Telegram: bot is in a group but never responds

Symptoms

• The bot is added to a Telegram group, but never replies.
• It replies in DMs, but not in groups.
• It only replies when you mention it (or not even then).

Cause

Common causes fall into two buckets:

A) Telegram-side

• Telegram privacy mode is ON (bot only receives mentions), or
• the bot is not an admin (so it can’t see all messages depending on group settings).

B) OpenClaw-side configuration

• Your selected Telegram group policy, group allowlist, or group sender allowlist blocks this group or sender.
• The group is configured with requireMention: true and you are not mentioning the bot.

Fix

1) Quick test: mention the bot

In the group:

• @your_bot hello

If it only replies to mentions, you’re in mention-only mode (either Telegram privacy mode or requireMention).

2) Confirm allowlist/group id

Find the group chat id by checking gateway logs:

openclaw logs --follow

Look for chat.id after sending a message in the group.

Then check the current Telegram guide for the policy surface you are using:

• channels.telegram.groups
• channels.telegram.groupPolicy
• channels.telegram.groupAllowFrom
• per-group requireMention

Example group entry:

{
  channels: {
    telegram: {
      groups: {
        '-1001234567890': { requireMention: false },
      },
    },
  },
}

Use "*" only when the current Telegram guide says it matches your intended group policy. If you want a broader group route, make the policy choice explicit instead of relying on an old snippet:

{
  channels: {
    telegram: {
      groups: {
        '*': { requireMention: false },
      },
    },
  },
}

Current guide: /channels/telegram

3) Fix Telegram privacy mode / permissions

If you need the bot to receive non-mention messages:

• disable privacy mode in BotFather (and re-add bot), or
• grant the bot admin rights (depending on group requirements).

Verify

• Send a non-mention message; bot replies (if configured).
• openclaw channels status --probe shows Telegram healthy.