openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix WebChat: restore message queueing when agent is busy (regression)

Summary

In a recent update, the WebChat input behavior changed: when the agent is processing and you type a new message and hit Enter, it now shows a system message:

"agent is busy — press Esc to abort before sending a new message"

...and the message is not sent or queued — the user has to wait for the current turn to finish, then manually re-enter and resend the message.

Previous behavior

Messages typed while the agent was busy were queued and automatically sent once the agent finished its current turn. This worked seamlessly.

Current behavior

Messages are blocked with a warning. The user must:

1. See the "agent is busy" notice
2. Wait for the current turn to complete
3. Re-type and re-send their message

Why this is a regression

The queueing behavior was the correct UX. Typing and sending a follow-up mid-response is natural — the previous design handled it gracefully. The current behavior requires the user to hold state in their head and retry, which is friction without benefit.

The "press Esc to abort" hint is also redundant — Esc already works and doesn't need to be surfaced as the only option when someone just wants to queue a follow-up.

Request

Restore message queueing as the default behavior when a message is submitted while the agent is busy. The "press Esc to abort" hint can remain as supplementary info (perhaps more subtly), but blocking the send entirely is the wrong default.

Environment

• OpenClaw version: latest (post-2026.5.20 update)
• Channel: WebChat
• OS: Linux