diff --git a/plugin/index.ts b/plugin/index.ts
index 350fe85..a137357 100644
--- a/plugin/index.ts
+++ b/plugin/index.ts
@@ -10,17 +10,23 @@ import { startModeratorPresence, stopModeratorPresence } from "./moderator-prese
 let noReplyProcess: ChildProcess | null = null;
 
 function startNoReplyApi(logger: { info: (m: string) => void; warn: (m: string) => void }, pluginDir: string, port = 8787): void {
+  logger.info(`dirigent: startNoReplyApi called, pluginDir=${pluginDir}`);
+
   if (noReplyProcess) {
     logger.info("dirigent: no-reply API already running, skipping");
     return;
   }
 
   const serverPath = path.resolve(pluginDir, "..", "no-reply-api", "server.mjs");
+  logger.info(`dirigent: resolved serverPath=${serverPath}`);
+
   if (!fs.existsSync(serverPath)) {
     logger.warn(`dirigent: no-reply API server not found at ${serverPath}, skipping`);
     return;
   }
 
+  logger.info(`dirigent: no-reply API server found, spawning process...`);
+
   noReplyProcess = spawn(process.execPath, [serverPath], {
     env: { ...process.env, PORT: String(port) },
     stdio: ["ignore", "pipe", "pipe"],
@@ -508,17 +514,38 @@ export default {
     ensurePolicyStateLoaded(api, liveAtRegister);
 
     // Resolve plugin directory for locating sibling modules (no-reply-api/)
-    // Use api.resolvePath to get the actual plugin directory in OpenClaw environment
-    const pluginDir = api.resolvePath(".");
+    // Note: api.resolvePath(".") returns cwd, not script directory. Use import.meta.url instead.
+    const pluginDir = path.dirname(new URL(import.meta.url).pathname);
+    api.logger.info(`dirigent: pluginDir resolved from import.meta.url: ${pluginDir}`);
 
     // Gateway lifecycle: start/stop no-reply API and moderator bot with the gateway
     api.on("gateway_start", () => {
+      api.logger.info(`dirigent: gateway_start event received`);
+
+      // Check no-reply-api server file exists
+      const serverPath = path.resolve(pluginDir, "..", "no-reply-api", "server.mjs");
+      api.logger.info(`dirigent: checking no-reply-api server at ${serverPath}, exists=${fs.existsSync(serverPath)}`);
+
+      // Additional debug: list what's in the parent directory
+      const parentDir = path.resolve(pluginDir, "..");
+      try {
+        const entries = fs.readdirSync(parentDir);
+        api.logger.info(`dirigent: parent dir (${parentDir}) entries: ${JSON.stringify(entries)}`);
+      } catch (e) {
+        api.logger.warn(`dirigent: cannot read parent dir: ${String(e)}`);
+      }
+
       startNoReplyApi(api.logger, pluginDir);
 
       const live = getLivePluginConfig(api, baseConfig as DirigentConfig);
+      api.logger.info(`dirigent: config loaded, moderatorBotToken=${live.moderatorBotToken ? "[set]" : "[not set]"}`);
+
       if (live.moderatorBotToken) {
+        api.logger.info("dirigent: starting moderator bot presence...");
         startModeratorPresence(live.moderatorBotToken, api.logger);
-        api.logger.info("dirigent: moderator bot presence starting");
+        api.logger.info("dirigent: moderator bot presence started");
+      } else {
+        api.logger.info("dirigent: moderator bot not starting - no moderatorBotToken in config");
       }
     });
 
diff --git a/scripts/install-dirigent-openclaw.mjs b/scripts/install-dirigent-openclaw.mjs
index d5fb9c5..3dfec54 100755
--- a/scripts/install-dirigent-openclaw.mjs
+++ b/scripts/install-dirigent-openclaw.mjs
@@ -22,11 +22,26 @@ const __dirname = path.dirname(new URL(import.meta.url).pathname);
 // Ensure dist/dirigent exists (handles git clone without npm prepare)
 const DIST_DIR = path.resolve(__dirname, "..", "dist", "dirigent");
 const PLUGIN_SRC_DIR = path.resolve(__dirname, "..", "plugin");
-if (mode === "install" && !fs.existsSync(DIST_DIR)) {
-  console.log("[dirigent] dist/ not found, syncing from plugin/...");
-  fs.mkdirSync(DIST_DIR, { recursive: true });
-  for (const f of fs.readdirSync(PLUGIN_SRC_DIR)) {
-    fs.copyFileSync(path.join(PLUGIN_SRC_DIR, f), path.join(DIST_DIR, f));
+const NO_REPLY_API_SRC_DIR = path.resolve(__dirname, "..", "no-reply-api");
+const NO_REPLY_API_DIST_DIR = path.resolve(__dirname, "..", "dist", "no-reply-api");
+
+if (mode === "install") {
+  // Copy plugin files to dist/dirigent
+  if (!fs.existsSync(DIST_DIR)) {
+    console.log("[dirigent] dist/dirigent/ not found, syncing from plugin/...");
+    fs.mkdirSync(DIST_DIR, { recursive: true });
+    for (const f of fs.readdirSync(PLUGIN_SRC_DIR)) {
+      fs.copyFileSync(path.join(PLUGIN_SRC_DIR, f), path.join(DIST_DIR, f));
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Copy no-reply-api files to dist/no-reply-api
+  if (!fs.existsSync(NO_REPLY_API_DIST_DIR)) {
+    console.log("[dirigent] dist/no-reply-api/ not found, syncing from no-reply-api/...");
+    fs.mkdirSync(NO_REPLY_API_DIST_DIR, { recursive: true });
+    for (const f of fs.readdirSync(NO_REPLY_API_SRC_DIR)) {
+      fs.copyFileSync(path.join(NO_REPLY_API_SRC_DIR, f), path.join(NO_REPLY_API_DIST_DIR, f));
+    }
   }
 }