Tutorial

OpenClaw + Telegram Integration Guide

February 14, 20268 min readReviewed March 8, 2026

Telegram is one of the easiest platforms to integrate with OpenClaw thanks to its excellent Bot API. This guide walks you through creating an AI-powered Telegram bot in minutes.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

OpenClaw installed and configured
A Telegram account
Your chosen LLM API key (Anthropic Claude or OpenAI)

Step 1: Create Your Telegram Bot

Telegram bots are created through the official BotFather bot:

Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
Start a chat with BotFather
Send the command /newbot
Follow the prompts to name your bot
Choose a username (must end in 'bot')
Save the API token BotFather provides

            BotFather will output something like:
1234567890:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz
        

Keep your token secret! Anyone with your bot token can control your bot. Treat it like a password.

Step 2: Configure OpenClaw

Edit your OpenClaw configuration to add the Telegram integration:

            # ~/.config/openclaw/config.yaml
integrations:
  telegram:
    enabled: true
    botToken: "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN_HERE"
    webhookUrl: "https://your-domain.com/webhook/telegram"
        

Step 3: Configure Polling or Webhook

OpenClaw supports two methods for receiving Telegram updates:

Option A: Polling (Easiest)

Polling is simpler to set up and works great for development:

            # config.yaml
integrations:
  telegram:
    enabled: true
    botToken: "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN"
    mode: "polling"  # Default, easiest setup
        

Option B: Webhook (Production)

Webhooks are more efficient for production deployments:

            # config.yaml
integrations:
  telegram:
    enabled: true
    botToken: "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN"
    mode: "webhook"
    webhookUrl: "https://your-domain.com/webhook/telegram"
        

Tip: For testing webhooks locally, use ngrok to expose your local OpenClaw instance to the internet.

Step 4: Start OpenClaw

With configuration complete, start the OpenClaw daemon:

            # Start the daemon
openclaw daemon start

# Check logs to verify Telegram connection
openclaw daemon logs --follow
        

Step 5: Test Your Bot

In Telegram, find your bot by username and start a chat:

Send /start to initialize
Send a message like "Hello!"
Your bot should respond with AI-generated text

Advanced Configuration

Custom Commands

Define custom slash commands for your bot:

            # config.yaml
integrations:
  telegram:
    commands:
      - command: "help"
        description: "Show available commands"
        response: "I'm an AI assistant! Ask me anything."
      - command: "status"
        description: "Check bot status"
        action: "status_check"
        

Group Chat Support

Enable your bot in group chats:

            # config.yaml
integrations:
  telegram:
    groupChats:
      enabled: true
      mentionTrigger: true  # Only respond when mentioned
      allGroups: false
      allowedGroups:
        - "My Group Chat"
        - "AI Testing"
        

Multi-Agent Routing

Route different groups to different agents:

            # config.yaml
routing:
  telegram:
    - match:
        type: "group"
        name: "coding-chat"
      agent: "coding-assistant"
    - match:
        type: "group"
        name: "writing-group"
      agent: "writer-assistant"
        

Bot Features Available

OpenClaw's Telegram integration supports:

Private messages: One-on-one AI conversations
Group chats: AI assistance in group discussions
Inline queries: AI suggestions as you type
File uploads: Process documents and images
Voice messages: Transcribe and respond to audio
Rich formatting: Markdown responses with links, bold, etc.

Troubleshooting

Bot Not Responding

Check daemon is running: openclaw daemon status
Verify bot token is correct in config
Check logs for errors: openclaw daemon logs
Ensure LLM API key is valid

Webhook Verification Fails

Verify webhook URL is publicly accessible
Check SSL certificate is valid
Ensure firewall allows incoming connections

Use Cases

OpenClaw on Telegram is perfect for:

Personal Assistant: Quick AI help from your phone
Group Helper: AI that assists your community
Study Groups: Get answers without leaving the chat
Language Practice: AI conversation partner

What's Next?

References

OpenClaw Official Documentation - https://docs.openclaw.ai/ - Accessed February 2026
OpenClaw GitHub Repository - https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw - Accessed February 2026
Telegram Bot API Documentation - https://core.telegram.org/bots/api - Accessed February 2026
Telegram BotFather Guide - Creating a New Bot - Accessed February 2026

Build your AI bot today

Create an intelligent Telegram bot with OpenClaw in just a few minutes.

Get Started

OpenClaw + Telegram Integration Guide

Prerequisites

Step 1: Create Your Telegram Bot

Step 2: Configure OpenClaw

Step 3: Configure Polling or Webhook

Option A: Polling (Easiest)

Option B: Webhook (Production)

Step 4: Start OpenClaw

Step 5: Test Your Bot

Advanced Configuration

Custom Commands

Group Chat Support

Multi-Agent Routing

Bot Features Available

Troubleshooting

Bot Not Responding

Webhook Verification Fails

Use Cases

What's Next?

References

Build your AI bot today

Reference Trail

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