openclaw - ✅(Solved) Fix [Bug]: Agent is not being able to read files that were sent on Slack [2 pull requests, 2 comments, 2 participants]

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openclaw/openclaw#62551Fetched 2026-04-08 03:02:40
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Possible regression in Slack file handling after the changes between 2026.4.2 and 2026.4.5. Slack messages containing files are sometimes ingested only as placeholders like [Slack file: ...] instead of being properly hydrated/materialized for downstream processing.

Root Cause

Because of that, the hydration step may be skipped and the runtime falls back to a placeholder instead of fetching/downloading the attachment.

PR fix notes

PR #1: fix(slack): reliably ingest Slack file images instead of filename placeholders

Description (problem / solution / changelog)

Summary

Fixes Slack inbound file/image ingestion regressions end-to-end (including Errol runtime validation):

  • Use files.info hydration when Slack events include file id without usable download URLs.
  • Use the correct media-read token path (userToken fallback) in monitor context, so file reads are not restricted to bot-token-only paths.
  • Harden Slack media fetch init handling to avoid passing incompatible fetch guard hook options into Node fetch, which caused silent download failure + filename-only placeholders.
  • Ensure staged inbound media filenames are unique across turns to avoid cross-turn collisions.
  • Add regression tests for id-only payload hydration and sandbox media staging collisions.

Validation

  • pnpm vitest extensions/slack/src/monitor/media.test.ts --run
  • pnpm vitest extensions/slack/src/monitor/message-handler/prepare.test.ts --run
  • pnpm vitest extensions/slack/src/monitor/message-handler/prepare-thread-context.test.ts --run
  • pnpm vitest src/auto-reply/reply.triggers.trigger-handling.stages-inbound-media-into-sandbox-workspace.test.ts --run
  • Live Errol Docker verification in Slack thread: image content now resolved (not placeholder-only filename).

AI assistance

This PR was AI-assisted (Hedwig/OpenClaw + Codex) and then validated with targeted tests and live runtime verification.

Related Slack file issues (tagging all matches)

Refs #50129 Refs #51050 Refs #62088 Refs #51458 Refs #62623 Refs #62551 Refs #61862 Refs #41657 Refs #45574 Refs #61850 Refs #36507 Refs #13634 Refs #44544 Refs #38457 Refs #47600 Refs #56508 Refs #52962 Refs #18426 Refs #62218 Refs #33368 Refs #15087 Refs #18642 Refs #7536 Refs #24681 Refs #23349 Refs #29304 Refs #7110 Refs #13740 Refs #15190 Refs #3595 Refs #3519 Refs #14258 Refs #6008

Changed files

  • extensions/slack/src/monitor/context.ts (modified, +3/-0)
  • extensions/slack/src/monitor/media.test.ts (modified, +58/-1)
  • extensions/slack/src/monitor/media.ts (modified, +84/-18)
  • extensions/slack/src/monitor/message-handler/prepare-thread-context.test.ts (modified, +109/-0)
  • extensions/slack/src/monitor/message-handler/prepare-thread-context.ts (modified, +30/-11)
  • extensions/slack/src/monitor/message-handler/prepare.ts (modified, +1/-1)
  • extensions/slack/src/monitor/monitor.media.test.ts (modified, +41/-2)
  • extensions/slack/src/monitor/provider.ts (modified, +1/-0)
  • src/auto-reply/reply.triggers.trigger-handling.stages-inbound-media-into-sandbox-workspace.test.ts (modified, +42/-6)
  • src/auto-reply/reply/stage-sandbox-media.ts (modified, +11/-4)

PR #62792: Fix Slack file access in channels and DMs

Description (problem / solution / changelog)

  • Tooling note: AI-assisted development (Hedwig/OpenClaw + Codex), with human validation and final review by @armsteadj1.

Summary

Describe the problem and fix in 2–5 bullets:

If this PR fixes a plugin beta-release blocker, title it fix(<plugin-id>): beta blocker - <summary> and link the matching Beta blocker: <plugin-name> - <summary> issue labeled beta-blocker. Contributors cannot label PRs, so the title is the PR-side signal for maintainers and automation.

  • Problem: Slack inbound image/file messages sometimes reached the model as filename placeholders only ([Slack file: IMG_4935.jpg]) instead of actual media content.
  • Why it matters: Image understanding and downstream workflows fail, causing repeated user retries and broken Slack UX.
  • What changed: Fixes the reproduced Slack filename-placeholder regression in this media ingestion path by hardening Slack media hydration/fetch, using the resolved media-read token path, and preventing cross-turn staged filename collisions.
  • What did NOT change (scope boundary): No UI changes, no outbound Slack behavior changes, and no claim that every historical Slack-file issue is resolved.

Change Type (select all)

  • Bug fix
  • Feature
  • Refactor required for the fix
  • Docs
  • Security hardening
  • Chore/infra

Scope (select all touched areas)

  • Gateway / orchestration
  • Skills / tool execution
  • Auth / tokens
  • Memory / storage
  • Integrations
  • API / contracts
  • UI / DX
  • CI/CD / infra

Linked Issue/PR

  • Closes #50129
  • Related #51050
  • Related #51458
  • Related #62088
  • This PR fixes a bug or regression

Root Cause (if applicable)

For bug fixes or regressions, explain why this happened, not just what changed. Otherwise write N/A. If the cause is unclear, write Unknown.

  • Root cause: Slack file events can arrive with partial metadata and restricted URL access semantics; combined with brittle media fetch init handling and token-read path selection, the ingestion path sometimes failed and fell back to filename placeholders.
  • Missing detection / guardrail: Tests did not lock in this specific Slack file metadata/token-read + staged-media collision path.
  • Contributing context (if known): Threaded Slack flows with repeated filenames and file payload variation increased failure probability.

Regression Test Plan (if applicable)

For bug fixes or regressions, name the smallest reliable test coverage that should catch this. Otherwise write N/A.

  • Coverage level that should have caught this:
    • Unit test
    • Seam / integration test
    • End-to-end test
    • Existing coverage already sufficient
  • Target test or file:
    • extensions/slack/src/monitor/media.test.ts
    • extensions/slack/src/monitor/message-handler/prepare.test.ts
    • extensions/slack/src/monitor/message-handler/prepare-thread-context.test.ts
    • src/auto-reply/reply.triggers.trigger-handling.stages-inbound-media-into-sandbox-workspace.test.ts
  • Scenario the test should lock in: Slack file events with partial metadata still produce real media payloads, and repeated inbound basenames across turns do not collide.
  • Why this is the smallest reliable guardrail: It exercises the failing boundary directly without requiring a full external Slack E2E harness.
  • Existing test that already covers this (if any): Existing Slack media/prepare coverage exists; this PR extends edge-path coverage.
  • If no new test is added, why not: N/A

User-visible / Behavior Changes

List user-visible changes (including defaults/config). If none, write None.

Slack image/file messages now resolve as actual media content more reliably in the affected ingestion path instead of filename-only placeholders.

Diagram (if applicable)

For UI changes or non-trivial logic flows, include a small ASCII diagram reviewers can scan quickly. Otherwise write N/A.

Before:
[Slack file event] -> [media fetch/hydration path fails] -> [placeholder only]

After:
[Slack file event] -> [robust hydration + read-token path + safe fetch init] -> [media staged] -> [model sees image]New permissions/capabilities? (No)Secrets/tokens handling changed? (Yes)New/changed network calls? (No)Command/tool execution surface changed? (No)Data access scope changed? (No)If any Yes, explain risk + mitigation:Risk: token selection for Slack media reads changed in this path.Mitigation: constrained to existing configured Slack token sources and media-read flow only; no new secret source or broader access added.OS: macOS host + Docker runtimeRuntime/container: Errol gateway in Docker (openclaw:local)Model/provider: openai-codex/gpt-5.3-codex (Errol runtime default)Integration/channel (if any): Slack (threaded channel flow)Relevant config (redacted): Slack bot/app tokens configured; Errol isolated config/workspace/port.Send Slack thread message with attached image (same repro case where response only saw filename placeholder).Observe pre-fix behavior (placeholder-only).Apply fix branch, rebuild/restart Errol, resend same image flow.Assistant can access and reason over actual image content.Before: placeholder-only behavior reproduced.After: image content was successfully resolved and identified.Attach at least one:Failing test/log before + passing afterTrace/log snippetsScreenshot/recordingPerf numbers (if relevant)What you personally verified (not just CI), and how:Verified scenarios:Reproduced filename-placeholder failure in live Slack thread.Verified post-fix behavior resolved actual image content in same thread flow.Edge cases checked:Slack file metadata hydration path.Repeated inbound basename staging across turns.What you did not verify:Broad claim across all historical Slack-file issues.Full multi-workspace/perf matrix beyond this runtime path.I replied to or resolved every bot review conversation I addressed in this PR.I left unresolved only the conversations that still need reviewer or maintainer judgment.If a bot review conversation is addressed by this PR, resolve that conversation yourself. Do not leave bot review conversation cleanup for maintainers.Backward compatible? (Yes)Config/env changes? (No)Migration needed? (No)If yes, exact upgrade steps:List only real risks for this PR. Add/remove entries as needed. If none, write None.Risk:Slack tenant/app-specific file payload variance may expose additional untested edge cases.Mitigation:Coverage added for the reproduced edge path and constrained changes to Slack media ingestion only.Risk:Token-read path change could behave differently in uncommon token setups.Mitigation:Uses existing resolved read-token path with fallback; no new token source introduced.

## Changed files

- `extensions/slack/src/monitor/context.ts` (modified, +3/-0)
- `extensions/slack/src/monitor/media.test.ts` (modified, +173/-0)
- `extensions/slack/src/monitor/media.ts` (modified, +204/-36)
- `extensions/slack/src/monitor/message-handler/prepare-content.ts` (modified, +3/-0)
- `extensions/slack/src/monitor/message-handler/prepare-thread-context.test.ts` (modified, +109/-0)
- `extensions/slack/src/monitor/message-handler/prepare-thread-context.ts` (modified, +37/-11)
- `extensions/slack/src/monitor/message-handler/prepare.ts` (modified, +2/-0)
- `extensions/slack/src/monitor/monitor.media.test.ts` (modified, +41/-2)
- `extensions/slack/src/monitor/provider.ts` (modified, +1/-0)
- `src/auto-reply/reply.triggers.trigger-handling.stages-inbound-media-into-sandbox-workspace.test.ts` (modified, +66/-6)
- `src/auto-reply/reply/stage-sandbox-media.ts` (modified, +39/-4)
- `src/commands/agent-via-gateway.test.ts` (modified, +25/-26)
RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

Bug type

Regression (worked before, now fails)

Beta release blocker

No

Summary

Possible regression in Slack file handling after the changes between 2026.4.2 and 2026.4.5. Slack messages containing files are sometimes ingested only as placeholders like [Slack file: ...] instead of being properly hydrated/materialized for downstream processing.

Steps to reproduce

  1. Run OpenClaw with Slack connected
  2. Send a message in Slack DM or thread containing a file attachment (for example a PDF)
  3. Ask the agent to process or inspect that file
  4. Observe the inbound content seen by the agent/runtime

Expected behavior

The Slack attachment should be resolved, downloaded, and materialized as a usable attachment for the agent, not just represented as a text placeholder.

Actual behavior

The runtime sometimes only sees a placeholder such as [Slack file: ...], and the file is not hydrated for downstream handling.

OpenClaw version

2026.4.5

Operating system

Linux x64 Kernel: 6.8.0-101-generic

Install method

No response

Model

openai-codex/gpt-5.4

Provider / routing chain

Slack → OpenClaw Slack inbound handling → message normalization / session routing → file hydration/materialization → agent input

Additional provider/model setup details

No response

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

Impact and severity

Affeceted: Slacks users on 2026.4.5 Severity: SEV-3 Frequency: 10/10

Additional information

Likely cause The Slack file handler appears to rely on a narrow payload shape such as top-level message.files, but newer/refactored routing paths may deliver file information as:

  • message.files
  • message.message.files
  • file-share events containing only file IDs

Because of that, the hydration step may be skipped and the runtime falls back to a placeholder instead of fetching/downloading the attachment.

Most relevant release areas

  • Channels/session routing refactor
  • Plugin/runtime surface changes
  • Slack thread/context handling changes

Suggested fix direction Harden Slack inbound file extraction to support all known payload variants and add fallback lookup/download by file ID when the inbound event does not contain complete file metadata.

Last good version 2026.4.2 First know bad version 2026.4.5

extent analysis

TL;DR

Harden the Slack inbound file extraction to support various payload variants and add fallback lookup/download by file ID.

Guidance

  • Review the Slack file handler to ensure it can handle different payload shapes, such as message.files, message.message.files, and file-share events with only file IDs.
  • Implement a fallback mechanism to fetch/download attachments by file ID when the inbound event lacks complete file metadata.
  • Verify the changes by testing file attachments in different scenarios, including Slack DMs, threads, and file-share events.
  • Consider adding logging or debugging statements to monitor the file extraction process and identify potential issues.

Example

No specific code example is provided, as the issue lacks detailed implementation details. However, the suggested fix direction implies modifying the Slack inbound file extraction logic to handle various payload variants.

Notes

The suggested fix direction is based on the likely cause mentioned in the issue, which points to the Slack file handler's reliance on a narrow payload shape. The actual implementation may vary depending on the specific requirements and constraints of the OpenClaw system.

Recommendation

Apply the workaround by hardening the Slack inbound file extraction to support various payload variants and adding fallback lookup/download by file ID, as this approach addresses the likely cause of the issue and provides a more robust solution.

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FAQ

Expected behavior

The Slack attachment should be resolved, downloaded, and materialized as a usable attachment for the agent, not just represented as a text placeholder.

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