Zalo personal

Status: experimental. This integration automates a personal Zalo account via native zca-js, in-process, with no external CLI binary.

This is an unofficial integration and may result in account suspension or ban. Use at your own risk.

Install

Zalo Personal is an official external plugin, not bundled in core. Install it before use:

openclaw plugins install @openclaw/zalouser

• Pin a version: openclaw plugins install @openclaw/zalouser@<version>
• From a source checkout: openclaw plugins install ./path/to/local/zalouser-plugin
• Details: Plugins

Quick setup

1. Install the plugin (above).
2. Login (QR, on the Gateway machine):
   • openclaw channels login --channel zalouser
   • Scan the QR code with the Zalo mobile app.
3. Enable the channel:

{
  channels: {
    zalouser: {
      enabled: true,
      dmPolicy: "pairing",
    },
  },
}

4. Restart the Gateway (or finish setup).
5. DM access defaults to pairing; approve the pairing code on first contact.

What it is

• Runs entirely in-process via the zca-js library (no external zca/openzca binary).
• Uses native event listeners (message, error) to receive inbound messages.
• Sends replies directly through the JS API (text/media/link).
• Designed for “personal account” use cases where the Zalo Bot API is not available.

Naming

Channel id is zalouser to make it explicit this automates a personal Zalo user account (unofficial). zalo is reserved for a potential future official Zalo API integration.

Finding IDs (directory)

openclaw directory self --channel zalouser
openclaw directory peers list --channel zalouser --query "name"
openclaw directory groups list --channel zalouser --query "work"

Limits

• Outbound text is chunked to 2000 characters (Zalo client limit).
• Streaming is not supported.

Access control (DMs)

channels.zalouser.dmPolicy: pairing | allowlist | open | disabled (default: pairing).

channels.zalouser.allowFrom should use stable Zalo user IDs. It can also reference static sender access groups (accessGroup:<name>). During interactive setup, entered names can be resolved to IDs using the plugin’s in-process contact lookup.

If a raw name remains in config, startup resolves it only when channels.zalouser.dangerouslyAllowNameMatching: true is enabled. Without that opt-in, runtime sender checks are ID-only and raw names are ignored for authorization.

Approve via:

• openclaw pairing list zalouser
• openclaw pairing approve zalouser <code>

Group access (optional)

• Default: channels.zalouser.groupPolicy = "allowlist" (groups require an explicit allowlist entry).
• Open all groups: channels.zalouser.groupPolicy = "open".
• Block all groups: channels.zalouser.groupPolicy = "disabled".
• With groupPolicy = "allowlist":
  • channels.zalouser.groups keys should be stable group IDs; names resolve to IDs on startup only when channels.zalouser.dangerouslyAllowNameMatching: true is enabled.
  • channels.zalouser.groupAllowFrom controls which senders in allowed groups can trigger the bot; static sender access groups can be referenced with accessGroup:<name>.
• The configure wizard can prompt for group allowlists.
• Group allowlist matching is ID-only by default. Unresolved names are ignored for auth unless channels.zalouser.dangerouslyAllowNameMatching: true is enabled.
• channels.zalouser.dangerouslyAllowNameMatching: true is a break-glass compatibility mode that re-enables mutable startup name resolution and runtime group-name matching.
• groupAllowFrom does not fall back to allowFrom for normal group messages: leaving it empty on an allowlisted group opens that group to any sender. Authorized control commands (for example /new) are the exception; command sender checks fall back to allowFrom when groupAllowFrom is empty.

Example:

{
  channels: {
    zalouser: {
      groupPolicy: "allowlist",
      groupAllowFrom: ["1471383327500481391"],
      groups: {
        "123456789": { enabled: true },
        "Work Chat": { enabled: true },
      },
    },
  },
}

channels.zalouser.groups.<id>.allow is a legacy field name; current config uses enabled. openclaw doctor --fix migrates allow to enabled automatically.

Group mention gating

• channels.zalouser.groups.<group>.requireMention controls whether group replies require a mention.
• Resolution order: group id -> group:<id> alias -> group name/slug (name-based candidates only apply when dangerouslyAllowNameMatching: true) -> * -> default (true).
• Applies both to allowlisted groups and open group mode.
• Quoting a bot message counts as an implicit mention for group activation.
• Authorized control commands (for example /new) can bypass mention gating.
• When a group message is skipped because a mention is required, OpenClaw stores it as pending group history and includes it on the next processed group message.
• Group history limit: channels.zalouser.historyLimit, then messages.groupChat.historyLimit, then a fallback of 50.

Example:

{
  channels: {
    zalouser: {
      groupPolicy: "allowlist",
      groups: {
        "*": { enabled: true, requireMention: true },
        "Work Chat": { enabled: true, requireMention: false },
      },
    },
  },
}

Multi-account

Accounts map to zalouser profiles in OpenClaw state. Example:

{
  channels: {
    zalouser: {
      enabled: true,
      defaultAccount: "default",
      accounts: {
        work: { enabled: true, profile: "work" },
      },
    },
  },
}

Environment variables

Profile selection can also come from environment variables:

Var	Purpose
ZALOUSER_PROFILE	Profile name to use when no profile is set in channel or account config.
ZCA_PROFILE	Legacy fallback, used only when ZALOUSER_PROFILE is not set.

Profile names select the saved Zalo login credentials in OpenClaw state. Resolution order:

1. Explicit profile in config.
2. ZALOUSER_PROFILE.
3. ZCA_PROFILE.
4. The account id for non-default accounts, or default for the default account.

For multi-account setups, prefer setting profile on each account in config so one environment variable does not make multiple accounts share the same login session.

Typing, reactions, and delivery acknowledgements

• OpenClaw sends a typing event before dispatching a reply (best-effort).
• Message reaction action react is supported for zalouser in channel actions.
  • Use remove: true to remove a specific reaction emoji from a message.
  • Reaction semantics: Reactions
• For inbound messages that include event metadata, OpenClaw sends delivered + seen acknowledgements (best-effort).

Troubleshooting

Login doesn’t stick:

• openclaw channels status --probe
• Re-login: openclaw channels logout --channel zalouser && openclaw channels login --channel zalouser

Allowlist/group name didn’t resolve:

• Use numeric IDs in allowFrom/groupAllowFrom and stable group IDs in groups. If you intentionally need exact friend/group names, enable channels.zalouser.dangerouslyAllowNameMatching: true.

Upgraded from an old external zca/CLI-based setup:

• Remove any external zca process assumptions; the channel now runs fully in-process via zca-js, with no external CLI binary.

Related

• Channels Overview - all supported channels
• Pairing - DM authentication and pairing flow
• Groups - group chat behavior and mention gating
• Channel Routing - session routing for messages
• Security - access model and hardening