Summary
OpenClaw Bug Report: Web UI and Telegram Both Non-Functional
Environment
OpenClaw Version: 2026.2.13 (203b5bd) and 2026.2.6-3
OS: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (VPS)
Node.js: v22.22.0
npm: 10.9.4
Installation Methods Tested: Both Docker and manual npm install
Date: February 14, 2026
Summary
Both the Web UI and Telegram bot are completely non-functional in current OpenClaw versions. Messages are not being sent/received through either interface despite successful gateway startup and proper configuration.
Bug 1: Web UI - Messages Not Sent to Gateway
Symptoms
Web UI loads successfully and connects to gateway (webchat connected in logs)
User can type messages in the chat interface
Clicking "Send" button OR pressing Enter key shows message in UI
Assistant timestamp appears but response is empty
No chat.send request is ever logged by the gateway
Evidence
Gateway logs show connection but NO chat.send:
17:24:31 [ws] webchat connected conn=607817de-3186-486f-8543-5dbb65f443d9 remote=127.0.0.1
User sends message - NOTHING appears in logs
No chat.send, no agent run, complete silence
Reproduction Steps
Install OpenClaw (either Docker or npm)
Configure OpenAI API key
Start gateway: openclaw gateway
Open web UI at http://localhost:18789/
Connect with correct gateway token
Type message and press Enter OR click Send button
Message appears in UI but assistant response is empty
Check logs: tail -f /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-*.log - no chat.send activity
What Works
✅ Gateway starts successfully
✅ WebSocket connection established
✅ chat.history requests work (loading past messages)
✅ UI loads and displays correctly
What Doesn't Work
❌ Send button doesn't trigger chat.send
❌ Enter key doesn't trigger chat.send
❌ No messages reach the gateway despite UI showing them sent
Bug 2: Telegram Bot - Polling Never Starts
Symptoms
Telegram bot starts successfully: [telegram] [default] starting provider (@botName)
Bot shows as online in Telegram
Bot token is valid (verified with direct API calls)
Messages sent to bot are never received by OpenClaw
No polling activity visible in logs
No getUpdates calls or incoming message processing
Evidence
bash# Gateway startup shows:
17:24:19 [telegram] [default] starting provider (@Kar_Navi_Bot)
17:24:19 [telegram] autoSelectFamily=false (default-node22)
Then complete silence - no polling, no message reception
Telegram API confirms bot is functional:
$ curl https://api.telegram.org/bot/getMe
{"ok":true,"result":{"id":8518515130,"is_bot":true,"username":"Kar_Navi_Bot"...}}
But messages never reach OpenClaw - no logs at all when sending to bot
Reproduction Steps
Configure Telegram bot token in OpenClaw
Start gateway
Send message to bot in Telegram
Check logs - no activity whatsoever
Bot shows delivered (✓✓) in Telegram but OpenClaw never processes it
Configuration Used
json{
"channels": {
"telegram": {
"enabled": true,
"botToken": "VALID_TOKEN_VERIFIED_WORKING",
"dmPolicy": "pairing"
}
}
}
What Works
✅ Bot starts without errors
✅ Bot shows as online in Telegram
✅ Telegram API responds to direct queries
✅ Webhook is not configured (polling mode expected)
What Doesn't Work
❌ Polling never begins
❌ No getUpdates calls visible
❌ Messages sent to bot never reach gateway
❌ Complete silence after provider startup
Related Issues Found
These bugs match several recently reported issues:
#15082 - "Bot starts but does not poll - no incoming messages received" (2 days ago)
#14062 - "Telegram plugin enabled causes agent runs to skip LLM provider calls" (3 days ago)
#7519 - "Telegram Long-Polling Aborts Immediately" (2 weeks ago)
#4942 - "Telegram bot connects successfully but receives no messages" (2 weeks ago)
#4478 - "Assistant Not Responding in Chat Interface" (active)
Configuration Files
openclaw.json (working config that still fails)
json{
"gateway": {
"mode": "local",
"auth": {
"mode": "token",
"token": "REDACTED"
},
"port": 18789,
"bind": "loopback",
"controlUi": {
"allowInsecureAuth": true
}
},
"agents": {
"defaults": {
"workspace": "/home/ubuntu/.openclaw/workspace",
"model": {
"primary": "openai/gpt-4o"
}
}
},
"channels": {
"telegram": {
"enabled": true,
"botToken": "REDACTED"
}
}
}
Environment Variables
bashOPENAI_API_KEY=sk-proj-... (verified working with direct curl)
Troubleshooting Attempted
✅ Fresh Docker install
✅ Fresh npm install
✅ Verified OpenAI API key works (direct curl tests successful)
✅ Verified Telegram bot token works (API calls successful)
✅ Multiple gateway restarts
✅ Cleared browser cache and localStorage
✅ Tried different browsers
✅ Checked permissions on ~/.openclaw directory
✅ Verified no port conflicts
✅ Both Enter key and Send button tested
✅ Tested with SSH tunnel and localhost
❌ Nothing resolves the issues
Expected Behavior
Web UI: Pressing Enter or clicking Send should trigger chat.send request to gateway
Telegram: Bot should begin polling via getUpdates and process incoming messages
Actual Behavior
Web UI: Messages appear in UI but never reach gateway (no chat.send in logs)
Telegram: Bot starts but never polls (no incoming message processing)
Impact
Both primary user interfaces are completely non-functional. Users cannot interact with OpenClaw through either web UI or Telegram, making the system unusable for most deployment scenarios.
Workaround
None found. CLI-based chat may work but was not fully tested.
Additional Context
This issue was encountered on a fresh VPS installation with no prior OpenClaw deployment. The bugs appear immediately after setup and persist across both Docker and manual installations, suggesting they are recent regressions in the codebase rather than configuration issues.
The fact that multiple users have reported similar issues in the past 2 weeks suggests these may be related to recent changes in the v2026.2.x release cycle.
Steps to reproduce
I've provided the info above.
Expected behavior
Provided in the issue log.
Actual behavior
Provided in the issue log.
OpenClaw version
2026.2.13 (203b5bd) and 2026.2.6-3
Operating system
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (VPS)
Install method
Both Docker and manual npm install
Logs, screenshots, and evidence
Impact and severity
No response
Additional information
No response
Summary
OpenClaw Bug Report: Web UI and Telegram Both Non-Functional
Environment
OpenClaw Version: 2026.2.13 (203b5bd) and 2026.2.6-3
OS: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (VPS)
Node.js: v22.22.0
npm: 10.9.4
Installation Methods Tested: Both Docker and manual npm install
Date: February 14, 2026
Summary
Both the Web UI and Telegram bot are completely non-functional in current OpenClaw versions. Messages are not being sent/received through either interface despite successful gateway startup and proper configuration.
Bug 1: Web UI - Messages Not Sent to Gateway
Symptoms
Web UI loads successfully and connects to gateway (webchat connected in logs)
User can type messages in the chat interface
Clicking "Send" button OR pressing Enter key shows message in UI
Assistant timestamp appears but response is empty
No chat.send request is ever logged by the gateway
Evidence
Gateway logs show connection but NO chat.send:
17:24:31 [ws] webchat connected conn=607817de-3186-486f-8543-5dbb65f443d9 remote=127.0.0.1
User sends message - NOTHING appears in logs
No chat.send, no agent run, complete silence
Reproduction Steps
Install OpenClaw (either Docker or npm)
Configure OpenAI API key
Start gateway: openclaw gateway
Open web UI at http://localhost:18789/
Connect with correct gateway token
Type message and press Enter OR click Send button
Message appears in UI but assistant response is empty
Check logs: tail -f /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-*.log - no chat.send activity
What Works
✅ Gateway starts successfully
✅ WebSocket connection established
✅ chat.history requests work (loading past messages)
✅ UI loads and displays correctly
What Doesn't Work
❌ Send button doesn't trigger chat.send
❌ Enter key doesn't trigger chat.send
❌ No messages reach the gateway despite UI showing them sent
Bug 2: Telegram Bot - Polling Never Starts
Symptoms
Telegram bot starts successfully: [telegram] [default] starting provider (@botName)
Bot shows as online in Telegram
Bot token is valid (verified with direct API calls)
Messages sent to bot are never received by OpenClaw
No polling activity visible in logs
No getUpdates calls or incoming message processing
Evidence
bash# Gateway startup shows:
17:24:19 [telegram] [default] starting provider (@Kar_Navi_Bot)
17:24:19 [telegram] autoSelectFamily=false (default-node22)
Then complete silence - no polling, no message reception
Telegram API confirms bot is functional:
$ curl https://api.telegram.org/bot/getMe
{"ok":true,"result":{"id":8518515130,"is_bot":true,"username":"Kar_Navi_Bot"...}}
But messages never reach OpenClaw - no logs at all when sending to bot
Reproduction Steps
Configure Telegram bot token in OpenClaw
Start gateway
Send message to bot in Telegram
Check logs - no activity whatsoever
Bot shows delivered (✓✓) in Telegram but OpenClaw never processes it
Configuration Used
json{
"channels": {
"telegram": {
"enabled": true,
"botToken": "VALID_TOKEN_VERIFIED_WORKING",
"dmPolicy": "pairing"
}
}
}
What Works
✅ Bot starts without errors
✅ Bot shows as online in Telegram
✅ Telegram API responds to direct queries
✅ Webhook is not configured (polling mode expected)
What Doesn't Work
❌ Polling never begins
❌ No getUpdates calls visible
❌ Messages sent to bot never reach gateway
❌ Complete silence after provider startup
Related Issues Found
These bugs match several recently reported issues:
#15082 - "Bot starts but does not poll - no incoming messages received" (2 days ago)
#14062 - "Telegram plugin enabled causes agent runs to skip LLM provider calls" (3 days ago)
#7519 - "Telegram Long-Polling Aborts Immediately" (2 weeks ago)
#4942 - "Telegram bot connects successfully but receives no messages" (2 weeks ago)
#4478 - "Assistant Not Responding in Chat Interface" (active)
Configuration Files
openclaw.json (working config that still fails)
json{
"gateway": {
"mode": "local",
"auth": {
"mode": "token",
"token": "REDACTED"
},
"port": 18789,
"bind": "loopback",
"controlUi": {
"allowInsecureAuth": true
}
},
"agents": {
"defaults": {
"workspace": "/home/ubuntu/.openclaw/workspace",
"model": {
"primary": "openai/gpt-4o"
}
}
},
"channels": {
"telegram": {
"enabled": true,
"botToken": "REDACTED"
}
}
}
Environment Variables
bashOPENAI_API_KEY=sk-proj-... (verified working with direct curl)
Troubleshooting Attempted
✅ Fresh Docker install
✅ Fresh npm install
✅ Verified OpenAI API key works (direct curl tests successful)
✅ Verified Telegram bot token works (API calls successful)
✅ Multiple gateway restarts
✅ Cleared browser cache and localStorage
✅ Tried different browsers
✅ Checked permissions on ~/.openclaw directory
✅ Verified no port conflicts
✅ Both Enter key and Send button tested
✅ Tested with SSH tunnel and localhost
❌ Nothing resolves the issues
Expected Behavior
Web UI: Pressing Enter or clicking Send should trigger chat.send request to gateway
Telegram: Bot should begin polling via getUpdates and process incoming messages
Actual Behavior
Web UI: Messages appear in UI but never reach gateway (no chat.send in logs)
Telegram: Bot starts but never polls (no incoming message processing)
Impact
Both primary user interfaces are completely non-functional. Users cannot interact with OpenClaw through either web UI or Telegram, making the system unusable for most deployment scenarios.
Workaround
None found. CLI-based chat may work but was not fully tested.
Additional Context
This issue was encountered on a fresh VPS installation with no prior OpenClaw deployment. The bugs appear immediately after setup and persist across both Docker and manual installations, suggesting they are recent regressions in the codebase rather than configuration issues.
The fact that multiple users have reported similar issues in the past 2 weeks suggests these may be related to recent changes in the v2026.2.x release cycle.
Steps to reproduce
I've provided the info above.
Expected behavior
Provided in the issue log.
Actual behavior
Provided in the issue log.
OpenClaw version
2026.2.13 (203b5bd) and 2026.2.6-3
Operating system
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (VPS)
Install method
Both Docker and manual npm install
Logs, screenshots, and evidence
Impact and severity
No response
Additional information
No response