Key message <p>Framework-primed trehalose uses MOFs to protect and time-release trehalose/T6P exactly when stress hits, converting a fleeting sugar signal into a programmable priming cue that accelerates, strengthens, and sustains abiotic stress memory while minimizing off-target losses.</p> Abstract <p>Abiotic stresses increasingly limit crop productivity, motivating delivery-smart biostimulant strategies that can imprint durable stress memory without transgenics. This review uniquely integrates trehalose/T6P biology with metal–organic framework (MOF) delivery engineering, providing the first focused appraisal of MOF-mediated trehalose priming for drought, salinity, heat, and cold resilience. We map how trehalose/T6P orchestrates membrane stabilization, redox poise, and transcriptional reprogramming, then assess how MOF chemistry (metal node, linker, pore size, defect density, and stimuli-responsive degradability) can protect, target, and time-release these sugar signals to better align with stress onset. Unlike prior reviews that either survey trehalose/T6P signaling or catalog agricultural MOFs and other nanocarriers, we bridge both, extracting design rules (cargo loading routes, gating strategies, soil/leaf triggers), performance metrics (release half-time vs. stress dynamics, dose–response windows, carry-over across growth stages), and risk/translation considerations (biocompatibility, fate, regulatory descriptors). We propose a roadmap for advancing MOF–trehalose priming from lab to field, emphasizing side-by-side comparisons with established carriers and transparent reporting of release/efficacy parameters. By coupling signal biology with materials design, this review outlines a precision path to enhance water use efficiency, photosynthesis, and antioxidant defenses while minimizing input waste—offering actionable guidance for researchers and practitioners pursuing climate-resilient agronomy.</p>