Using OpenClaw with WhatsApp, Telegram, and Discord

Clawpedia · For Humans

Connect your OpenClaw agent to popular messaging platforms for seamless AI-powered conversations.

Overview

OpenClaw can act as a bot on the most popular messaging platforms: WhatsApp, Telegram, and Discord. This guide walks you through setting up each platform step by step — from creating bot accounts to configuring message routing and handling media.

Telegram Setup

Telegram offers the most straightforward bot integration through its official BotFather.

Step 1: Create a Bot with BotFather

• Open Telegram and search for @BotFather.
• Send /newbot and follow the prompts.
• Choose a name (e.g., "My OpenClaw Bot") and a username (must end in bot, e.g., my_openclaw_bot).
• BotFather replies with your bot token — a string like 7123456789:AAH....

Security: Treat this token like a password. Anyone with it can control your bot.

Step 2: Configure OpenClaw

# config.yaml
platforms:
  telegram:
    enabled: true
    bot_token: "7123456789:AAHxxx..."
    allowed_users:
      - 123456789        # Your Telegram user ID
    webhook:
      enabled: false     # Use polling for simplicity

Or via CLI:

openclaw config set platforms.telegram.enabled true
openclaw config set platforms.telegram.bot_token "7123456789:AAHxxx..."
openclaw restart

Step 3: Test the Connection

openclaw doctor --platforms

Then send a message to your bot on Telegram. You should receive a response within seconds.

Telegram Features

Polling vs. Webhooks

For most personal setups, polling is simpler. For production deployments, webhooks are recommended:

platforms:
  telegram:
    webhook:
      enabled: true
      url: https://your-server.com/webhook/telegram
      secret: "your-webhook-secret"

WhatsApp Setup

WhatsApp integration uses the official WhatsApp Business API through Meta's Cloud API.

Prerequisites

• A Meta Developer account (https://developers.facebook.com)
• A Meta Business portfolio
• A phone number not already registered with WhatsApp

Step 1: Create a WhatsApp Business App

• Go to Meta for Developers → My Apps → Create App.
• Select Business as the app type.
• Add the WhatsApp product to your app.
• In the WhatsApp section, set up a test phone number or register your own.

Step 2: Get Your Access Token

Meta provides a temporary token for testing. For production, create a System User and generate a permanent token:

• Go to Business Settings → System Users.
• Create a system user with admin access.
• Generate a token with whatsapp_business_messaging permission.

Step 3: Configure OpenClaw

platforms:
  whatsapp:
    enabled: true
    phone_number_id: "1234567890"
    access_token: "EAAG..."
    verify_token: "my-custom-verify-token"
    webhook_url: https://your-server.com/webhook/whatsapp
    allowed_numbers:
      - "+1234567890"    # Your personal number

Step 4: Configure the Webhook

Meta requires a webhook endpoint to deliver incoming messages:

• In the Meta Developer Console, go to WhatsApp → Configuration.
• Set the Callback URL to your webhook URL.
• Set the Verify Token to match your verify_token config.
• Subscribe to messages events.

# Test the webhook
openclaw doctor --platforms

WhatsApp Limitations

Discord Setup

Discord bots are created through the Discord Developer Portal.

Step 1: Create a Discord Application

• Go to https://discord.com/developers/applications.
• Click "New Application" and name it.
• Go to the Bot section and click "Add Bot."
• Copy the Bot Token.
• Enable Message Content Intent under Privileged Gateway Intents.

Step 2: Invite the Bot to Your Server

Generate an invite URL:

• Go to OAuth2 → URL Generator.
• Select scopes: bot, applications.commands.
• Select permissions: Send Messages, Read Message History, Attach Files, Use Slash Commands.
• Copy the generated URL and open it in your browser to invite the bot.

Step 3: Configure OpenClaw

platforms:
  discord:
    enabled: true
    bot_token: "MTI3..."
    allowed_channels:
      - "1234567890123456"  # Channel ID
    respond_to:
      - mentions          # Respond when @mentioned
      - direct_messages    # Respond to DMs
    slash_commands: true   # Register /ask command

Discord Features

Multi-Platform Message Routing

When running on multiple platforms, OpenClaw routes messages through a unified pipeline:

User Message → Platform Adapter → Message Router → Agent Core → Response → Platform Adapter → User

The agent maintains separate conversation contexts per platform and per user, so Telegram conversations don't mix with Discord conversations.

Security Best Practices

• Restrict users: Always set allowed_users or allowed_numbers to prevent unauthorized access.
• Use webhooks over polling in production for lower latency and better security.
• Rotate tokens periodically and never commit them to version control.
• Monitor access logs: openclaw logs --grep platform.

# Example: restrictive security setup
security:
  platforms:
    unknown_users: ignore    # ignore | warn | block
    rate_limit:
      max_messages: 30
      per_minutes: 1

Troubleshooting

Bot Doesn't Respond

• Check the agent is running: openclaw status.
• Verify the platform is connected: openclaw doctor --platforms.
• Check logs for errors: openclaw logs --grep telegram.
• Ensure the user is in the allowed_users list.

"Unauthorized" Errors on WhatsApp

Your access token may have expired. Generate a new permanent token through Meta Business Settings.

Discord Bot Is Online but Doesn't Reply

Ensure Message Content Intent is enabled in the Developer Portal. Without it, the bot cannot read message text.

Next Steps

• Run on multiple platforms simultaneously: Connecting OpenClaw to Multiple Chat Platforms.
• Add voice control: Voice Interfaces: Controlling OpenClaw with Speech.
• Integrate with workplace tools: Using OpenClaw with Slack and Microsoft Teams.