fix(channels): pass allowBootstrap from channel-selection so in-agent message tool resolves channels in --local processes (#85022)

Summary:
- The branch passes `allowBootstrap: true` through outbound channel selection, preserves bundled-plugin resolution before bootstrap, adds focused regression tests, and documents the fix in the changelog.
- Reproducibility: yes. source inspection gives a high-confidence reproduction path: current main omits `allow ... run the live current-main failure, but the supplied after-fix terminal proof exercises the implicated path.

Automerge notes:
- PR branch already contained follow-up commit before automerge: test(channels): cover bootstrap channel selection
- PR branch already contained follow-up commit before automerge: fix(channels): avoid unnecessary bootstrap during message sends
- PR branch already contained follow-up commit before automerge: fix(channels): pass allowBootstrap from channel-selection so in-agent…

Validation:
- ClawSweeper review passed for head 44099a80e8.
- Required merge gates passed before the squash merge.

Prepared head SHA: 44099a80e8
Review: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pull/85022#issuecomment-4510333662

Co-authored-by: Kaspre <kaspre@gmail.com>
Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.7 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Co-authored-by: clawsweeper <274271284+clawsweeper[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: clawsweeper[bot] <274271284+clawsweeper[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
Approved-by: takhoffman
Co-authored-by: takhoffman <781889+takhoffman@users.noreply.github.com>

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - Auto-reply/ACP: wait for same-channel block reply delivery before starting tool work, while still honoring ACP dispatch aborts so stopped turns do not wait on slow channel sends. (#83722) Thanks @IWhatsskill.
 - Codex/ACP: mark required child-run completions that only report progress, omit a final deliverable, or fail requester delivery as blocked while preserving real final reports. (#85110) Thanks @IWhatsskill.
 - Channels: treat bare abort messages such as `stop`, `abort`, and `wait` as immediate control commands in inbound debounce paths so stop requests are not delayed behind pending message coalescing. (#83348) Thanks @IWhatsskill.
+- Channels/message tool: resolve configured external channel plugins during in-agent channel selection, so `openclaw agent --local` message-tool sends no longer report an available channel as unavailable. (#85022) Thanks @Kaspre.
 - Agents/subagents: surface blocked child-run completions as errors instead of successful subagent finishes. (#80886) Thanks @TurboTheTurtle.
 - Agents/Pi: treat accepted embedded `sessions_spawn` child-session handoffs as terminal progress so parent turns no longer report false non-deliverable failures. (#85054) Thanks @samzong.
 - WhatsApp: update Baileys to `7.0.0-rc13` and drop the obsolete logger type patch.

src/infra/outbound/channel-resolution.test.ts

@@ -121,6 +121,22 @@ describe("outbound channel resolution", () => {
     expect(resolveRuntimePluginRegistryMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  it("returns a bundled plugin without bootstrapping", async () => {
+    const plugin = { id: "alpha" };
+    getLoadedChannelPluginMock.mockReturnValue(undefined);
+    getChannelPluginMock.mockReturnValue(plugin);
+    const channelResolution = await importChannelResolution("bundled-plugin");
+
+    expect(
+      channelResolution.resolveOutboundChannelPlugin({
+        channel: "alpha",
+        cfg: {} as never,
+        allowBootstrap: true,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(plugin);
+    expect(resolveRuntimePluginRegistryMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
   it("falls back to the active registry when getChannelPlugin misses", async () => {
     const plugin = { id: "alpha" };
     getChannelPluginMock.mockReturnValue(undefined);

src/infra/outbound/channel-resolution.ts

@@ -192,8 +192,13 @@ export function resolveOutboundChannelPlugin(params: {
     return directCurrent;
   }
 
+  const bundledCurrent = resolve();
+  if (bundledCurrent) {
+    return bundledCurrent;
+  }
+
   if (params.allowBootstrap !== true) {
-    return resolve();
+    return undefined;
   }
 
   maybeBootstrapChannelPlugin({ channel: normalized, cfg: params.cfg });

src/infra/outbound/channel-selection.test.ts

@@ -245,6 +245,36 @@ describe("resolveMessageChannelSelection", () => {
     verify?.(setupResult as never);
   });
 
+  it("allows bootstrap while checking explicit and fallback channels", async () => {
+    const cfg = {} as never;
+    mocks.resolveOutboundChannelPlugin.mockImplementation(({ channel }: { channel: string }) =>
+      channel === "beta" ? { id: "beta" } : undefined,
+    );
+
+    await expect(
+      expectResolvedSelection({
+        cfg,
+        channel: "alpha",
+        fallbackChannel: "beta",
+      }),
+    ).resolves.toEqual({
+      channel: "beta",
+      configured: [],
+      source: "tool-context-fallback",
+    });
+
+    expect(mocks.resolveOutboundChannelPlugin).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(1, {
+      channel: "alpha",
+      cfg,
+      allowBootstrap: true,
+    });
+    expect(mocks.resolveOutboundChannelPlugin).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(2, {
+      channel: "beta",
+      cfg,
+      allowBootstrap: true,
+    });
+  });
+
   it.each([
     {
       params: { cfg: {} as never, channel: "channel:C123", fallbackChannel: "not-a-channel" },

src/infra/outbound/channel-selection.ts

@@ -49,9 +49,19 @@ function resolveAvailableKnownChannel(params: {
   if (!normalized) {
     return undefined;
   }
+  // Pass `allowBootstrap: true` so the in-agent message tool path can resolve
+  // outbound channels in processes where external channel adapters have not
+  // been eagerly loaded (e.g. `openclaw agent --local`). Already-loaded and
+  // bundled plugins still resolve through side-effect-free fast paths first.
+  // Without the bootstrap fallback, official external channels can surface as
+  // the recurring "Channel is unavailable" error on `--local`-routed
+  // dispatches that the CLI send-path could deliver to.
+  // Adjacent to #77254 (cron-announce / final-reply paths); this closes the
+  // remaining in-agent caller in the same family.
   return resolveOutboundChannelPlugin({
     channel: normalized,
     cfg: params.cfg,
+    allowBootstrap: true,
   })
     ? normalized
     : undefined;