Get in touch

Connect OpenClaw to Messaging Apps

How to Connect OpenClaw to Telegram, WhatsApp & Discord (2026) 📱 Channel Setup Guide Connect OpenClaw to YourMessaging Apps Step-by-step instructions for connecting OpenClaw to Telegram, WhatsApp, and Discord —…

How to Connect OpenClaw to Telegram, WhatsApp & Discord (2026)
📱 Channel Setup Guide

Connect OpenClaw to Your
Messaging Apps

Step-by-step instructions for connecting OpenClaw to Telegram, WhatsApp, and Discord — the three most popular channels.

✈️ Telegram
📱 WhatsApp
🎮 Discord
💼 Slack

Telegram Easiest — Start Here

Telegram is the recommended first channel. It’s free, reliable, has no rate limits for personal bots, and takes about 5 minutes to configure.

  • 1

    Open Telegram and find BotFather

    Search for @BotFather in Telegram. This is Telegram’s official bot creation service. Tap Start.

  • 2

    Create your bot

    Send /newbot. BotFather will ask for a name (e.g. “My OpenClaw”) and a username (must end in “bot”, e.g. “myopenclaw_bot”). Copy the API token it returns.

  • 3

    Add the token to your .env file

    # Add to ~/openclaw/.env
    TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=your-token-from-botfather
  • 4

    Restart OpenClaw

    docker compose down && docker compose up -d
  • 5

    Start chatting

    Search for your bot’s username in Telegram, tap Start, and send your first message. You should receive a reply within a few seconds.

Private Mode (Recommended)

Set your bot to private mode so only you can interact with it. In BotFather, send /setprivacy → select your bot → Enable. This prevents strangers from messaging your agent.

Getting Your Chat ID

Some OpenClaw skills need your personal Telegram Chat ID. Get it by messaging @userinfobot — it replies instantly with your ID number. Add it to .env as TELEGRAM_ALLOWED_CHAT_IDS=your-id to whitelist only your account.

WhatsApp Medium Difficulty

WhatsApp works via QR code scanning that links your account (or a dedicated number) to OpenClaw’s Gateway. More setup steps than Telegram, but works on the world’s most popular messaging app.

Use a Dedicated Number If Possible

WhatsApp allows only one device per number. If you link your main number, it will disconnect from your regular WhatsApp Web. Consider getting a cheap SIM card or a VoIP number specifically for your OpenClaw agent.

  • 1

    Open the OpenClaw Control UI

    SSH tunnel to your server: ssh -L 3000:localhost:3000 user@YOUR_IP then open http://localhost:3000.

  • 2

    Navigate to Channels → WhatsApp

    In the Control UI sidebar, find Channels and select WhatsApp. Click Connect.

  • 3

    Scan the QR code

    A QR code will appear. On your phone, open WhatsApp → Settings → Linked Devices → Link a Device, and scan the QR code.

  • 4

    Wait for confirmation

    The Control UI will show “Connected” once the QR scan succeeds. This usually takes 5–10 seconds.

  • 5

    Send a test message

    Message your own number (or a WhatsApp contact) and ask OpenClaw to respond. WhatsApp sessions can take 30–60 seconds to warm up on first use.

Session Persistence

WhatsApp sessions are stored in your OpenClaw data directory. Back up ~/openclaw/data/.openclaw/whatsapp-session/ so you don’t need to re-scan QR codes after server restarts.

Discord Medium Difficulty

Discord uses bot tokens and requires setting up an application in the Discord Developer Portal. Great for team servers and developer communities.

  • 1

    Create a Discord Application

    Go to discord.com/developers/applications, click New Application, and give it a name.

  • 2

    Create a Bot

    In the left sidebar, click Bot → Add Bot. Under Token, click Reset Token and copy it. Enable Message Content Intent under Privileged Gateway Intents.

  • 3

    Invite the bot to your server

    Go to OAuth2 → URL Generator. Check bot scope and grant permissions: Send Messages, Read Message History, Read Messages/View Channels. Copy and open the generated URL to invite the bot.

  • 4

    Add the token to .env

    DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN=your-discord-bot-token
    DISCORD_CHANNEL_ID=your-channel-id

    Right-click a Discord channel → Copy ID (enable Developer Mode in Discord Settings → Advanced first).

  • 5

    Restart and test

    docker compose down && docker compose up -d

    Send a message in your Discord channel mentioning the bot. It should respond within a few seconds.

Slack More Complex

Slack integration requires creating a Slack App, configuring OAuth scopes, and setting up event subscriptions. Ideal for team workspaces.

  • 1

    Create a Slack App

    Go to api.slack.com/apps → Create New App → From Scratch. Give it a name and select your workspace.

  • 2

    Configure OAuth Scopes

    Under OAuth & Permissions, add Bot Token Scopes: app_mentions:read, chat:write, im:history, im:read, im:write.

  • 3

    Install to Workspace and copy tokens

    Click Install to Workspace. Copy the Bot User OAuth Token (starts with xoxb-) and the Signing Secret from Basic Information.

  • 4

    Add to .env

    SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-your-token
    SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET=your-signing-secret
  • 5

    Set up Event Subscriptions

    Under Event Subscriptions, enable events and set the Request URL to your OpenClaw gateway endpoint. Subscribe to message.im and app_mention bot events. Note: Slack requires a publicly accessible URL — use a reverse proxy or Tailscale funnel.

Requires Public URL

Unlike Telegram and Discord which use polling, Slack sends webhooks to your server. This means OpenClaw needs a publicly reachable HTTPS URL. Set up Nginx as a reverse proxy with Let’s Encrypt, or use Cloudflare Tunnel (free) to expose your local port securely.

Channels Connected — What’s Next?

Make sure your agent is secure and won’t run up unexpected costs before you start setting up automations.

Security Hardening Guide Prevent API Cost Overruns →