diff --git a/src/service.ts b/src/service.ts
index 1299270..c89d86c 100644
--- a/src/service.ts
+++ b/src/service.ts
@@ -427,6 +427,118 @@ export function createOpikService(
     scheduleFlush(`trace-finalized sessionKey=${sessionKey}`);
   }
 
+  // ==========================================================================
+  // Register all hooks at createOpikService() time (i.e. during register()),
+  // NOT inside start(). The OpenClaw gateway initialises its global hook runner
+  // once, immediately after register() returns. Any api.on() calls made inside
+  // start() execute after the runner is sealed and are silently ignored —
+  // meaning the plugin captures zero traces with the original code.
+  //
+  // All hooks guard with `if (!client) return` so they are safe to call in the
+  // brief window between register() and the first start() invocation.
+  // ==========================================================================
+  registerLlmHooks({
+    api,
+    getClient: () => client,
+    activeTraces,
+    tags: pluginConfig.tags ?? ["openclaw"],
+    projectName: pluginConfig.projectName ?? "openclaw",
+    rememberSessionCorrelation,
+    closeActiveTrace,
+    forgetSessionCorrelation,
+    applyContextMeta,
+    safeSpanUpdate,
+    safeSpanEnd,
+    scheduleMediaAttachmentUploads: attachmentUploader.scheduleMediaAttachmentUploads,
+    warn: (message) => log.warn(message),
+    formatError,
+  });
+
+  registerToolHooks({
+    api,
+    getClient: () => client,
+    activeTraces,
+    sessionByAgentId,
+    getLastActiveSessionKey: () => lastActiveSessionKey,
+    rememberSessionCorrelation,
+    resolveSessionSpanContainer,
+    warnMissingAfterToolSessionKey,
+    nextSpanSeq: () => ++spanSeq,
+    safeSpanUpdate,
+    safeSpanEnd,
+    scheduleMediaAttachmentUploads: attachmentUploader.scheduleMediaAttachmentUploads,
+    projectName: pluginConfig.projectName ?? "openclaw",
+    warn: (message) => log.warn(message),
+    formatError,
+  });
+
+  registerSubagentHooks({
+    api,
+    getClient: () => client,
+    rememberSessionCorrelation,
+    resolveSubagentSpanContainer,
+    getSubagentSpanHost,
+    rememberSubagentSpanHost,
+    forgetSubagentSpanHost,
+    safeSpanUpdate,
+    safeSpanEnd,
+    warn: (message) => log.warn(message),
+    formatError,
+  });
+
+  api.on("tool_result_persist", (event) => {
+    if (!client) return;
+    if (pluginConfig.toolResultPersistSanitizeEnabled !== true) return;
+    try {
+      const eventObj = event as Record<string, unknown>;
+      const message = eventObj.message;
+      if (!message || typeof message !== "object") return;
+      const sanitizedMessage = sanitizeValueForOpik(message);
+      if (sanitizedMessage !== message) return { message: sanitizedMessage };
+    } catch (err) {
+      log.warn(`opik: tool_result_persist failed: ${formatError(err)}`);
+    }
+  });
+
+  api.on("agent_end", (event, agentCtx) => {
+    if (!client) return;
+    const sessionKey = agentCtx.sessionKey;
+    if (!sessionKey) return;
+    rememberSessionCorrelation(sessionKey, agentCtx.agentId);
+    const active = activeTraces.get(sessionKey);
+    if (!active) return;
+    applyContextMeta(active, agentCtx as Record<string, unknown>);
+    for (const [toolKey, toolSpan] of active.toolSpans)
+      safeSpanEnd(toolSpan, `agent_end orphan tool sessionKey=${sessionKey} toolKey=${toolKey}`);
+    active.toolSpans.clear();
+    for (const [subagentKey, subagentSpan] of active.subagentSpans)
+      safeSpanEnd(subagentSpan, `agent_end orphan subagent sessionKey=${sessionKey} subagentKey=${subagentKey}`);
+    active.subagentSpans.clear();
+    active.agentEnd = {
+      success: event.success,
+      error: typeof event.error === "string" ? sanitizeStringForOpik(event.error) : event.error,
+      durationMs: event.durationMs,
+      messages: (sanitizeValueForOpik(
+        ((event as Record<string, unknown>).messages as unknown[]) ?? [],
+      ) as unknown[]) ?? [],
+    };
+    attachmentUploader.scheduleMediaAttachmentUploads({
+      entityType: "trace",
+      entity: active.trace,
+      projectName: pluginConfig.projectName ?? "openclaw",
+      reason: `agent_end sessionKey=${sessionKey}`,
+      payloads: [
+        event.error,
+        ((event as Record<string, unknown>).messages as unknown[] | undefined)?.at(-1),
+      ],
+    });
+    const traceRef = active.trace;
+    queueMicrotask(() => {
+      const current = activeTraces.get(sessionKey);
+      if (current && current.trace === traceRef) finalizeTrace(sessionKey);
+    });
+  });
+
   return {
     id: OPIK_PLUGIN_ID,
     async start(ctx) {
@@ -479,130 +591,8 @@ export function createOpikService(
         workspaceName,
       });
 
-      registerLlmHooks({
-        api,
-        getClient: () => client,
-        activeTraces,
-        tags,
-        projectName,
-        rememberSessionCorrelation,
-        closeActiveTrace,
-        forgetSessionCorrelation,
-        applyContextMeta,
-        safeSpanUpdate,
-        safeSpanEnd,
-        scheduleMediaAttachmentUploads: attachmentUploader.scheduleMediaAttachmentUploads,
-        warn: (message) => log.warn(message),
-        formatError,
-      });
-
-      registerToolHooks({
-        api,
-        getClient: () => client,
-        activeTraces,
-        sessionByAgentId,
-        getLastActiveSessionKey: () => lastActiveSessionKey,
-        rememberSessionCorrelation,
-        resolveSessionSpanContainer,
-        warnMissingAfterToolSessionKey,
-        nextSpanSeq: () => ++spanSeq,
-        safeSpanUpdate,
-        safeSpanEnd,
-        scheduleMediaAttachmentUploads: attachmentUploader.scheduleMediaAttachmentUploads,
-        projectName,
-        warn: (message) => log.warn(message),
-        formatError,
-      });
-
-      registerSubagentHooks({
-        api,
-        getClient: () => client,
-        rememberSessionCorrelation,
-        resolveSubagentSpanContainer,
-        getSubagentSpanHost,
-        rememberSubagentSpanHost,
-        forgetSubagentSpanHost,
-        safeSpanUpdate,
-        safeSpanEnd,
-        warn: (message) => log.warn(message),
-        formatError,
-      });
-
-      // =====================================================================
-      // Hook: tool_result_persist — sanitize persisted tool messages (opt-in)
-      // =====================================================================
-      if (opikCfg.toolResultPersistSanitizeEnabled === true) {
-        api.on("tool_result_persist", (event) => {
-          try {
-            const eventObj = event as Record<string, unknown>;
-            const message = eventObj.message;
-            if (!message || typeof message !== "object") return;
-
-            const sanitizedMessage = sanitizeValueForOpik(message);
-            if (sanitizedMessage !== message) {
-              return { message: sanitizedMessage };
-            }
-          } catch (err) {
-            log.warn(`opik: tool_result_persist failed: ${formatError(err)}`);
-          }
-        });
-      }
-
-      // =====================================================================
-      // Hook: agent_end — Finalize Trace
-      // =====================================================================
-      api.on("agent_end", (event, agentCtx) => {
-        const sessionKey = agentCtx.sessionKey;
-        if (!sessionKey) return;
-        rememberSessionCorrelation(sessionKey, agentCtx.agentId);
-
-        const active = activeTraces.get(sessionKey);
-        if (!active) return;
-
-        applyContextMeta(active, agentCtx as Record<string, unknown>);
-        // Close any orphaned tool/subagent spans synchronously.
-        for (const [toolKey, toolSpan] of active.toolSpans) {
-          safeSpanEnd(toolSpan, `agent_end orphan tool sessionKey=${sessionKey} toolKey=${toolKey}`);
-        }
-        active.toolSpans.clear();
-
-        for (const [subagentKey, subagentSpan] of active.subagentSpans) {
-          safeSpanEnd(
-            subagentSpan,
-            `agent_end orphan subagent sessionKey=${sessionKey} subagentKey=${subagentKey}`,
-          );
-        }
-        active.subagentSpans.clear();
-
-        // Store agent-end data for deferred finalization.
-        active.agentEnd = {
-          success: event.success,
-          error: typeof event.error === "string" ? sanitizeStringForOpik(event.error) : event.error,
-          durationMs: event.durationMs,
-          messages: (sanitizeValueForOpik(
-            ((event as Record<string, unknown>).messages as unknown[]) ?? [],
-          ) as unknown[]) ?? [],
-        };
-
-        attachmentUploader.scheduleMediaAttachmentUploads({
-          entityType: "trace",
-          entity: active.trace,
-          projectName,
-          reason: `agent_end sessionKey=${sessionKey}`,
-          payloads: [
-            event.error,
-            ((event as Record<string, unknown>).messages as unknown[] | undefined)?.at(-1),
-          ],
-        });
-
-        // Defer finalization to a microtask so llm_output (which fires on the
-        // same synchronous call stack) can store output/usage first.
-        const traceRef = active.trace;
-        queueMicrotask(() => {
-          const current = activeTraces.get(sessionKey);
-          if (current && current.trace === traceRef) finalizeTrace(sessionKey);
-        });
-      });
+      // Hooks are registered at createOpikService() time (see below) so they
+      // are captured by the gateway hook runner before start() is called.
 
       // =====================================================================
       // Diagnostic event: model.usage — Accumulate cost/context info
diff --git a/src/service/hooks/llm.ts b/src/service/hooks/llm.ts
index e1c1da7..edd4729 100644
--- a/src/service/hooks/llm.ts
+++ b/src/service/hooks/llm.ts
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ export function registerLlmHooks(deps: LlmHooksDeps): void {
       }) as Record<string, unknown>;
       trace = client.trace({
         name: `${event.model} · ${channelId ?? "unknown"}`,
+        projectName: deps.projectName,
         threadId: sessionKey,
         input: sanitizedTraceInput,
         metadata: {