fix: dedupe silent reply prompt guidance

steipete · steipete · commit 496a5eb56f46 · 2026-04-27T23:31:13.000+01:00
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Doctor/gateway services: ignore launchd/systemd companion services that only reference the gateway as a dependency, suppress inactive Linux extra-service warnings, and avoid rewriting a running systemd gateway command/entrypoint during doctor repair. Carries forward #39118. Thanks @therk.
 - Daemon/service: only emit hard-coded version-manager paths such as `~/.volta/bin`, `~/.asdf/shims`, `~/.bun/bin`, and fnm/pnpm fallbacks into gateway and node service PATHs when the directories exist, so `openclaw doctor` no longer flags `gateway.path.non-minimal` against a PATH the daemon just wrote. Env-driven roots and stable user-bin dirs remain unconditional. Fixes #71944; carries forward #71964. Thanks @Sanjays2402.
 - CLI/startup: disable Node's module compile cache automatically for live source-checkout launchers so in-place `pnpm build` updates are visible to the next `openclaw` CLI invocation. Fixes #73037. Thanks @LouisGameDev.
+- Agents/group chat: move `NO_REPLY` mechanics into channel-aware direct/group prompts and suppress the duplicate generic silent-reply section for auto-reply runs, so always-on group agents get one consistent stay-silent instruction. Thanks @vincentkoc.
 - Channels/commands: make generated `/dock-*` commands switch the active session reply route through `session.identityLinks` instead of falling through to normal chat. Fixes #69206; carries forward #73033. Thanks @clawbones and @michaelatamuk.
 - Providers/Cloudflare AI Gateway: strip assistant prefill turns from Anthropic Messages payloads when thinking is enabled, so Claude requests through Cloudflare AI Gateway no longer fail Anthropic conversation-ending validation. Fixes #72905; carries forward #73005. Thanks @AaronFaby and @sahilsatralkar.
 - Gateway/startup: keep primary-model startup prewarm on scoped metadata preparation, let native approval bootstraps retry outside channel startup, and skip the global hook runner when no `gateway_start` hook is registered, so clean post-ready sidecar work stays off the critical path. Refs #72846. Thanks @RayWoo, @livekm0309, and @mrz1836.
diff --git a/docs/channels/groups.md b/docs/channels/groups.md
@@ -289,6 +289,7 @@ Replying to a bot message counts as an implicit mention when the channel support
     - Surfaces that provide explicit mentions still pass; patterns are a fallback.
     - Per-agent override: `agents.list[].groupChat.mentionPatterns` (useful when multiple agents share a group).
     - Mention gating is only enforced when mention detection is possible (native mentions or `mentionPatterns` are configured).
+    - Group chat prompt context carries the resolved silent-reply instruction every turn; workspace files should not duplicate `NO_REPLY` mechanics.
     - Groups where silent replies are allowed treat clean empty or reasoning-only model turns as silent, equivalent to `NO_REPLY`. Direct chats still treat empty replies as a failed agent turn.
     - Discord defaults live in `channels.discord.guilds."*"` (overridable per guild/channel).
     - Group history context is wrapped uniformly across channels and is **pending-only** (messages skipped due to mention gating); use `messages.groupChat.historyLimit` for the global default and `channels.<channel>.historyLimit` (or `channels.<channel>.accounts.*.historyLimit`) for overrides. Set `0` to disable.
diff --git a/docs/concepts/system-prompt.md b/docs/concepts/system-prompt.md
@@ -96,6 +96,11 @@ OpenClaw can render smaller system prompts for sub-agents. The runtime sets a
 When `promptMode=minimal`, extra injected prompts are labeled **Subagent
 Context** instead of **Group Chat Context**.
 
+For channel auto-reply runs, OpenClaw can omit the generic **Silent Replies**
+section when the direct/group chat context already includes the resolved
+conversation-specific `NO_REPLY` behavior. This avoids repeating token mechanics
+in both the global system prompt and channel context.
+
 ## Workspace bootstrap injection
 
 Bootstrap files are trimmed and appended under **Project Context** so the model sees identity and profile context without needing explicit reads:
diff --git a/docs/reference/templates/AGENTS.md b/docs/reference/templates/AGENTS.md
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ In group chats where you receive every message, be **smart about when to contrib
 - Correcting important misinformation
 - Summarizing when asked
 
-**Stay silent (HEARTBEAT_OK) when:**
+**Stay silent when:**
 
 - It's just casual banter between humans
 - Someone already answered the question
diff --git a/src/agents/cli-runner.ts b/src/agents/cli-runner.ts
@@ -394,6 +394,7 @@ export function buildRunClaudeCliAgentParams(params: RunClaudeCliAgentParams): R
     runId: params.runId,
     jobId: params.jobId,
     extraSystemPrompt: params.extraSystemPrompt,
+    silentReplyPromptMode: params.silentReplyPromptMode,
     extraSystemPromptStatic: params.extraSystemPromptStatic,
     ownerNumbers: params.ownerNumbers,
     // Legacy `claudeSessionId` callers predate the shared CLI session contract.
diff --git a/src/agents/cli-runner/helpers.ts b/src/agents/cli-runner/helpers.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import { detectRuntimeShell } from "../shell-utils.js";
 import { stripSystemPromptCacheBoundary } from "../system-prompt-cache-boundary.js";
 import { buildSystemPromptParams } from "../system-prompt-params.js";
 import { buildAgentSystemPrompt } from "../system-prompt.js";
+import type { SilentReplyPromptMode } from "../system-prompt.types.js";
 import { sanitizeImageBlocks } from "../tool-images.js";
 import { formatTomlConfigOverride } from "./toml-inline.js";
 export { buildCliSupervisorScopeKey, resolveCliNoOutputTimeoutMs } from "./reliability.js";
@@ -69,6 +70,7 @@ export function buildSystemPrompt(params: {
   config?: OpenClawConfig;
   defaultThinkLevel?: ThinkLevel;
   extraSystemPrompt?: string;
+  silentReplyPromptMode?: SilentReplyPromptMode;
   ownerNumbers?: string[];
   heartbeatPrompt?: string;
   docsPath?: string;
@@ -107,6 +109,7 @@ export function buildSystemPrompt(params: {
     workspaceDir: params.workspaceDir,
     defaultThinkLevel: params.defaultThinkLevel,
     extraSystemPrompt: params.extraSystemPrompt,
+    silentReplyPromptMode: params.silentReplyPromptMode,
     ownerNumbers: params.ownerNumbers,
     ownerDisplay: ownerDisplay.ownerDisplay,
     ownerDisplaySecret: ownerDisplay.ownerDisplaySecret,
diff --git a/src/agents/cli-runner/prepare.ts b/src/agents/cli-runner/prepare.ts
@@ -301,6 +301,7 @@ export async function prepareCliRunContext(
       config: params.config,
       defaultThinkLevel: params.thinkLevel,
       extraSystemPrompt,
+      silentReplyPromptMode: params.silentReplyPromptMode,
       ownerNumbers: params.ownerNumbers,
       heartbeatPrompt,
       docsPath: openClawReferences.docsPath ?? undefined,
diff --git a/src/agents/cli-runner/types.ts b/src/agents/cli-runner/types.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import type { PromptImageOrderEntry } from "../../media/prompt-image-order.js";
 import type { ResolvedCliBackend } from "../cli-backends.js";
 import type { EmbeddedRunTrigger } from "../pi-embedded-runner/run/params.js";
 import type { SkillSnapshot } from "../skills.js";
+import type { SilentReplyPromptMode } from "../system-prompt.types.js";
 
 export type RunCliAgentParams = {
   sessionId: string;
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@ export type RunCliAgentParams = {
   runId: string;
   jobId?: string;
   extraSystemPrompt?: string;
+  silentReplyPromptMode?: SilentReplyPromptMode;
   /** Static portion of extraSystemPrompt (excluding per-message inbound metadata) for session reuse hashing. */
   extraSystemPromptStatic?: string;
   streamParams?: import("../command/types.js").AgentStreamParams;
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.ts
@@ -1131,6 +1131,7 @@ export async function runEmbeddedAttempt(
         workspaceNotes: workspaceNotes?.length ? workspaceNotes : undefined,
         reactionGuidance,
         promptMode: effectivePromptMode,
+        silentReplyPromptMode: params.silentReplyPromptMode,
         acpEnabled: isAcpRuntimeSpawnAvailable({
           config: params.config,
           sandboxed: sandboxInfo?.enabled === true,
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/params.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/params.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import type {
   ToolResultFormat,
 } from "../../pi-embedded-subscribe.shared-types.js";
 import type { SkillSnapshot } from "../../skills.js";
+import type { SilentReplyPromptMode } from "../../system-prompt.types.js";
 import type { PromptMode } from "../../system-prompt.types.js";
 import type { AuthProfileFailurePolicy } from "./auth-profile-failure-policy.types.js";
 export type { ClientToolDefinition } from "../../command/shared-types.js";
@@ -142,6 +143,7 @@ export type RunEmbeddedPiAgentParams = {
   lane?: string;
   enqueue?: CommandQueueEnqueueFn;
   extraSystemPrompt?: string;
+  silentReplyPromptMode?: SilentReplyPromptMode;
   internalEvents?: AgentInternalEvent[];
   inputProvenance?: InputProvenance;
   streamParams?: AgentStreamParams;
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/system-prompt.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/system-prompt.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import type { ResolvedTimeFormat } from "../date-time.js";
 import type { EmbeddedContextFile } from "../pi-embedded-helpers.js";
 import type { ProviderSystemPromptContribution } from "../system-prompt-contribution.js";
 import { buildAgentSystemPrompt } from "../system-prompt.js";
-import type { PromptMode } from "../system-prompt.types.js";
+import type { PromptMode, SilentReplyPromptMode } from "../system-prompt.types.js";
 import type { EmbeddedSandboxInfo } from "./types.js";
 import type { ReasoningLevel, ThinkLevel } from "./utils.js";
 
@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@ export function buildEmbeddedSystemPrompt(params: {
   workspaceNotes?: string[];
   /** Controls which hardcoded sections to include. Defaults to "full". */
   promptMode?: PromptMode;
+  /** Controls the generic silent-reply section. Channel-aware prompts can set "none". */
+  silentReplyPromptMode?: SilentReplyPromptMode;
   /** Whether ACP-specific routing guidance should be included. Defaults to true. */
   acpEnabled?: boolean;
   /** Registered runtime slash/native command names such as `codex`. */
@@ -79,6 +81,7 @@ export function buildEmbeddedSystemPrompt(params: {
     workspaceNotes: params.workspaceNotes,
     reactionGuidance: params.reactionGuidance,
     promptMode: params.promptMode,
+    silentReplyPromptMode: params.silentReplyPromptMode,
     acpEnabled: params.acpEnabled,
     nativeCommandNames: params.nativeCommandNames,
     nativeCommandGuidanceLines: params.nativeCommandGuidanceLines,
diff --git a/src/agents/prompt-composition.test.ts b/src/agents/prompt-composition.test.ts
@@ -64,7 +64,11 @@ describe("prompt composition invariants", () => {
 
     expect(first.systemPrompt).toContain("You are in a Slack group chat.");
     expect(first.systemPrompt).toContain("Activation: trigger-only");
+    expect(first.systemPrompt).toContain('reply with exactly "NO_REPLY"');
+    expect(first.systemPrompt).not.toContain("## Silent Replies");
     expect(steady.systemPrompt).toContain("You are in a Slack group chat.");
+    expect(steady.systemPrompt).toContain('reply with exactly "NO_REPLY"');
+    expect(steady.systemPrompt).not.toContain("## Silent Replies");
     expect(steady.systemPrompt).not.toContain("Activation: trigger-only");
     expect(first.systemPrompt).not.toBe(steady.systemPrompt);
     expect(steady.systemPrompt).toBe(eventTurn.systemPrompt);
@@ -80,6 +84,7 @@ describe("prompt composition invariants", () => {
     expect(first.systemPrompt).toContain("You are in a Slack direct conversation.");
     expect(first.systemPrompt).toContain('reply with exactly "NO_REPLY"');
     expect(first.systemPrompt).toContain("so OpenClaw can send a short fallback reply");
+    expect(first.systemPrompt).not.toContain("## Silent Replies");
   });
 
   it("keeps maintenance prompts out of the normal stable-turn invariant set", () => {
diff --git a/src/agents/system-prompt.test.ts b/src/agents/system-prompt.test.ts
@@ -136,6 +136,17 @@ describe("buildAgentSystemPrompt", () => {
     expect(prompt).toContain("Subagent details");
   });
 
+  it("can omit generic silent-reply guidance for channel-aware prompts", () => {
+    const prompt = buildAgentSystemPrompt({
+      workspaceDir: "/tmp/openclaw",
+      extraSystemPrompt: 'If no response is needed, reply with exactly "NO_REPLY".',
+      silentReplyPromptMode: "none",
+    });
+
+    expect(prompt).not.toContain("## Silent Replies");
+    expect(prompt).toContain('reply with exactly "NO_REPLY"');
+  });
+
   it("includes skills in minimal prompt mode when skillsPrompt is provided (cron regression)", () => {
     // Isolated cron sessions use promptMode="minimal" but must still receive skills.
     const skillsPrompt =
diff --git a/src/agents/system-prompt.ts b/src/agents/system-prompt.ts
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ import type {
   ProviderSystemPromptContribution,
   ProviderSystemPromptSectionId,
 } from "./system-prompt-contribution.js";
-import type { PromptMode } from "./system-prompt.types.js";
+import type { PromptMode, SilentReplyPromptMode } from "./system-prompt.types.js";
 
 /**
  * Controls which hardcoded sections are included in the system prompt.
@@ -460,6 +460,8 @@ export function buildAgentSystemPrompt(params: {
   ttsHint?: string;
   /** Controls which hardcoded sections to include. Defaults to "full". */
   promptMode?: PromptMode;
+  /** Controls the generic silent-reply section. Channel-aware prompts can set "none". */
+  silentReplyPromptMode?: SilentReplyPromptMode;
   /** Whether ACP-specific routing guidance should be included. Defaults to true. */
   acpEnabled?: boolean;
   /** Registered runtime slash/native command names such as `codex`. */
@@ -648,6 +650,7 @@ export function buildAgentSystemPrompt(params: {
   const messageChannelOptions = listDeliverableMessageChannels().join("|");
   const promptMode = params.promptMode ?? "full";
   const isMinimal = promptMode === "minimal" || promptMode === "none";
+  const silentReplyPromptMode = params.silentReplyPromptMode ?? "generic";
   const sandboxContainerWorkspace = params.sandboxInfo?.containerWorkspaceDir?.trim();
   const sanitizedWorkspaceDir = sanitizeForPromptLiteral(params.workspaceDir);
   const sanitizedSandboxContainerWorkspace = sandboxContainerWorkspace
@@ -949,7 +952,7 @@ export function buildAgentSystemPrompt(params: {
   );
 
   // Skip silent replies for subagent/none modes
-  if (!isMinimal) {
+  if (!isMinimal && silentReplyPromptMode !== "none") {
     lines.push(
       "## Silent Replies",
       `When you have nothing to say, respond with ONLY: ${SILENT_REPLY_TOKEN}`,
diff --git a/src/agents/system-prompt.types.ts b/src/agents/system-prompt.types.ts
@@ -1 +1,2 @@
 export type PromptMode = "full" | "minimal" | "none";
+export type SilentReplyPromptMode = "generic" | "none";
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply.triggers.group-intro-prompts.cases.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply.triggers.group-intro-prompts.cases.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ export function registerGroupIntroPromptCases(): void {
     };
     const groupParticipationNote =
       "Be a good group participant: mostly lurk and follow the conversation; reply only when directly addressed or you can add clear value. Emoji reactions are welcome when available. Write like a human. Avoid Markdown tables. Minimize empty lines and use normal chat conventions, not document-style spacing. Don't type literal \\n sequences; use real line breaks sparingly.";
+    const groupSilentNote =
+      'If no response is needed, reply with exactly "NO_REPLY" (and nothing else) so OpenClaw stays silent.';
     const cases: GroupIntroCase[] = [
       {
         name: "discord",
@@ -30,7 +32,9 @@ export function registerGroupIntroPromptCases(): void {
         },
         expected: [
           "You are in a Discord group chat.",
-          `Activation: trigger-only (you are invoked only when explicitly mentioned; recent context may be included). ${groupParticipationNote} Address the specific sender noted in the message context.`,
+          groupParticipationNote,
+          groupSilentNote,
+          "Activation: trigger-only (you are invoked only when explicitly mentioned; recent context may be included). Address the specific sender noted in the message context.",
         ],
       },
       {
@@ -45,7 +49,9 @@ export function registerGroupIntroPromptCases(): void {
         },
         expected: [
           "You are in a WhatsApp group chat. Your replies are automatically sent to this group chat. Do not use the message tool to send to this same group - just reply normally.",
-          `Activation: trigger-only (you are invoked only when explicitly mentioned; recent context may be included). ${groupParticipationNote} Address the specific sender noted in the message context.`,
+          groupParticipationNote,
+          groupSilentNote,
+          "Activation: trigger-only (you are invoked only when explicitly mentioned; recent context may be included). Address the specific sender noted in the message context.",
         ],
       },
       {
@@ -60,7 +66,9 @@ export function registerGroupIntroPromptCases(): void {
         },
         expected: [
           "You are in a Telegram group chat.",
-          `Activation: trigger-only (you are invoked only when explicitly mentioned; recent context may be included). ${groupParticipationNote} Address the specific sender noted in the message context.`,
+          groupParticipationNote,
+          groupSilentNote,
+          "Activation: trigger-only (you are invoked only when explicitly mentioned; recent context may be included). Address the specific sender noted in the message context.",
         ],
       },
       {
@@ -102,7 +110,11 @@ export function registerGroupIntroPromptCases(): void {
         const cfg = makeCfg(`/tmp/group-intro-${testCase.name}`);
         testCase.setup?.(cfg);
         const extraSystemPrompt = [
-          buildGroupChatContext({ sessionCtx: testCase.message }),
+          buildGroupChatContext({
+            sessionCtx: testCase.message,
+            silentReplyPolicy: "allow",
+            silentToken: "NO_REPLY",
+          }),
           buildGroupIntro({
             cfg,
             sessionCtx: testCase.message,
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-execution.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-execution.ts
@@ -1057,6 +1057,7 @@ export async function runAgentTurnWithFallback(params: {
                   timeoutMs: params.followupRun.run.timeoutMs,
                   runId,
                   extraSystemPrompt: params.followupRun.run.extraSystemPrompt,
+                  silentReplyPromptMode: params.followupRun.run.silentReplyPromptMode,
                   extraSystemPromptStatic: params.followupRun.run.extraSystemPromptStatic,
                   ownerNumbers: params.followupRun.run.ownerNumbers,
                   cliSessionId: cliSessionBinding?.sessionId,
@@ -1181,6 +1182,7 @@ export async function runAgentTurnWithFallback(params: {
                 prompt: params.commandBody,
                 transcriptPrompt: params.transcriptCommandBody,
                 extraSystemPrompt: params.followupRun.run.extraSystemPrompt,
+                silentReplyPromptMode: params.followupRun.run.silentReplyPromptMode,
                 toolResultFormat: (() => {
                   const channel = resolveMessageChannel(
                     params.sessionCtx.Surface,
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-run-params.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-run-params.ts
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ export function buildEmbeddedRunBaseParams(params: {
     ),
     silentExpected: params.run.silentExpected,
     allowEmptyAssistantReplyAsSilent: params.run.allowEmptyAssistantReplyAsSilent,
+    silentReplyPromptMode: params.run.silentReplyPromptMode,
     provider: params.provider,
     model: params.model,
     ...params.authProfile,
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/followup-runner.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/followup-runner.ts
@@ -312,6 +312,7 @@ export function createFollowupRunner(params: {
                 prompt: queued.prompt,
                 transcriptPrompt: queued.transcriptPrompt,
                 extraSystemPrompt: run.extraSystemPrompt,
+                silentReplyPromptMode: run.silentReplyPromptMode,
                 ownerNumbers: run.ownerNumbers,
                 enforceFinalTag: run.enforceFinalTag,
                 allowEmptyAssistantReplyAsSilent: run.allowEmptyAssistantReplyAsSilent,
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/get-reply-run.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/get-reply-run.ts
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/groups.test.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/groups.test.ts
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/groups.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/groups.ts
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/queue/types.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/queue/types.ts
diff --git a/test/helpers/agents/prompt-composition-scenarios.ts b/test/helpers/agents/prompt-composition-scenarios.ts
