openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix Telegram plugin auto-enabled but channel runtime never starts on Windows AutoClaw 1.1.1.91 / OpenClaw 2026.3.11 [1 comments, 2 participants]

Bug type

Regression (worked before, now fails)

Beta release blocker

No

Summary

On Windows 11 with AutoClaw 1.1.1.91 / OpenClaw 2026.3.11, the Telegram plugin is detected and logged as "enabled automatically" at startup, but the channel runtime never initializes — no polling, no getMe, no errors, even with full debug logging enabled.

Steps to reproduce

1. Install AutoClaw 1.1.1.91 on Windows 11
2. Set the following config:

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "enabled": true,
      "botToken": "REDACTED",
      "dmPolicy": "open",
      "allowFrom": ["*"],
      "groupPolicy": "open",
      "groups": { "*": { "requireMention": false } }
    }
  }
}

1. Start AutoClaw (clean launch, no prior running instance)
2. Observe startup logs
3. Send a message to the bot on Telegram
4. Observe: no getMe, no polling started, no incoming message processed

Expected behavior

Telegram plugin initializes fully after startup: getMe probe runs, [default] starting provider is logged, and the bot starts polling for messages.

Actual behavior

Startup log shows: [gateway] auto-enabled plugins:

• Telegram configured, enabled automatically.

After that line: zero Telegram-related output. No getMe probe, no [default] starting provider, no errors, no polling. The bot is unreachable on Telegram.

Debug logging (OPENCLAW_LOG_LEVEL=debug, OPENCLAW_DEBUG_TELEGRAM_ACCOUNTS=1, OPENCLAW_DEBUG_TELEGRAM_INGRESS=1) produces no Telegram account/start output. No telegram.http diagnostics file is created.

Additional: config.patch triggers SIGUSR1 restart -> GatewayLockError: another gateway instance already listening on ws://127.0.0.1:18789. Old process holds the port. Only taskkill /f /im AutoClaw.exe + relaunch resolves it.

OpenClaw version

AutoClaw 1.1.1.91 / OpenClaw 2026.3.11

Operating system

Windows 11 (NT 10.0.26200)

Install method

AutoClaw packaged installer (Windows)

Model

N/A — channel runtime never starts, no model reached

Provider / routing chain

N/A — Telegram plugin never initializes

Additional provider/model setup details

No response

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

Impact and severity

Affected: All Windows users trying to use the Telegram channel on AutoClaw 1.1.1.91 / OpenClaw 2026.3.11 Severity: Critical (Telegram channel is completely non-functional on Windows) Frequency: 100% reproducible on this build Consequence: Bot is unreachable on Telegram, all incoming messages are missed

Additional information

Confirmed not a config issue after testing all dmPolicy values, root vs account-level botToken, with/without accounts block, multiple clean restarts (taskkill + relaunch), and multiple fresh bot tokens created via BotFather. Node.js v22.22.0. Telegram plugin is bundled in gateway-bundle.mjs (not in extensions folder).