diff --git a/src/channels/plugins/catalog.ts b/src/channels/plugins/catalog.ts
index 1ec08d73ea..8bf6c89867 100644
--- a/src/channels/plugins/catalog.ts
+++ b/src/channels/plugins/catalog.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { listChannelCatalogEntries } from "../../plugins/channel-catalog-registr
 import type { OpenClawPackageManifest } from "../../plugins/manifest.js";
 import type { PluginPackageChannel, PluginPackageInstall } from "../../plugins/manifest.js";
 import type { PluginOrigin } from "../../plugins/types.js";
+import { normalizeOptionalString } from "../../shared/string-coerce.js";
 import { isRecord, resolveConfigDir, resolveUserPath } from "../../utils.js";
 import { resolveChannelExposure } from "./exposure.js";
 import type { ChannelMeta } from "./types.js";
@@ -189,7 +190,7 @@ function toChannelMeta(params: {
     selectionLabel,
     ...(detailLabel ? { detailLabel } : {}),
     docsPath,
-    docsLabel: params.channel.docsLabel?.trim() || undefined,
+    docsLabel: normalizeOptionalString(params.channel.docsLabel),
     blurb,
     ...(params.channel.aliases ? { aliases: params.channel.aliases } : {}),
     ...(params.channel.preferOver ? { preferOver: params.channel.preferOver } : {}),
@@ -230,7 +231,7 @@ function resolveInstallInfo(params: {
   if (!npmSpec) {
     return null;
   }
-  let localPath = params.install?.localPath?.trim() || undefined;
+  let localPath = normalizeOptionalString(params.install?.localPath);
   if (!localPath && params.workspaceDir && params.packageDir) {
     localPath = path.relative(params.workspaceDir, params.packageDir) || undefined;
   }
@@ -243,7 +244,7 @@ function resolveInstallInfo(params: {
 }
 
 function resolveCatalogPluginId(params: { pluginId?: string }): string | undefined {
-  return params.pluginId?.trim() || undefined;
+  return normalizeOptionalString(params.pluginId);
 }
 
 function buildCatalogEntryFromManifest(params: {
diff --git a/src/channels/plugins/configured-binding-match.ts b/src/channels/plugins/configured-binding-match.ts
index 7e9ec4f4b0..f3a24abe49 100644
--- a/src/channels/plugins/configured-binding-match.ts
+++ b/src/channels/plugins/configured-binding-match.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import type { ConversationRef } from "../../infra/outbound/session-binding-service.js";
 import { DEFAULT_ACCOUNT_ID, normalizeAccountId } from "../../routing/session-key.js";
+import { normalizeOptionalString } from "../../shared/string-coerce.js";
 import type {
   CompiledConfiguredBinding,
   ConfiguredBindingChannel,
@@ -54,7 +55,7 @@ export function toConfiguredBindingConversationRef(conversation: ConversationRef
     channel,
     accountId: normalizeAccountId(conversation.accountId),
     conversationId,
-    parentConversationId: conversation.parentConversationId?.trim() || undefined,
+    parentConversationId: normalizeOptionalString(conversation.parentConversationId),
   };
 }
 
diff --git a/src/channels/plugins/session-conversation.ts b/src/channels/plugins/session-conversation.ts
index 8bb8244b30..60146950dc 100644
--- a/src/channels/plugins/session-conversation.ts
+++ b/src/channels/plugins/session-conversation.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import {
   type ParsedThreadSessionSuffix,
   type RawSessionConversationRef,
 } from "../../sessions/session-key-utils.js";
+import { normalizeOptionalString } from "../../shared/string-coerce.js";
 import { normalizeChannelId as normalizeChatChannelId } from "../registry.js";
 import { getLoadedChannelPlugin, normalizeChannelId as normalizeAnyChannelId } from "./registry.js";
 
@@ -115,10 +116,10 @@ function normalizeSessionConversationResolution(
 
   return {
     id: resolved.id.trim(),
-    threadId: resolved.threadId?.trim() || undefined,
+    threadId: normalizeOptionalString(resolved.threadId),
     baseConversationId:
-      resolved.baseConversationId?.trim() ||
-      dedupeConversationIds(resolved.parentConversationCandidates ?? []).at(-1) ||
+      normalizeOptionalString(resolved.baseConversationId) ??
+      dedupeConversationIds(resolved.parentConversationCandidates ?? []).at(-1) ??
       resolved.id.trim(),
     parentConversationCandidates: dedupeConversationIds(
       resolved.parentConversationCandidates ?? [],
@@ -251,7 +252,9 @@ export function resolveSessionThreadInfo(
   }
 
   return {
-    baseSessionKey: resolved.threadId ? resolved.baseSessionKey : sessionKey?.trim() || undefined,
+    baseSessionKey: resolved.threadId
+      ? resolved.baseSessionKey
+      : normalizeOptionalString(sessionKey),
     threadId: resolved.threadId,
   };
 }
diff --git a/src/infra/outbound/bound-delivery-router.ts b/src/infra/outbound/bound-delivery-router.ts
index 56739abe5a..8c03077b8b 100644
--- a/src/infra/outbound/bound-delivery-router.ts
+++ b/src/infra/outbound/bound-delivery-router.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { normalizeOptionalString } from "../../shared/string-coerce.js";
 import {
   getSessionBindingService,
   type ConversationRef,
@@ -94,7 +95,7 @@ export function createBoundDeliveryRouter(
         channel: input.requester.channel.trim().toLowerCase(),
         accountId: input.requester.accountId.trim(),
         conversationId: input.requester.conversationId.trim(),
-        parentConversationId: input.requester.parentConversationId?.trim() || undefined,
+        parentConversationId: normalizeOptionalString(input.requester.parentConversationId),
       };
       if (!requester.channel || !requester.conversationId) {
         return {
diff --git a/src/plugins/conversation-binding.ts b/src/plugins/conversation-binding.ts
index 6b76e6a1c1..b8b2a079f1 100644
--- a/src/plugins/conversation-binding.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/conversation-binding.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import { writeJsonAtomic } from "../infra/json-files.js";
 import { type ConversationRef } from "../infra/outbound/session-binding-service.js";
 import { createSubsystemLogger } from "../logging/subsystem.js";
 import { resolveGlobalMap, resolveGlobalSingleton } from "../shared/global-singleton.js";
+import { normalizeOptionalString } from "../shared/string-coerce.js";
 import { getActivePluginRegistry } from "./runtime.js";
 import type {
   PluginConversationBinding,
@@ -162,11 +163,11 @@ function normalizeConversation(params: PluginBindingConversation): PluginBinding
     channel: normalizeChannel(params.channel),
     accountId: params.accountId.trim() || "default",
     conversationId: params.conversationId.trim(),
-    parentConversationId: params.parentConversationId?.trim() || undefined,
+    parentConversationId: normalizeOptionalString(params.parentConversationId),
     threadId:
       typeof params.threadId === "number"
         ? Math.trunc(params.threadId)
-        : params.threadId?.toString().trim() || undefined,
+        : normalizeOptionalString(params.threadId?.toString()),
   };
 }
 
@@ -427,8 +428,8 @@ function buildBindingMetadata(params: {
     pluginId: params.pluginId,
     pluginName: params.pluginName,
     pluginRoot: params.pluginRoot,
-    summary: params.summary?.trim() || undefined,
-    detachHint: params.detachHint?.trim() || undefined,
+    summary: normalizeOptionalString(params.summary),
+    detachHint: normalizeOptionalString(params.detachHint),
   };
 }
 
@@ -804,9 +805,9 @@ export async function requestPluginConversationBinding(params: {
     pluginRoot: params.pluginRoot,
     conversation,
     requestedAt: Date.now(),
-    requestedBySenderId: params.requestedBySenderId?.trim() || undefined,
-    summary: params.binding?.summary?.trim() || undefined,
-    detachHint: params.binding?.detachHint?.trim() || undefined,
+    requestedBySenderId: normalizeOptionalString(params.requestedBySenderId),
+    summary: normalizeOptionalString(params.binding?.summary),
+    detachHint: normalizeOptionalString(params.binding?.detachHint),
   };
   pendingRequests.set(request.id, request);
   logPluginBindingLifecycleEvent({
diff --git a/src/tasks/task-flow-registry.ts b/src/tasks/task-flow-registry.ts
index aeb74e75f1..55de30c826 100644
--- a/src/tasks/task-flow-registry.ts
+++ b/src/tasks/task-flow-registry.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import crypto from "node:crypto";
 import { formatErrorMessage } from "../infra/errors.js";
 import { createSubsystemLogger } from "../logging/subsystem.js";
+import { normalizeOptionalString } from "../shared/string-coerce.js";
 import {
   getTaskFlowRegistryObservers,
   getTaskFlowRegistryStore,
@@ -166,7 +167,7 @@ function assertControllerId(controllerId?: string | null): string {
 }
 
 function resolveFlowGoal(task: Pick<TaskRecord, "label" | "task">): string {
-  return task.label?.trim() || task.task.trim() || "Background task";
+  return normalizeOptionalString(task.label) ?? (task.task.trim() || "Background task");
 }
 
 function resolveFlowBlockedSummary(
@@ -175,7 +176,9 @@ function resolveFlowBlockedSummary(
   if (task.status !== "succeeded" || task.terminalOutcome !== "blocked") {
     return undefined;
   }
-  return task.terminalSummary?.trim() || task.progressSummary?.trim() || undefined;
+  return (
+    normalizeOptionalString(task.terminalSummary) ?? normalizeOptionalString(task.progressSummary)
+  );
 }
 
 export function deriveTaskFlowStatusFromTask(
@@ -432,7 +435,7 @@ export function createTaskFlowForTask(params: {
     notifyPolicy: params.task.notifyPolicy,
     goal: resolveFlowGoal(params.task),
     blockedTaskId:
-      terminalFlowStatus === "blocked" ? params.task.taskId.trim() || undefined : undefined,
+      terminalFlowStatus === "blocked" ? normalizeOptionalString(params.task.taskId) : undefined,
     blockedSummary: resolveFlowBlockedSummary(params.task),
     createdAt: params.task.createdAt,
     updatedAt: params.task.lastEventAt ?? params.task.createdAt,
diff --git a/src/tasks/task-registry.ts b/src/tasks/task-registry.ts
index 1eb393633e..1a6e4891d5 100644
--- a/src/tasks/task-registry.ts
+++ b/src/tasks/task-registry.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { requestHeartbeatNow } from "../infra/heartbeat-wake.js";
 import { enqueueSystemEvent } from "../infra/system-events.js";
 import { createSubsystemLogger } from "../logging/subsystem.js";
 import { parseAgentSessionKey } from "../routing/session-key.js";
+import { normalizeOptionalString } from "../shared/string-coerce.js";
 import { normalizeDeliveryContext } from "../utils/delivery-context.js";
 import { isDeliverableMessageChannel } from "../utils/message-channel.js";
 import {
@@ -1437,17 +1438,17 @@ export function createTaskRecord(params: {
   const record: TaskRecord = {
     taskId,
     runtime: params.runtime,
-    taskKind: params.taskKind?.trim() || undefined,
-    sourceId: params.sourceId?.trim() || undefined,
+    taskKind: normalizeOptionalString(params.taskKind),
+    sourceId: normalizeOptionalString(params.sourceId),
     requesterSessionKey,
     ownerKey,
     scopeKind,
     childSessionKey: params.childSessionKey,
-    parentFlowId: params.parentFlowId?.trim() || undefined,
-    parentTaskId: params.parentTaskId?.trim() || undefined,
-    agentId: params.agentId?.trim() || undefined,
-    runId: params.runId?.trim() || undefined,
-    label: params.label?.trim() || undefined,
+    parentFlowId: normalizeOptionalString(params.parentFlowId),
+    parentTaskId: normalizeOptionalString(params.parentTaskId),
+    agentId: normalizeOptionalString(params.agentId),
+    runId: normalizeOptionalString(params.runId),
+    label: normalizeOptionalString(params.label),
     task: params.task,
     status,
     deliveryStatus,