OpenClaw + Telegram: From BotFather to First Message in 10 Minutes

If you're setting up your first OpenClaw channel, start with Telegram. Unlike WhatsApp, Telegram has an official bot API with permanent tokens — no QR codes, no session expiry, no re-pairing. Set it up once and it stays up.

Step 1: Create your bot with BotFather

1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather (verified, blue check).
2. Send /newbot.
3. Pick a display name (e.g. "My Assistant") and a username ending in bot (e.g. my_claw_assistant_bot).
4. BotFather replies with an API token — a string like 7213984:AAF.... Treat it like a password.

Step 2: Connect the token to OpenClaw

On ClawHost: dashboard → Channels → Telegram, paste the token, save. The gateway picks it up and the channel goes live in seconds. Self-hosted: add the token to your OpenClaw config and restart the gateway.

Step 3: Say hello

Open your bot's profile in Telegram and press Start. Your first message wakes the agent; replies stream in like any chat. From here your agent has everything OpenClaw offers — memory across conversations, skills, and whatever model you connected.

Settings worth changing

• Privacy mode (groups). By default bots only see messages that mention them. If you add your agent to a group and want it to follow the whole conversation, send BotFather /setprivacy → Disable — and think about whether you actually want that.
• Access control. Anyone who finds your bot's username can message it — and every message costs you model tokens. Configure OpenClaw's allowlist so the agent only responds to your Telegram user ID.
• Commands menu. /setcommands in BotFather gives your bot a proper command menu for the shortcuts you use most.

Why Telegram is the reliability benchmark

Official API, permanent token, no linked-device session to expire: Telegram is the channel that never needs babysitting. Even if WhatsApp is the goal, connect Telegram first — it gives you a stable line to your agent while you set up everything else.