diff --git a/cmd/picoclaw/internal/channel/command.go b/cmd/picoclaw/internal/channel/command.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..717b997f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/picoclaw/internal/channel/command.go
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+package channel
+
+import "github.com/spf13/cobra"
+
+func NewChannelCommand() *cobra.Command {
+	cmd := &cobra.Command{
+		Use:     "channel",
+		Aliases: []string{"ch"},
+		Short:   "Manage channel runtimes",
+		Args:    cobra.NoArgs,
+		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
+			return cmd.Help()
+		},
+	}
+
+	cmd.AddCommand(newStartCommand())
+
+	return cmd
+}
diff --git a/cmd/picoclaw/internal/channel/command_test.go b/cmd/picoclaw/internal/channel/command_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..22726f972
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/picoclaw/internal/channel/command_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+package channel
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+func TestNewChannelCommand(t *testing.T) {
+	cmd := NewChannelCommand()
+
+	require.NotNil(t, cmd)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "channel", cmd.Use)
+	assert.Equal(t, "Manage channel runtimes", cmd.Short)
+
+	assert.Len(t, cmd.Aliases, 1)
+	assert.True(t, cmd.HasAlias("ch"))
+
+	assert.Nil(t, cmd.Run)
+	assert.NotNil(t, cmd.RunE)
+
+	assert.True(t, cmd.HasSubCommands())
+	startCmd, _, err := cmd.Find([]string{"start"})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NotNil(t, startCmd)
+	assert.Equal(t, "start", startCmd.Name())
+}
diff --git a/cmd/picoclaw/internal/channel/start.go b/cmd/picoclaw/internal/channel/start.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c8ddb5420
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/picoclaw/internal/channel/start.go
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+package channel
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+
+	"github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/cmd/picoclaw/internal"
+	"github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/pkg/gateway"
+	"github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/pkg/logger"
+	"github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/pkg/utils"
+)
+
+func newStartCommand() *cobra.Command {
+	var debug bool
+	var noTruncate bool
+	var allowEmpty bool
+
+	cmd := &cobra.Command{
+		Use:   "start",
+		Short: "Start channels without gateway side services",
+		Args:  cobra.NoArgs,
+		PreRunE: func(_ *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
+			if noTruncate && !debug {
+				return fmt.Errorf("the --no-truncate option can only be used in conjunction with --debug (-d)")
+			}
+
+			if noTruncate {
+				utils.SetDisableTruncation(true)
+				logger.Info("String truncation is globally disabled via 'no-truncate' flag")
+			}
+
+			return nil
+		},
+		RunE: func(_ *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
+			return gateway.RunChannelsOnly(debug, internal.GetPicoclawHome(), internal.GetConfigPath(), allowEmpty)
+		},
+	}
+
+	cmd.Flags().BoolVarP(&debug, "debug", "d", false, "Enable debug logging")
+	cmd.Flags().BoolVarP(&noTruncate, "no-truncate", "T", false, "Disable string truncation in debug logs")
+	cmd.Flags().BoolVarP(
+		&allowEmpty,
+		"allow-empty",
+		"E",
+		false,
+		"Continue starting even when no default model is configured",
+	)
+
+	return cmd
+}
diff --git a/cmd/picoclaw/internal/channel/start_test.go b/cmd/picoclaw/internal/channel/start_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bbde329b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/picoclaw/internal/channel/start_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+package channel
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+func TestNewStartCommand(t *testing.T) {
+	cmd := newStartCommand()
+
+	require.NotNil(t, cmd)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "start", cmd.Use)
+	assert.Equal(t, "Start channels without gateway side services", cmd.Short)
+	assert.NotNil(t, cmd.RunE)
+	assert.NotNil(t, cmd.PreRunE)
+
+	assert.NotNil(t, cmd.Flags().Lookup("debug"))
+	assert.NotNil(t, cmd.Flags().Lookup("allow-empty"))
+	assert.NotNil(t, cmd.Flags().Lookup("no-truncate"))
+}
+
+func TestStartCommandPreRunE_NoTruncateRequiresDebug(t *testing.T) {
+	cmd := newStartCommand()
+
+	err := cmd.ParseFlags([]string{"--no-truncate"})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	err = cmd.PreRunE(cmd, nil)
+	assert.Error(t, err)
+	assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "--no-truncate")
+}
+
+func TestStartCommandPreRunE_NoTruncateWithDebug(t *testing.T) {
+	cmd := newStartCommand()
+
+	err := cmd.ParseFlags([]string{"--debug", "--no-truncate"})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	err = cmd.PreRunE(cmd, nil)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+}
diff --git a/cmd/picoclaw/main.go b/cmd/picoclaw/main.go
index 48dffbb33..36259ca66 100644
--- a/cmd/picoclaw/main.go
+++ b/cmd/picoclaw/main.go
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/cmd/picoclaw/internal"
 	"github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/cmd/picoclaw/internal/agent"
 	"github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/cmd/picoclaw/internal/auth"
+	"github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/cmd/picoclaw/internal/channel"
 	"github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/cmd/picoclaw/internal/cron"
 	"github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/cmd/picoclaw/internal/gateway"
 	"github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/cmd/picoclaw/internal/migrate"
@@ -40,6 +41,7 @@ func NewPicoclawCommand() *cobra.Command {
 		onboard.NewOnboardCommand(),
 		agent.NewAgentCommand(),
 		auth.NewAuthCommand(),
+		channel.NewChannelCommand(),
 		gateway.NewGatewayCommand(),
 		status.NewStatusCommand(),
 		cron.NewCronCommand(),
diff --git a/cmd/picoclaw/main_test.go b/cmd/picoclaw/main_test.go
index cb221dece..19f8264ba 100644
--- a/cmd/picoclaw/main_test.go
+++ b/cmd/picoclaw/main_test.go
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ func TestNewPicoclawCommand(t *testing.T) {
 	allowedCommands := []string{
 		"agent",
 		"auth",
+		"channel",
 		"cron",
 		"gateway",
 		"migrate",
diff --git a/docs/configuration.md b/docs/configuration.md
index 58930cbfa..ba3e29adc 100644
--- a/docs/configuration.md
+++ b/docs/configuration.md
@@ -33,6 +33,28 @@ PICOCLAW_HOME=/opt/picoclaw picoclaw agent
 PICOCLAW_HOME=/srv/picoclaw PICOCLAW_CONFIG=/srv/picoclaw/main.json picoclaw gateway
 ```
 
+### Channel-Only Runtime
+
+Use `picoclaw channel start` when you want to run enabled channels and AgentLoop without starting Gateway side services.
+
+```bash
+# Start all enabled channels from config.json
+picoclaw channel start
+
+# Same startup checks as gateway command
+picoclaw channel start --allow-empty
+picoclaw channel start --debug
+```
+
+Compared with `picoclaw gateway`, channel-only runtime:
+
+- Keeps MessageBus + AgentLoop + ChannelManager (full chat processing path)
+- Starts shared HTTP server for channel webhooks and `/health`/`/ready`
+- Does **not** start Cron service, Heartbeat service, Device service
+- Does **not** enable config hot reload or `/reload`
+
+Use `picoclaw gateway` if you need the full control plane and background services.
+
 ### Gateway Log Level
 
 `gateway.log_level` controls Gateway log verbosity and is configurable in `config.json`.
diff --git a/docs/zh/configuration.md b/docs/zh/configuration.md
index a405df09c..392ae5f74 100644
--- a/docs/zh/configuration.md
+++ b/docs/zh/configuration.md
@@ -31,6 +31,28 @@ PICOCLAW_HOME=/opt/picoclaw picoclaw agent
 PICOCLAW_HOME=/srv/picoclaw PICOCLAW_CONFIG=/srv/picoclaw/main.json picoclaw gateway
 ```
 
+### Channel 独立运行模式
+
+当你希望在不启动 gateway 侧服务的情况下，仅运行已启用的 channel 与 AgentLoop 时，可使用 `picoclaw channel start`。
+
+```bash
+# 启动 config.json 中所有已启用 channel
+picoclaw channel start
+
+# 与 gateway 启动校验保持一致
+picoclaw channel start --allow-empty
+picoclaw channel start --debug
+```
+
+与 `picoclaw gateway` 相比，channel 独立运行模式：
+
+- 保留 MessageBus + AgentLoop + ChannelManager（完整消息处理链路）
+- 启动共享 HTTP 服务，用于 channel webhook 与 `/health`/`/ready`
+- **不会** 启动 Cron、Heartbeat、Device 服务
+- **不会** 启用配置热更新和 `/reload`
+
+若需要完整控制面与后台服务，请使用 `picoclaw gateway`。
+
 ### Gateway 日志等级
 
 `gateway.log_level` 控制 Gateway 的日志详细程度，可在 `config.json` 中配置：
diff --git a/pkg/gateway/channel_only.go b/pkg/gateway/channel_only.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..28046c393
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/gateway/channel_only.go
@@ -0,0 +1,248 @@
+package gateway
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"net"
+	"os"
+	"os/signal"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+	"syscall"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/pkg/agent"
+	"github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/pkg/bus"
+	"github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/pkg/channels"
+	"github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/pkg/config"
+	"github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/pkg/health"
+	"github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/pkg/logger"
+	"github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/pkg/media"
+	"github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/pkg/providers"
+	"github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/pkg/voice"
+)
+
+const (
+	channelPanicFile = "channel_panic.log"
+	channelLogFile   = "channel.log"
+)
+
+type channelServices struct {
+	MediaStore     media.MediaStore
+	ChannelManager *channels.Manager
+	HealthServer   *health.Server
+	ListenHost     string
+	ListenPort     int
+}
+
+// RunChannelsOnly starts channel and agent loop runtime without gateway side services.
+func RunChannelsOnly(debug bool, homePath, configPath string, allowEmptyStartup bool) error {
+	panicPath := filepath.Join(homePath, logPath, channelPanicFile)
+	panicFunc, err := logger.InitPanic(panicPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("error initializing panic log: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer panicFunc()
+
+	if err = logger.EnableFileLogging(filepath.Join(homePath, logPath, channelLogFile)); err != nil {
+		panic(fmt.Sprintf("error enabling file logging: %v", err))
+	}
+	defer logger.DisableFileLogging()
+
+	cfg, err := config.LoadConfig(configPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("error loading config: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	logger.SetLevelFromString(cfg.Gateway.LogLevel)
+
+	if debug {
+		logger.SetLevel(logger.DEBUG)
+		fmt.Println("🔍 Debug mode enabled")
+	}
+
+	provider, modelID, err := createStartupProvider(cfg, allowEmptyStartup)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("error creating provider: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	if modelID != "" {
+		cfg.Agents.Defaults.ModelName = modelID
+	}
+
+	msgBus := bus.NewMessageBus()
+	agentLoop := agent.NewAgentLoop(cfg, msgBus, provider)
+
+	fmt.Println("\n📦 Agent Status:")
+	startupInfo := agentLoop.GetStartupInfo()
+	toolsInfo := startupInfo["tools"].(map[string]any)
+	skillsInfo := startupInfo["skills"].(map[string]any)
+	fmt.Printf("  • Tools: %d loaded\n", toolsInfo["count"])
+	fmt.Printf("  • Skills: %d/%d available\n", skillsInfo["available"], skillsInfo["total"])
+
+	logger.InfoCF("agent", "Agent initialized",
+		map[string]any{
+			"tools_count":      toolsInfo["count"],
+			"skills_total":     skillsInfo["total"],
+			"skills_available": skillsInfo["available"],
+		})
+
+	runningServices, err := setupAndStartChannelServices(cfg, agentLoop, msgBus)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if runningServices.ListenHost != "" {
+		fmt.Printf("✓ Channel runtime started on %s:%d\n", runningServices.ListenHost, runningServices.ListenPort)
+	} else {
+		fmt.Println("✓ Channel runtime started (shared HTTP server disabled)")
+	}
+	fmt.Println("Press Ctrl+C to stop")
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	defer cancel()
+
+	go agentLoop.Run(ctx)
+
+	sigChan := make(chan os.Signal, 1)
+	signal.Notify(sigChan, os.Interrupt, syscall.SIGTERM)
+
+	<-sigChan
+	logger.Info("Shutting down channel runtime...")
+	shutdownChannelRuntime(runningServices, agentLoop, provider)
+	return nil
+}
+
+func setupAndStartChannelServices(
+	cfg *config.Config,
+	agentLoop *agent.AgentLoop,
+	msgBus *bus.MessageBus,
+) (*channelServices, error) {
+	runningServices := &channelServices{}
+
+	runningServices.MediaStore = media.NewFileMediaStoreWithCleanup(media.MediaCleanerConfig{
+		Enabled:  cfg.Tools.MediaCleanup.Enabled,
+		MaxAge:   time.Duration(cfg.Tools.MediaCleanup.MaxAge) * time.Minute,
+		Interval: time.Duration(cfg.Tools.MediaCleanup.Interval) * time.Minute,
+	})
+	if fms, ok := runningServices.MediaStore.(*media.FileMediaStore); ok {
+		fms.Start()
+	}
+
+	var err error
+	runningServices.ChannelManager, err = channels.NewManager(cfg, msgBus, runningServices.MediaStore)
+	if err != nil {
+		if fms, ok := runningServices.MediaStore.(*media.FileMediaStore); ok {
+			fms.Stop()
+		}
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("error creating channel manager: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	agentLoop.SetChannelManager(runningServices.ChannelManager)
+	agentLoop.SetMediaStore(runningServices.MediaStore)
+
+	if transcriber := voice.DetectTranscriber(cfg); transcriber != nil {
+		agentLoop.SetTranscriber(transcriber)
+		logger.InfoCF("voice", "Transcription enabled (agent-level)", map[string]any{"provider": transcriber.Name()})
+	}
+
+	enabledChannels := runningServices.ChannelManager.GetEnabledChannels()
+	if len(enabledChannels) > 0 {
+		fmt.Printf("✓ Channels enabled: %s\n", enabledChannels)
+	} else {
+		fmt.Println("⚠ Warning: No channels enabled")
+	}
+
+	listenHost, resolveErr := resolveChannelOnlyListenHost(cfg.Gateway.Host, cfg.Gateway.Port)
+	if resolveErr != nil {
+		logger.WarnCF("channels", "Shared HTTP server disabled in channel-only mode", map[string]any{
+			"host":  cfg.Gateway.Host,
+			"port":  cfg.Gateway.Port,
+			"error": resolveErr.Error(),
+		})
+	} else {
+		addr := net.JoinHostPort(listenHost, strconv.Itoa(cfg.Gateway.Port))
+		runningServices.ListenHost = listenHost
+		runningServices.ListenPort = cfg.Gateway.Port
+		runningServices.HealthServer = health.NewServer(listenHost, cfg.Gateway.Port)
+		runningServices.ChannelManager.SetupHTTPServer(addr, runningServices.HealthServer)
+	}
+
+	if err = runningServices.ChannelManager.StartAll(context.Background()); err != nil {
+		if fms, ok := runningServices.MediaStore.(*media.FileMediaStore); ok {
+			fms.Stop()
+		}
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("error starting channels: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	if runningServices.ListenHost != "" {
+		fmt.Printf("✓ Health endpoints available at http://%s:%d/health and /ready\n", runningServices.ListenHost, runningServices.ListenPort)
+	} else {
+		fmt.Println("⚠ Shared HTTP server disabled; /health and webhook endpoints are unavailable")
+	}
+
+	return runningServices, nil
+}
+
+func resolveChannelOnlyListenHost(host string, port int) (string, error) {
+	if err := probeTCPBind(host, port); err == nil {
+		return host, nil
+	} else if isLoopbackHost(host) {
+		if fallbackErr := probeTCPBind("0.0.0.0", port); fallbackErr == nil {
+			logger.WarnCF("channels", "Loopback host unavailable in channel-only mode, fallback to wildcard", map[string]any{
+				"host": host,
+				"port": port,
+			})
+			return "0.0.0.0", nil
+		}
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("bind %s:%d failed: %w", host, port, err)
+	} else {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("bind %s:%d failed: %w", host, port, err)
+	}
+}
+
+func probeTCPBind(host string, port int) error {
+	addr := net.JoinHostPort(host, strconv.Itoa(port))
+	ln, err := net.Listen("tcp", addr)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	_ = ln.Close()
+	return nil
+}
+
+func isLoopbackHost(host string) bool {
+	normalized := strings.TrimSpace(strings.ToLower(host))
+	if normalized == "localhost" {
+		return true
+	}
+	ip := net.ParseIP(normalized)
+	return ip != nil && ip.IsLoopback()
+}
+
+func shutdownChannelRuntime(runningServices *channelServices, agentLoop *agent.AgentLoop, provider providers.LLMProvider) {
+	if cp, ok := provider.(providers.StatefulProvider); ok {
+		cp.Close()
+	}
+
+	if runningServices != nil {
+		shutdownCtx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), gracefulShutdownTimeout)
+		defer cancel()
+
+		if runningServices.ChannelManager != nil {
+			runningServices.ChannelManager.StopAll(shutdownCtx)
+		}
+
+		if runningServices.MediaStore != nil {
+			if fms, ok := runningServices.MediaStore.(*media.FileMediaStore); ok {
+				fms.Stop()
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	if agentLoop != nil {
+		agentLoop.Stop()
+		agentLoop.Close()
+	}
+}