openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix /approve text command deadlocks with plugin approval's blocking waitDecision [2 comments, 2 participants]

Problem

Exec approval works fine with /approve because the agent run completes before the approval decision is needed (non-blocking, expectFinal: false).

However, plugin approval's waitDecision blocks inside the active agent run (before_tool_call hook). Since the Command Queue serializes per-session runs, a subsequent /approve message from the same session is queued behind the blocked run — causing a deadlock.

Card button callbacks bypass this because they don't go through the inbound message queue.

Repro

1. Channel session triggers plugin approval → agent run blocks on waitDecision inside before_tool_call
2. User sends /approve <id> allow-once in the same session
3. /approve is queued by Command Queue, waiting for the current run to finish
4. Current run waits for /approve → deadlock

Why exec approval is unaffected

Exec approval is non-blocking: the exec tool returns an approval id immediately, the agent run finishes, the session queue is released, and /approve enters the queue normally.

Why card buttons are unaffected

Card button callbacks (e.g. DingTalk TOPIC_CARD, Discord interactions) take a separate path that does not go through the inbound message queue or per-session serialization.

Impact

Plugin approval can only be resolved via card buttons or from a different session. The /approve text command is unusable for plugin approval within the same session.

Possible solutions

• Process /approve as a high-priority command that bypasses the per-session queue when a pending approval exists
• Allow channels to register command interceptors that run before queue serialization
• Provide a plugin API to resolve pending approvals outside the agent run context