Description

When session.dmScope is set to "per-channel-peer", the Web Control UI does not create an independent session key and instead reuses the global session agent:main:main. This causes all Web UI responses to be delivered to whichever channel last updated the session's deliveryContext, leading to message routing conflicts.

Environment

• OpenClaw Version: 2026.3.2
• Configuration:

  {
    "session": {
      "dmScope": "per-channel-peer"
    }
  }

• Active Channels: Telegram, Slack, WhatsApp, Web Control UI

Steps to Reproduce

1. Configure session.dmScope: "per-channel-peer" in openclaw.json
2. Restart OpenClaw Gateway
3. Send a message via Telegram (creates session agent:main:telegram:direct:{user_id})
4. Send a message via Web Control UI
5. Observe response delivery

Current Behavior

Session keys created:

{
  "agent:main:telegram:direct:8658588041": {
    "deliveryContext": {
      "channel": "telegram",
      "to": "telegram:8658588041"
    }
  },
  "agent:main:slack:direct:u049par1b98:thread:...": {
    "deliveryContext": {
      "channel": "slack",
      "to": "user:U049PAR1B98"
    }
  },
  "agent:main:main": {
    "origin": {
      "provider": "telegram",        // ❌ Wrong!
      "surface": "webchat"
    },
    "deliveryContext": {
      "channel": "telegram",          // ❌ Should be "webchat"
      "to": "telegram:8658588041"     // ❌ Should be webchat target
    }
  }
}

Result: Web UI messages are delivered to Telegram instead of staying in the Web UI.

Expected Behavior

Web Control UI should create an independent session when dmScope: "per-channel-peer":

{
  "agent:main:webchat:direct:{user_id}": {
    "deliveryContext": {
      "channel": "webchat",
      "to": "webchat:{user_id}"
    }
  }
}

OR if Web UI must remain global, its deliveryContext.channel should always be "webchat" regardless of other sessions.

Root Cause Analysis

Code Location

File: /app/dist/session-key-a6av96Fj.js

Function: buildAgentMainSessionKey

function buildAgentMainSessionKey(params) {
  return `agent:${normalizeAgentId(params.agentId)}:${normalizeMainKey(params.mainKey)}`;
}

Issue: Web Control UI (sender: "openclaw-control-ui") always uses this function, which returns agent:main:main instead of respecting dmScope: "per-channel-peer".

Why Other Channels Work

Telegram, Slack, and WhatsApp use buildAgentPeerSessionKey, which correctly implements per-channel-peer logic:

function buildAgentPeerSessionKey(params) {
  const peerKind = params.peerKind ?? "direct";
  if (peerKind === "direct") {
    const dmScope = params.dmScope ?? "main";
    // ... creates agent:main:{channel}:direct:{peer_id}
  }
}

Web UI Special Handling

File: /app/dist/gateway-cli-*.js

errorShape(ErrorCodes.INVALID_REQUEST, 
  `webchat clients cannot ${params.action} sessions; use chat.send for session-scoped updates`)

This suggests Web UI has intentional special handling, but it breaks channel isolation when multiple channels are active.

Impact

• ✅ Works: Single-channel setups (e.g., only Telegram)
• ❌ Broken: Multi-channel setups with dmScope: "per-channel-peer"
• Affects: Message routing, session isolation, privacy expectations

Proposed Fix

Option 1: Make Web UI respect dmScope (Recommended)

When dmScope: "per-channel-peer", Web UI should:

1. Generate session key: agent:main:webchat:direct:{user_id_or_device_id}
2. Set deliveryContext.channel: "webchat"
3. Route replies back to the Web UI only

Option 2: Isolate Web UI deliveryContext

If Web UI must remain global (agent:main:main), ensure:

1. deliveryContext.channel is always "webchat"
2. Never inherit deliveryContext from other channels
3. Prevent cross-contamination with Telegram/Slack/etc.

Option 3: Document the limitation

If this is intentional behavior:

1. Update docs to warn that Web UI shares session with other channels
2. Recommend avoiding multi-channel usage with Web UI
3. Add config option to disable Web UI when using per-channel-peer

Workaround (Temporary)

For users affected by this bug:

1. Use only one channel at a time (Web UI XOR Telegram/Slack/etc.)
2. OR: Set session.dmScope: "main" (disables per-channel isolation)
3. OR: Manually clear Web UI session before switching channels

Additional Context

• User reference: Issue discovered during multi-channel deployment testing
• Related config: session.identityLinks (cross-channel identity mapping)
• Memory architecture: Shared vs private memory per channel

Conclusion

This bug prevents users from safely running multi-channel setups with the Web Control UI. The fix should ensure Web UI creates an independent session key or at least isolates its deliveryContext to prevent cross-channel message leakage.

Thank you for maintaining OpenClaw! 🙏