Problem

Messages sent via the Webchat UI are silently lost when the WebSocket connection drops and reconnects (code 1001 / "Going Away"). This happens when:

• The browser tab reloads or navigates
• The WebSocket briefly disconnects for any reason
• The user hits Enter at the exact moment of a reconnect cycle

The gateway never receives the message, so there is nothing to drop server-side — it simply never arrives.

Evidence

Gateway logs show rapid disconnect/reconnect cycles:

2026-03-14T10:46:40.506+01:00 [ws] webchat disconnected code=1001 conn=abd60847
2026-03-14T10:46:40.750+01:00 [ws] webchat connected conn=96f826be
2026-03-14T10:46:52.316+01:00 [ws] webchat disconnected code=1001 conn=96f826be
2026-03-14T10:46:52.458+01:00 [ws] webchat connected conn=0a55022e

User-sent message during this window was lost with no error feedback.

Expected behavior

Messages should be queued client-side and only removed from the queue after server ACK. On reconnect, unACKed messages should be re-sent automatically.

Suggested fix

1. Client-side outbound queue: Buffer messages locally before sending
2. Server ACK: Gateway responds with an ACK per message received
3. Retry on reconnect: After WebSocket reconnects, flush any unACKed messages from the queue
4. UI feedback: If a message cannot be delivered after N retries, show an error indicator on that message (like messaging apps do)

Environment

• OpenClaw Gateway on macOS (Darwin 25.3.0 arm64)
• Webchat Control UI v2026.3.12
• Occurs intermittently, more likely during rapid interactions or tab focus changes