fix(reply): honour explicit [[reply_to_*]] tags when replyToMode is off (#16174)

Merged via /review-pr -> /prepare-pr -> /merge-pr.

Prepared head SHA: 778fc2559ade85a37209866c2edbe33bfc5bbb86
Co-authored-by: aldoeliacim <17973757+aldoeliacim@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: steipete <58493+steipete@users.noreply.github.com>
Reviewed-by: @steipete

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - BlueBubbles: gracefully degrade when Private API is disabled by filtering private-only actions, skipping private-only reactions/reply effects, and avoiding private reply markers so non-private flows remain usable. (#16002) Thanks @L-U-C-K-Y.
 - Outbound: add a write-ahead delivery queue with crash-recovery retries to prevent lost outbound messages after gateway restarts. (#15636) Thanks @nabbilkhan, @thewilloftheshadow.
 - Auto-reply/Threading: auto-inject implicit reply threading so `replyToMode` works without requiring model-emitted `[[reply_to_current]]`, while preserving `replyToMode: "off"` behavior for implicit Slack replies and keeping block-streaming chunk coalescing stable under `replyToMode: "first"`. (#14976) Thanks @Diaspar4u.
+- Auto-reply/Threading: honor explicit `[[reply_to_*]]` tags even when `replyToMode` is `off`. (#16174) Thanks @aldoeliacim.
 - Outbound/Threading: pass `replyTo` and `threadId` from `message send` tool actions through the core outbound send path to channel adapters, preserving thread/reply routing. (#14948) Thanks @mcaxtr.
 - Auto-reply/Media: allow image-only inbound messages (no caption) to reach the agent instead of short-circuiting as empty text, and preserve thread context in queued/followup prompt bodies for media-only runs. (#11916) Thanks @arosstale.
 - Discord: route autoThread replies to existing threads instead of the root channel. (#8302) Thanks @gavinbmoore, @thewilloftheshadow.

docs/channels/discord.md

@@ -273,6 +273,8 @@ See [Slash commands](/tools/slash-commands) for command catalog and behavior.
     - `first`
     - `all`
 
+    Note: `off` disables implicit reply threading. Explicit `[[reply_to_*]]` tags are still honored.
+
     Message IDs are surfaced in context/history so agents can target specific messages.
 
   </Accordion>

docs/channels/slack.md

@@ -233,6 +233,8 @@ Manual reply tags are supported:
 - `[[reply_to_current]]`
 - `[[reply_to:<id>]]`
 
+Note: `replyToMode="off"` disables implicit reply threading. Explicit `[[reply_to_*]]` tags are still honored.
+
 ## Media, chunking, and delivery
 
 <AccordionGroup>

docs/channels/telegram.md

@@ -416,6 +416,8 @@ curl "https://api.telegram.org/bot<bot_token>/getUpdates"
     - `first`
     - `all`
 
+    Note: `off` disables implicit reply threading. Explicit `[[reply_to_*]]` tags are still honored.
+
   </Accordion>
 
   <Accordion title="Forum topics and thread behavior">

src/auto-reply/reply/reply-payloads.auto-threading.test.ts

@@ -72,4 +72,17 @@ describe("applyReplyThreading auto-threading", () => {
     expect(result[0].replyToId).toBe("42");
     expect(result[0].replyToTag).toBe(true);
   });
+
+  it("keeps explicit tags for Telegram when off mode is enabled", () => {
+    const result = applyReplyThreading({
+      payloads: [{ text: "[[reply_to_current]]A" }],
+      replyToMode: "off",
+      replyToChannel: "telegram",
+      currentMessageId: "42",
+    });
+
+    expect(result).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(result[0].replyToId).toBe("42");
+    expect(result[0].replyToTag).toBe(true);
+  });
 });

src/auto-reply/reply/reply-threading.ts

@@ -54,9 +54,11 @@ export function createReplyToModeFilterForChannel(
   channel?: OriginatingChannelType,
 ) {
   const provider = normalizeChannelId(channel);
+  // Always honour explicit [[reply_to_*]] tags even when replyToMode is "off".
+  // Per-channel opt-out is possible but the safe default is to allow them.
   const allowTagsWhenOff = provider
-    ? Boolean(getChannelDock(provider)?.threading?.allowTagsWhenOff)
+    ? (getChannelDock(provider)?.threading?.allowTagsWhenOff ?? true)
-    : false;
+    : true;
   return createReplyToModeFilter(mode, {
     allowTagsWhenOff,
   });