【Objective】The excessive application of chemical fertilizers has turned tea plantation soils into hotspots for nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in China’s agricultural systems. Therefore, identifying and optimizing farmland management strategies that effectively mitigate N2O emissions from tea plantation soils is of great importance for greenhouse gas reduction in both China and the world. Microbial inoculants show considerable potential for reducing N2O emissions from agricultural soils by modulating soil microbial communities and influencing the activity of N-cycle functional genes. However, how N2O emission pathways and intensities in tea plantation soils respond to the application of microbial inoculants remains poorly understood. 【Method】In this study, the effects of Bacillus and Trichoderma harzianum inoculants on N2O emissions and their underlying process-driven mechanisms in seven typical tea plantation soils collected from different climatic regions across China were investigated. The investigation was conducted through laboratory incubation experiments combined with a δ18O (N2O/H2O) versus δ15NSP dual-isotope mixing model. 【Result】The results showed that bacterial denitrification and nitrifier denitrification were the dominant pathways for N2O production in the tea plantation soils. Addition of Bacillus and T. harzianum reduced N2O emissions from the tea plantation soils by an average of 48.6% and 23.5%, respectively. Both inoculants reduced N2O emissions through shared mechanisms, including increasing soil pH, enhancing N2O reduction via nosZ-mediated activity, and inhibiting fungal denitrification. Moreover, Bacillus addition significantly reduced the gene abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), thereby suppressing N2O emissions from the nitrification process. 【Conclusion】In conclusion, the application of microbial inoculants is an effective strategy for mitigating N2O emissions from tea plantation soils. The findings of this study provide data to support the development of fertilization management strategies aimed at reducing N2O emissions from tea plantation soils in China, and offer scientific guidance for promoting the application of microbial inoculants in tea plantation soil management.