Telegram Setup Guide

Connect OpenClaw to Telegram in 5 minutes

Why Telegram?

✅

Easiest Setup

Official Bot API, no complex configuration needed

🏠

Works Behind NAT

No public IP, domain, or SSL certificate required

🎤

Voice Support

Send voice messages for hands-free interaction

🔒

Reliable

Stable connection using long-polling technology

Prerequisites

✓OpenClaw installed and running
✓A Telegram account (phone number required)
✓AI model API key configured (Anthropic, OpenAI, etc.)

Don't have OpenClaw installed yet? Follow our installation guide →

Step-by-Step Setup

Create a Telegram Bot

Open Telegram and search for @BotFather, the official bot for creating bots.

1. Send this command to BotFather:

/newbot

2. Enter a name for your bot:

Example: My OpenClaw Assistant

3. Enter a username (must end with 'bot'):

Example: my_openclaw_bot

4. Copy the bot token:

1234567890:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz

⚠️ Keep this token secret! Anyone with it can control your bot.

Configure OpenClaw

Run the OpenClaw onboarding wizard if you haven't already, or add Telegram to an existing setup.

Run the onboarding wizard:

openclaw onboard

Or add Telegram to existing config:

openclaw config set telegram.token YOUR_BOT_TOKEN

The wizard will prompt you to paste your Telegram bot token when you select Telegram as a messaging platform.

Start the Bot & Pair

Start OpenClaw and initiate the pairing process with your Telegram bot.

1. Start OpenClaw:

openclaw start

2. Open your bot in Telegram and send:

/start

3. You'll receive a pairing code. Approve it:

openclaw pairing approve telegram PAIRING_CODE

Test Your Setup

Send a message to your bot to verify everything is working.

Try these test messages:

Hello, what can you do?

What's the weather like today?

Remind me to check email in 1 hour

Troubleshooting

Bot doesn't respond to messages

Check if OpenClaw is running with 'openclaw status'. Verify your bot token is correct. Check logs with 'openclaw logs --follow'.

Pairing code not appearing

Make sure you've sent /start to your bot first. Check that the Telegram gateway is enabled in your config.

Connection keeps dropping

This is usually a network issue. OpenClaw uses long-polling which should work behind most firewalls. Try restarting with 'openclaw gateway restart'.

Voice messages not working

Voice transcription requires additional configuration. Check the OpenClaw docs for voice setup instructions.

Platform Comparison

	Telegram	WhatsApp	Discord
Setup Difficulty	Easy ⭐	Medium	Medium
Official API	Yes ✓	No ✗	Yes ✓
Voice Messages	Yes ✓	Yes ✓	Yes ✓
Requires Public IP	No ✓	No ✓	No ✓
Stability	High	Variable	High
Best For	Personal use	Mobile-first	Teams

Need Help Setting Up?

Our team can set up OpenClaw with Telegram for you completely free. We'll handle all the configuration and make sure everything works perfectly.

Get Free Setup Install OpenClaw