openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug]: Discord group/channel final replies can stay transcript-only after 2026.5.18 [1 comments, 2 participants]

Bug type

Regression (worked before, now fails)

Beta release blocker

No

Summary

After upgrading to OpenClaw 2026.5.18, Discord group/channel turns can record the final assistant answer in the session transcript but fail to post that final answer visibly; only tool progress/error banners appear in Discord even though messages.groupChat.visibleReplies is automatic.

Steps to reproduce

1. Run OpenClaw 2026.5.18 from an npm global install with a Discord group/channel account connected.
2. Configure messages.groupChat.visibleReplies = automatic. In the observed config, messages.queue.mode = collect and debounceMs = 0.
3. Send a Discord channel prompt that causes the agent to run tool commands and then produce a normal final assistant answer.
4. Observe Discord: a tool progress/error banner is posted visibly, but the assistant final answer does not appear in the channel.
5. Inspect the session transcript/context export: the missing final answer exists there.

Expected behavior

For Discord group/channel sessions with messages.groupChat.visibleReplies = automatic, the completed final assistant answer should be posted visibly to the originating Discord channel. Tool progress/error banners should not be the only visible output.

Actual behavior

The final assistant response was present in the OpenClaw session transcript/context export, but was not posted visibly to Discord. The only visible Discord output for affected turns was tool progress/error text such as a failed diagnostic command banner. This was observed repeatedly after the 2026.5.18 update.

OpenClaw version

OpenClaw 2026.5.18 (50a2481)

Operating system

Ubuntu 24.04, Linux 6.17.0-23-generic x86_64 GNU/Linux

Install method

npm global install, launched as a native systemd service on Linux; gateway bound to loopback 127.0.0.1:18789

Model

openai-codex/gpt-5.5 effective runtime (logs: provider=openai-codex/gpt-5.5, harness=codex)

Provider / routing chain

Discord channel -> OpenClaw Gateway -> Codex app-server / openai-codex -> gpt-5.5

Additional provider/model setup details

Default config uses canonical openai/gpt-5.5 routing with Codex OAuth/harness resolution. The affected runtime log line reports provider=openai-codex/gpt-5.5 harness=codex. messages.groupChat.visibleReplies is automatic. No plaintext credentials included.

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

Observed config/state:
OpenClaw 2026.5.18 (50a2481)
messages.groupChat.visibleReplies: automatic
messages.queue: { mode: collect, debounceMs: 0 }
Gateway read probe: ok; Discord configured/connected.

Session context export around the affected turns shows the final answers existed in transcript:
assistant: I did respond, but it looks like the final reply may have stayed on the control/private side instead of posting visibly into Discord.
assistant: Found it. The earlier answer exists in the session transcript, but it did not get delivered as a visible Discord message. ... despite messages.groupChat.visibleReplies = automatic.

Gateway log excerpts around the same period show Codex runs completing and diagnostic tool output being logged, but no clear Discord final delivery event:
2026-05-19T10:28:11.671+08:00 strict-agentic execution contract active: runId=<redacted> sessionId=<redacted> provider=openai-codex/gpt-5.5 harness=codex configured=unspecified
2026-05-19T10:30:59.961+08:00 Plugin configuration: Configured runtime "acpx" requires the ACPX Runtime plugin, but no enabled "acpx" plugin was found.
2026-05-19T10:31:11.883+08:00 openclaw-mem0: skills-mode agent_end (no auto-capture)
2026-05-19T10:32:33.098+08:00 strict-agentic execution contract active: runId=<redacted> sessionId=<redacted> provider=openai-codex/gpt-5.5 harness=codex configured=unspecified
2026-05-19T10:33:44.274+08:00 openclaw-mem0: skills-mode agent_end (no auto-capture)

Impact and severity

Affected: Discord group/channel users relying on automatic final visible replies. Severity: High for chat usability; users see tool error/progress banners but miss the actual answer. Frequency: Repeated in the observed channel after upgrading to 2026.5.18; not yet bisected across versions. Consequence: Operators may believe the agent failed or ignored the request even though the final response exists in transcript. Workaround is to force explicit message-tool sends.

Additional information

First observed after upgrading from 2026.5.12 to 2026.5.18 on 2026-05-19. Not yet proven by downgrade/bisect, but 2026.5.18 release notes include related reply-delivery changes: group/channel visible replies defaulting to automatic final delivery, final payload delivery after previews, and Discord final replies in progress-mode preview streams. Temporary workaround: explicit message tool sends to the Discord channel.