diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 7457b1b954e..498132a7a8c 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 
 - Telegram/exec approvals: stop treating general Telegram chat allowlists and `defaultTo` routes as native exec approvers; Telegram now uses explicit `execApprovals.approvers` or owner identity from `commands.ownerAllowFrom`, matching the first-pairing owner bootstrap path. Thanks @pashpashpash.
 - Chat commands: route sensitive group `/diagnostics` and `/export-trajectory` approvals and results to a private owner route, preferring same-surface DMs before falling back to the first configured owner route, so Discord group invocations can land in Telegram when that is the primary owner interface. Thanks @pashpashpash.
+- Channels/WhatsApp: gate `dmPolicy: pairing` access-control side effects on whether a Baileys `messages.upsert` event actually carries inbound text/media/contact/location content, so receipts, typing indicators, presence updates, and protocol messages no longer trigger an unsolicited pairing verification reply on a peer who never typed. Fixes #73797. Thanks @hbmasters.
 - Plugin SDK/Discord: restore a deprecated `openclaw/plugin-sdk/discord` compatibility facade and the legacy compat group-policy warning export for the published `@openclaw/discord@2026.3.13` package, covering its config, account, directory, status, and thread-binding imports while keeping new plugins on generic SDK subpaths. Fixes #73685; supersedes #73703. Thanks @rderickson9 and @SymbolStar.
 - Channels/Discord: suppress duplicate gateway monitors when multiple enabled accounts resolve to the same bot token, preferring config tokens over default env fallback and reporting skipped duplicates as disabled. Supersedes #73608. Thanks @kagura-agent.
 - Control UI/Talk: decode Google Live binary WebSocket JSON frames and stop queued browser audio on interruption or shutdown, so browser Talk leaves `Connecting Talk...` and barge-in no longer plays stale audio. Fixes #73601 and #73460; supersedes #73466. Thanks @Spolen23 and @WadydX.
diff --git a/extensions/whatsapp/src/inbound/extract.test.ts b/extensions/whatsapp/src/inbound/extract.test.ts
index 62e1971aee6..244ac4f74af 100644
--- a/extensions/whatsapp/src/inbound/extract.test.ts
+++ b/extensions/whatsapp/src/inbound/extract.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import type { proto } from "@whiskeysockets/baileys";
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
-import { extractMentionedJids } from "./extract.js";
+import { extractMentionedJids, hasInboundUserContent } from "./extract.js";
 
 describe("extractMentionedJids", () => {
   const botJid = "5511999999999@s.whatsapp.net";
@@ -101,3 +101,113 @@ describe("extractMentionedJids", () => {
     expect(extractMentionedJids(message)).toEqual([botJid]);
   });
 });
+
+describe("hasInboundUserContent", () => {
+  it("returns true for plain text conversation", () => {
+    expect(hasInboundUserContent({ conversation: "hello" })).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("returns true for extendedTextMessage", () => {
+    expect(
+      hasInboundUserContent({ extendedTextMessage: { text: "hello" } } as proto.IMessage),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("returns true for image message", () => {
+    expect(
+      hasInboundUserContent({ imageMessage: { mimetype: "image/png" } } as proto.IMessage),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("returns true for video message", () => {
+    expect(
+      hasInboundUserContent({ videoMessage: { mimetype: "video/mp4" } } as proto.IMessage),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("returns true for audio message", () => {
+    expect(
+      hasInboundUserContent({ audioMessage: { mimetype: "audio/ogg" } } as proto.IMessage),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("returns true for document message", () => {
+    expect(
+      hasInboundUserContent({
+        documentMessage: { fileName: "x.pdf" },
+      } as proto.IMessage),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("returns true for sticker message", () => {
+    expect(
+      hasInboundUserContent({ stickerMessage: { mimetype: "image/webp" } } as proto.IMessage),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("returns true for location message with valid coords", () => {
+    expect(
+      hasInboundUserContent({
+        locationMessage: { degreesLatitude: 1, degreesLongitude: 2 },
+      } as proto.IMessage),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("returns true for live location message with valid coords", () => {
+    expect(
+      hasInboundUserContent({
+        liveLocationMessage: { degreesLatitude: 1, degreesLongitude: 2 },
+      } as proto.IMessage),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("returns true for contact message", () => {
+    expect(
+      hasInboundUserContent({
+        contactMessage: { displayName: "Alice", vcard: "BEGIN:VCARD\nEND:VCARD" },
+      } as proto.IMessage),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("returns false for undefined message (regression for #73797)", () => {
+    expect(hasInboundUserContent(undefined)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("returns false for empty message object (no content keys)", () => {
+    expect(hasInboundUserContent({} as proto.IMessage)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("returns false for protocol message envelope without inner content (regression for #73797)", () => {
+    expect(
+      hasInboundUserContent({
+        protocolMessage: {
+          type: 0,
+        } as unknown as proto.Message.IProtocolMessage,
+      } as proto.IMessage),
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("returns false for receipt-style senderKeyDistribution-only payload (regression for #73797)", () => {
+    expect(
+      hasInboundUserContent({
+        senderKeyDistributionMessage: {
+          groupId: "g@example",
+        } as unknown as proto.Message.ISenderKeyDistributionMessage,
+      } as proto.IMessage),
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("returns false when location coords are missing (incomplete event, regression for #73797)", () => {
+    expect(
+      hasInboundUserContent({
+        locationMessage: { name: "no coords" },
+      } as proto.IMessage),
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("returns false when extendedTextMessage has only empty text", () => {
+    expect(hasInboundUserContent({ extendedTextMessage: { text: "  " } } as proto.IMessage)).toBe(
+      false,
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/extensions/whatsapp/src/inbound/extract.ts b/extensions/whatsapp/src/inbound/extract.ts
index 84145ab0dbc..84dcc53007b 100644
--- a/extensions/whatsapp/src/inbound/extract.ts
+++ b/extensions/whatsapp/src/inbound/extract.ts
@@ -438,3 +438,28 @@ export function describeReplyContext(
     sender,
   };
 }
+
+/**
+ * Fast O(1) check that a Baileys message carries user-visible inbound content
+ * (text, media, contact, location). Returns false for protocol/receipt/typing
+ * notifications that arrive on the same `messages.upsert` stream as real
+ * messages but should not trigger pairing access-control side effects.
+ */
+export function hasInboundUserContent(rawMessage: proto.IMessage | undefined): boolean {
+  if (!rawMessage) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  if (extractText(rawMessage)) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  if (extractMediaPlaceholder(rawMessage)) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  if (extractContactContext(rawMessage)) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  if (extractLocationData(rawMessage)) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  return false;
+}
diff --git a/extensions/whatsapp/src/inbound/monitor.ts b/extensions/whatsapp/src/inbound/monitor.ts
index b55e689cd02..a2107afd0f2 100644
--- a/extensions/whatsapp/src/inbound/monitor.ts
+++ b/extensions/whatsapp/src/inbound/monitor.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import {
   extractMediaPlaceholder,
   extractMentionedJids,
   extractText,
+  hasInboundUserContent,
 } from "./extract.js";
 import { attachEmitterListener, closeInboundMonitorSocket } from "./lifecycle.js";
 import { downloadInboundMedia } from "./media.js";
@@ -381,6 +382,18 @@ export async function attachWebInboxToSocket(
       );
       return null;
     }
+    // Gate pairing access-control on extractable inbound user content. Baileys
+    // delivers receipts, typing indicators, presence updates, and protocol
+    // messages on the same `messages.upsert` stream as real messages; without
+    // this gate, `checkInboundAccessControl` can send an unsolicited pairing
+    // verification reply to a `dmPolicy: pairing` peer who never typed
+    // anything (e.g. when Master sends an outbound message to a new JID and
+    // the receipt round-trip arrives before the recipient ever replies).
+    // Echoes of our own outbound messages are already handled above.
+    if (!hasInboundUserContent(msg.message ?? undefined)) {
+      return null;
+    }
+
     const participantJid = msg.key?.participant ?? undefined;
     const from = group ? remoteJid : await resolveInboundJid(remoteJid);
     if (!from) {