openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix Bug Report: Telegram thread replies stopped posting in version 2026.2.17

Bug type

Behavior bug (incorrect output/state without crash)

Beta release blocker

No

Summary

Telegram thread replies stopped posting to the chat interface after upgrading OpenClaw from version 2026.2.10 to 2026.2.17.

Steps to reproduce

Start OpenClaw v2026.2.17 with the default configuration file (as attached). Send a Telegram message as a direct reply within a group thread in the affected chat. Observe that no reply is posted by the agent, and confirm the reply target not found error line in the gateway logs.

Expected behavior

In the previous version 2026.2.10, using the exact same workflow and configuration, the agent successfully posted replies within the same Telegram thread.

Actual behavior

No reply is posted in the thread by the agent. The attached gateway log shows the reply target not found error at 14:23:08 UTC.

OpenClaw version

Version tested: 2026.2.17

Operating system

OS: Ubuntu 24.04 / Windows 11 / macOS 15.4

Install method

Install method: npm global / docker / pnpm dev

Model

Effective model: minimax/text-01 (also reproduced with anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5 and openrouter/anthropic/claude-opus-4.1)

Provider / routing chain

Routing path: openclaw -> cloudflare-ai-gateway -> minimax

Additional provider/model setup details

The default routing path is currently openclaw -> cloudflare-ai-gateway -> minimax. The previous operational setup (on v2026.2.10) was openclaw -> cloudflare-ai-gateway -> openrouter -> minimax. The relevant configurations are located in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json under models.providers.minimax and models.providers.cloudflare-ai-gateway.

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

Log output from the OpenClaw gateway when the error occurs:

[2026-05-24T14:23:07.892Z] [INFO] [Telegram Gateway] Message received in thread ID 45229
[2026-05-24T14:23:08.101Z] [DEBUG] [Router] Dispatching request to cloudflare-ai-gateway (model: minimax/text-01)
[2026-05-24T14:23:08.790Z] [INFO] [Router] Successful response received from Cloudflare AI Gateway
[2026-05-24T14:23:08.805Z] [ERROR] [Telegram Gateway] Failed to post message: reply target not found (thread_id: 45229)

Impact and severity

Affected users/systems/channels: Telegram group users who rely on chat threads to categorize and organize discussions with agents in version 2026.2.17. Severity: High (completely blocks the primary communication flow inside segmented discussions/threads). Frequency: Always (100% reproducible, observed on 4/4 attempts). Consequence: Agents fail to respond to any incoming messages sent from within Telegram threads.

Additional information

Last known good version: 2026.2.10 First known bad version: 2026.2.17 Temporary Workaround: Send messages at the top-level chat (outside threads), where the agent's replies continue to post successfully.