From 56efbce31ee0d0394afd3f548207d3b7ce69cd38 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Peter Steinberger <steipete@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2026 20:51:39 +0000
Subject: [PATCH] feat: enable telegram reaction notifications by default

---
 CHANGELOG.md                  |  1 +
 docs/channels/telegram.md     |  6 +++---
 docs/gateway/configuration.md |  1 +
 src/telegram/bot.test.ts      | 31 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 src/telegram/bot.ts           |  4 ++--
 5 files changed, 38 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 8dc1258f5..291feb3fa 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 - CLI: set process titles to `clawdbot-<command>` for clearer process listings.
 - CLI/macOS: sync remote SSH target/identity to config and let `gateway status` auto-infer SSH targets (ssh-config aware).
 - Telegram: scope inline buttons with allowlist default + callback gating in DMs/groups.
+- Telegram: default reaction notifications to own.
 - Heartbeat: tighten prompt guidance + suppress duplicate alerts for 24h. (#980) — thanks @voidserf.
 - Repo: ignore local identity files to avoid accidental commits. (#1001) — thanks @gerardward2007.
 - Sessions/Security: add `session.dmScope` for multi-user DM isolation and audit warnings. (#948) — thanks @Alphonse-arianee.
diff --git a/docs/channels/telegram.md b/docs/channels/telegram.md
index e6c963a19..e50285aac 100644
--- a/docs/channels/telegram.md
+++ b/docs/channels/telegram.md
@@ -411,8 +411,8 @@ The agent sees reactions as **system notifications** in the conversation history
 
 **Configuration:**
 - `channels.telegram.reactionNotifications`: Controls which reactions trigger notifications
-  - `"off"` — ignore all reactions (default when not set)
-  - `"own"` — notify when users react to bot messages (best-effort; in-memory)
+  - `"off"` — ignore all reactions
+  - `"own"` — notify when users react to bot messages (best-effort; in-memory) (default)
   - `"all"` — notify for all reactions
 
 - `channels.telegram.reactionLevel`: Controls agent's reaction capability
@@ -505,7 +505,7 @@ Provider options:
 - `channels.telegram.actions.reactions`: gate Telegram tool reactions.
 - `channels.telegram.actions.sendMessage`: gate Telegram tool message sends.
 - `channels.telegram.actions.deleteMessage`: gate Telegram tool message deletes.
-- `channels.telegram.reactionNotifications`: `off | own | all` — control which reactions trigger system events (default: `off` when not set).
+- `channels.telegram.reactionNotifications`: `off | own | all` — control which reactions trigger system events (default: `own` when not set).
 - `channels.telegram.reactionLevel`: `off | ack | minimal | extensive` — control agent's reaction capability (default: `minimal` when not set).
 
 Related global options:
diff --git a/docs/gateway/configuration.md b/docs/gateway/configuration.md
index e6e30a597..5b9a900fd 100644
--- a/docs/gateway/configuration.md
+++ b/docs/gateway/configuration.md
@@ -943,6 +943,7 @@ Set `channels.telegram.configWrites: false` to block Telegram-initiated config w
         breakPreference: "paragraph"       // paragraph | newline | sentence
       },
       actions: { reactions: true, sendMessage: true }, // tool action gates (false disables)
+      reactionNotifications: "own",   // off | own | all
       mediaMaxMb: 5,
       retry: {                             // outbound retry policy
         attempts: 3,
diff --git a/src/telegram/bot.test.ts b/src/telegram/bot.test.ts
index 00098c1df..bed540797 100644
--- a/src/telegram/bot.test.ts
+++ b/src/telegram/bot.test.ts
@@ -2247,6 +2247,37 @@ describe("createTelegramBot", () => {
     expect(enqueueSystemEvent).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  it("defaults reactionNotifications to own", async () => {
+    onSpy.mockReset();
+    enqueueSystemEvent.mockReset();
+    wasSentByBot.mockReturnValue(true);
+
+    loadConfig.mockReturnValue({
+      channels: {
+        telegram: { dmPolicy: "open" },
+      },
+    });
+
+    createTelegramBot({ token: "tok" });
+    const handler = getOnHandler("message_reaction") as (
+      ctx: Record<string, unknown>,
+    ) => Promise<void>;
+
+    await handler({
+      update: { update_id: 502 },
+      messageReaction: {
+        chat: { id: 1234, type: "private" },
+        message_id: 43,
+        user: { id: 9, first_name: "Ada" },
+        date: 1736380800,
+        old_reaction: [],
+        new_reaction: [{ type: "emoji", emoji: "👍" }],
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(enqueueSystemEvent).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+
   it("allows reaction in all mode regardless of message sender", async () => {
     onSpy.mockReset();
     enqueueSystemEvent.mockReset();
diff --git a/src/telegram/bot.ts b/src/telegram/bot.ts
index 53755ec00..230684d85 100644
--- a/src/telegram/bot.ts
+++ b/src/telegram/bot.ts
@@ -322,8 +322,8 @@ export function createTelegramBot(opts: TelegramBotOptions) {
       const messageId = reaction.message_id;
       const user = reaction.user;
 
-      // Resolve reaction notification mode (default: "off")
-      const reactionMode = telegramCfg.reactionNotifications ?? "off";
+      // Resolve reaction notification mode (default: "own")
+      const reactionMode = telegramCfg.reactionNotifications ?? "own";
       if (reactionMode === "off") return;
       if (user?.is_bot) return;
       if (reactionMode === "own" && !wasSentByBot(chatId, messageId)) return;