}

```

With the flag on and no explicit `messages.inbound.byChannel.imessage`, the debounce window widens to **2500 ms** (the legacy default is 0 ms — no debouncing). The wider window is required because Apple's split-send cadence of 0.8-2.0 s does not fit in a tighter default.

With the flag on and no explicit `messages.inbound.byChannel.imessage` or global `messages.inbound.debounceMs`, the debounce window widens to **7000 ms** (the legacy default is 0 ms — no debouncing). The wider window is required because Apple's URL-preview split-send cadence can stretch to several seconds while Messages.app emits the preview row.

To tune the window yourself:

messages: {

inbound: {

byChannel: {

// 2500 ms works for most setups; raise to 4000 ms if your Mac is

// slow or under memory pressure (observed gap can stretch past 2 s

// then).

imessage: 2500,

// 7000 ms covers observed Messages.app URL-preview delays.

imessage: 7000,

},

},

},

The "Flag on" column shows behavior on an `imsg` build that emits `balloon_bundle_id`. On older `imsg` builds that emit no balloon metadata at all, the rows below marked "Two turns" / "N turns" instead fall back to a legacy merge (one turn): OpenClaw cannot structurally tell a split-send from separate sends, so it preserves the pre-metadata merge. Precise separation activates once the build emits balloon metadata.

| User composes | `chat.db` produces | Flag off (default) | Flag on + window (imsg emits balloon metadata) |

| ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |

| `Dump https://example.com` (one send) | 2 rows ~1 s apart | Two agent turns: "Dump" alone, then URL | One turn: merged text `Dump https://example.com` |

| `Save this 📎image.jpg caption` (attachment + text) | 2 rows without URL balloon metadata | Two turns | Two turns (legacy merge on metadata-less builds) |

| `/status` (standalone command) | 1 row | Instant dispatch | **Wait up to window, then dispatch** |

| URL pasted alone | 1 row | Instant dispatch | Wait up to window, then dispatch |

| Text + URL sent as two deliberate separate messages, minutes apart | 2 rows outside window | Two turns | Two turns (window expires between them) |

| Rapid flood (>10 small DMs inside window) | N rows without URL balloon metadata | N turns | N turns (legacy merge on metadata-less builds) |

| Two people typing in a group chat | N rows from M senders | M+ turns (one per sender bucket) | M+ turns — group chats are not coalesced |

| User composes | `chat.db` produces | Flag off (default) | Flag on + window (imsg emits balloon metadata) |

| ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |

| `Dump https://example.com` (one send) | 2 rows ~1 s apart | Two agent turns: "Dump" alone, then URL | One turn: merged text `Dump https://example.com` |

| `Save this 📎image.jpg caption` (attachment + text) | 2 rows without URL balloon metadata | Two turns | Two turns after metadata is observed; one merged turn on old/pre-latch metadata-less sessions |

| `/status` (standalone command) | 1 row | Instant dispatch | **Wait up to window, then dispatch** |

| URL pasted alone | 1 row | Instant dispatch | Wait up to window, then dispatch |

| Text + URL sent as two deliberate separate messages, minutes apart | 2 rows outside window | Two turns | Two turns (window expires between them) |

| Rapid flood (>10 small DMs inside window) | N rows without URL balloon metadata | N turns | N turns after metadata is observed; one bounded merged turn on old/pre-latch metadata-less sessions |

| Two people typing in a group chat | N rows from M senders | M+ turns (one per sender bucket) | M+ turns — group chats are not coalesced |

## Inbound recovery after a bridge or gateway restart