Summary

The current docs/channels/zalo.md page does not match what we observed while testing OpenClaw against a Zalo Bot Creator / Marketplace bot.

The biggest mismatch is that the doc currently says group handling is available with policy controls, while the tested Marketplace bot could not be added to groups at all.

There is also an important product distinction that the docs do not currently call out clearly:

• Zalo Bot Creator / Marketplace bot — this is what we tested
• Zalo Official Account (OA) bot — different product/surface, not tested here

What we tested

Environment:

• OpenClaw zalo plugin
• polling mode
• multi-account config (accounts.default + accounts.test)
• tested bot type: Zalo Bot Creator / Marketplace bot

Observed behavior

Confirmed working

• DM text messages
• pairing flow
• reply after pairing approval
• long text chunking across multiple messages
• plain URL in text (without rich preview)

Confirmed not working / unsupported in current testing

• groups (Marketplace bot could not be added to a group at all)
• reactions (no effect in OpenClaw)
• stickers (no normal agent reply)
• voice notes (no reply)
• MP3/audio files (no reply)
• video (no reply)
• generic file attachments such as .md / .txt (no reply)

Limited / unclear

• inbound images: a typing indicator appeared, but no final reply was sent
• link previews: links with preview did not trigger a reply, while plain links did

Current doc mismatches

The current doc currently overstates or blurs at least these points:

1. Groups

   • Current doc: group handling is available with policy controls
   • Observed: tested Marketplace bot could not be added to groups at all

2. Images

   • Current doc: image messages are supported
   • Observed: inbound image behavior was incomplete/unreliable in testing

3. Bot type distinction

   • Current doc treats “Zalo bot” as a single surface
   • Observed: it is important to distinguish Bot Creator / Marketplace from OA

4. Link preview vs plain URL

   • Plain text URL worked
   • Rich link preview did not produce a reply

5. Voice/audio/video/file inputs

   • Current doc does not clearly communicate that these behaved as unsupported/ignored in testing

Suggested doc changes

• Make it explicit which Zalo bot product/surface this page reflects
• For the tested Marketplace bot, change groups from “supported with policy controls” to something like:
  • not currently available
  • or bot cannot currently be added to groups
• Downgrade image claims to something more cautious unless a stronger verified test exists
• Distinguish plain URL text from rich link preview behavior
• Call out current non-text media limitations more clearly
• Prefer the modern multi-account config shape in examples:
  • channels.zalo.accounts.default

Evidence

We collected local screenshots during testing (not attached here yet), including:

Notes

I am opening a docs PR next with a conservative documentation correction based on verified behavior only.