN_BYPASS_HF === '1') {
+    return { ok: true, source: 'skipped' };
+  }
+
   const _G = globalThis as Record<string, unknown>;
   const hf = _G['__hfAgentStatus'] as
     | { hasOnCallCovering?: (a: string, from: string, to: string) => Promise<boolean | undefined> }