openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix Telegram group topic only responds to @mentions despite requireMention=false and BotFather privacy disabled

Bug type

Regression (worked before, now fails)

Beta release blocker

No

Summary

After updating OpenClaw, Telegram group/topic messages only trigger the bot when the bot is directly @mentioned. Plain group/topic messages no longer trigger a response.

Steps to reproduce

OpenClaw version: 2026.5.6 (c97b9f7)

Issue: After updating OpenClaw, Telegram group/topic messages only trigger the bot when the bot is directly @mentioned. Plain group/topic messages no longer trigger a response.

This used to work before the update.

Telegram setup:

• Bot is admin in the Telegram group
• BotFather Group Privacy is disabled
• DM messages work
• Group/topic messages with direct @mentions work
• Plain group/topic messages do not trigger
• Group is a Telegram forum/topic group

Relevant config behavior:

• requireMention: false is set
• groupPolicy: "allowlist" is used
• allowFrom is set for my Telegram user ID
• Duplicate default provider was disabled
• Secondary agent ownership of the same group was removed
• Topic-specific config was removed so group-level config should apply

Working log for @mention:

agent:orchestrator:telegram:group:<telegram_group_id>:topic:1(processing/model_call...)
[telegram] sendMessage ok chat=<telegram_group_id>

Expected behavior

With requireMention: false and BotFather privacy disabled, plain messages in the allowed Telegram group/topic should trigger the agent.

Actual behavior

Only direct @mentions trigger the agent.

OpenClaw version

2026.5.6 (c97b9f7)

Operating system

Ubuntu Server 24.04

Install method

npm global

Model

openai/gpt-5.5

Provider / routing chain

openclaw -> openai

Additional provider/model setup details

Telegram forum/topic group setup.

BotFather privacy mode disabled. Bot is admin in group. DMs work. @mentions in group topics work. Plain topic messages do not trigger despite requireMention=false.

Issue started after updating to 2026.5.6.

Only the default provider owns the group now. Duplicate provider/topic configs were removed during troubleshooting.

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

BotFather confirms privacy mode is disabled.

Observed behavior:

- DM messages work normally.
- Group topic messages ONLY work when directly mentioning the bot.
- Plain topic messages do not trigger a response despite requireMention=false.

Config cleanup/troubleshooting already performed:

- Removed duplicate default provider/group ownership.
- Removed topic-specific config blocks.
- Removed secondary-agent ownership of the same group.
- Verified requireMention=false in all remaining group configs.
- Verified config validates successfully.
- Restarted gateway multiple times.

Relevant logs when mention works:

agent:orchestrator:telegram:group:<telegram_group_id>:topic:1(processing/model_call...)
[telegram] sendMessage ok chat=<telegram_group_id>

Observed issue:
Plain messages in the same Telegram forum topic produce no response and often no corresponding processing log entries.

Version:
2026.5.6 (c97b9f7)

Impact and severity

Affected: Telegram forum/topic group users using OpenClaw 2026.5.6.

Severity: Medium-High. Bots appear online but silently ignore normal group conversation unless directly mentioned.

Frequency: Consistent/reproducible in all tested forum topics.

Consequence: Breaks natural group-chat interaction workflow. Users must explicitly @mention the bot for every message even with requireMention=false and Telegram privacy mode disabled.