[Bug]:Telegram voice notes no longer auto-transcribe via Deepgram after config changes / restarts
Environment
• OpenClaw: 2026.1.30
• Host: Toby’s Mac mini (local mode, loopback gateway)
• Channel: Telegram DM (@Pie_Hoe)
• Audio: Deepgram configured via DEEPGRAM_API_KEY in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
• Tools: tools.media.audio enabled with Deepgram settings
Expected Behavior (earlier today)
• When I send a Telegram voice note, OpenClaw: • Automatically sends the audio to Deepgram
• Injects the resulting transcript into the conversation
• The agent sees plain text and responds as if I had typed it
• No manual calls to skills or shell scripts required; it “just works”.
Current Behavior (after a series of config edits + gateway restarts)
• Telegram voice notes arrive as .ogg files, for example:
/Users/bisey/.openclaw/media/inbound/file_119---edd8f8ce-4780-4cf6-960a-31e6d7d45fc2.ogg
• The agent does not receive any text transcript automatically.
• To get text, the agent had to: 1. Create a custom skill skills/deepgram-transcribe with a transcribe.sh script that calls Deepgram’s listen API using DEEPGRAM_API_KEY.
2. Manually run:
/Users/bisey/.openclaw/workspace/skills/deepgram-transcribe/transcribe.sh
/Users/bisey/.openclaw/media/inbound/file_119---edd8f8ce-4780-4cf6-960a-31e6d7d45fc2.ogg 3. Read the resulting .txt file.
• This proves: • Deepgram API key is valid.
• Network + auth to Deepgram work.
• The automatic Telegram→Deepgram→text pipeline is what’s missing.
Relevant Config Snippet (openclaw.json)
"tools": {
"media": {
"audio": {
"enabled": true,
"deepgram": {
"detectLanguage": true,
"punctuate": true,
"smartFormat": true
},
"baseUrl": "https://api.deepgram.com",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Token 16b969af05fc4e5e2cf237de29223e42697cdefd"
}
}
}
},
"channels": {
"telegram": {
"enabled": true,
"dmPolicy": "pairing",
"groupPolicy": "allowlist",
"streamMode": "partial",
"actions": {
"reactions": true,
"sendMessage": true,
"deleteMessage": true,
"sticker": true
}
}
}What changed before it broke
• OpenClaw: 2026.1.30
• Host: Toby’s Mac mini (local mode, loopback gateway)
• Channel: Telegram DM (@Pie_Hoe)
• Audio: Deepgram configured via DEEPGRAM_API_KEY in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
• Tools: tools.media.audio enabled with Deepgram settings
Expected Behavior (earlier today)
• When I send a Telegram voice note, OpenClaw: • Automatically sends the audio to Deepgram
• Injects the resulting transcript into the conversation
• The agent sees plain text and responds as if I had typed it
• No manual calls to skills or shell scripts required; it “just works”.
Current Behavior (after a series of config edits + gateway restarts)
• Telegram voice notes arrive as .ogg files, for example:
/Users/bisey/.openclaw/media/inbound/file_119---edd8f8ce-4780-4cf6-960a-31e6d7d45fc2.ogg
• The agent does not receive any text transcript automatically.
• To get text, the agent had to: 1. Create a custom skill skills/deepgram-transcribe with a transcribe.sh script that calls Deepgram’s listen API using DEEPGRAM_API_KEY.
2. Manually run:
/Users/bisey/.openclaw/workspace/skills/deepgram-transcribe/transcribe.sh
/Users/bisey/.openclaw/media/inbound/file_119---edd8f8ce-4780-4cf6-960a-31e6d7d45fc2.ogg 3. Read the resulting .txt file.
• This proves: • Deepgram API key is valid.
• Network + auth to Deepgram work.
• The automatic Telegram→Deepgram→text pipeline is what’s missing.
Relevant Config Snippet (openclaw.json)
"tools": {
"media": {
"audio": {
"enabled": true,
"deepgram": {
"detectLanguage": true,
"punctuate": true,
"smartFormat": true
},
"baseUrl": "https://api.deepgram.com",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Token 16b969af05fc4e5e2cf237de29223e42697cdefd"
}
}
}
},
"channels": {
"telegram": {
"enabled": true,
"dmPolicy": "pairing",
"groupPolicy": "allowlist",
"streamMode": "partial",
"actions": {
"reactions": true,
"sendMessage": true,
"deleteMessage": true,
"sticker": true
}
}
}What changed before it broke
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