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[Bug]: WhatsApp Native Channel connects but registered state remains false (Silent Failure) #97060
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P1High-priority user-facing bug, regression, or broken workflow.High-priority user-facing bug, regression, or broken workflow.bugSomething isn't workingSomething isn't workingbug:behaviorIncorrect behavior without a crashIncorrect behavior without a crashclawsweeper:needs-live-reproClawSweeper needs live local, crabbox, or manual validation to confirm this issue.ClawSweeper needs live local, crabbox, or manual validation to confirm this issue.clawsweeper:needs-maintainer-reviewClawSweeper marked this issue as needing maintainer review before automation.ClawSweeper marked this issue as needing maintainer review before automation.clawsweeper:needs-product-decisionClawSweeper marked this issue as needing a product or behavior decision.ClawSweeper marked this issue as needing a product or behavior decision.clawsweeper:no-new-fix-prClawSweeper does not recommend queueing a new automated fix PR for this issue.ClawSweeper does not recommend queueing a new automated fix PR for this issue.impact:auth-providerAuth, provider routing, model choice, or SecretRef resolution may break.Auth, provider routing, model choice, or SecretRef resolution may break.impact:message-lossChannel message delivery can be lost, duplicated, or misrouted.Channel message delivery can be lost, duplicated, or misrouted.impact:session-stateSession, memory, transcript, context, or agent state can drift or corrupt.Session, memory, transcript, context, or agent state can drift or corrupt.issue-rating: 🐚 platinum hermitGood issue quality with a plausible reproduction path needing some confirmation.Good issue quality with a plausible reproduction path needing some confirmation.staleMarked as stale due to inactivityMarked as stale due to inactivity
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P1High-priority user-facing bug, regression, or broken workflow.High-priority user-facing bug, regression, or broken workflow.bugSomething isn't workingSomething isn't workingbug:behaviorIncorrect behavior without a crashIncorrect behavior without a crashclawsweeper:needs-live-reproClawSweeper needs live local, crabbox, or manual validation to confirm this issue.ClawSweeper needs live local, crabbox, or manual validation to confirm this issue.clawsweeper:needs-maintainer-reviewClawSweeper marked this issue as needing maintainer review before automation.ClawSweeper marked this issue as needing maintainer review before automation.clawsweeper:needs-product-decisionClawSweeper marked this issue as needing a product or behavior decision.ClawSweeper marked this issue as needing a product or behavior decision.clawsweeper:no-new-fix-prClawSweeper does not recommend queueing a new automated fix PR for this issue.ClawSweeper does not recommend queueing a new automated fix PR for this issue.impact:auth-providerAuth, provider routing, model choice, or SecretRef resolution may break.Auth, provider routing, model choice, or SecretRef resolution may break.impact:message-lossChannel message delivery can be lost, duplicated, or misrouted.Channel message delivery can be lost, duplicated, or misrouted.impact:session-stateSession, memory, transcript, context, or agent state can drift or corrupt.Session, memory, transcript, context, or agent state can drift or corrupt.issue-rating: 🐚 platinum hermitGood issue quality with a plausible reproduction path needing some confirmation.Good issue quality with a plausible reproduction path needing some confirmation.staleMarked as stale due to inactivityMarked as stale due to inactivity
Type
Fields
Priority
None yet
Bug type
Behavior bug (incorrect output/state without crash)
Beta release blocker
No
Summary
Description
When attempting to link a WhatsApp number using the native OpenClaw channel (openclaw channels login --channel whatsapp), the pairing process completes successfully (QR code scanned, terminal outputs ✅ Linked!). However, the bot does not receive any messages.
Inspecting the creds.json file reveals that the registered flag is persistently set to false. The openclaw-darr service logs show that the WebSockets transport is connected and heartbeat packets are exchanged, but messagesHandled: 0 and lastInboundAt: null.
This leads to a silent failure state where the bot appears connected but is completely muted.
Steps to reproduce
Ensure no previous session exists (rm -rf ~/.openclaw/credentials/whatsapp/default/).
Run openclaw channels login --channel whatsapp.
Scan the QR code using the WhatsApp app on the phone.
Terminal outputs ✅ Linked!.
Check the creds.json file in ~/.openclaw/credentials/whatsapp/default/.
See "registered": false.
Send a message to the bot's WhatsApp number. The message is never handled by the bot.
Expected behavior
The registered flag in creds.json should switch to true upon successful QR code pairing, and the bot should receive and handle incoming messages.
Actual behavior
The registered flag in creds.json should switch to true upon successful QR code pairing, and the bot should receive and handle incoming messages.
OpenClaw version
2026.6.9 & 2026.6.10 v22.22.2
Operating system
Ubuntu (Hostinger VPS)
Install method
No response
Model
gemini 3.1 pro
Provider / routing chain
hostinger
Additional provider/model setup details
@whiskeysockets/baileys updated to the latest available via npm update.
Restarted the openclaw gateway.
Removed session folders and re-paired multiple times.
Ensured firewall rules are not blocking WebSocket traffic.
Updated @whiskeysockets/baileys directly within the openclaw node_modules.
Executed openclaw doctor --fix which completed successfully but did not resolve the registration failure.
Verified that the number works properly on other WhatsApp Web instances (it does).
Logs, screenshots, and evidence
Impact and severity
No response
Additional information
The account was previously used with Evolution API, but that instance was completely deleted prior to attempting the native OpenClaw pairing. The issue persists regardless of whether it's a Business (smba) or Personal (android) account type. The transport layer connects fine, but the application layer registration is rejected or fails to sa