fix: narrow WhatsApp tool media delivery

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -193,6 +193,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Slack: route native stream fallback replies through the normal chunked sender so long buffered Slack Connect responses are not dropped or duplicated. (#71124) Thanks @martingarramon.
 - WhatsApp: transcribe accepted voice notes before agent dispatch while keeping spoken transcripts out of command authorization. (#64120) Thanks @rogerdigital.
 - Plugins/CLI: expose channel plugin CLI descriptors during discovery-mode plugin loads so snapshot registries keep channel commands visible without activating full runtimes. (#71309) Thanks @gumadeiras.
+- WhatsApp: deliver media generated by tool-result replies while still suppressing text-only tool chatter. (#60968) Thanks @adaclaw.
 
 ## 2026.4.23
 

extensions/whatsapp/src/auto-reply/monitor/inbound-dispatch.test.ts

@@ -2,6 +2,14 @@ import { describe, expect, it, vi, beforeEach } from "vitest";
 
 let capturedDispatchParams: unknown;
 
+type CapturedReplyPayload = {
+  text?: string;
+  isReasoning?: boolean;
+  isCompactionNotice?: boolean;
+  mediaUrl?: string;
+  mediaUrls?: string[];
+};
+
 const { dispatchReplyWithBufferedBlockDispatcherMock } = vi.hoisted(() => ({
   dispatchReplyWithBufferedBlockDispatcherMock: vi.fn(async (params: { ctx: unknown }) => {
     capturedDispatchParams = params;
@@ -101,7 +109,7 @@ function getCapturedDeliver() {
     capturedDispatchParams as {
       dispatcherOptions?: {
         deliver?: (
-          payload: { text?: string; isReasoning?: boolean; isCompactionNotice?: boolean },
+          payload: CapturedReplyPayload,
           info: { kind: "tool" | "block" | "final" },
         ) => Promise<void>;
       };
@@ -386,11 +394,22 @@ describe("whatsapp inbound dispatch", () => {
     expect(deliverReply).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     expect(rememberSentText).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
 
-    await deliver?.({ text: "tool image", mediaUrls: ["/tmp/generated.jpg"] } as never, {
-      kind: "tool",
-    });
+    await deliver?.(
+      { text: "tool image", mediaUrls: ["/tmp/generated.jpg"] },
+      {
+        kind: "tool",
+      },
+    );
     expect(deliverReply).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     expect(rememberSentText).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(deliverReply).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        replyResult: expect.objectContaining({
+          mediaUrls: ["/tmp/generated.jpg"],
+          text: undefined,
+        }),
+      }),
+    );
 
     await deliver?.({ text: "block payload" }, { kind: "block" });
     await deliver?.({ text: "final payload" }, { kind: "final" });
@@ -489,6 +508,65 @@ describe("whatsapp inbound dispatch", () => {
     expect(rememberSentText).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
   });
 
+  it("returns true for tool-only media turns after delivering media", async () => {
+    const deliverReply = vi.fn(async () => undefined);
+    const rememberSentText = vi.fn();
+    dispatchReplyWithBufferedBlockDispatcherMock.mockImplementationOnce(
+      async (params: {
+        ctx: unknown;
+        dispatcherOptions?: {
+          deliver?: (
+            payload: CapturedReplyPayload,
+            info: { kind: "tool" | "block" | "final" },
+          ) => Promise<void>;
+        };
+      }) => {
+        capturedDispatchParams = params;
+        await params.dispatcherOptions?.deliver?.(
+          { text: "tool image", mediaUrls: ["/tmp/generated.jpg"] },
+          { kind: "tool" },
+        );
+        return { queuedFinal: false, counts: { tool: 1, block: 0, final: 0 } };
+      },
+    );
+
+    await expect(
+      dispatchWhatsAppBufferedReply({
+        cfg: { channels: { whatsapp: { blockStreaming: true } } } as never,
+        connectionId: "conn",
+        context: { Body: "hi" },
+        conversationId: "+1000",
+        deliverReply,
+        groupHistories: new Map(),
+        groupHistoryKey: "+1000",
+        maxMediaBytes: 1,
+        msg: makeMsg(),
+        rememberSentText,
+        replyLogger: {
+          info: () => {},
+          warn: () => {},
+          error: () => {},
+          debug: () => {},
+        } as never,
+        replyPipeline: {},
+        replyResolver: (async () => undefined) as never,
+        route: makeRoute(),
+        shouldClearGroupHistory: false,
+      }),
+    ).resolves.toBe(true);
+
+    expect(deliverReply).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(deliverReply).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        replyResult: expect.objectContaining({
+          mediaUrls: ["/tmp/generated.jpg"],
+          text: undefined,
+        }),
+      }),
+    );
+    expect(rememberSentText).toHaveBeenCalledWith(undefined, expect.any(Object));
+  });
+
   it("passes sendComposing through as the reply typing callback", async () => {
     const sendComposing = vi.fn(async () => undefined);
 

extensions/whatsapp/src/auto-reply/monitor/inbound-dispatch.ts

@@ -57,17 +57,20 @@ function resolveWhatsAppDisableBlockStreaming(cfg: ReturnType<LoadConfigFn>): bo
   return !cfg.channels.whatsapp.blockStreaming;
 }
 
-function shouldSuppressWhatsAppPayload(
+function resolveWhatsAppDeliverablePayload(
   payload: ReplyPayload,
   info: { kind: ReplyLifecycleKind },
-): boolean {
-  if (info.kind === "tool") {
-    return !resolveSendableOutboundReplyParts(payload).hasMedia;
-  }
+): ReplyPayload | null {
   if (payload.isReasoning === true || payload.isCompactionNotice === true) {
-    return true;
+    return null;
   }
-  return false;
+  if (info.kind === "tool") {
+    if (!resolveSendableOutboundReplyParts(payload).hasMedia) {
+      return null;
+    }
+    return { ...payload, text: undefined };
+  }
+  return payload;
 }
 
 export function resolveWhatsAppResponsePrefix(params: {
@@ -291,11 +294,12 @@ export async function dispatchWhatsAppBufferedReply(params: {
         }
       },
       deliver: async (payload: ReplyPayload, info: { kind: ReplyLifecycleKind }) => {
-        if (shouldSuppressWhatsAppPayload(payload, info)) {
+        const deliveryPayload = resolveWhatsAppDeliverablePayload(payload, info);
+        if (!deliveryPayload) {
           return;
         }
         await params.deliverReply({
-          replyResult: payload,
+          replyResult: deliveryPayload,
           msg: params.msg,
           mediaLocalRoots,
           maxMediaBytes: params.maxMediaBytes,
@@ -307,17 +311,17 @@ export async function dispatchWhatsAppBufferedReply(params: {
           tableMode,
         });
         didSendReply = true;
-        const shouldLog = payload.text ? true : undefined;
-        params.rememberSentText(payload.text, {
+        const shouldLog = deliveryPayload.text ? true : undefined;
+        params.rememberSentText(deliveryPayload.text, {
           combinedBody: params.context.Body as string | undefined,
           combinedBodySessionKey: params.route.sessionKey,
           logVerboseMessage: shouldLog,
         });
         const fromDisplay =
           params.msg.chatType === "group" ? params.conversationId : (params.msg.from ?? "unknown");
-        const reply = resolveSendableOutboundReplyParts(payload);
+        const reply = resolveSendableOutboundReplyParts(deliveryPayload);
         if (shouldLogVerbose()) {
-          const preview = payload.text != null ? reply.text : "<media>";
+          const preview = deliveryPayload.text != null ? reply.text : "<media>";
           logVerbose(`Reply body: ${preview}${reply.hasMedia ? " (media)" : ""} -> ${fromDisplay}`);
         }
       },
@@ -329,7 +333,8 @@ export async function dispatchWhatsAppBufferedReply(params: {
     },
   });
 
-  const didQueueVisibleReply = queuedFinal || counts.block > 0 || counts.final > 0;
+  const didQueueVisibleReply =
+    queuedFinal || counts.tool > 0 || counts.block > 0 || counts.final > 0;
   if (!didQueueVisibleReply) {
     if (params.shouldClearGroupHistory) {
       params.groupHistories.set(params.groupHistoryKey, []);