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+---
+name: "WhatsApp and Slack missing start command handler"
+---
+
+# Bug 401: WhatsApp and Slack missing start command handler
+
+## Description
+
+The start command has a fallback handler in chat/commands/mod.rs that returns None. Only Matrix has pre-dispatch handling for this command. On WhatsApp and Slack, the command falls through to the LLM path.
+
+## Implementation Note
+
+The fix must be in the shared command dispatch layer (chat/commands/mod.rs), NOT by adding transport-specific handlers. Study how commands like "rebuild" and "status" already work through the shared dispatch — the start handler should return a concrete result from try_handle_command so all transports get it for free. We do not want separate mechanisms per transport per command.
+
+## How to Reproduce
+
+1. Configure bot with transport = "whatsapp" or "slack"\n2. Send "start <story_id>" to the bot\n3. Check server logs
+
+## Actual Result
+
+Command falls through to LLM instead of starting an agent.
+
+## Expected Result
+
+The bot starts an agent for the specified story and replies with confirmation.
+
+## Acceptance Criteria
+
+- [ ] WhatsApp transport handles start command: starts agent and replies with confirmation
+- [ ] Slack transport handles start command: starts agent and replies with confirmation