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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix Telegram native approvals still start with execApprovals.enabled=false, then loop on pairing required (scope-upgrade) [1 participants]

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openclaw/openclaw#68739•Fetched 2026-04-19 15:08:06
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stuart-pebblestuart-pebble
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stuart-pebblestuart-pebble

On OpenClaw 2026.4.15, Telegram native approvals still attempt to start even when channels.telegram.execApprovals.enabled is explicitly set to false. The native approval handler then loops on GatewayClientRequestError: pairing required, with websocket logs showing reason: "scope-upgrade".

In the same setup, a Telegram group bot works for notifications and some mentions, but conversational reliability is flaky. This may or may not be a second issue, but the approval subsystem is definitely misbehaving.

Error Message

{"subsystem":"telegram/native-approvals"} connect error: pairing required {"subsystem":"gateway/channels/telegram"} failed to start native approval handler: GatewayClientRequestError: pairing required {"subsystem":"gateway/ws"} ... "reason":"scope-upgrade" ... code=1008 reason=pairing required

Root Cause

Notes

  • Basic Telegram group notifications work.
  • Some group mentions have worked, but group conversational replies are unreliable/intermittent in this setup. I am not asserting the group reliability issue is caused by this, but the approval subsystem is definitely active when it should be disabled.
  • The local changelog/docs suggest execApprovals.enabled=false should disable native approvals rather than leaving them on auto.

Code Example

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "enabled": true,
      "dmPolicy": "pairing",
      "groupPolicy": "allowlist",
      "allowFrom": ["8379463571"],
      "execApprovals": {
        "enabled": false
      },
      "groups": {
        "-1003958716585": {
          "requireMention": true
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

---

{"subsystem":"telegram/native-approvals"} connect error: pairing required
{"subsystem":"gateway/channels/telegram"} failed to start native approval handler: GatewayClientRequestError: pairing required
{"subsystem":"gateway/ws"} ... "reason":"scope-upgrade" ... code=1008 reason=pairing required

---

$ openclaw pairing list telegram
No pending telegram pairing requests.
RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

Summary

On OpenClaw 2026.4.15, Telegram native approvals still attempt to start even when channels.telegram.execApprovals.enabled is explicitly set to false. The native approval handler then loops on GatewayClientRequestError: pairing required, with websocket logs showing reason: "scope-upgrade".

In the same setup, a Telegram group bot works for notifications and some mentions, but conversational reliability is flaky. This may or may not be a second issue, but the approval subsystem is definitely misbehaving.

Version / Environment

  • OpenClaw: 2026.4.15
  • Install: global npm install on macOS
  • Gateway runtime: local LaunchAgent
  • Channel: Telegram bot
  • Primary model: openai-codex/gpt-5.4 via OAuth

Telegram config

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "enabled": true,
      "dmPolicy": "pairing",
      "groupPolicy": "allowlist",
      "allowFrom": ["8379463571"],
      "execApprovals": {
        "enabled": false
      },
      "groups": {
        "-1003958716585": {
          "requireMention": true
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Repro

  1. Configure Telegram as above, with execApprovals.enabled = false
  2. Restart gateway
  3. Inspect gateway log

Actual behavior

Gateway repeatedly logs native approval startup failures anyway:

{"subsystem":"telegram/native-approvals"} connect error: pairing required
{"subsystem":"gateway/channels/telegram"} failed to start native approval handler: GatewayClientRequestError: pairing required
{"subsystem":"gateway/ws"} ... "reason":"scope-upgrade" ... code=1008 reason=pairing required

There are no pending Telegram pairing requests visible:

$ openclaw pairing list telegram
No pending telegram pairing requests.

Expected behavior

If channels.telegram.execApprovals.enabled is false, OpenClaw should not start the Telegram native approval handler at all, and should not attempt any scope-upgrade pairing for Telegram native approvals.

Notes

  • Basic Telegram group notifications work.
  • Some group mentions have worked, but group conversational replies are unreliable/intermittent in this setup. I am not asserting the group reliability issue is caused by this, but the approval subsystem is definitely active when it should be disabled.
  • The local changelog/docs suggest execApprovals.enabled=false should disable native approvals rather than leaving them on auto.

extent analysis

TL;DR

The issue can be mitigated by investigating the Telegram configuration and gateway logs to understand why the native approval handler is attempting to start despite execApprovals.enabled being set to false.

Guidance

  • Review the Telegram configuration to ensure that execApprovals.enabled is correctly set to false and that there are no other settings that could be overriding this value.
  • Investigate the gateway logs to determine why the native approval handler is attempting to start and why it's encountering a GatewayClientRequestError: pairing required error.
  • Check the OpenClaw documentation to see if there are any known issues or limitations with the execApprovals.enabled setting in version 2026.4.15.
  • Verify that there are no pending Telegram pairing requests using the openclaw pairing list telegram command, as mentioned in the repro steps.

Example

No code snippet is provided as the issue seems to be related to configuration and logging rather than code.

Notes

The issue may be related to a bug or limitation in OpenClaw version 2026.4.15, and upgrading to a later version may resolve the issue. However, without further information, it's difficult to determine the root cause.

Recommendation

Apply workaround: Investigate and adjust the Telegram configuration and gateway settings to prevent the native approval handler from starting when execApprovals.enabled is set to false, as this may resolve the issue or provide more insight into the root cause.

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FAQ

Expected behavior

If channels.telegram.execApprovals.enabled is false, OpenClaw should not start the Telegram native approval handler at all, and should not attempt any scope-upgrade pairing for Telegram native approvals.

#configuration error#environment variable#network issue#logging issue#authentication issue

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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix Telegram native approvals still start with execApprovals.enabled=false, then loop on pairing required (scope-upgrade) [1 participants]