fix(channels): pass allowBootstrap from channel-selection so in-agent message tool resolves channels in --local processes (#85022)

Kaspre · claude · clawsweeper[bot] · web-flow · commit e32e0f3f7f3e · 2026-05-22T05:20:15.000Z
Summary: - The branch passes `allowBootstrap: true` through outbound channel selection, preserves bundled-plugin resolution before bootstrap, adds focused regression tests, and documents the fix in the changelog. - Reproducibility: yes. source inspection gives a high-confidence reproduction path: current main omits `allow ... run the live current-main failure, but the supplied after-fix terminal proof exercises the implicated path. Automerge notes: - PR branch already contained follow-up commit before automerge: test(channels): cover bootstrap channel selection - PR branch already contained follow-up commit before automerge: fix(channels): avoid unnecessary bootstrap during message sends - PR branch already contained follow-up commit before automerge: fix(channels): pass allowBootstrap from channel-selection so in-agent… Validation: - ClawSweeper review passed for head 44099a8. - Required merge gates passed before the squash merge. Prepared head SHA: 44099a8 Review: #85022 (comment) Co-authored-by: Kaspre <kaspre@gmail.com> Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.7 <noreply@anthropic.com> Co-authored-by: clawsweeper <274271284+clawsweeper[bot]@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: clawsweeper[bot] <274271284+clawsweeper[bot]@users.noreply.github.com> Approved-by: takhoffman Co-authored-by: takhoffman <781889+takhoffman@users.noreply.github.com>
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Auto-reply/ACP: wait for same-channel block reply delivery before starting tool work, while still honoring ACP dispatch aborts so stopped turns do not wait on slow channel sends. (#83722) Thanks @IWhatsskill.
 - Codex/ACP: mark required child-run completions that only report progress, omit a final deliverable, or fail requester delivery as blocked while preserving real final reports. (#85110) Thanks @IWhatsskill.
 - Channels: treat bare abort messages such as `stop`, `abort`, and `wait` as immediate control commands in inbound debounce paths so stop requests are not delayed behind pending message coalescing. (#83348) Thanks @IWhatsskill.
+- Channels/message tool: resolve configured external channel plugins during in-agent channel selection, so `openclaw agent --local` message-tool sends no longer report an available channel as unavailable. (#85022) Thanks @Kaspre.
 - Agents/subagents: surface blocked child-run completions as errors instead of successful subagent finishes. (#80886) Thanks @TurboTheTurtle.
 - Agents/Pi: treat accepted embedded `sessions_spawn` child-session handoffs as terminal progress so parent turns no longer report false non-deliverable failures. (#85054) Thanks @samzong.
 - WhatsApp: update Baileys to `7.0.0-rc13` and drop the obsolete logger type patch.
diff --git a/src/infra/outbound/channel-resolution.test.ts b/src/infra/outbound/channel-resolution.test.ts
@@ -121,6 +121,22 @@ describe("outbound channel resolution", () => {
     expect(resolveRuntimePluginRegistryMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  it("returns a bundled plugin without bootstrapping", async () => {
+    const plugin = { id: "alpha" };
+    getLoadedChannelPluginMock.mockReturnValue(undefined);
+    getChannelPluginMock.mockReturnValue(plugin);
+    const channelResolution = await importChannelResolution("bundled-plugin");
+
+    expect(
+      channelResolution.resolveOutboundChannelPlugin({
+        channel: "alpha",
+        cfg: {} as never,
+        allowBootstrap: true,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(plugin);
+    expect(resolveRuntimePluginRegistryMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
   it("falls back to the active registry when getChannelPlugin misses", async () => {
     const plugin = { id: "alpha" };
     getChannelPluginMock.mockReturnValue(undefined);
diff --git a/src/infra/outbound/channel-resolution.ts b/src/infra/outbound/channel-resolution.ts
@@ -192,8 +192,13 @@ export function resolveOutboundChannelPlugin(params: {
     return directCurrent;
   }
 
+  const bundledCurrent = resolve();
+  if (bundledCurrent) {
+    return bundledCurrent;
+  }
+
   if (params.allowBootstrap !== true) {
-    return resolve();
+    return undefined;
   }
 
   maybeBootstrapChannelPlugin({ channel: normalized, cfg: params.cfg });
diff --git a/src/infra/outbound/channel-selection.test.ts b/src/infra/outbound/channel-selection.test.ts
@@ -245,6 +245,36 @@ describe("resolveMessageChannelSelection", () => {
     verify?.(setupResult as never);
   });
 
+  it("allows bootstrap while checking explicit and fallback channels", async () => {
+    const cfg = {} as never;
+    mocks.resolveOutboundChannelPlugin.mockImplementation(({ channel }: { channel: string }) =>
+      channel === "beta" ? { id: "beta" } : undefined,
+    );
+
+    await expect(
+      expectResolvedSelection({
+        cfg,
+        channel: "alpha",
+        fallbackChannel: "beta",
+      }),
+    ).resolves.toEqual({
+      channel: "beta",
+      configured: [],
+      source: "tool-context-fallback",
+    });
+
+    expect(mocks.resolveOutboundChannelPlugin).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(1, {
+      channel: "alpha",
+      cfg,
+      allowBootstrap: true,
+    });
+    expect(mocks.resolveOutboundChannelPlugin).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(2, {
+      channel: "beta",
+      cfg,
+      allowBootstrap: true,
+    });
+  });
+
   it.each([
     {
       params: { cfg: {} as never, channel: "channel:C123", fallbackChannel: "not-a-channel" },
diff --git a/src/infra/outbound/channel-selection.ts b/src/infra/outbound/channel-selection.ts
@@ -49,9 +49,19 @@ function resolveAvailableKnownChannel(params: {
   if (!normalized) {
     return undefined;
   }
+  // Pass `allowBootstrap: true` so the in-agent message tool path can resolve
+  // outbound channels in processes where external channel adapters have not
+  // been eagerly loaded (e.g. `openclaw agent --local`). Already-loaded and
+  // bundled plugins still resolve through side-effect-free fast paths first.
+  // Without the bootstrap fallback, official external channels can surface as
+  // the recurring "Channel is unavailable" error on `--local`-routed
+  // dispatches that the CLI send-path could deliver to.
+  // Adjacent to #77254 (cron-announce / final-reply paths); this closes the
+  // remaining in-agent caller in the same family.
   return resolveOutboundChannelPlugin({
     channel: normalized,
     cfg: params.cfg,
+    allowBootstrap: true,
   })
     ? normalized
     : undefined;

Original file line number	Diff line number	Diff line change
`@@ -192,8 +192,13 @@ export function resolveOutboundChannelPlugin(params: {`
`192`	`192`	`return directCurrent;`
`193`	`193`	`}`
`194`	`194`
	`195`	`+ const bundledCurrent = resolve();`
	`196`	`+ if (bundledCurrent) {`
	`197`	`+ return bundledCurrent;`
	`198`	`+ }`
	`199`	`+`
`195`	`200`	`if (params.allowBootstrap !== true) {`
`196`		`- return resolve();`
	`201`	`+ return undefined;`
`197`	`202`	`}`
`198`	`203`
`199`	`204`	`maybeBootstrapChannelPlugin({ channel: normalized, cfg: params.cfg });`