Connect OpenClaw to Your Chat App
Pick the one you use most. A few minutes is all it takes.
npm install -g openclaw — see Quick Start) + a Telegram account Get a Bot Token
1 minOpen Telegram, send /newbot to @BotFather, pick a name, and copy the token.
Token looks like 123456789:ABCdef... — copy the whole thing including the colon.
Configure OpenClaw
1 minRun the setup wizard and paste your token when prompted.
openclaw init Select Telegram, then paste the token from Step 1.
Or edit the config file manually:
Paste your tokens to auto-fill the config below optional
channels:
telegram:
botToken: "<paste your TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN here>"
enabled: trueStart & Test
1 minStart the gateway, then open Telegram and message your bot.
openclaw gateway start You: Hello!
Bot: Hi! I'm your OpenClaw assistant. How can I help?
Telegram.
npm install -g openclaw — see Quick Start) + a WhatsApp account Configure OpenClaw
30 secRun the setup wizard and select WhatsApp.
openclaw init Select WhatsApp when prompted. The wizard creates your config file.
Or create the config file manually:
channels:
whatsapp:
enabled: trueLink Your Phone
1 minConnect your WhatsApp account by scanning a QR code — just like linking WhatsApp Web.
On your phone: open WhatsApp → Settings → Linked Devices → Link a Device → scan the QR code shown in your terminal.
openclaw channels login Start & Test
30 secStart the gateway, then send a message to your WhatsApp number from another phone.
You can also use WhatsApp's Message Yourself feature to test without a second phone.
openclaw gateway start You: Hello!
Bot: Hi! I'm your OpenClaw assistant. How can I help?
WhatsApp.
npm install -g openclaw — see Quick Start) + a Discord account Create a Bot
2 minGo to Discord Developer Portal → New Application → name it → go to Bot tab → click Reset Token → copy the token.
The token is only shown once! Copy it right away.
The Bot page with 'Reset Token' button and the token display area
Turn On Message Content
30 secStill on the Bot page, scroll to Privileged Gateway Intents → turn ON Message Content Intent → Save Changes.
If you skip this, your bot will see messages arrive but can't read what they say.
The Privileged Gateway Intents section with 'Message Content Intent' toggle highlighted
Invite Bot to Server
1 minGo to OAuth2 → URL Generator. Check scopes: bot and applications.commands. Check permissions: View Channels, Send Messages, Read Message History. Copy the URL at the bottom and open it to add the bot to your server.
The URL Generator page with scopes and permissions checked
Configure OpenClaw
1 minRun the setup wizard and paste your bot token.
openclaw init Select Discord, then paste the token from Step 1.
Or edit the config file manually:
Paste your tokens to auto-fill the config below optional
channels:
discord:
token: "<paste your DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN here>"
enabled: trueStart & Test
30 secStart the gateway, then mention your bot in Discord.
openclaw gateway start You: @OpenClaw hello!
Bot: Hi! I'm your OpenClaw assistant. How can I help?
Discord.
npm install -g openclaw — see Quick Start) + a Slack account Create a Slack App
1 minGo to api.slack.com/apps → Create New App → From scratch → name it → pick your workspace.
Choose "From scratch" — it's the simpler option.
Enable Socket Mode
1 minIn the left sidebar go to Socket Mode → toggle it ON. Then go to Basic Information → App-Level Tokens → click Generate Token → add scope connections:write → copy the App Token (starts with xapp-).
Socket Mode toggle and App-Level Token generation with connections:write scope
Set Permissions & Events
2 minGo to OAuth & Permissions → Bot Token Scopes. Add these scopes:
• chat:write
• im:history + im:read + im:write
• app_mentions:read
Then go to Event Subscriptions → toggle ON → under Subscribe to bot events add message.im and app_mention.
Bot Token Scopes and Event Subscriptions configuration
Install & Get Bot Token
1 minGo to Install App (left sidebar) → Install to Workspace → Allow. Copy the Bot Token (starts with xoxb-).
Then go to App Home → turn ON Messages Tab (so users can DM your bot).
Copy the Bot token (xoxb-), not the User token (xoxp-).
Install to Workspace button and Bot User OAuth Token location
Configure OpenClaw
30 secRun the setup wizard and paste both tokens.
openclaw init Select Slack. You'll need the App Token (xapp-) and Bot Token (xoxb-) from the previous steps.
Or edit the config file manually:
Paste your tokens to auto-fill the config below optional
channels:
slack:
appToken: "<paste your SLACK_APP_TOKEN here>"
botToken: "<paste your SLACK_BOT_TOKEN here>"
enabled: trueStart & Test
30 secStart the gateway, then open Slack and DM your bot.
openclaw gateway start Find your app under Apps in the Slack sidebar.
You: Hello!
Bot: Hi! I'm your OpenClaw assistant. How can I help?
Slack.
Channel Comparison
Not sure which to pick? Here's a quick overview.
| Feature | Telegram | Discord | Slack | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Text messages | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Images & files | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Voice messages | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Button interactions | ✅ | limited | ✅ | ✅ |
| Group / channel | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Free tier | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Limited |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy | Medium | Medium |
| Best for | Personal / Quick start | Personal / Customer | Community | Team work |