Environment
- OpenClaw: 2026.3.13 (official
ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw:latest, commit 70d7a08)
- Also tested: 2026.3.8, 2026.3.11, 2026.3.12 (coollabsio images) — same behavior
- Platform: macOS Sequoia 25.3.0, Apple M3 Max (ARM64)
- Docker: Docker Desktop for Mac
- Phone: iPhone, latest WhatsApp (freshly reinstalled)
Symptom
- WhatsApp plugin enabled, gateway healthy
- QR code displays correctly in Control UI dashboard
- Phone scans QR, shows "Logging in..."
- Server logs show
WhatsApp QR received. — then complete silence
- No error, no 401, no timeout message, no
connection.update event
- Phone eventually shows "Couldn't link device. Check your phone's internet connection, then scan the QR code again"
Key Evidence — Not a Phone/Account Issue
- web.whatsapp.com works perfectly with the same phone and number
- No linked devices on the account
- WhatsApp freshly reinstalled (uninstall → delete data → restart phone → reinstall)
- No ban/restriction banner in WhatsApp app
- WebSocket from container to
wss://web.whatsapp.com/ws/chat connects fine
What We Tried (Exhaustive)
| Attempt |
Result |
Official image ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw:latest (2026.3.13) |
QR shows, pairing fails silently |
coollabsio/openclaw:2026.3.8, 3.11, 3.12 |
Same behavior |
| Patching Baileys RC9 node_modules (passive:true, lidDbMigrated, noise.finishInit) |
Sentinel logs confirmed patches execute — no effect |
| Standalone Baileys 6.7.9 on host Mac |
405 Connection Failure |
| Standalone patched Baileys RC9 on host Mac |
405 Connection Failure |
Clearing all creds.json files before each attempt |
No change |
Dashboard QR, CLI QR, docker exec QR |
All same |
| Overnight 12h wait between attempts |
No change |
| Fresh WhatsApp install on phone |
No change |
| Removing all linked devices |
None existed |
| Different docker-compose configs (authDir, volume mounts, env vars) |
No change |
Server Logs
After QR scan — only line in logs:
2026-03-14T18:46:20.336+00:00 WhatsApp QR received.
Then nothing. No error. No connection.update. The Baileys WebSocket to WhatsApp servers goes silent after the phone scans.
Expected Behavior
After QR scan, server should log connection.update events and transition to connected state, as web.whatsapp.com does with the same phone.
Baileys Version
Container has Baileys 7.0.0-rc.9. Related issues: #19907, #24947
Reproduction
docker pull ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw:latest- Run with standard docker-compose, bind mount
~/.openclaw
openclaw plugins enable whatsapp && docker restart openclaw-gateway- Open dashboard → Channels → WhatsApp → Show QR
- Scan with iPhone WhatsApp → "Logging in..." → fails
Environment
ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw:latest, commit 70d7a08)Symptom
WhatsApp QR received.— then complete silenceconnection.updateeventKey Evidence — Not a Phone/Account Issue
wss://web.whatsapp.com/ws/chatconnects fineWhat We Tried (Exhaustive)
ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw:latest(2026.3.13)coollabsio/openclaw:2026.3.8,3.11,3.12creds.jsonfiles before each attemptdocker execQRServer Logs
After QR scan — only line in logs:
Then nothing. No error. No
connection.update. The Baileys WebSocket to WhatsApp servers goes silent after the phone scans.Expected Behavior
After QR scan, server should log
connection.updateevents and transition toconnectedstate, asweb.whatsapp.comdoes with the same phone.Baileys Version
Container has Baileys 7.0.0-rc.9. Related issues: #19907, #24947
Reproduction
docker pull ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw:latest~/.openclawopenclaw plugins enable whatsapp && docker restart openclaw-gateway