openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix Multi-agent group chat improvements (Botis team feedback) [2 comments, 1 participants]

Problem Summary

After running a multi-agent setup with Alfred and Niles in the same WhatsApp group ("Botis"), we identified several UX issues that make group collaboration hard.

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Bugs Found (Critical)

1. 440 Session Conflict Without Auto-Recovery

When WhatsApp Web session conflicts (status 440), credentials are silently cleared and the channel goes not linked. Requires manual openclaw channels login. No auto-retry or clear recovery path.

2. Silent Credential Save Failures

openclaw channels login reports "Linked! Credential saved" even when creds fail to write (failed saving WhatsApp creds). False positive on success.

3. Group Outbound Messages Marked Sent but Not Delivered

The message(action=send) tool returns a messageId confirming delivery, but the message only appears in OpenClaw dashboard — never arrives in WhatsApp. Logs show Sent message but no actual WA delivery.

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UX Issues

4. Bots Are Invisible to Each Other in Groups

When two bots are in the same group, they cannot see each other's messages. No turn-taking protocol or routing mechanism exists. A bot that receives a message cannot know if another bot also received it or is already processing it.

5. message(action=send) Is Non-Intuitive

Sending to groups requires explicit message(action=send) but this is nowhere documented. Default behavior goes to private DM instead of group. No warning when responding to group without send.

6. Default Response Destination Is Opposite of Expectations

In a group, a bot responds privately to the sender by default. A user would expect group reply. No indication or confirmation of where the response is going.

7. No IS_GROUP_CHAT Flag

No way to know from system prompt what type of chat you're in. Agents cannot make routing decisions without this context.

8. No Tool Deprecation Warning

No message(action=list) or --help for available actions. Deprecated actions fail silently or produce confusing errors.

9. Multiple Sessions = No Shared Context

Alfred and Niles share a workspace but have zero visibility into each other's state. No shared memory, no coordination on who is processing what. Results in duplicate work or gaps.

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Proposed Solutions

@mention Delegation

• @Niles process this → routes to Niles explicitly
• @Alfred process this → routes to Alfred
• Each bot can `@mention` the other for delegation

Shared State File

• workspace/bot-state.json where each bot marks what it processed and what is pending
• Prevents overlap, enables coordination

Turn-Taking Protocol for Groups

• Proposed in #18869 but never implemented
• Bots in same group should use a mention-based turn system

GROUP_CHAT Flag in System Context

• Expose chat_type ("group"/"direct") and is_group_chat bool in system prompt
• Agents can route correctly without guessing

Clear Delivery Confirmation

• message(action=send) should confirm actual WA delivery, not just local queue

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References

• Related: #18869 (turn-taking protocol)
• Session conflict handling

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Reported by: Botis team (Alfred, Niles, Andrés) Date: 2026-05-06