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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix Feature Request: Silent/observe mode for WhatsApp groups — log messages with sender metadata without replying [1 comments, 1 participants]

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openclaw/openclaw#61371•Fetched 2026-04-08 02:59:20
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Error Message

Alternatively, a neverReply: true flag that unconditionally suppresses all outbound messages to a group (including error messages) while still processing inbound messages through hooks.

Fix Action

Fix / Workaround

Current Workaround

Code Example

"groups": {
  "*": {
    "requireMention": true,
    "observe": true
  }
}
RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

Problem

I need to monitor WhatsApp group messages and store them (with sender name/number) in a database for analytics, without the agent ever replying in the group.

Currently there's no clean way to achieve this:

  • requireMention: true — Agent doesn't reply in groups (good), but the message:received hook never fires for group messages, so I can't capture sender metadata (name, phone number). The web-inbound log line also lacks sender info.

  • requireMention: false — The hook fires and I get full sender metadata (senderName, senderE164), but the agent processes the message and replies in the group. Even with NO_REPLY instructions in the agent's system prompt, replies still leak (agent errors, timeouts, or the model not following instructions reliably).

Current Workaround

Using requireMention: true + a log parser that watches gateway log files and extracts message content from web-inbound lines. This captures messages but not sender identity — that info only appears when the agent processes the message (requireMention: false).

What Would Help

A per-group config option like:

"groups": {
  "*": {
    "requireMention": true,
    "observe": true
  }
}

Where observe: true would:

  1. Fire the message:received hook with full sender metadata (name, phone, JID)
  2. Never send any reply to the group — not even on agent errors/timeouts
  3. Still allow the log parser and hooks to capture everything

Alternatively, a neverReply: true flag that unconditionally suppresses all outbound messages to a group (including error messages) while still processing inbound messages through hooks.

Environment

  • OpenClaw v2026.4.1
  • WhatsApp Web (Baileys)
  • groupPolicy: "open"
  • macOS / local gateway

Related

  • Discussion #42396 (neverReply proposal)

extent analysis

TL;DR

Implement a custom solution using the message:received hook with requireMention: false and manually suppress agent replies to achieve monitoring of WhatsApp group messages without responding.

Guidance

  • Investigate using a middleware or interceptor to catch and suppress outgoing messages from the agent when requireMention: false, ensuring the agent does not reply in the group.
  • Explore modifying the log parser to extract sender metadata when available, potentially combining this with the message:received hook data for a complete picture.
  • Consider implementing a custom flag or configuration similar to the proposed neverReply: true or observe: true to control agent behavior on a per-group basis.
  • Review Discussion #42396 for potential insights or community-proposed solutions related to the neverReply proposal.

Example

No specific code example is provided due to the complexity and variability of potential implementations.

Notes

The solution may require significant customization and could be version-dependent, given the specific environment (OpenClaw v2026.4.1, WhatsApp Web, Baileys). The proposed observe: true or neverReply: true flags are not currently implemented, so a workaround or custom implementation is necessary.

Recommendation

Apply a workaround by implementing custom logic to suppress agent replies when requireMention: false, allowing for the capture of sender metadata without responding in the group. This approach is chosen due to the lack of a built-in solution like the proposed flags.

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