Adding Your First Channel
The model is connected; now you need a way to talk to it. That is the channel. The first one should be the easiest you can find, so you can prove the whole round trip before adding anything else.
The rule
Start with Telegram, prove the round trip, then add more.
Telegram is the usual first channel because it supports bots through a simple API: you create a bot inside Telegram (through its BotFather account), give OpenClaw the bot's token, and then message the bot from your phone.
Every other channel connects in its own way, and each has something worth knowing:
| Channel | How OpenClaw connects | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Telegram | Telegram's bot API | The easiest first channel |
| The Baileys library | The most popular; you link your account by scanning a QR code | |
| iMessage | BlueBubbles, a macOS server with a REST API | Needs a Mac |
| Slack | The Bolt SDK, as an app in your workspace | Suits team automation |
| Discord | The Discord bot API | Works in servers, channels and DMs |
| Signal | signal-cli | End-to-end encrypted, for privacy-first setups |
Because each platform connects differently, each has its own sign-in routine: a bot token for Telegram, a QR scan for WhatsApp, an app you create for Slack. Expect the details to differ from one channel to the next.
The channels commands manage them:
openclaw channels add --channel telegram # connect a platform
openclaw channels login # run a channel's sign-in, such as WhatsApp's QR pairing
openclaw channels list # what is connected, with status
openclaw channels status --probe # actively test each connection
openclaw channels remove --channel telegram # disconnect a platformThe --probe flag matters: without it you see the last known status; with it, OpenClaw actually checks each connection now.
The shortcut
Add, list, probe, message. Four checks, and each one catches a different kind of failure.
Add
Create a bot in Telegram, then
openclaw channels add --channel telegramwith the bot's token.
The trap is connecting four channels at once. If nothing replies, you cannot tell which one broke. Add them one at a time, and repeat the four checks for each.
Drills
Answer fast — trust the rule.
Why is Telegram recommended as the first channel?
How do you link WhatsApp to the Gateway?
What does --probe add to openclaw channels status?
Which channel needs a Mac, because its bridge runs on macOS?
You send "hi" to your new bot and it replies. What has that proven?
Remember
- Start with Telegram, prove the round trip, then add more.
- Add, list, probe, message: repeat for every new channel.
- One channel at a time, and keep the sender allowlist to yourself.