DingTalk (Dingtalk)

This guide covers setting up a Qwen Code channel on DingTalk (钉钉).

Prerequisites

• A DingTalk organization account
• A DingTalk bot application with AppKey and AppSecret (see below)

Creating a Bot

1. Go to the DingTalk Developer Portal
2. Create a new application (or use an existing one)
3. Under the application, enable the Robot capability
4. In Robot settings, enable Stream Mode (机器人协议 → Stream 模式)
5. Note the AppKey (Client ID) and AppSecret (Client Secret) from the application credentials page

Stream Mode

DingTalk Stream mode uses an outbound WebSocket connection — no public URL or server is needed. The bot connects to DingTalk's servers, which push messages through the WebSocket. This is the simplest deployment model.

Configuration

Add the channel to ~/.qwen/settings.json:

{
  "channels": {
    "my-dingtalk": {
      "type": "dingtalk",
      "clientId": "$DINGTALK_CLIENT_ID",
      "clientSecret": "$DINGTALK_CLIENT_SECRET",
      "senderPolicy": "open",
      "sessionScope": "user",
      "cwd": "/path/to/your/project",
      "instructions": "You are a concise coding assistant responding via DingTalk.",
      "groupPolicy": "open",
      "groups": {
        "*": { "requireMention": true }
      }
    }
  }
}

Set the credentials as environment variables:

export DINGTALK_CLIENT_ID=<your-app-key>
export DINGTALK_CLIENT_SECRET=<your-app-secret>

Or define them in the env section of settings.json:

{
  "env": {
    "DINGTALK_CLIENT_ID": "your-app-key",
    "DINGTALK_CLIENT_SECRET": "your-app-secret"
  }
}

Running

# Start only the DingTalk channel
qwen channel start my-dingtalk

# Or start all configured channels together
qwen channel start

Open DingTalk and send a message to the bot. You should see a 👀 emoji reaction appear while the agent processes, followed by the response.

Group Chats

DingTalk bots work in both DM and group conversations. To enable group support:

1. Set groupPolicy to "allowlist" or "open" in your channel config
2. Add the bot to a DingTalk group
3. @mention the bot in the group to trigger a response

By default, the bot requires an @mention in group chats (requireMention: true). Set "requireMention": false for a specific group to make it respond to all messages. See Group Chats for full details.

Finding a Group's Conversation ID

DingTalk uses conversationId to identify groups. You can find it in the channel service logs when someone sends a message in the group — look for the conversationId field in the log output.

Images and Files

You can send photos and documents to the bot, not just text.

Photos: Send an image (screenshot, diagram, etc.) and the agent will analyze it using its vision capabilities. This requires a multimodal model — add "model": "qwen3.5-plus" (or another vision-capable model) to your channel config. DingTalk supports sending images directly or as part of rich text messages (mixed text + images).

Files: Send a PDF, code file, or any document. The bot downloads it from DingTalk's servers and saves it locally so the agent can read it with its file tools. Audio and video files are also supported. This works with any model.

Key Differences from Telegram

• Authentication: AppKey + AppSecret instead of a static bot token. The SDK manages access token refresh automatically.
• Connection: WebSocket stream instead of polling — no public IP or webhook URL needed.
• Formatting: Responses use DingTalk's markdown dialect (a limited subset). Tables are automatically converted to plain text since DingTalk doesn't render them. Long messages are split into chunks at ~3800 characters.
• Working indicator: A 👀 emoji reaction is added to the user's message while processing, then removed when the response is sent.
• Media download: Two-step process — a downloadCode from the message is exchanged for a temporary download URL via DingTalk's API.
• Groups: DingTalk uses isInAtList for @mention detection instead of parsing message entities.

Tips

• Use DingTalk markdown-aware instructions — DingTalk supports a limited markdown subset (headers, bold, links, code blocks, but not tables). Adding instructions like "Use DingTalk markdown. Avoid tables." helps the agent format responses correctly.
• Restrict access — In an organization context, senderPolicy: "open" may be acceptable. For tighter control, use "allowlist" or "pairing". See DM Pairing for details.
• Referenced messages — Quoting (replying to) a user message includes the quoted text as context for the agent. Quoting bot responses is not yet supported.

Troubleshooting

Bot doesn't connect

• Verify your AppKey and AppSecret are correct
• Check that the environment variables are set before running qwen channel start
• Make sure Stream Mode is enabled in the bot's settings on the DingTalk Developer Portal
• Check the terminal output for connection errors

Bot doesn't respond in groups

• Check that groupPolicy is set to "allowlist" or "open" (default is "disabled")
• Make sure you @mention the bot in the group message
• Verify the bot has been added to the group

"No sessionWebhook in message"

This means DingTalk didn't include a reply endpoint in the message callback. This can happen if the bot's permissions are misconfigured. Check the bot's settings in the Developer Portal.

"Sorry, something went wrong processing your message"

This usually means the agent encountered an error. Check the terminal output for details.