Bug type

Regression (worked before, now fails)

Summary

I'm running OpenClaw v2026.3.13 on Windows 10, and I've encountered several foundational issues with the Telegram channel that make it unusable for multi-device access and sync. The problems persisted despite multiple restarts, config edits, token changes, and tool uses (sessions_send, subagents kill, etc.). This prevented context sharing between webchat and Telegram, with persistent loops and no responses to tests.

Additional Context:
Attempted fixes: Multiple restarts, new bots/tokens, policy changes (dmPolicy, groupPolicy), sub-agent kills, direct curl tests (token valid).
This made the key feature (multi-device via Telegram) impossible, wasting hours. Reviews suggest it's "easy," but on Windows, it's broken.

Steps to reproduce

Set up Telegram bot with token and enable in config.
Attempt to send messages from webchat to Telegram using sessions_send or subagents.
Try spawning persistent sessions for Telegram (mode="session", thread=true).
Change config (e.g., dmPolicy="open", botToken to new one), restart gateway.
Test incoming/outgoing messages and context sync.
Expected Behavior:

Messages route between webchat and Telegram with shared context.
Config changes (e.g., new token, policy) apply after restart.
No persistent loops in responses.
Actual Behavior:

Messages don't arrive or respond in Telegram.
Persistent sub-agent loops (e.g., repeating "Persistent session test" despite kills).
Config changes (e.g., removing channels.telegram) don't stick after restart (lines still in status output).
401 Unauthorized errors in logs for Telegram provider, even with valid token (confirmed via curl).

Expected behavior

Messages route between webchat and Telegram with shared context.
Config changes (e.g., new token, policy) apply after restart.
No persistent loops in responses.

Actual behavior

Messages don't arrive or respond in Telegram.
Persistent sub-agent loops (e.g., repeating "Persistent session test" despite kills).
Config changes (e.g., removing channels.telegram) don't stick after restart (lines still in status output).
401 Unauthorized errors in logs for Telegram provider, even with valid token (confirmed via curl).

OpenClaw version

v2026.3.13

Operating system

Windows 10

Install method

No response

Model

xai/grok-4 and google/gemini-1.5-flash (issues in both)

Provider / routing chain

n/a

Config file / key location

No response

Additional provider/model setup details

No response

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

Impact and severity

No response

Additional information

No response