WhatsApp group inbound bug report

Date: 2026-04-08 OpenClaw version: 2026.4.5 Workspace: /Users/frieren/.openclaw/workspace

Summary

Direct WhatsApp messages work, but WhatsApp group messages do not reach OpenClaw at all in this setup.

This remains true even after:

• updating OpenClaw
• enabling WhatsApp groupPolicy
• adding groups["*"]
• disabling requireMention for testing
• relinking WhatsApp
• fully resetting the WhatsApp credentials directory

Expected behavior

When the linked WhatsApp account is added to a group and a message is sent in that group, OpenClaw should receive a WhatsApp group inbound event and create a session like:

• agent:main:whatsapp:group:<jid>

Actual behavior

• Direct WhatsApp chat works.
• Group messages in WhatsApp produce no visible inbound group event.
• No whatsapp:group session is ever created.
• Only whatsapp:direct sessions appear.

Reproduction steps

1. Link WhatsApp with:
   • openclaw channels login --channel whatsapp
2. Add the linked WhatsApp account to a new WhatsApp group.
3. Send a plain group message like hi.
4. Observe OpenClaw logs and session state.

What was tested

Config checks

WhatsApp config was set to allow groups broadly, including a wildcard group rule. A test was also done with mention requirements disabled.

Effective intent:

• channels.whatsapp.groupPolicy = "open"
• channels.whatsapp.groups["*"].requireMention = false (temporary test)
• agent groupChat.mentionPatterns also configured previously

Runtime resets

• Updated CLI to 2026.4.5
• Found and fixed a gateway/plugin version mismatch where the running gateway was still 2026.4.1
• Performed clean WhatsApp credential reset by moving aside:
  • /Users/frieren/.openclaw/credentials/whatsapp/default
• Restarted gateway
• Re-linked WhatsApp from scratch

Behavioral checks

• Bot account present in a fresh WhatsApp group
• Plain messages sent in group
• Mention-gated test and non-mention test both failed

Evidence

Version / status

• OpenClaw CLI: 2026.4.5
• Gateway reachable locally
• WhatsApp account linked

Session state

• whatsapp:direct session exists
• whatsapp:group session does not exist

Logs / clues

Observed repeatedly in logs:

• restored corrupted WhatsApp creds.json from backup
• Listening for personal WhatsApp inbound messages.

Earlier, before fixing the gateway mismatch, logs also showed:

• plugin whatsapp: plugin requires OpenClaw >=2026.4.5, but this host is 2026.4.1; skipping load

That mismatch was fixed, but group inbound still does not arrive afterward.

Session file clues

The WhatsApp session files contain group-related sender key files for @g.us JIDs, which suggests the linked session is aware of groups at the WhatsApp layer. Despite that, no group inbound event reaches OpenClaw.

Current conclusion

This does not look like a simple policy or mention-pattern mistake anymore.

Most likely causes:

1. WhatsApp runtime/plugin bug for group inbound handling in this environment
2. Session restore / creds corruption affecting group event subscription or routing
3. A hidden account mode mismatch where DM inbound works but group inbound is never surfaced

Temporary workaround

• Use WhatsApp for direct messages only
• Use Telegram or Discord for group chat behavior

Suggested next debugging steps

1. Inspect the WhatsApp runtime path that emits Listening for personal WhatsApp inbound messages. and verify whether group listeners are actually attached.
2. Inspect why creds.json is repeatedly considered corrupted and restored from backup.
3. Compare a working group-capable WhatsApp session against this session directory.
4. Add debug logging for inbound WhatsApp event type and JID classification before policy checks.
5. Confirm whether group JIDs are filtered before session creation.