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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug]: WhatsApp channel login fails [1 comments, 2 participants]

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openclaw/openclaw#70516•Fetched 2026-04-24 05:57:05
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Bug type

Regression (worked before, now fails)

Beta release blocker

Yes

Summary

Channel reports:

Channel whatsapp does not support login Onboarding cannot continue Environment OS: Ubuntu (WSL) Node.js: v24.13.1 npm: 11.8.0 OpenClaw: 2026.4.21 (f788c88)

missing @openclaw/whatsapp package + “Channel whatsapp does not support login”

Description WhatsApp channel login fails during onboarding due to a missing npm package and unsupported channel login handler.

Run onboarding: openclaw onboard Select: Channel: WhatsApp Account: any

Observe install attempt: Installing @openclaw/whatsapp…

Failure occurs: Package not found on npm: @openclaw/whatsapp Channel login failed: Channel whatsapp does not support login

Install method: install.sh (npm global install) Model provider: Ollama (local) Additional context Other plugins (Slack, Nostr, etc.) also show missing dependency errors during onboarding This suggests incomplete or partially published plugin registry WhatsApp extension exists in local dist/extensions/whatsapp but is not usable via CLI channel system

Steps to reproduce

Steps to reproduce: Install OpenClaw on Ubuntu via installer: curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

Expected behavior

Expected behavior

  • WhatsApp plugin should install successfully OR be marked as unavailable before onboarding
  • Channel login should either:
  • complete successfully, or gracefully disable WhatsApp option

Actual behavior

Actual behavior Installer attempts to download non-existent npm package: @openclaw/whatsapp Installation fails

OpenClaw version

OpenClaw: 2026.4.21

Operating system

Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS

Install method

No response

Model

all

Provider / routing chain

whatsapp

Additional provider/model setup details

No response

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

Impact and severity

### Impact - Onboarding cannot be completed - WhatsApp channel is effectively unusable in current release - Blocks core advertised functionality

This prevents onboarding from completing and blocks all WhatsApp integration setup.

Additional information

No response

extent analysis

TL;DR

The most likely fix is to ensure the @openclaw/whatsapp package is properly published and available on npm or to modify the onboarding process to handle missing dependencies more gracefully.

Guidance

  • Verify the @openclaw/whatsapp package exists and is correctly published on npm to ensure it can be installed during onboarding.
  • Check the OpenClaw plugin registry for any incomplete or partially published plugins that might be causing the issue, as other plugins like Slack and Nostr also show missing dependency errors.
  • Consider modifying the onboarding process to check for the availability of required packages before attempting installation, providing a more user-friendly error message if a package is missing.
  • Investigate why the WhatsApp extension in dist/extensions/whatsapp is not usable via the CLI channel system, as this might indicate a configuration or dependency issue.

Example

No specific code snippet can be provided without more context on the OpenClaw and npm package management, but ensuring the @openclaw/whatsapp package is correctly listed in the project's package.json or other dependency management files could be a starting point.

Notes

The issue seems to stem from a missing npm package and an unsupported channel login handler, which could be due to a publishing error, a dependency management issue, or a problem with the onboarding process itself. Without more information on the OpenClaw project structure and its dependency management, it's challenging to provide a more detailed solution.

Recommendation

Apply a workaround by modifying the onboarding process to handle missing dependencies more robustly, as upgrading to a fixed version is not mentioned as an option in the provided context. This approach allows for a more immediate mitigation of the issue while the root cause, such as the missing @openclaw/whatsapp package, is investigated and resolved.

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FAQ

Expected behavior

Expected behavior

  • WhatsApp plugin should install successfully OR be marked as unavailable before onboarding
  • Channel login should either:
  • complete successfully, or gracefully disable WhatsApp option
#installation#dependency error#retrieval issue#search optimization#API routing

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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug]: WhatsApp channel login fails [1 comments, 2 participants]