[BUG] Telegram plugin: inbound messages not delivered to Claude Code (notifications/claude/channel not received)

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

The Telegram plugin bot receives inbound messages (confirmed by "typing" indicator appearing in Telegram), but the notifications/claude/channel notification never reaches the Claude Code conversation.

• Outbound works fine: reply tool sends messages successfully
• Bot polling works: getWebhookInfo shows pending_update_count: 0, updates are consumed
• Access config is correct: user is in allowlist, gate() passes (typing indicator fires)
• The mcp.notification() call in handleInbound executes but Claude Code never surfaces the <channel source="telegram"> message

Reproduced on v2.1.81 (latest), macOS, Telegram plugin v0.0.1.

What Should Happen?

When an allowlisted Telegram user sends a message, it should appear in the Claude Code conversation as a <channel source="telegram"> message, allowing Claude to read and respond.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install Telegram plugin: enable telegram@claude-plugins-official in settings.json
2. Configure bot token in ~/.claude/channels/telegram/.env
3. Pair with a Telegram user (add to allowlist in access.json)
4. Start Claude Code (claude in terminal)
5. Send a message from the paired Telegram user to the bot
6. Bot shows "typing" indicator in Telegram, but the message never appears in the Claude Code conversation
7. Outbound reply tool works — Claude can send messages to Telegram successfully

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

v2.1.81

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

_No response_