Connect OpenClaw to WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord & Slack: Channel Setup Guide

Four Channels, One Guide

This guide covers the exact setup process for the four most popular OpenClaw messaging channels. Each section is self-contained — jump to the platform you need.

WhatsApp (Via Baileys)

OpenClaw connects to WhatsApp via Baileys — an open-source library that interfaces with WhatsApp Web. No Meta Business API approval needed.

Setup Steps

1. Start the channel login process:

# Direct install
openclaw channels login

# Docker
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli channels login

2. Scan the QR code with your phone: WhatsApp Settings → Linked Devices → Link a Device
3. Wait for confirmation — OpenClaw will display "WhatsApp connected" when the session is active

Configuration Options

In ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

{
  "channels": {
    "whatsapp": {
      "enabled": true,
      "pairing": {
        "mode": "code",
        "allowlist": ["+1234567890"]
      },
      "groups": {
        "enabled": false
      }
    }
  }
}

• pairing.mode: "code" — New contacts must send a pairing code before the AI responds. Prevents random strangers from using your bot
• pairing.allowlist — Only these phone numbers can interact (overrides pairing)
• groups.enabled — Set to true to allow AI responses in group chats

Approving New Users

# Approve a user who sent a pairing code
openclaw pairing approve whatsapp <code>

WhatsApp Gotchas

• Session expiry: WhatsApp Web sessions expire periodically. You'll need to re-scan the QR code. Set up monitoring to detect disconnections
• One session per number: You can only link one OpenClaw instance to one WhatsApp number. Using it on your personal number means sharing the number with the bot
• Message limits: WhatsApp caps messages at 4,096 characters. Configure your AI to keep responses under this limit

Telegram (Via grammY)

Telegram has the most bot-friendly API of any messaging platform. OpenClaw integrates via the grammY framework.

Setup Steps

1. Create a bot with BotFather:

• Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
• Send /newbot
• Choose a display name (e.g., "Your Company AI")
• Choose a username ending in "bot" (e.g., yourcompany_ai_bot)
• Copy the API token BotFather gives you

2. Add the channel to OpenClaw:

# Direct install
openclaw channels add --channel telegram --token "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN"

# Docker
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli channels add --channel telegram --token "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN"

3. Test: Send a message to your bot on Telegram. You should get an AI response within seconds.

Optional: Set Bot Commands

In BotFather, send /setcommands to your bot and paste:

start - Start a conversation
help - Show available commands
human - Request a human agent

Telegram Gotchas

• Webhook vs polling: OpenClaw uses webhooks by default (requires HTTPS endpoint). For local development, it falls back to polling
• Group chat behavior: In groups, Telegram bots only receive messages that @mention the bot or are replies to the bot's messages (unless privacy mode is disabled in BotFather)
• Message limit: 4,096 characters per message, same as WhatsApp

Discord (Via discord.js)

OpenClaw's Discord integration supports slash commands, thread conversations, and multi-server deployment.

Setup Steps

1. Create a Discord application:

• Go to the Discord Developer Portal
• Click "New Application" and name it
• Go to "Bot" section → click "Add Bot"
• Enable these Privileged Gateway Intents: Message Content, Server Members
• Copy the bot token

2. Generate an invite URL:

• Go to "OAuth2" → "URL Generator"
• Select scopes: bot, applications.commands
• Select permissions: Send Messages, Read Message History, Use Slash Commands, Embed Links
• Copy the generated URL and open it to add the bot to your server

3. Add the channel to OpenClaw:

# Direct install
openclaw channels add --channel discord --token "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN"

# Docker
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli channels add --channel discord --token "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN"

Discord Gotchas

• Message Content Intent: Required for the bot to read message content in servers with 100+ members. Must be enabled in the Developer Portal
• Slash command registration: Can take up to an hour to propagate globally. Guild-specific commands are instant
• Message limit: 2,000 characters per message — stricter than WhatsApp/Telegram. Configure shorter AI responses for Discord
• Thread support: OpenClaw can create threads for long conversations to keep channels clean

Slack (Via Bolt SDK)

Slack integration is ideal for internal AI assistants — answering team questions, searching documents, and automating workflows.

Setup Steps

1. Create a Slack app:

• Go to api.slack.com/apps and click "Create New App"
• Choose "From scratch", name it, and select your workspace
• Under "Socket Mode" → Enable Socket Mode and generate an app-level token (starts with xapp-)
• Under "OAuth & Permissions" → Add these Bot Token Scopes: chat:write, channels:history, groups:history, im:history, app_mentions:read
• Install to workspace and copy the Bot User OAuth Token (starts with xoxb-)
• Under "Event Subscriptions" → Subscribe to: message.channels, message.groups, message.im, app_mention

2. Add the channel to OpenClaw:

# Direct install
openclaw channels add --channel slack --bot-token "xoxb-..." --app-token "xapp-..."

# Docker
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli channels add --channel slack --bot-token "xoxb-..." --app-token "xapp-..."

Slack Gotchas

• Two tokens required: Slack needs both the Bot Token (xoxb-) and the App Token (xapp-) for Socket Mode
• Socket Mode vs webhooks: OpenClaw uses Socket Mode by default (no public URL needed). This is simpler but adds ~100ms latency vs webhooks
• Channel access: The bot must be invited to each channel: type /invite @your-bot-name in the channel
• DM behavior: By default, the bot responds to all DMs. In channels, it responds to @mentions only

General Channel Management Commands

# List all configured channels
openclaw channels list

# Check channel status
openclaw channels status

# Remove a channel
openclaw channels remove --channel telegram

# Restart a specific channel
openclaw channels restart --channel discord