VPS TUI: clawdbot doesn't answer after his initial message

[keen basalt]

I installed clawdbot on a VPS and after the onboarding when I start the TUI clawdbot doesn't answer after his initial message:

# clawdbot tui

:lobster: Clawdbot 2026.1.23-1 (c8afa82) — Give me a workspace and I'll give you fewer tabs, fewer toggles, and more oxygen.

clawdbot tui - ws://127.0.0.1:18789 - agent main - session main

 session agent:main:main


 System: [2026-01-25 13:59:35 UTC] WhatsApp gateway connected.

 Wake up, my friend!
 [message_id: f250bd6e-59d5-4caf-9a3b-608bd2e49bbe]


 Hey! :sunny: Good to be back.

 What's on your mind today? Anything you want to tackle together, or just checking in?


 hi


 (no output)


 you here?


 (no output)
 connected | idle
 agent main | session main (clawdbot-tui) | minimax/MiniMax-M2.1 | tokens 12k/200k (6%)

[south folio]

Based on the troubleshooting docs and the error, here's what to check:

Quick Triage

1. Check if the sender is allowlisted:

clawdbot status | grep -i allow

For TUI, your own messages should work. But for WhatsApp DMs, ensure your number is in allowFrom.

2. Check the gateway logs for the actual error:

clawdbot logs --follow

Then send another message. The logs will show why the model isn't responding.

3. Check model credentials:

clawdbot models status

MiniMax needs API keys configured. If auth is missing, the model will silently fail.

4. Common causes for "(no output)":

• Model API key missing or invalid → clawdbot models status will show this
• Rate limits on the MiniMax account
• Network issue from VPS to MiniMax API
• Message blocked by dmPolicy (should be open or your number in allowFrom)

If logs show nothing...

Try restarting the gateway fresh:

clawdbot gateway stop