openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix Discord GroupChat replies invisible after 2026.5.3 — visibleReplies default changed [3 comments, 3 participants]

Bug Report: Discord GroupChat replies invisible after update to 2026.5.3

Environment

• OpenClaw Version: 2026.5.3-1 (2eae30e)
• Channel: Discord Guild Channels (Server/Group chats)
• OS: macOS (Darwin 25.3.0 arm64)

Problem Description

After updating to OpenClaw 2026.5.3, automatic assistant replies in Discord guild/group channels are no longer visible. The bot shows the "typing" indicator (three dots), generates a complete response (confirmed in session logs), but the message never appears in the channel.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Update OpenClaw to 2026.5.3
2. Send a message in any Discord guild channel where the agent is bound
3. Observe: Bot starts typing (typing indicator visible)
4. Observe: Typing stops, but no message appears
5. Check session logs: Response was generated successfully

Affected Channels

• All Discord guild channels with agent bindings
• Examples: #health-fitness, #video-analysis, #cost-tracking, etc.

Not Affected

• Discord DMs
• Telegram DMs and groups
• iMessage

Root Cause

In OpenClaw 2026.5.3, the default value for messages.groupChat.visibleReplies changed from "automatic" to "message_tool". This means normal assistant replies in group chats now stay private by default, and only explicit message(action="send") tool calls produce visible output.

Solution

Set messages.groupChat.visibleReplies back to "automatic":

# Method 1: Config patch
openclaw config patch --raw '{"messages":{"groupChat":{"visibleReplies":"automatic"}}}'

# Method 2: Config file
# Add to openclaw.json:
{
  "messages": {
    "groupChat": {
      "visibleReplies": "automatic"
    }
  }
}

Important: After applying the config patch, a gateway restart is required for the change to take effect:

openclaw gateway restart

Documentation Reference

From the Discord channel docs:

"By default, normal assistant final replies stay private by default. Visible Discord output must be sent explicitly with the message tool, so the agent can lurk by default and only post when it decides a channel reply is useful."

"To restore legacy automatic final replies for group/channel rooms, set messages.groupChat.visibleReplies: "automatic"."

Suggested Fix

Consider one of the following to prevent user confusion:

1. Migration notice: Show a warning during upgrade if visibleReplies is not explicitly set
2. Better defaults: Keep "automatic" as default for existing configs (only apply "message_tool" for new installations)
3. Discord-specific note: Since Discord is the primary affected channel, consider Discord-specific documentation or a config migration helper

Verification

After applying the fix and restarting the gateway:

• Send a message in any Discord guild channel
• Assistant reply appears automatically ✅