Presence
Wrong place
The bot is not actually present in the expected room, guild, group, or channel.
Shared-space rules are narrower than expected
The DM path worked, but shared-space allowlists or policy still block replies.
OpenClaw channels
Group, guild, and room visibility diagnostics
Use this page when direct messages work but the bot still looks silent in a shared space.
Core ideaShared-space silence is often a visibility or policy problem, not a transport problem.
First split
Ask the shared-space questions in the right order
- is the bot actually present in the target guild, room, or group?
- is the shared space allowed by policy?
- does reply behavior still require an explicit mention?
- is the platform hiding the message from the bot before policy even matters?
Common blockers
Most shared-space silence comes from a small set of causes
Policy
Visibility
Privacy or permissions hide the message
The platform can hide the message from the bot before OpenClaw policy even gets a chance to act.