Bug

Slash commands (/new, /status, etc.) are silently discarded when sent inside a Telegram forum group topic.

Steps to reproduce

1. Create a Telegram group with forum/topics enabled
2. Configure OpenClaw bot in the group with groupAllowFrom and requireMention: false
3. Send /new or /status inside a topic thread

Expected behavior

Command is processed and responds in the topic.

Actual behavior

Command is silently ignored. No response, no log entry. The gateway never processes it.

Root cause (suspected)

Telegram sends slash commands in forum groups without message_thread_id in the update. The gateway likely discards messages without a thread ID in forum groups, or routes them to a root session that doesn't respond.

Evidence

• getUpdates shows the command arriving with thread= (empty)
• Gateway log has zero entries for the command
• Regular text messages in the same topic work fine (they include message_thread_id)
• Slash commands work correctly in DMs and non-forum groups

Workaround

User sends the command as plain text and the agent handles it manually.

Environment

• OpenClaw 2026.2.22-2
• Telegram Bot API
• Forum group with topics enabled