From 98be99384ce135150c0d8d9f1eaab1c5d2aaa7c7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: chaodu-agent <chaodu-agent@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Sat, 27 Jun 2026 19:20:45 -0400
Subject: [PATCH] fix(ambient): default allow_bot_messages to true

Bot messages should be included in the ambient buffer by default so the
agent has full channel context. Users can opt out with
allow_bot_messages = false if needed.
---
 crates/openab-core/src/config.rs | 15 ++++++++++++---
 docs/ambient.md                  |  4 ++--
 docs/config-reference.md         |  2 +-
 3 files changed, 15 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/crates/openab-core/src/config.rs b/crates/openab-core/src/config.rs
index 5b5bde4ca..55d7930b8 100644
--- a/crates/openab-core/src/config.rs
+++ b/crates/openab-core/src/config.rs
@@ -1324,16 +1324,25 @@ impl Default for AmbientPoolConfig {
 }
 
 /// `[ambient.discord]` — Discord-specific ambient settings.
-#[derive(Debug, Clone, Default, Deserialize)]
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Deserialize)]
 pub struct AmbientDiscordConfig {
     /// Explicit channel allowlist. Required — empty means ambient is disabled.
     #[serde(default)]
     pub channels: Vec<String>,
-    /// Whether other bots' messages enter the ambient buffer. Default: false.
-    #[serde(default)]
+    /// Whether other bots' messages enter the ambient buffer. Default: true.
+    #[serde(default = "default_true")]
     pub allow_bot_messages: bool,
 }
 
+impl Default for AmbientDiscordConfig {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self {
+            channels: Vec::new(),
+            allow_bot_messages: true,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 fn default_flush_interval_seconds() -> u64 {
     60
 }
diff --git a/docs/ambient.md b/docs/ambient.md
index 0a3d3a0cd..bda2e4841 100644
--- a/docs/ambient.md
+++ b/docs/ambient.md
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ debug = false                     # ⚠️ Only enable in test channels (exposes
 
 [ambient.discord]
 channels = ["1234567890"]         # Channel IDs to monitor (and their threads)
-allow_bot_messages = false        # Include other bots' messages in buffer
+allow_bot_messages = true         # Include other bots' messages in buffer (default)
 ```
 
 ### Custom Instructions
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ You are passively observing a Discord channel.
 | `flush_timeout_seconds` | `120` | Safety timeout — resets flushing state if exceeded. Clamped to [5, 600]. |
 | `instructions_file` | `~/.openab/config/ambient.md` | Path to custom instructions file. First 2000 chars used as system prompt. Falls back to built-in default if missing. |
 | `channels` | `[]` | Explicit channel allowlist (required). Empty = ambient disabled. |
-| `allow_bot_messages` | `false` | Whether other bots' messages enter the ambient buffer. |
+| `allow_bot_messages` | `true` | Whether other bots' messages enter the ambient buffer. |
 
 > **Threads are observed by default.** Messages in **threads** whose parent is a configured channel are buffered too (most OpenAB conversation happens in auto-created threads, not the parent channel). **Both** bot-owned and non-owned threads are observed — the bot passively follows all thread conversation under an ambient channel. An @mention in any thread discards its buffer and triggers immediate dispatch, so there is no double-reply. Each thread batches independently (keyed by the thread ID).
 
diff --git a/docs/config-reference.md b/docs/config-reference.md
index e4e42d944..2f5509a14 100644
--- a/docs/config-reference.md
+++ b/docs/config-reference.md
@@ -484,7 +484,7 @@ context_flushes = 3
 
 [ambient.discord]
 channels = []                     # Channel ID allowlist — and their threads (required)
-allow_bot_messages = false
+allow_bot_messages = true
 ```
 
 ---