Web chat: dragging an image opens it in a new tab (no upload)

Symptoms

• In the OpenClaw web chat UI, dragging an image file from your desktop into the input area opens the image in a new browser tab instead of uploading it.
• You may also see close code 1009 when pasting images (often size-related).

Cause

This is typically a web UI drag-and-drop handler bug: the page doesn’t intercept the browser’s default “open the dropped file” behavior, so the drop navigates away instead of uploading.

Fix

1) Use paste or the file picker (current workaround)

• Copy the image, then paste into the message box.
• If the UI has an attachment button / file picker, use that instead of drag-and-drop.

2) If paste fails with 1009, reduce image size

1009 is commonly triggered by payload limits.

Try one or more:

• Use a smaller image (resize / re-export to JPEG).
• Avoid very large screenshots; crop to the relevant region first.

3) Refresh the web UI after upgrading

If you recently upgraded OpenClaw, hard-reload the page to ensure you’re running the latest frontend assets:

• macOS: Cmd + Shift + R
• Windows/Linux: Ctrl + Shift + R

Verify

• Send an image using paste or file picker; it should appear as an attachment and deliver successfully.
• Drag-and-drop should no longer open a new tab once the upstream UI fix is released.

Related

• GitHub issues: see related.githubIssues in frontmatter.