Summary

openclaw message send --dry-run ... has documented behavior: "Print payload and skip sending (default: false)". Actual behavior: the message is printed AND delivered to the target channel.

Environment

• OpenClaw version: 2026.3.28 (commit f9b1079)
• Platform: WSL2 Ubuntu 24.04 on Windows 11
• Channel tested: whatsapp (via internal gateway)

Reproduction

openclaw message send \
  --channel whatsapp \
  --target "+5511999999999" \
  --dry-run \
  --message "TEST — should not be delivered"

Expected

• CLI prints the constructed payload for inspection
• No actual delivery to the target channel
• Exit 0

Actual

• CLI prints ✅ Sent via gateway (whatsapp). Message ID: unknown
• Message IS delivered to the target WhatsApp number (confirmed by recipient)
• The Message ID: unknown return value is the only subtle signal that something was different, but the recipient receives the message as a normal send

Impact

Any script or skill that uses --dry-run as a safe validation mode will inadvertently spam the configured channel. Particularly risky for:

• Automated pre-flight checks in cron-backed flows (nightly audit/reporter-style skills that construct payloads and dry-run them before real dispatch)
• Integration tests that exercise CLI commands without wanting real delivery
• Any tooling that builds user confidence on --dry-run being safe

Discovered this unintentionally while wiring a direct openclaw message send call from a Python orchestrator — the dry-run variant shipped a test message to a real WhatsApp recipient.

Workaround

• Avoid --dry-run entirely on this command
• Use --json to inspect the serialized payload
• Or use a dedicated test target (test account) for validation

Suspected scope

The --dry-run flag is declared in message send options and visible in --help, so argument parsing is registering it. The issue likely lives in the gateway dispatch path — the flag is probably not being threaded through to the "skip delivery" branch in the message-tool module. Quick win if someone knows that codepath.