For OpenClaw v2026.2 | This article assumes you have completed OpenClaw installation and have a valid Telegram Bot Token (free to obtain).

TL;DR: Telegram is the easiest channel to configure: create a Bot (@BotFather), get a Token, add it to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json, and start the Gateway. DM pairing protection is enabled by default; groups require @mention to respond. Also covers WhatsApp (QR login), Discord (Bot Token), and Slack configuration.

Why Start with Telegram?

Channel Comparison

Reasons to Choose Telegram

1. Simplest setup: Just create a Bot and get a Token
2. Best documentation: Telegram Bot API is an industry benchmark
3. Richest features: Supports commands, buttons, inline queries, and more
4. Most active community: Easy to find solutions to problems

Creating a Telegram Bot

Step 1: Find BotFather

1. Open the Telegram app
2. Search for @BotFather (official Bot management tool)
3. Tap to open the conversation

sequenceDiagram
    participant U as You
    participant BF as BotFather
    participant TG as Telegram
    
    U->>BF: /newbot
    BF->>U: Enter Bot display name
    U->>BF: My OpenClaw Assistant
    BF->>U: Enter Bot username (must end with bot)
    U->>BF: myclaw_bot
    BF->>TG: Create Bot
    TG-->>BF: Bot created successfully
    BF->>U: Return API Token

Step 2: Create a New Bot

Send this command in BotFather:

/newbot

Follow the prompts:

1. Bot display name: e.g. My OpenClaw (spaces allowed)
2. Bot username: e.g. myclaw_bot (must end with bot)

After creation, BotFather will return:

Done! Congratulations on your new bot...

Use this token to access the HTTP API:
7123456789:AAHxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Keep your token secure...

⚠️ Important: Keep your API Token secure; it has full control over your Bot.

Step 3: Configure Bot Info (Optional)

# Set Bot avatar in BotFather
/setuserpic
# Select your Bot, upload image

# Set Bot description
/setdescription
# Select your Bot, enter description text

# Set Bot about text
/setabouttext
# Select your Bot, enter about text

# Set Bot commands
/setcommands
# Enter command list, e.g.:
# start - Start using
# help - Get help
# status - View status

Configuring OpenClaw

Method A: Environment Variables (Quick Test)

# Set environment variable
export TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN="7123456789:AAHxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

# Start Gateway
openclaw gateway

Method B: Config File (Recommended for Production)

Edit ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

{
  "agent": {
    "model": "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6"
  },
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "botToken": "7123456789:AAHxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
    }
  }
}

Method C: CLI Configuration

# Interactive configuration
openclaw config set channels.telegram.botToken "7123456789:AAH..."

# Or via onboard wizard
openclaw onboard

Verify Configuration

# Check configuration
openclaw config get channels.telegram.botToken

# Run diagnostics
openclaw doctor

# Start Gateway (debug mode)
openclaw gateway --verbose

After successful startup, you should see logs similar to:

[INFO] Gateway starting on port 18789
[INFO] Telegram channel connected
[INFO] Bot: @myclaw_bot
[INFO] Waiting for messages...

Security Configuration

DM Pairing Mechanism

By default, OpenClaw enables the DM pairing mechanism (dmPolicy: "pairing") to prevent strangers from abusing your Bot.

sequenceDiagram
    participant S as Stranger
    participant B as Bot
    participant G as Gateway
    participant O as You
    
    S->>B: Send message "Hello"
    B->>G: Message arrives
    G->>G: Check pairing status
    G-->>B: Not paired, return pairing code
    B-->>S: "Please pair: Code ABC123"
    S->>O: Tell you the pairing code
    O->>G: openclaw pairing approve telegram ABC123
    G->>G: Add to whitelist
    G-->>S: Pairing successful, can chat

Configure DM Policy

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "botToken": "your_token",
      "dmPolicy": "pairing",
      "allowFrom": []
    }
  }
}

Manage Pairing Requests

# View pending pairing list
openclaw pairing list

# Output example:
# Channel    Code     User        Created
# telegram   ABC123   @stranger   2026-02-26 10:30:00

# Approve pairing
openclaw pairing approve telegram ABC123

# Reject pairing
openclaw pairing reject telegram ABC123

# View paired users
openclaw pairing show telegram

Whitelist Mode

Only allow specific users to send messages:

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "botToken": "your_token",
      "dmPolicy": "open",
      "allowFrom": [123456789, 987654321]
    }
  }
}

💡 Get Telegram User ID: Send any message to @userinfobot; it will return your numeric ID.

Group Configuration

Basic Group Settings

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "botToken": "your_token",
      "groups": {
        "*": {
          "requireMention": true
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Per-Group Configuration

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "botToken": "your_token",
      "groups": {
        "-100123456789": {
          "requireMention": false,
          "name": "Work Group"
        },
        "-100987654321": {
          "requireMention": true,
          "name": "Chat Group"
        },
        "*": {
          "requireMention": true
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

💡 Get Group ID: After adding the Bot to a group, send any message in the group and check the Gateway logs for the group ID.

Add Bot to Group

1. In group settings, tap “Add members”
2. Search for your Bot username (e.g. @myclaw_bot)
3. Select and add
4. (Optional) Make the Bot an admin for more permissions

WhatsApp Configuration

Method: QR Code Login

WhatsApp uses the Web protocol and requires QR code binding:

# Start login flow
openclaw channels login whatsapp

# QR code displayed in terminal
# Scan with phone WhatsApp:
# Settings > Linked devices > Link a device > Scan QR code

sequenceDiagram
    participant U as User
    participant C as CLI
    participant W as WhatsApp
    participant G as Gateway
    
    U->>C: openclaw channels login whatsapp
    C->>W: Request QR code
    W-->>C: Return QR code
    C->>U: Display QR code
    U->>W: Phone scans code
    W-->>C: Authentication successful
    C->>G: Save credentials
    G-->>U: WhatsApp connected

Configuration Example

{
  "channels": {
    "whatsapp": {
      "allowFrom": ["+8613800138000"],
      "groups": {
        "*": {
          "requireMention": true
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

WhatsApp Limitations

Discord Configuration

Create Discord Bot

1. Visit Discord Developer Portal
2. Click “New Application”
3. Enter a name, e.g. OpenClaw Assistant
4. Go to “Bot” page, click “Add Bot”
5. Copy the Token (note: not the Application ID)

Configure OAuth2 Permissions

1. Go to “OAuth2” > “URL Generator”
2. Check the following permissions:

3. Copy the generated invite link
4. Open the link in a browser to invite the Bot to your server

Configuration Example

{
  "channels": {
    "discord": {
      "token": "MTk4NjIyNDgzNDc...",
      "guilds": {
        "*": {
          "requireMention": true
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Discord Feature Configuration

{
  "channels": {
    "discord": {
      "token": "your_token",
      "commands": {
        "native": true,
        "text": true
      },
      "mediaMaxMb": 25
    }
  }
}

Slack Configuration

Create Slack App

1. Visit Slack API
2. Click “Create New App”
3. Select “From scratch”
4. Enter App name and select workspace

Configure OAuth Permissions

On the “OAuth & Permissions” page, add these Bot Token Scopes:

app_mentions:read
channels:history
channels:read
chat:write
files:read
files:write
groups:history
groups:read
im:history
im:read
im:write
mpim:history
mpim:read
mpim:write
reactions:read
reactions:write
users:read

Install to Workspace

1. Click “Install to Workspace”
2. Authorize permissions
3. Copy the Bot User OAuth Token (starts with xoxb-)

Configuration Example

{
  "channels": {
    "slack": {
      "botToken": "xoxb-...",
      "appToken": "xapp-...",
      "signingSecret": "..."
    }
  }
}

Enable Socket Mode (Recommended)

1. Enable on the “Socket Mode” page
2. Generate App-Level Token
3. Configure in OpenClaw:

{
  "channels": {
    "slack": {
      "botToken": "xoxb-...",
      "appToken": "xapp-...",
      "socketMode": true
    }
  }
}

Enabling Multiple Channels

Full Configuration Example

{
  "agent": {
    "model": "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6"
  },
  "gateway": {
    "port": 18789,
    "bind": "loopback"
  },
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "botToken": "telegram_bot_token",
      "dmPolicy": "pairing",
      "groups": {
        "*": { "requireMention": true }
      }
    },
    "whatsapp": {
      "allowFrom": ["+8613800138000"]
    },
    "discord": {
      "token": "discord_token",
      "guilds": {
        "*": { "requireMention": true }
      }
    },
    "slack": {
      "botToken": "xoxb-...",
      "appToken": "xapp-..."
    }
  }
}

Message Routing Diagram

flowchart TB
    subgraph Users["Users"]
        WA[WhatsApp User]
        TG[Telegram User]
        DC[Discord User]
        SL[Slack User]
    end
    
    subgraph Gateway["Gateway"]
        MR[Message Router]
        SM[Session Manager]
    end
    
    subgraph Agent["Pi Agent"]
        AI[AI Core]
        CTX[Shared Context]
    end
    
    WA --> MR
    TG --> MR
    DC --> MR
    SL --> MR
    MR --> SM
    SM --> AI
    AI --> CTX

All channels share the same Agent with unified context management. This means:

• Questions asked on Telegram can be continued on WhatsApp
• Users across channels can share the same memory
• Each channel can have its own session isolation policy

Session Management Commands

Universal commands for all channels (send in chat):

Troubleshooting

Telegram Bot Not Responding

Symptom: No reply after sending a message

Troubleshooting steps:

# 1. Check if Gateway is running
curl http://127.0.0.1:18789/health

# 2. Check Bot Token
openclaw config get channels.telegram.botToken

# 3. View detailed logs
openclaw gateway --verbose

# 4. Run doctor diagnostics
openclaw doctor

Common causes:

WhatsApp QR Scan Failed

Symptom: Scan fails or shows error

Solutions:

# Regenerate QR code
openclaw channels logout whatsapp
openclaw channels login whatsapp

# Check network
ping web.whatsapp.com

# Clear credential cache
rm -rf ~/.openclaw/credentials/whatsapp*

Discord Bot No Permissions

Symptom: Bot doesn’t respond or lacks permissions in server

Solutions:

1. Check Bot role permissions
2. Confirm Bot has been invited to the server
3. Re-invite Bot (using correct OAuth URL)

# Check logs for permission errors
openclaw gateway --verbose 2>&1 | grep -i permission

Configuration Not Taking Effect

Symptom: Behavior unchanged after modifying config

Solutions:

# 1. Restart Gateway
openclaw gateway --restart

# 2. Clear cache
rm -rf ~/.openclaw/cache/*

# 3. Validate config file syntax
cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq .

# 4. Check config priority
openclaw config list

Security Best Practices

1. Token Security

# Do not commit Tokens to version control
echo ".openclaw/" >> .gitignore

# Use environment variables for sensitive data
export TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN="your_token"

# Rotate Tokens periodically (in BotFather)
# /revoke command can regenerate Token

2. Access Control

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "dmPolicy": "pairing",
      "allowFrom": [],
      "groups": {
        "*": { "requireMention": true }
      }
    }
  },
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "sandbox": {
        "mode": "non-main"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Log Auditing

# Enable verbose logging
openclaw gateway --verbose

# View session history
openclaw sessions list
openclaw sessions show <session-id>

# Audit command execution
grep "bash" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.log

Next Steps

Congratulations! You’ve completed your first channel setup. Now you can:

1. Test the conversation → Send messages in your configured channel
2. Install Skills → Extend AI capabilities
3. Configure multiple channels → Add more channels

Summary:

• Mastered Telegram Bot creation and configuration
• Understood DM pairing and group configuration
• Learned configuration methods for WhatsApp, Discord, and Slack
• Learned how to enable multiple channels simultaneously
• Mastered troubleshooting for common issues

Changelog:

• 2026-02-26: Initial release, based on OpenClaw v2026.2

Series Navigation:

• ← Previous: Environment Setup and First Run
• → Next: Gateway Core Concepts