openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug]: Additional evidence: WhatsApp media sends fail with `Failed to optimize image` on 2026.4.26 [1 comments, 2 participants]

Official PRs (…)
ON THIS PAGE

Recommended Tools

×6

Utilities matched from this issue’s tags and category — try them while you read without losing context.

GitHub issue graph ai analysis

Paste a GitHub issue URL. We fetch that issue, discover linked issues from bodies/comments/timeline, collect linked pull requests, and produce a structured English report.

The report is written in English Markdown for sharing and archival.

Helpful · Quick feedback

Loading…
GitHub stats
openclaw/openclaw#73591Fetched 2026-04-29 06:17:48
View on GitHub
Comments
1
Participants
2
Timeline
4
Reactions
0
Timeline (top)
labeled ×2closed ×1commented ×1

After upgrading to OpenClaw 2026.4.26, WhatsApp media sends started failing with Error: Failed to optimize image; plain text still sends successfully.

Error Message

After upgrading to OpenClaw 2026.4.26, WhatsApp media sends started failing with Error: Failed to optimize image; plain text still sends successfully. 3. Observe that nothing is delivered and the gateway logs Error: Failed to optimize image. Error: Failed to optimize image

  • nothing is delivered to the target chat when the error occurs

Root Cause

After upgrading to OpenClaw 2026.4.26, WhatsApp media sends started failing with Error: Failed to optimize image; plain text still sends successfully.

RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

Bug type

Regression (worked before, now fails)

Beta release blocker

No

Summary

After upgrading to OpenClaw 2026.4.26, WhatsApp media sends started failing with Error: Failed to optimize image; plain text still sends successfully.

Steps to reproduce

  1. Start OpenClaw 2026.4.26 with WhatsApp linked and working for plain text sends.
  2. Run openclaw message send --channel whatsapp --target "<group-or-dm>" --media "<image path>" --message "test" --json.
  3. Observe that nothing is delivered and the gateway logs Error: Failed to optimize image.
  4. Repeat with a very small/simple PNG and observe the same failure.

Expected behavior

WhatsApp media sends should deliver the image and caption normally, as they did previously in my environment before this regression.

Actual behavior

WhatsApp media sends fail before delivery.

Observed behavior:

  • plain text messages still send successfully
  • messages with --media are not delivered
  • in scheduled and manual sends, the gateway logs: Error: Failed to optimize image
  • the same failure occurs with the original JPG, a baseline-converted JPG, and even a very small/simple PNG
  • nothing is delivered to the target chat when the error occurs

OpenClaw version

2026.4.26

Operating system

Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS

Install method

npm global

Model

openai/gpt-5.4-mini

Provider / routing chain

openclaw -> openai

Additional provider/model setup details

No response

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

Impact and severity

No response

Additional information

No response

extent analysis

TL;DR

The most likely fix is to investigate and resolve the image optimization issue in OpenClaw 2026.4.26, potentially by checking image processing dependencies or configuration.

Guidance

  • Verify that image optimization dependencies are correctly installed and configured in the OpenClaw environment.
  • Check the OpenClaw documentation for any changes in image optimization requirements or settings in version 2026.4.26.
  • Test sending media files with different formats and sizes to isolate if the issue is specific to certain types of images.
  • Review the gateway logs for any additional error messages or clues that could indicate the root cause of the Error: Failed to optimize image message.

Example

No specific code snippet can be provided without more information on the OpenClaw API or image processing pipeline.

Notes

The issue seems to be specific to the OpenClaw version 2026.4.26 and the WhatsApp media send functionality, with plain text sends working successfully. The root cause is likely related to changes in image optimization or processing in this version.

Recommendation

Apply a workaround by potentially downgrading OpenClaw to a previous version where media sends were working, or wait for an update that addresses the image optimization issue, as the current version has a regression that affects WhatsApp media sends.

Vote matrix · Quick signals

Works
Did the solution work? Tap to confirm.
Easy Fix
Was it a quick fix?
Time Saver
Did it save you time?
Blocking
Was it severely blocking?
Common Issue
Are others likely hitting this too?
Flaky / Intermittent
Is it intermittent?
Verified / Reproducible
Can you reproduce it reliably?
Loading…

FAQ

Expected behavior

WhatsApp media sends should deliver the image and caption normally, as they did previously in my environment before this regression.

Still need to ship something?

×6

Another batch ranked right after the header list — different links, same matching logic.

Back to top recommendations

TRENDING