diff --git a/internal/modules/dispatcher.go b/internal/modules/dispatcher.go
index a151afc..6df03d9 100644
--- a/internal/modules/dispatcher.go
+++ b/internal/modules/dispatcher.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package modules
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/go-telegram/bot"
 	"github.com/go-telegram/bot/models"
@@ -44,18 +45,22 @@ func (a Auth) Permits(v Visibility, update *models.Update) bool {
 
 // Install registers every command in the registry with the Telegram bot.
 //
-// MatchTypeCommand expects the bare command name without the leading slash;
-// the library compares against entity bytes after the "/" prefix.
+// Uses RegisterHandlerMatchFunc with a local matcher rather than the library's
+// bot.MatchTypeCommand because the library compares the full bot_command
+// entity bytes for equality. In groups, Telegram clients send /cmd@botname,
+// so the entity bytes are "cmd@botname" — never equal to the registered
+// command name "cmd". The matcher below strips the @suffix before comparing.
 //
 // auth gates Protected/Private commands; pass a zero-value Auth to deny all
 // Protected/Private commands (the right answer for a misconfigured deploy).
 func Install(b *bot.Bot, reg *Registry, auth Auth) {
 	for name, cmd := range reg.AllCommands {
 		cmdCopy := cmd // capture by value for the closure
-		b.RegisterHandler(
-			bot.HandlerTypeMessageText,
-			name,
-			bot.MatchTypeCommand,
+		nameCopy := name
+		b.RegisterHandlerMatchFunc(
+			func(update *models.Update) bool {
+				return matchCommand(nameCopy, update)
+			},
 			func(ctx context.Context, b *bot.Bot, update *models.Update) {
 				if !auth.Permits(cmdCopy.Visibility, update) {
 					return // silent — do not leak existence of gated commands
@@ -69,3 +74,37 @@ func Install(b *bot.Bot, reg *Registry, auth Auth) {
 		)
 	}
 }
+
+// matchCommand reports whether update is a text message whose bot_command
+// entity (after stripping any @botname suffix) equals name. Mirrors the
+// library's HandlerTypeMessageText + MatchTypeCommand semantics but tolerates
+// the group-form /cmd@botname that the library rejects.
+//
+// Telegram routes /cmd@otherbot only to otherbot, so an @suffix present in
+// the entity addresses *this* bot — no need to verify against our username.
+func matchCommand(name string, update *models.Update) bool {
+	if update == nil || update.Message == nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	text := update.Message.Text
+	for _, e := range update.Message.Entities {
+		if e.Type != models.MessageEntityTypeBotCommand {
+			continue
+		}
+		// Bounds check: defensive against malformed entities from a future
+		// API revision; the library's match func omits this so a bad entity
+		// would panic the goroutine before our recover() in webhook.go.
+		end := e.Offset + e.Length
+		if e.Offset < 0 || end > len(text) || e.Length < 1 {
+			continue
+		}
+		tok := text[e.Offset+1 : end] // drop leading '/'
+		if i := strings.IndexByte(tok, '@'); i >= 0 {
+			tok = tok[:i]
+		}
+		if tok == name {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
diff --git a/internal/modules/dispatcher_test.go b/internal/modules/dispatcher_test.go
index 728b89e..eadc047 100644
--- a/internal/modules/dispatcher_test.go
+++ b/internal/modules/dispatcher_test.go
@@ -47,6 +47,110 @@ func TestAuth_Permits(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestMatchCommand(t *testing.T) {
+	mkUpdate := func(text string, entities ...models.MessageEntity) *models.Update {
+		return &models.Update{
+			Message: &models.Message{
+				Text:     text,
+				Entities: entities,
+			},
+		}
+	}
+	cmd := func(off, length int) models.MessageEntity {
+		return models.MessageEntity{Type: models.MessageEntityTypeBotCommand, Offset: off, Length: length}
+	}
+
+	cases := []struct {
+		name   string
+		want   string
+		update *models.Update
+		expect bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name:   "dm bare slash-help",
+			want:   "help",
+			update: mkUpdate("/help", cmd(0, 5)),
+			expect: true,
+		},
+		{
+			// The bug this fix addresses: group clients append @botname to
+			// the entity. The upstream library's MatchTypeCommand misses this.
+			name:   "group slash-help-at-botname",
+			want:   "help",
+			update: mkUpdate("/help@miti99bot", cmd(0, 15)),
+			expect: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "group slash-help-at-botname with trailing arg",
+			want:   "help",
+			update: mkUpdate("/help@miti99bot arg", cmd(0, 15)),
+			expect: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "different command no match",
+			want:   "help",
+			update: mkUpdate("/info", cmd(0, 5)),
+			expect: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "different command with botname no match",
+			want:   "help",
+			update: mkUpdate("/info@miti99bot", cmd(0, 15)),
+			expect: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "non-command entity ignored",
+			want:   "help",
+			update: mkUpdate("/help", models.MessageEntity{Type: models.MessageEntityTypeMention, Offset: 0, Length: 5}),
+			expect: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "command not at start matches (lib parity)",
+			want:   "help",
+			update: mkUpdate("hi /help", cmd(3, 5)),
+			expect: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "nil update",
+			want:   "help",
+			update: nil,
+			expect: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "no message",
+			want:   "help",
+			update: &models.Update{},
+			expect: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "no entities",
+			want:   "help",
+			update: mkUpdate("/help"),
+			expect: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "out-of-bounds entity ignored",
+			want:   "help",
+			update: mkUpdate("/help", cmd(0, 999)),
+			expect: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "zero-length entity ignored",
+			want:   "help",
+			update: mkUpdate("/help", cmd(0, 0)),
+			expect: false,
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range cases {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got := matchCommand(tc.want, tc.update)
+			if got != tc.expect {
+				t.Errorf("matchCommand(%q, ...) = %v, want %v", tc.want, got, tc.expect)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestAuth_ZeroDeniesAllGated(t *testing.T) {
 	// Misconfigured deploy: zero-value Auth must deny every Protected/Private
 	// command without panicking, so an unconfigured bot cannot be hijacked
diff --git a/internal/telegram/webhook.go b/internal/telegram/webhook.go
index 39e38da..c965639 100644
--- a/internal/telegram/webhook.go
+++ b/internal/telegram/webhook.go
@@ -66,6 +66,8 @@ func WebhookHandler(b *bot.Bot, secret string) http.HandlerFunc {
 			return
 		}
 
+		logDispatch(&update)
+
 		ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(r.Context(), handlerTimeout)
 		defer cancel()
 		// Recover panics so a buggy handler does not propagate up to the
@@ -84,3 +86,30 @@ func WebhookHandler(b *bot.Bot, secret string) http.HandlerFunc {
 		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
 	}
 }
+
+// dispatchTextPreview caps message text in dispatch logs so chatty media
+// captions or long DM threads don't bloat CloudWatch / drive up cost.
+const dispatchTextPreview = 64
+
+// logDispatch emits a single structured line per inbound update so the
+// CloudWatch trail has chat type + command text without resorting to
+// the library's pointer-printing debug mode. Cheap (no allocation when
+// the message is short) and fires once per webhook hit.
+func logDispatch(u *models.Update) {
+	if u == nil || u.Message == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	text := u.Message.Text
+	if text == "" {
+		text = u.Message.Caption
+	}
+	if len(text) > dispatchTextPreview {
+		text = text[:dispatchTextPreview] + "…"
+	}
+	log.Info("dispatch",
+		"update_id", u.ID,
+		"chat_id", u.Message.Chat.ID,
+		"chat_type", string(u.Message.Chat.Type),
+		"text", text,
+	)
+}
diff --git a/plans/260516-1130-group-command-match-fix/plan.md b/plans/260516-1130-group-command-match-fix/plan.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2f3a220
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plans/260516-1130-group-command-match-fix/plan.md
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+# Fix Group Command Matching + Observable Dispatch Logging
+
+**Date:** 2026-05-16
+**Slug:** `260516-1130-group-command-match-fix`
+**Status:** Implemented (awaiting deploy + group smoke test)
+**Mode:** fast (single phase, well-scoped)
+**Linked diagnostic:** `../reports/debugger-260516-1124-group-commands-not-matching.md`
+
+## Goal
+
+Bot commands sent in Telegram groups (`/help@miti99bot` form) must match registered handlers. Currently they silently miss because `github.com/go-telegram/bot@v1.20.0/handlers.go:88` does byte-exact equality without stripping the `@<botname>` suffix.
+
+Add structured pre-dispatch logging so the next "silent drop" symptom is observable in CloudWatch without code archaeology.
+
+## Phases
+
+| # | Phase | File |
+|---|-------|------|
+| 01 | Strip `@suffix` in dispatcher + add update log | `phase-01-strip-botname-suffix-and-log-dispatch.md` |
+
+## Files
+
+- `internal/modules/dispatcher.go` — swap `RegisterHandler(..., MatchTypeCommand, ...)` for `RegisterHandlerMatchFunc(...)` with a local matcher that strips `@suffix`
+- `internal/modules/dispatcher_test.go` — add test cases covering `/help` (DM) and `/help@miti99bot` (group), plus negatives
+- `internal/telegram/webhook.go` — add one structured log line just before `b.ProcessUpdate` recording `update_id`, `chat.id`, `chat.type`, `text` (truncated)
+
+## Non-goals
+
+- Don't fork the upstream library.
+- Don't add a `TELEGRAM_BOT_USERNAME` env var — Telegram routes `/cmd@otherbot` to the addressed bot, so we never receive a foreign-suffixed command. KISS.
+- Don't refactor existing Auth / Visibility logic.
+
+## Success criteria
+
+1. New unit test passes: `/help@miti99bot` with offset=0 length=15 matches handler registered as `"help"`.
+2. Existing tests still pass (`make test` clean).
+3. `golangci-lint run ./...` clean.
+4. After deploy, repeating "send `/help@miti99bot` in group" produces a log line like `dispatch update_id=... chat_type=group chat_id=-100... text="/help@miti99bot"` AND the help reply is sent.
+
+## Risks
+
+| Risk | Mitigation |
+|---|---|
+| Custom matcher breaks edge case the library handled | Mirror lib semantics: only match `MessageEntityTypeBotCommand` entities, scope to `update.Message.Text` (HandlerTypeMessageText) |
+| Log line leaks PII in group chats | Chat IDs and group titles are not secret; user IDs are not logged. Message text truncated to 64 chars. |
+| Test mutates global state via library bot.New | Tests already use `testutil.NewRecordingBot` — reuse pattern |
+
+## Unresolved questions
+
+None — locked decisions: no env var, strip-unconditionally, truncate text to 64 chars in log.
diff --git a/plans/reports/debugger-260516-1124-group-commands-not-matching.md b/plans/reports/debugger-260516-1124-group-commands-not-matching.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..625ad83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plans/reports/debugger-260516-1124-group-commands-not-matching.md
@@ -0,0 +1,144 @@
+# Debug Report — Bot Commands Silent in Groups, Work in DM
+
+**Date:** 2026-05-16
+**Branch:** main (HEAD `df89431`)
+**Status:** DONE — root cause identified with code-level + log-level evidence; proposed fix below; nothing changed yet.
+
+## Symptom
+
+User reports: bot responds correctly to commands sent in a private chat (DM). Same commands sent in a Telegram group do nothing — no reply, no error, no logged warning.
+
+## Root cause
+
+`github.com/go-telegram/bot@v1.20.0/handlers.go:85-93` does a **byte-exact equality check** on the bot-command entity text without stripping the `@botname` suffix that Telegram clients append in groups.
+
+```go
+if h.matchType == MatchTypeCommand {
+    for _, e := range entities {
+        if e.Type == models.MessageEntityTypeBotCommand {
+            if data[e.Offset+1:e.Offset+e.Length] == h.pattern {
+                return true
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+```
+
+For private chats:
+- User sends `/help`.
+- Telegram sets entity Offset=0, Length=5.
+- Slice `data[1:5]` = `"help"` → equals `h.pattern="help"` → ✅ match.
+
+For groups (this is what Telegram clients send when there are 2+ bots in the room OR when the user picks the command from the autocomplete menu):
+- User sends `/help@miti99bot`.
+- Telegram sets entity Offset=0, Length=15 (the `@suffix` is **inside** the entity).
+- Slice `data[1:15]` = `"help@miti99bot"` → does NOT equal `"help"` → ❌ no match.
+
+The library never strips the `@botname` portion. No test in `handlers_test.go` covers the group form (only bare `/foo`). All 27 commands registered via `dispatcher.go:52-71` `Install` use `MatchTypeCommand`, so all 27 commands fail the same way in groups when sent with the suffix.
+
+## Evidence
+
+### 1. Library source
+
+`/config/go/pkg/mod/github.com/go-telegram/bot@v1.20.0/handlers.go:85-93` — exact match logic shown above.
+
+`/config/go/pkg/mod/github.com/go-telegram/bot@v1.20.0/handlers_test.go` — only test cases:
+| Input | Length | Result |
+|---|---|---|
+| `/foo` | 4 | match ✓ |
+| `a /foo` | 4 (offset 2) | match ✓ |
+| `a /bar` | 4 | no match ✓ |
+
+No `/foo@botname` cases tested.
+
+### 2. Production logs
+
+CloudWatch `/aws/lambda/miti99bot`, last 60 min:
+
+| Time (UTC) | Event | Notes |
+|---|---|---|
+| 04:22:02 | `POST /webhook 200 1ms` + `[TGBOT] [UPDATE] ID:835070937` | Update arrived. No metric for it. |
+| 04:22:59 | `POST /webhook 200 1372ms` | Long-running handler — this is the DM that worked. |
+| 04:23:56 | `metrics commands={trade_stats:1}` | Metric flush — only **1** command counted in the cron interval. |
+| 04:23:56 | `POST /webhook 200 0ms` + `[TGBOT] [UPDATE] ID:835070939` | Update arrived, returned immediately with no command dispatched. |
+
+So 3 webhooks, 1 fired a handler (`trade_stats`). The other 2 are the group attempts: payload accepted, secret validated, JSON decoded, dispatched into `b.ProcessUpdate` — and silently dropped because no handler matched. **No errors, no panics, no `unauthorized`, no `request body too large`**. Exact signature of "the match function returned false for every registered handler".
+
+### 3. Webhook config matches expectation
+
+`getWebhookInfo` (output from current production state, verified by previous workflow run logs):
+- `url=https://<lambda>.lambda-url.ap-southeast-1.on.aws/webhook`
+- `allowed_updates=["message","callback_query"]`
+- `pending_update_count` ≈ 0 (no delivery backlog)
+
+Group messages **are** being delivered. Telegram is not the problem.
+
+### 4. Bot Privacy Mode is NOT the root cause
+
+Privacy mode would prevent the update from arriving at all. We see group updates arrive (rows 1 and 4 above). Privacy mode is therefore either OFF, or the user typed a command (which Telegram delivers even with privacy ON). Either way, the failure is downstream of delivery — in the dispatcher's match logic.
+
+## Hypotheses ruled out
+
+| Hypothesis | Why ruled out |
+|---|---|
+| Webhook secret mismatch in groups | Would return 401; logs show 200. |
+| Body-too-large from group payloads | Would return 413; logs show 200. |
+| Panic in handler | Would log `webhook handler panic` (`webhook.go:75-81`). Nothing. |
+| Auth denial (Visibility check) | Help/info commands are `VisibilityPublic` (cf. `dispatcher.go:26`) — auth.Permits returns true unconditionally. Also a denial would silently return AFTER the handler closure runs, so the metric `IncCommand` at `dispatcher.go:63` would NOT fire. We'd see no metrics — same outward symptom — but a private-chat `/trade_stats` did increment, so the path works when match succeeds. Auth not the issue. |
+| Module disabled in groups | No code path filters by chat type in dispatch. `wordle/handlers.go:219`, `loldle/handlers.go:247` use `Chat.Type == ChatTypePrivate` only as a presentation switch (DM uses richer formatting); they do not gate command matching. |
+| Telegram delivering group updates to wrong endpoint | Single Function URL; only one webhook registered. |
+
+## Proposed fix (not applied — awaiting your decision)
+
+**Option A — Local wrapper using `MatchFunc` (recommended)**
+
+Replace `b.RegisterHandler(..., bot.MatchTypeCommand, ...)` in `internal/modules/dispatcher.go:52-71` with `b.RegisterHandlerMatchFunc(matchFunc, ...)`, where `matchFunc` strips the trailing `@<bot-username>` from the entity bytes before comparing. Single localized change; no library fork.
+
+Sketch:
+```go
+matchCmd := func(name string) bot.MatchFunc {
+    return func(update *models.Update) bool {
+        msg := update.Message
+        if msg == nil {
+            return false
+        }
+        for _, e := range msg.Entities {
+            if e.Type != models.MessageEntityTypeBotCommand || e.Offset != 0 {
+                continue
+            }
+            tok := msg.Text[e.Offset+1 : e.Offset+e.Length]
+            if i := strings.IndexByte(tok, '@'); i >= 0 {
+                tok = tok[:i]
+            }
+            if tok == name {
+                return true
+            }
+        }
+        return false
+    }
+}
+```
+
+Pros: zero library upgrade pressure; precise behavior; easy to add a unit test (which the upstream library lacks).
+Cons: bypasses `bot.MatchTypeCommand`'s niceties (none we use); adds ~15 LOC + tests.
+
+**Option B — Force users to type bare `/help`**
+
+Documented workaround only. Doesn't fix the bot. Reject.
+
+**Option C — File upstream issue / PR**
+
+Worth doing in parallel, but blocked on upstream review / release timeline. Don't wait.
+
+Recommend Option A + a fresh unit test in `internal/modules/dispatcher_test.go` covering both `/help` and `/help@miti99bot` against a registered `"help"` handler.
+
+## Secondary findings (out of scope for this report)
+
+1. `[TGBOT] [UPDATE]` log lines (`2026/05/16 04:22:02 [TGBOT] [UPDATE] &{ID:... Message:0x40002dc488 ...}`) print struct pointers, not contents. They are emitted by `bot.WithDebug(...)` in the go-telegram lib. Recommend adding a thin pre-dispatch log line in `internal/telegram/webhook.go:82` (just before `b.ProcessUpdate`) that records `update_id`, `chat.id`, `chat.type`, and `message.text` (truncated, no PII concerns since group IDs are not secret). Would have made this exact bug trivially observable instead of requiring a 3-source triangulation. ~10 LOC.
+
+2. Library version `v1.20.0` was released some time back; the head of the repo may or may not have this fixed — worth a quick GitHub check before Option C.
+
+## Unresolved questions
+
+- Confirm with user whether they want Option A applied now (single phase, ~30 min) or queued behind other work.
+- Do you want the extra dispatch-time log line (secondary finding 1) included in the same fix?