Description

Telegram bot connects to the gateway without errors, but does not receive any messages sent to it. The bot appears online on Telegram and getMe API calls succeed, but messages never reach the OpenClaw gateway.

Environment

• OpenClaw Version: 2026.1.29 (6522de6)
• OS: Ubuntu 20.04 (Focal)
• Node Version: 24.13.0 (via nvm)
• Installation Method: Cloned from GitHub, built with pnpm
• Gateway Mode: Local (loopback only, port 18789)

Steps to Reproduce

1. Installed OpenClaw from source: git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
2. Built with: pnpm install && pnpm ui:build && pnpm build
3. Ran onboarding: pnpm openclaw onboard --install-daemon
4. Created Telegram bot via @Botfather, obtained token
5. Added token to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "enabled": true,
      "botToken": "TOKEN_HERE"
    }
  }
}

6. Started gateway: pnpm openclaw gateway start
7. Sent messages to the bot on Telegram - no response, no logs showing message receipt

Expected Behavior

Messages sent to the Telegram bot should:

1. Appear in gateway logs
2. Trigger pairing flow (if dmPolicy is "pairing")
3. Be processed by the agent

Actual Behavior

• Bot shows as online on Telegram
• Gateway logs show: [default] starting provider (@bot_username)
• No errors after initial connection
• Messages sent to bot produce ZERO logs - completely silent
• No pairing requests generated
• No agent processing triggered

Verification Steps Performed

✅ Bot token is valid: curl https://api.telegram.org/botTOKEN/getMe returns {"ok":true}
✅ No webhook configured: getWebhookInfo shows "url":"" (empty)
✅ No pending updates: getUpdates returns empty array (messages not in queue)
✅ Gateway is running: openclaw gateway status shows running
✅ Telegram provider starts without errors (no 404s after correct token)
✅ Tested with two different bots - same behavior

Relevant Logs

Gateway startup (successful):

21:26:06 info gateway listening on ws://127.0.0.1:18789 (PID 48831)
21:26:07 info gateway/channels/telegram [default] starting provider (@ofluxxus_bot)
21:26:07 info telegram/network telegram: autoSelectFamily=false (default-node22)

After sending message to bot (NO logs generated):

[nothing - complete silence]

Previous attempt with pairing that DID work once:

20:57:33 info telegram-auto-reply {"chatId":"252110599","username":"raLvessqL","firstName":"Rafael","lastName":"Alves","matchKey":"none","matchSource":"none"} telegram pairing request

This was the ONLY time a message was detected, but subsequent messages (even after token corrections and restarts) produce no logs.

Configuration

openclaw.json (telegram section):

{
  "models": {
    "providers": {
      "telegram": {
        "enabled": true
      }
    }
  },
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "enabled": true,
      "botToken": "MY_TOKEN_BOT"
    }
  }
}

Additional Context

• This issue appeared immediately after the Moltbot → OpenClaw rename (2026-01-30)
• Telegram bot API calls work fine when tested directly with curl
• The bot does NOT use webhooks (polling mode)
• Gateway restart does not fix the issue
• Creating a new bot with fresh token does not fix the issue

Question

Is there a known issue with Telegram polling after the recent rename? Or is there additional configuration required for Telegram message receipt that's not in the documentation?