How to Make Your OpenClaw Bot Reply Only in Specific WhatsApp Groups

A common question from the OpenClaw Discord: "How can I set my WhatsApp config so the bot only replies in specific groups?"

By default, your OpenClaw bot might respond to every WhatsApp group you're in—which gets noisy fast. Here's how to lock it down to just the groups you actually want it active in.

The Quick Answer

Use the allowGroups config option to whitelist specific group IDs:

openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.allowGroups '["120363123456789012@g.us", "120363098765432101@g.us"]' --json

Understanding WhatsApp Group Policies

OpenClaw has three layers of control for WhatsApp groups:

1. groupPolicy: The Master Switch

openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.groupPolicy "requireMention"

Options:

• "off" – Bot ignores ALL groups (DMs only)
• "requireMention" – Bot only responds when @mentioned in groups (recommended)
• "all" – Bot responds to every message in allowed groups

2. allowGroups: The Whitelist

If you set this, the bot will only respond in these specific groups:

openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.allowGroups '["120363123456789012@g.us", "120363098765432101@g.us"]' --json

3. denyGroups: The Blacklist

Alternatively, allow all groups except specific ones:

openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.denyGroups '["120363111111111111@g.us"]' --json

How to Find Your Group ID

The tricky part is getting the group ID. Here are two methods:

Method 1: Check the logs

openclaw logs --follow | grep "group"

Send a message in the group and watch for the group ID in the logs.

Method 2: Ask your bot In the WhatsApp group, mention your bot and ask:

"What is this group's ID?"

Your bot can use the message tool context to tell you.

Complete Example: One Group Only

Here's a full config for a bot that:

• Only works in one specific group
• Requires @mention to respond
• Stays silent everywhere else

# Set the group policy
openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.groupPolicy "requireMention"

# Whitelist your group
openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.allowGroups '["YOUR_GROUP_ID@g.us"]' --json

# Restart to apply
openclaw gateway restart

Verify Your Config

Double-check your settings:

openclaw config get channels.whatsapp.groupPolicy
openclaw config get channels.whatsapp.allowGroups
openclaw config get channels.whatsapp.denyGroups

Common Gotchas

Bot still responding everywhere?

• Make sure you restarted the gateway after config changes
• Check that the group ID format is correct (...@g.us)
• Verify the ID matches exactly (copy from logs, don't type manually)

Bot not responding at all?

• Check groupPolicy isn't set to "off"
• Verify your group ID is in allowGroups
• Check logs for any errors: openclaw logs --follow

Using both allowGroups and denyGroups?

• allowGroups takes precedence—if set, only those groups work
• Use one or the other, not both

This guide was inspired by a popular question in the OpenClaw Discord #help channel. Join the community at discord.gg/clawd for more tips!