How to Connect Telegram to OpenClaw

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Once your Telegram bot is created with BotFather, the next step is connecting it to OpenClaw so your AI agent can send and receive messages.

This is where things start to get interesting.

OpenClaw supports multiple messaging channels, but Telegram is usually the simplest one to set up. All you really need is the bot token and a quick pairing step.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to connect Telegram to OpenClaw, enter the bot token, approve the connection, and test that everything works.

What You Need Before Starting

Before connecting Telegram to OpenClaw, make sure you already have:

a Telegram bot created via BotFather

the Telegram bot token

access to your OpenClaw terminal

your OpenClaw instance running

If you haven’t created the bot yet, you’ll need to do that first.

Step 1: Start OpenClaw Configuration

Inside your OpenClaw terminal, run the configuration or onboarding command.

openclaw configure

or during initial setup:

openclaw onboard

This launches the OpenClaw configuration wizard.

Step 2: Select a Messaging Channel

During the setup flow, OpenClaw will show a list of supported messaging channels.

You’ll see something like:

Select a channel

Telegram (Bot API)
WhatsApp (QR Link)
Discord (Bot API)
Google Chat (Chat API)
Slack (Socket Mode)
Signal (signal-cli)
iMessage
Feishu/Lark
Microsoft Teams
Matrix
LINE
Zalo
Finished

From this list, select:

Telegram (Bot API)

Telegram is often marked as the simplest way to get started.

Step 3: Enter the Telegram Bot Token

After selecting Telegram, OpenClaw will ask for the bot token.

You’ll see instructions similar to this:

Telegram bot token

1) Open Telegram and chat with @BotFather
2) Run /newbot (or /mybots)
3) Copy the token (looks like 123456:ABC...)

Now paste the token you received from BotFather.

Example format:

7923339655:AAGMA8fje_GX2AL0Z53R6cq6ZvUg1vSJz-U

Once entered, OpenClaw saves the token and adds Telegram as an active channel.

Step 4: Confirm Selected Channels

After entering the token, OpenClaw will display the selected messaging channels.

You may see something like:

Selected channels

Telegram – simplest way to get started
https://docs.openclaw.ai/channels/telegram
https://openclaw.ai

At this point, Telegram has been successfully added.

Step 5: Configure Access Policies

Next, OpenClaw may ask:

Configure DM access policies now? (default: pairing)

Most setups simply choose:

No

This keeps the pairing approval system enabled, which means new users must be approved before interacting with the bot.

Step 6: Approve Telegram Pairing

When someone messages the Telegram bot for the first time, OpenClaw will send a pairing request.

In Telegram you’ll see something like:

OpenClaw: access not configured

Your Telegram user id: 2132868197
Pairing code: 867XT3MB

The message will also show the command needed to approve the user.

Example:

openclaw pairing approve telegram 867XT3MB

Run that command in the OpenClaw terminal.

Once approved, OpenClaw confirms the user.

Example output:

Approved telegram sender 2132868197

Step 7: Test the Telegram Bot

Now open your Telegram bot chat and send a simple message.

For example:

Hi

If everything is working correctly, the OpenClaw agent will respond.

You might see a response similar to:

Hey Bob! Nice to meet you.
What are you up to today? Anything I can help with?

At this point, Telegram is fully connected to OpenClaw.

Telegram Connection Workflow Summary

Here’s the entire process simplified:

Step	Action
1	Create Telegram bot using BotFather
2	Copy the bot token
3	Run OpenClaw configuration
4	Select Telegram channel
5	Paste bot token
6	Approve pairing
7	Test the bot

Once complete, Telegram becomes an active messaging channel for your AI agent.

Common Issues When Connecting Telegram

A few things sometimes go wrong during setup.

Invalid Bot Token

If the token is incorrect, OpenClaw will fail to authenticate the bot.

Always copy the token exactly from BotFather.

Bot Not Responding

If the bot does not respond:

check that Telegram was selected as a channel

confirm the token was saved correctly

verify the pairing command was approved

Pairing Not Approved

If pairing is not approved, OpenClaw will block messages from new users.

Running the approval command fixes this immediately.

Why Telegram Is the Most Popular OpenClaw Channel

Among all messaging integrations, Telegram is often the easiest to deploy.

It works well because:

BotFather makes bot creation simple

the Bot API is straightforward

tokens are easy to generate

OpenClaw supports Telegram natively

That combination makes Telegram the fastest way to get an AI agent running.

Final Thoughts

Connecting Telegram to OpenClaw only takes a few steps once your bot is created.

You select the Telegram channel, paste the bot token, approve the pairing request, and test the connection.

From there, your OpenClaw agent can begin interacting directly inside Telegram.

For many setups, this is the first real moment where the AI agent starts feeling alive — responding to messages, handling tasks, and becoming part of your workflow.