How to Connect OpenClaw to Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp & Slack (2026 Complete Setup)

OpenClaw supports 20+ chat platforms, but the official docs spread config details across multiple pages. This guide consolidates everything into one workflow: create bots → configure YAML → set permissions → deploy. Covers Telegram (BotFather), Discord (Developer Portal), WhatsApp (Cloud API), and Slack (App Manifest).

# How to Connect OpenClaw to Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp & Slack (2026 Complete Setup) > One AI assistant. Four chat platforms. Zero cloud lock-in. > This guide takes you from zero to a fully deployed OpenClaw gateway on Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, and Slack. --- ## Before You Start ### What You Need | Requirement | Details | |:------------|:--------| | OpenClaw running | Follow the [quick start](/post/openclaw-anzhuang-jiaocheng-windows-wechat-52e3b9) first | | Node.js 22.19+ | `node --version` to check | | API key | Anthropic, OpenAI, or any supported provider | | 10 minutes per channel | Bot creation takes 2-3 min each | ### Quick Architecture ``` Telegram Bot ─┐ Discord Bot ──┤ WhatsApp ─────┼──▶ OpenClaw Gateway ──▶ AI Model (Claude/GPT/etc) Slack Bot ────┘ ``` Each platform sends messages to the same OpenClaw gateway. The assistant responds in the channel you messaged from. --- ## 1. Telegram Setup ### Step 1: Create a Bot via BotFather 1. Open Telegram and search for [@BotFather](https://t.me/botfather) 2. Send `/newbot` and follow the prompts 3. Save the **token** — it looks like `123456:ABC-DEF1234ghIkl-zyx57W2v1u123ew11` ### Step 2: Configure OpenClaw ```bash openclaw config set channels.telegram.enabled true openclaw config set channels.telegram.token "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN_HERE" openclaw config set channels.telegram.name "My AI Assistant" ``` ### Step 3: Set Bot Commands (Optional but Recommended) Send these to BotFather: ``` /help — Show available commands /chat — Start a conversation /reset — Clear conversation history ``` ### Step 4: Restart & Test ```bash openclaw gateway restart ``` Open your bot in Telegram and send `/start`. If OpenClaw replies, you're set. ### Troubleshooting: No Reply | Problem | Fix | |:--------|:----| | Bot doesn't reply | Check `openclaw gateway status` — is it running? | | 401 Unauthorized | Did you copy the full token? It's `bot_token` in config | | Rate limited | Telegram limits 30 messages/sec — set `channels.telegram.rate_limit: 20` | --- ## 2. Discord Setup ### Step 1: Create a Discord Application 1. Go to [Discord Developer Portal](https://discord.com/developers/applications) 2. Click **New Application** — name it whatever you like 3. Go to **Bot** → **Add Bot** 4. Copy the **Token** (click Reset if needed) ### Step 2: Enable Privileged Gateway Intents Under the Bot settings, enable: - ✅ **MESSAGE CONTENT INTENT** — this is **required** or your bot cannot read messages - ✅ SERVER MEMBERS INTENT (optional) - ✅ PRESENCE INTENT (optional) ### Step 3: Configure OpenClaw ```bash openclaw config set channels.discord.enabled true openclaw config set channels.discord.token "YOUR_DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN" openclaw config set channels.discord.name "AI Assistant" ``` ### Step 4: Invite Bot to Your Server Build the OAuth2 URL: 1. Go to **OAuth2** → **URL Generator** 2. Scopes: ✅ `bot` ✅ `applications.commands` 3. Bot Permissions: ✅ `Send Messages` ✅ `Read Message History` ✅ `Use Slash Commands` 4. Copy the generated URL and open it in a browser 5. Select your server and authorize ### Step 5: Restart & Test ```bash openclaw gateway restart ``` In your Discord server, type `@YourBot hello` and it should reply. ### Troubleshooting | Problem | Fix | |:--------|:----| | Bot sees messages but doesn't reply | Did you enable MESSAGE CONTENT INTENT? | | "Bot requires code grant" | Disable "Requires OAuth2 Code Grant" in Bot settings | | No response in DMs | Ensure `channels.discord.allow_dm: true` in config | --- ## 3. WhatsApp Setup WhatsApp integration uses the **WhatsApp Cloud API** (Meta's official API). This is the only approach that works reliably — DO NOT use unofficial libraries (they get banned within days). ### Step 1: Create a Meta Business Account 1. Go to [Meta Developer Portal](https://developers.facebook.com/) 2. Click **Create App** → **Business** → **Next** 3. Add **WhatsApp** product to your app 4. Navigate to **WhatsApp** → **API Setup** ### Step 2: Get Your Credentials You'll need: - **Phone Number ID** — found in API Setup - **Access Token** — generated in API Setup (valid for 24h, or create a permanent token) - **Verify Token** — any string you choose (used for webhook verification) ### Step 3: Configure OpenClaw ```bash openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.enabled true openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.phone_number_id "YOUR_PHONE_NUMBER_ID" openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.access_token "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.verify_token "my_verify_token_123" ``` ### Step 4: Set Up the Webhook 1. In Meta Dashboard → WhatsApp → **Configuration** 2. **Callback URL**: `https://your-openclaw-domain.com/webhook/whatsapp` 3. **Verify Token**: the same string you set above 4. Click **Verify and save** ### Step 5: Subscribe to Webhook Events Under **Webhook Fields**, subscribe to: - ✅ `messages` — required to receive messages - ✅ `message_deliveries` — optional delivery receipts ### Step 6: Restart ```bash openclaw gateway restart ``` Send a message to your WhatsApp business number. You should get a reply. ### Important: WhatsApp Requirements | Requirement | Note | |:------------|:-----| | Business Verification | You must verify your business with Meta | | Phone Number | Cannot be registered with WhatsApp Messenger | | Message Template | First message to a user must use an approved template | | 24h Session Window | Free-form replies only within 24h of user's last message | --- ## 4. Slack Setup ### Step 1: Create a Slack App 1. Go to [Slack API](https://api.slack.com/apps) 2. Click **Create New App** → **From Manifest** 3. Choose your workspace ### Step 2: Define the App Manifest Use this YAML manifest: ```yaml display_information: name: OpenClaw Assistant features: bot_user: display_name: OpenClaw always_online: true slash_commands: - command: /ask description: Ask OpenClaw a question usage_hint: "[your question]" oauth_config: scopes: bot: - chat:write - channels:history - groups:history - im:history - mpim:history - app_mentions:read settings: event_subscriptions: request_url: https://your-openclaw-domain.com/webhook/slack bot_events: - message.channels - message.groups - message.im - app_mention interactivity: is_enabled: true ``` ### Step 3: Install the App 1. Go to **OAuth & Permissions** 2. Click **Install to Workspace** 3. Copy the **Bot User OAuth Token** (starts with `xoxb-`) ### Step 4: Configure OpenClaw ```bash openclaw config set channels.slack.enabled true openclaw config set channels.slack.token "xoxb-YOUR_SLACK_BOT_TOKEN" openclaw config set channels.slack.signing_secret "YOUR_SIGNING_SECRET" openclaw config set channels.slack.name "OpenClaw" ``` The signing secret is found under **Basic Information** → **App Credentials**. ### Step 5: Restart & Test ```bash openclaw gateway restart ``` In Slack, message your bot directly or @ it in a channel. Type `/ask what's the weather today?` to test slash commands. --- ## 5. Running All Channels Simultaneously ### The Gateway Config OpenClaw handles multi-channel natively. Once all channels are configured, your `~/.openclaw/config.yaml` should include: ```yaml gateway: port: 8080 host: 0.0.0.0 channels: telegram: enabled: true token: "your_telegram_token" discord: enabled: true token: "your_discord_token" whatsapp: enabled: true phone_number_id: "your_phone_number_id" access_token: "your_access_token" slack: enabled: true token: "xoxb-your_slack_token" signing_secret: "your_signing_secret" ``` ### Verify Everything is Running ```bash openclaw gateway status --deep ``` You should see all four channels as `connected`. ### Per-Channel Agent Configuration (Advanced) Want different AI behavior per channel? Use the `agent` field: ```yaml channels: telegram: enabled: true agent: "fast-reply" # Quick, concise responses discord: enabled: true agent: "code-assist" # Code-focused with longer context whatsapp: enabled: true agent: "default" # Balanced ``` Define agents in the `agents` section of your config. --- ## Cost & Performance Notes ### Token Usage by Platform | Platform | Avg. Message Length | Daily Token Estimate | |:---------|:-------------------:|:--------------------:| | Telegram | ~50 words | ~5K-15K tokens | | Discord | ~80 words | ~10K-20K tokens | | WhatsApp | ~40 words | ~3K-10K tokens | | Slack | ~100 words | ~15K-30K tokens | ### Token-Saving Tips 1. **Pre-process URLs** to save tokens by extracting only relevant content 2. Set `context_window: 4000` to limit history per conversation 3. Enable `session_timeout: 3600` to auto-clear idle conversations 4. Use a cheaper model (e.g., Claude Haiku or GPT-4o-mini) for high-volume channels Pair with local caching to cut token costs on document-heavyent-heavy workflows. --- ## Quick Reference: Channel Comparison | Feature | Telegram | Discord | WhatsApp | Slack | |:--------|:--------:|:-------:|:--------:|:-----:| | Setup Time | 5 min | 10 min | 20 min | 10 min | | Bot Creation | BotFather | Dev Portal | Meta Portal | API Dashboard | | Cost | Free | Free | Free* | Free | | Rate Limit | 30/s | 50/s | 80/s | 1/s per workspace | | DMs Supported | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Group Chats | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | File Support | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | *\*WhatsApp requires business verification but no monthly fee* --- ## Summary Running OpenClaw across all four platforms takes about 45 minutes of setup time. The key takeaways: 1. **Telegram is the easiest** — 5 minutes, BotFather handles everything 2. **Discord needs MESSAGE CONTENT INTENT** — the single biggest gotcha 3. **WhatsApp needs business verification** — plan for 1-2 days of approval time 4. **Slack needs a public webhook URL** — requires your gateway to be publicly accessible Once configured, you have a single AI assistant accessible from any chat app you use. That's the entire point of OpenClaw. --- *Published: 2026-07-12 | [Edit on GitHub](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw)* *Related: [OpenClaw Installation Guide](/post/openclaw-anzhuang-jiaocheng-windows-wechat-52e3b9) · [Cut 80% Token Cost with save2kb](/post/save2kb-intro)*