Bug Report: Outgoing messages stuck in PENDING, never delivered (Evolution API 2.4.0, Baileys)

[chimaras]

Bug Report: Outgoing messages stuck in PENDING, never delivered (Evolution API 2.4.0, Baileys)**

Evolution API version

2.4.0 (homolog tag), license activated successfully (community tier)

Database

PostgreSQL 15

Connection type

Baileys (WhatsApp Web)

What I did

Sent text messages via /message/sendText/{instance}, both from my own backend and directly from the Evolution Manager UI, to a real, active WhatsApp number that I personally control and actively monitor.

What happened

• API call returns 200 OK with a valid messageId, status PENDING
• Message never progresses past PENDING in Message.status
• Message is never received on the destination phone (confirmed visually on the device, multiple times, over several hours)
• This happens regardless of: client (own backend vs Manager UI directly), message content, or time of day

Database evidence

sqlSELECT status, COUNT(*) FROM "Message" WHERE "key"->>'fromMe'='true' GROUP BY status;Result: 74 PENDING, 1 READ, 1 SERVER_ACK — out of 76 total outbound messages since instance creation (June 18). This has been consistent since day one, not something that started recently.

Instance state

connectionState reports state: "open" consistently and stably — instance shows as connected.

Logs (evolution-api container)

Repeated, on every message send attempt:Closing session: SessionEntry { ... }On first pairing (once): a stream:error with code: "515", followed by an automatic full session restart (ChannelStartupService re-init).

Steps already taken (none resolved it)

1. Full logout + re-scan QR from scratch — same behavior after reconnect
2. Updated from 2.3.7 (latest) to 2.4.0 (homolog) + activated community license — same behavior
3. Confirmed correct webhook config (was a separate, now-fixed issue: webhookByEvents: true was causing 404s on event-specific routes — fixed, unrelated to this delivery issue)
4. Sent directly via Manager UI (bypassing my own backend entirely) — same PENDING-forever result
5. Verified the receiving number is correct and active (confirmed visually on the device)

Possible related context

The conversation in question appears to use a WhatsApp @lid JID (remoteJid ending in @lid with remoteJidAlt as the real phone number) for inbound messages — possibly related to WhatsApp's newer privacy/multi-device addressing mode. I'm aware of the documented @lid onWhatsApp exists:false issue, but my outbound sends to the plain @s.whatsapp.net JID (the phone number) are equally stuck in PENDING, so I'm not certain this is the same root cause.

Question

Is PENDING-forever with no SERVER_ACK/DELIVERY_ACK a known symptom of something specific (rate limiting, account flagging, a particular WhatsApp Web version mismatch)? Is there a way to get more diagnostic detail on why a specific message never leaves PENDING (e.g. a stream-level error per message, not just connection-level)?

Happy to provide instance_id, full logs, or any other diagnostic info needed.

[ronaldoone]

I have the same problem here. The instances using Baileys are not sending. But the instnaces using Cloud API are working without problems. My version is 2.3.7

[marcelomess]

I have the same problem.

Version: 2.3.7

[William-Otto]

same here!

[kurotsuke]

Same here.any one found a solution?

[Adilmar]

Same problem :/

[apatel131092]

I faced the same issue yesterday. I removed all the WhatsApp numbers from the system and added them again. I have three WhatsApp accounts—two are working correctly, but one is still not working.

[marcelmafra]

I'm having this problem too. I already deleted the instance, but nothing worked.

[emilio-kalificado]

I'm having the same problem with certain numbers in version 2.3.7, deleted the instance and tried again but it's the same.

[jolcinei]

I'm having the same problem too. I try to delete and create new instances, but not working.

[castleofvalak-max]

It's the same situation over here. I've tried everything with mine, but nothing is working yet. My operations on Evolution are at a standstill. I'm looking for alternatives to get around this situation.

[crawdz-cpu]

Same here. Happened to me around 7 hours ago

[script1542]

I also found that these PENDING messages are marked with an ERROR status in the MessageUpdate table.
Nowhere I looked did I find any additional details for that ERROR.

SELECT key->>'id' AS "keyId", message->>'conversation' AS message, "statuses"
FROM evolution_api."Message" LEFT JOIN LATERAL (
	SELECT ARRAY_AGG("status") AS "statuses"
  	FROM evolution_api."MessageUpdate"
	WHERE "messageId"=evolution_api."Message"."id"
) sq ON TRUE
WHERE key->>'id'='AC3359F1C459D2476029105290E22E21' -- replace with target message

[crawdz-cpu]

My friend has the same setup but he has no error

[P1er0LC]

Same here!
version: 2.3.7

[alexcendal]

It doesn’t just happen in Evolution API (Baileys), the same thing happens with whatsmeow. New WhatsApp update I think.