> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://cryptoclawdocs.termix.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Channel Routing

# Channels & routing

OpenClaw routes replies **back to the channel where a message came from**. The
model does not choose a channel; routing is deterministic and controlled by the
host configuration.

## Key terms

* **Channel**: `whatsapp`, `telegram`, `discord`, `slack`, `signal`, `imessage`, `webchat`.
* **AccountId**: per‑channel account instance (when supported).
* Optional channel default account: `channels.<channel>.defaultAccount` chooses
  which account is used when an outbound path does not specify `accountId`.
  * In multi-account setups, set an explicit default (`defaultAccount` or `accounts.default`) when two or more accounts are configured. Without it, fallback routing may pick the first normalized account ID.
* **AgentId**: an isolated workspace + session store (“brain”).
* **SessionKey**: the bucket key used to store context and control concurrency.

## Session key shapes (examples)

Direct messages collapse to the agent’s **main** session:

* `agent:<agentId>:<mainKey>` (default: `agent:main:main`)

Groups and channels remain isolated per channel:

* Groups: `agent:<agentId>:<channel>:group:<id>`
* Channels/rooms: `agent:<agentId>:<channel>:channel:<id>`

Threads:

* Slack/Discord threads append `:thread:<threadId>` to the base key.
* Telegram forum topics embed `:topic:<topicId>` in the group key.

Examples:

* `agent:main:telegram:group:-1001234567890:topic:42`
* `agent:main:discord:channel:123456:thread:987654`

## Main DM route pinning

When `session.dmScope` is `main`, direct messages may share one main session.
To prevent the session’s `lastRoute` from being overwritten by non-owner DMs,
OpenClaw infers a pinned owner from `allowFrom` when all of these are true:

* `allowFrom` has exactly one non-wildcard entry.
* The entry can be normalized to a concrete sender ID for that channel.
* The inbound DM sender does not match that pinned owner.

In that mismatch case, OpenClaw still records inbound session metadata, but it
skips updating the main session `lastRoute`.

## Routing rules (how an agent is chosen)

Routing picks **one agent** for each inbound message:

1. **Exact peer match** (`bindings` with `peer.kind` + `peer.id`).
2. **Parent peer match** (thread inheritance).
3. **Guild + roles match** (Discord) via `guildId` + `roles`.
4. **Guild match** (Discord) via `guildId`.
5. **Team match** (Slack) via `teamId`.
6. **Account match** (`accountId` on the channel).
7. **Channel match** (any account on that channel, `accountId: "*"`).
8. **Default agent** (`agents.list[].default`, else first list entry, fallback to `main`).

When a binding includes multiple match fields (`peer`, `guildId`, `teamId`, `roles`), **all provided fields must match** for that binding to apply.

The matched agent determines which workspace and session store are used.

## Broadcast groups (run multiple agents)

Broadcast groups let you run **multiple agents** for the same peer **when OpenClaw would normally reply** (for example: in WhatsApp groups, after mention/activation gating).

Config:

```json5 theme={null}
{
  broadcast: {
    strategy: "parallel",
    "120363403215116621@g.us": ["alfred", "baerbel"],
    "+15555550123": ["support", "logger"],
  },
}
```

See: [Broadcast Groups](/channels/broadcast-groups).

## Config overview

* `agents.list`: named agent definitions (workspace, model, etc.).
* `bindings`: map inbound channels/accounts/peers to agents.

Example:

```json5 theme={null}
{
  agents: {
    list: [{ id: "support", name: "Support", workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace-support" }],
  },
  bindings: [
    { match: { channel: "slack", teamId: "T123" }, agentId: "support" },
    { match: { channel: "telegram", peer: { kind: "group", id: "-100123" } }, agentId: "support" },
  ],
}
```

## Session storage

Session stores live under the state directory (default `~/.openclaw`):

* `~/.openclaw/agents/<agentId>/sessions/sessions.json`
* JSONL transcripts live alongside the store

You can override the store path via `session.store` and `{agentId}` templating.

## WebChat behavior

WebChat attaches to the **selected agent** and defaults to the agent’s main
session. Because of this, WebChat lets you see cross‑channel context for that
agent in one place.

## Reply context

Inbound replies include:

* `ReplyToId`, `ReplyToBody`, and `ReplyToSender` when available.
* Quoted context is appended to `Body` as a `[Replying to ...]` block.

This is consistent across channels.