✈️ Telegram Bot Setup

Create a Bot with BotFather

Open Telegram and search for @BotFather, then:

1. Start a chat with @BotFather
2. Send /newbot
3. Enter a name for your bot (e.g., "My OpenClaw")
4. Enter a username ending in "bot" (e.g., "myopenclaw_bot")
5. BotFather gives you a token — save this!

Get Your Telegram User ID

You need your numeric user ID to whitelist yourself. Search for @userinfobot on Telegram and send it any message:

Save this ID — you'll use it to configure allowed users.

Configure OpenClaw

Add the Telegram channel to your OpenClaw config:

# If using the onboard wizard, it will ask for these
# Or add manually to ~/.openclaw/config.yaml:

channels:
  telegram:
    token: "7123456789:AAHxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
    allowedUsers:
      - "123456789"  # Your Telegram user ID

Or configure via CLI:

openclaw channels add telegram \
  --token "7123456789:AAHxxxxxxx" \
  --allowed-users "123456789"

Start OpenClaw

# Start the gateway
openclaw gateway

# Or if running as daemon
openclaw gateway start

Message Your Bot!

Find your bot on Telegram (search for @yourbotusername) and send it a message:

Set a Profile Photo

Make your bot look nicer in Telegram:

1. Open @BotFather
2. Send /setuserpic
3. Select your bot
4. Send an image (square works best)

Set a Description

Add a description that shows when users first open your bot:

1. Open @BotFather
2. Send /setdescription
3. Select your bot
4. Enter a description

Allow Multiple Users

Add family members or friends to the allowed list:

channels:
  telegram:
    token: "your-token"
    allowedUsers:
      - "123456789"  # You
      - "987654321"  # Family member
      - "555555555"  # Friend

Add to a Group Chat

You can add your bot to a Telegram group:

1. First, enable group mode with @BotFather: /setjoingroups → Enable
2. Add your bot to the group
3. By default, bots only see messages starting with / or @mentions
4. To see all messages: /setprivacy → Disable

Bot doesn't respond?

# Check if OpenClaw is running
openclaw status

# Check logs for errors
openclaw logs -f

# Verify token is correct
curl "https://api.telegram.org/botYOUR_TOKEN/getMe"
# Should return your bot's info

Bot responds to others but not you?

Your user ID might not be in the allowedUsers list. Double-check the ID with @userinfobot and update your config.

"Unauthorized" error?

Your bot token is invalid or has been revoked. Get a new token from @BotFather using /revoke then /token.