openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [bug] regression: discord groupPolicy "allowlist" with no guild.channels block now denies all channels (previously allowed via user filter) [1 comments, 2 participants]

Summary

A Discord guild config with groupPolicy: "allowlist" and no channels field under the guild block previously allowed the bot to operate in any channel of that guild (filtering only by users and requireMention). On 2026.4.27 the same config silently denies every channel in that guild — the bot receives messages but never replies. Adding an explicit channels allowlist restores behavior.

Environment

• OpenClaw: 2026.4.27 (cbc2ba0), upgraded from 2026.4.24
• macOS: 26.4.1 (arm64), Node v25.4.0
• Gateway only; LaunchAgent install via npm global

Repro

1. Configure a Discord guild with the following block (no channels key): ```json "channels": { "discord": { "groupPolicy": "allowlist", "guilds": { "<guild_id>": { "requireMention": false, "users": ["<user_id>"] } } } } ```
2. From the allowlisted user, send a message in any channel of that guild.
3. Observe channels status: in:Xm ago, out:13h ago. Inbound is recorded, no outbound reply happens. No log line indicates the message was rejected by the allowlist — there is no warn/info that the channel was filtered.

Evidence the prior behavior was real (not misremembered)

`~/.openclaw/logs/commands.log` shows continuous `agent:main` and `agent:cron-lite` sessions in this channel for months prior to the upgrade, under the same config. The discord guild block content is byte-identical across all `openclaw.json.bak.` and `openclaw.json.clobbered.` snapshots going back to 2026.4.22 — `channels` field never present in any of them.

Expected

Either:

1. Restore prior behavior: when `channels` is omitted under `groupPolicy: "allowlist"`, treat all channels in the guild as allowed (filter only by `users` / `requireMention`). Allow when omitted; require explicit empty object to deny.
2. Or, on first startup after upgrade where this pattern is detected, either log a clear warning (`guild X has groupPolicy:allowlist with no channels — all channels denied; add channels:{} or change groupPolicy`) or surface it via `openclaw channels status` and `doctor`. Right now the regression is silent — bot status reads "connected, running" with no indication anything is filtered out.

Workaround

Explicitly enumerate every channel under `guilds.<id>.channels` as `{ "<channel_id>": {} }`. Brittle for guilds with many channels and breaks when channels are added.