diff --git a/internal/cli/app.go b/internal/cli/app.go
index 65798fd7..4b8773fd 100644
--- a/internal/cli/app.go
+++ b/internal/cli/app.go
@@ -3724,7 +3724,7 @@ func syncPortableStore(ctx context.Context, remoteURL, dir string) (string, erro
 				return "", err
 			}
 			if resetErr := runGit(ctx, "", "-C", dir, "reset", "--hard", "HEAD"); resetErr != nil {
-				return "", err
+				return "", resetErr
 			}
 			if retryErr := fastForwardGitCheckout(ctx, dir, false); retryErr != nil {
 				return "", retryErr
@@ -3747,7 +3747,9 @@ func syncPortableStore(ctx context.Context, remoteURL, dir string) (string, erro
 	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(dir), 0o755); err != nil {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("create portable store parent: %w", err)
 	}
-	if err := runGit(ctx, "", "clone", "--depth", "1", remoteURL, dir); err != nil {
+	cloneCtx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, portableStoreRepairTimeout)
+	defer cancel()
+	if err := runGit(cloneCtx, "", "clone", "--depth", "1", remoteURL, dir); err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
 	if err := markPortableStoreCheckout(dir); err != nil {
diff --git a/internal/cli/portable_store_sync_test.go b/internal/cli/portable_store_sync_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f3711551
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cli/portable_store_sync_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,187 @@
+package cli
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"runtime"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+func TestSyncPortableStoreDirtyPullSurfacesResetError(t *testing.T) {
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		t.Skip("git PATH wrapper is a POSIX script")
+	}
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	remoteDir, checkoutDir := seedPortableStoreRepo(t)
+	if _, err := syncPortableStore(ctx, remoteDir, checkoutDir); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("initial portable sync: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	incoming := "incoming.txt"
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(remoteDir, incoming), []byte("remote-incoming\n"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write remote incoming: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := runGit(ctx, remoteDir, "add", incoming); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("git add incoming: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := runGit(ctx, remoteDir, "-c", "user.email=test@example.com", "-c", "user.name=Test", "commit", "-m", "add incoming"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("git commit incoming: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(checkoutDir, incoming), []byte("local-untracked\n"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write untracked incoming: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !gitWorktreeClean(ctx, checkoutDir) {
+		t.Fatal("precondition: worktree must look clean so the dirty-pull reset path is used")
+	}
+
+	installGitResetFailureWrapper(t, "test-reset-hard-denied")
+
+	_, err := syncPortableStore(ctx, remoteDir, checkoutDir)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected reset --hard failure after dirty pull")
+	}
+	msg := err.Error()
+	if !strings.Contains(msg, "test-reset-hard-denied") {
+		t.Fatalf("error = %q, want the reset failure, not the original dirty pull error", msg)
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(msg, "would be overwritten") || strings.Contains(msg, "Your local changes") {
+		t.Fatalf("returned dirty pull error instead of reset error: %q", msg)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSyncPortableStoreInitCloneUsesRepairTimeout(t *testing.T) {
+	src, err := os.ReadFile("app.go")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read app.go: %v", err)
+	}
+	body, ok := functionSource(string(src), "syncPortableStore")
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatal("syncPortableStore not found in app.go")
+	}
+	timeoutCall := "context.WithTimeout(ctx, portableStoreRepairTimeout)"
+	timeoutIdx := strings.Index(body, timeoutCall)
+	if timeoutIdx < 0 {
+		t.Fatal("init clone must wrap git clone with context.WithTimeout(ctx, portableStoreRepairTimeout)")
+	}
+	cloneIdx := strings.Index(body, `"clone"`)
+	if cloneIdx < 0 {
+		t.Fatal("syncPortableStore must invoke git clone")
+	}
+	if timeoutIdx > cloneIdx {
+		t.Fatal("portableStoreRepairTimeout must be applied before the init clone")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(body[timeoutIdx:cloneIdx], "cloneCtx") && !strings.Contains(body, "runGit(cloneCtx") {
+		t.Fatal("init clone must run under the timeout context, like runtime.go reclone")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSyncPortableStoreInitCloneHonorsParentDeadline(t *testing.T) {
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		t.Skip("git PATH wrapper is a POSIX script")
+	}
+	installGitHangOnCloneWrapper(t)
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 150*time.Millisecond)
+	defer cancel()
+	start := time.Now()
+	_, err := syncPortableStore(ctx, "https://example.invalid/gitcrawl-store.git", filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "checkout"))
+	elapsed := time.Since(start)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected clone to fail when the parent context expires")
+	}
+	if elapsed > 2*time.Second {
+		t.Fatalf("clone was not cancelled after parent deadline, elapsed %s", elapsed)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "deadline") && !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "context") {
+		t.Fatalf("clone error = %q, want a context deadline", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func seedPortableStoreRepo(t *testing.T) (remoteDir, checkoutDir string) {
+	t.Helper()
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	remoteDir = filepath.Join(dir, "remote")
+	checkoutDir = filepath.Join(dir, "checkout")
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(remoteDir, "data"), 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("mkdir remote: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := runGit(ctx, remoteDir, "init", "-b", "main"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("git init: %v", err)
+	}
+	dbPath := filepath.Join(remoteDir, "data", "openclaw__openclaw.sync.db")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(dbPath, []byte("remote-v1"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write remote db: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := runGit(ctx, remoteDir, "add", "data/openclaw__openclaw.sync.db"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("git add: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := runGit(ctx, remoteDir, "-c", "user.email=test@example.com", "-c", "user.name=Test", "commit", "-m", "seed store"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("git commit seed: %v", err)
+	}
+	return remoteDir, checkoutDir
+}
+
+func installGitResetFailureWrapper(t *testing.T, message string) {
+	t.Helper()
+	installGitArgFailureWrapper(t, "reset", message)
+}
+
+func installGitHangOnCloneWrapper(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Helper()
+	realGit, err := exec.LookPath("git")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("look up git: %v", err)
+	}
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	script := "#!/bin/sh\n" +
+		"for arg in \"$@\"; do\n" +
+		"  if [ \"$arg\" = \"clone\" ]; then\n" +
+		"    sleep 30\n" +
+		"    exit 1\n" +
+		"  fi\n" +
+		"done\n" +
+		"exec \"" + realGit + "\" \"$@\"\n"
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(dir, "git"), []byte(script), 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write hanging git wrapper: %v", err)
+	}
+	t.Setenv("PATH", dir+string(os.PathListSeparator)+os.Getenv("PATH"))
+}
+
+func installGitArgFailureWrapper(t *testing.T, verb, message string) {
+	t.Helper()
+	realGit, err := exec.LookPath("git")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("look up git: %v", err)
+	}
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	script := "#!/bin/sh\n" +
+		"for arg in \"$@\"; do\n" +
+		"  if [ \"$arg\" = \"" + verb + "\" ]; then\n" +
+		"    echo \"" + message + "\" >&2\n" +
+		"    exit 128\n" +
+		"  fi\n" +
+		"done\n" +
+		"exec \"" + realGit + "\" \"$@\"\n"
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(dir, "git"), []byte(script), 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write git wrapper: %v", err)
+	}
+	t.Setenv("PATH", dir+string(os.PathListSeparator)+os.Getenv("PATH"))
+}
+
+func functionSource(src, name string) (string, bool) {
+	sig := "func " + name + "("
+	start := strings.Index(src, sig)
+	if start < 0 {
+		return "", false
+	}
+	rest := src[start:]
+	next := strings.Index(rest[len(sig):], "\nfunc ")
+	if next < 0 {
+		return rest, true
+	}
+	return rest[:len(sig)+next], true
+}