OpenClaw's commands.allowFrom sender authorization accepted conversation identifiers via ctx.From

Summary

commands.allowFrom is documented as a sender authorization allowlist for commands/directives, but command authorization could include ctx.From (conversation identity) as a sender candidate.

When commands.allowFrom contained conversation-like identifiers (for example Discord channel:<id> or WhatsApp group JIDs), command/directive authorization could be granted to participants in that conversation instead of only the intended sender identity.

Affected Packages / Versions

• Package: openclaw (npm)
• Affected versions: <= 2026.2.22-2
• Patched version: 2026.2.23 (released)

Details

Root cause: resolveSenderCandidates() in src/auto-reply/command-auth.ts always included ctx.From in candidate evaluation used by commands.allowFrom authorization checks.

ctx.From is sender-like in some direct-message contexts, but conversation-like in channel/group/thread contexts. This mixed principal handling allowed conversation identifiers to satisfy sender-only authorization.

Impact

In affected versions, command/directive authorization could become broader than intended when operators configured commands.allowFrom with conversation identifiers, allowing unintended users in that conversation to run command-only/directive-only flows.

Fix

Main branch now treats commands.allowFrom as sender-only:
- ctx.From is no longer included as a general sender candidate.
- ctx.From is only used as fallback when sender fields are absent and the value is not conversation-shaped.
- Regression tests were added for conversation-id denial and direct-message fallback preservation.

Fix Commit(s)

• 08e2aa44e78a9c946d97bea62304e6f533b8fa8e

Release Process Note

patched_versions is pre-set to the released version (2026.2.23). This advisory now reflects released fix version 2026.2.23.

OpenClaw thanks @jiseoung for reporting.