OpenClaw Telegram Setup: How to Run Your AI Assistant in Telegram

If you want the fastest path to a useful OpenClaw assistant on your phone, Telegram is usually the best starting point.

The OpenClaw docs explicitly call Telegram the fastest channel to set up. That tracks with real-world use. You create a bot token in BotFather, drop it into your config, pair your first DM, and you are live. You can keep it simple with private chat only, or turn it into a more serious setup with group allowlists, mention rules, and topic-aware sessions.

This guide walks through the full OpenClaw Telegram setup from zero to working assistant, with the parts that actually matter in practice: BotFather, dmPolicy, pairing, group controls, and the mistakes that cause most Telegram setups to feel messy.

For official references, see the Telegram docs, the OpenClaw getting started guide, and the GitHub repository. For more background on how OpenClaw workspaces behave, also read What Is OpenClaw?, Setup Guide, and What AGENTS.md is and why every AI agent needs one.

Why Telegram is such a good first OpenClaw channel

Telegram has three big advantages for OpenClaw beginners.

First, setup is direct. You do not need a whole Slack app manifest or a Discord server permission matrix just to get a working DM. A bot token is enough to get started.

Second, it fits how people actually use assistants. A lot of OpenClaw use is quick and messy in a good way: send a thought from your phone, ask the agent to summarize something, get a reminder, or check a workflow while you are away from your laptop. Telegram is excellent for that.

Third, OpenClaw's Telegram implementation already handles the operational details that matter, including pairing, group policy, mention gating, and thread-aware routing for forum topics.

If you want a channel that feels practical on day one, Telegram is hard to beat.

What you need before setup

You do not need much.

• OpenClaw installed
• a running gateway
• a Telegram account
• a new bot token from @BotFather

From the official getting started docs, the standard install flow is:

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
openclaw onboard --install-daemon
openclaw gateway status

The docs recommend Node 24, with Node 22 also supported. If OpenClaw is not already installed, start there first.

Step 1: create your Telegram bot in BotFather

Open Telegram and chat with @BotFather. Make sure it is the real BotFather account.

Run:

/newbot

Then follow the prompts:

• choose a bot name
• choose a username ending in bot
• copy the token it gives you

Treat that token like a password. Do not paste it into a group chat. Do not commit it to Git. Put it in OpenClaw config or an environment variable.

Step 2: configure OpenClaw for Telegram

The Telegram docs show a minimal config that looks like this:

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "enabled": true,
      "botToken": "123:abc",
      "dmPolicy": "pairing",
      "groups": {
        "*": { "requireMention": true }
      }
    }
  }
}

There are a few details worth understanding here.

• enabled: true turns the Telegram channel on.
• botToken is the token from BotFather.
• dmPolicy: "pairing" means unknown people cannot just DM the bot and start using it immediately. They get a short pairing code first.
• groups lets you define how the bot behaves in groups. requireMention: true is a very sane default.

If you prefer environment variables, the docs note that TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN works as an env fallback for the default account.

Step 3: start the gateway and pair your first DM

Once the token is in config, start the gateway:

openclaw gateway

Then DM your bot from Telegram. If dmPolicy is set to pairing, the bot will respond with a pairing code instead of processing your message immediately.

Approve it with:

openclaw pairing list telegram
openclaw pairing approve telegram <CODE>

That is the moment where a lot of first-time users realize OpenClaw is thinking like an operator, not like a toy chatbot. Unknown senders do not get full access by default.

Step 4: choose the right DM policy

Telegram DM access in OpenClaw usually falls into one of four modes:

• pairing
• allowlist
• open
• disabled

For most people, the best starting point is still pairing.

If this is a one-owner assistant and you already know your Telegram numeric user ID, allowlist is even cleaner long term because it makes access durable in config.

A stricter personal setup might look like this:

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "enabled": true,
      "dmPolicy": "allowlist",
      "allowFrom": ["123456789"]
    }
  }
}

That works well when you want a private bot that only you can use.

open is the mode most people should avoid unless they know exactly why they want it. Public inbound DMs plus weak channel controls is how assistants become annoying or unsafe.

Step 5: set up Telegram groups without creating noise

This is where a lot of bots get annoying. OpenClaw gives you enough control to avoid that.

Telegram groups are governed by a few concepts:

• groupPolicy
• groups
• groupAllowFrom
• requireMention

A good default looks like this:

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "groupPolicy": "allowlist",
      "groups": {
        "-1001234567890": {
          "requireMention": true
        }
      },
      "groupAllowFrom": ["123456789"]
    }
  }
}

What that means in plain English:

• only specific groups are allowed
• only allowed users in those groups can trigger the bot
• even then, the bot only replies when mentioned

That is the cleanest starting point for a work group, founders group, or ops room.

If it is your own private group and you want the assistant to respond more freely, you can turn mention gating off for that one group:

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "groups": {
        "-1001234567890": {
          "groupPolicy": "open",
          "requireMention": false
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Use that carefully. It is best for small private groups where the bot is supposed to act like a participant, not a summoned utility.

Step 6: understand privacy mode and group visibility

Telegram has its own behavior that trips people up.

Bots often run with Privacy Mode on, which limits what they can see in groups. If your bot needs to see all group messages, the Telegram docs recommend either:

• disabling privacy mode with /setprivacy in BotFather
• or making the bot a group admin

If you change privacy mode, remove and re-add the bot to the group so Telegram actually applies the new behavior.

This is one of the most common reasons people think their OpenClaw group setup is broken when the issue is really on the Telegram side.

Step 7: use mention gating on purpose

Mention gating is a quiet superpower.

By default, OpenClaw expects a mention in group contexts. That matters because it keeps the assistant from barging into every conversation.

You can customize mention behavior with native Telegram mentions or with patterns in your agent config. In practice, most people only need one of two modes:

• work group: require mention
• private group: no mention required

If you do run no-mention groups, make sure the rest of your workspace is disciplined. A good AGENTS.md and clear group rules matter a lot more when the bot is allowed to respond to normal conversation.

If you need help shaping those files, review Workspace Files, Heartbeat.md, and OpenClaw workspace design best practices.

Step 8: know how Telegram sessions work in OpenClaw

OpenClaw organizes conversations into sessions. For Telegram, that matters in a few practical ways.

• DMs usually share the main session unless you configure a different DM scope.
• Group chats are isolated by group ID.
• Telegram forum topics get their own isolated topic sessions.

That last point is more useful than it sounds. If you run a Telegram supergroup with topics like #ops, #content, and #engineering, OpenClaw can keep those threads separate instead of blending everything into one memory soup.

That is part of why OpenClaw feels more operationally serious than a simple bot wrapper.

A practical Telegram setup that works for most people

If I were setting up Telegram for a founder today, I would start like this:

1. Pair DMs first.
2. Keep dmPolicy on pairing or switch to allowlist once the owner ID is known.
3. Allow exactly one private group.
4. Keep requireMention: true until the bot proves it is well-behaved.
5. Put rules in AGENTS.md for brevity, approvals, and silence.

A small but sensible config might look like this:

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "enabled": true,
      "dmPolicy": "allowlist",
      "allowFrom": ["123456789"],
      "groupPolicy": "allowlist",
      "groups": {
        "-1001234567890": {
          "requireMention": true,
          "allowFrom": ["123456789"]
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Then let your workspace do the behavior shaping:

# AGENTS.md

Before replying:
1. Stay concise.
2. Draft before external actions.
3. In groups, do not interrupt unless mentioned or clearly needed.
4. Use heartbeat for batched checks, cron for exact reminders.

That pairing of channel config plus workspace rules is where OpenClaw gets very good.

Common Telegram mistakes

Using open DM policy too early

This is the fastest way to turn a private assistant into an exposed bot.

Confusing group IDs with user IDs

Telegram group IDs are negative chat IDs. User IDs are numeric sender IDs. They do not belong in the same fields.

Forgetting privacy mode

If the bot cannot see the group traffic you expect, check Telegram itself before blaming the OpenClaw config.

Turning off mention gating before the workspace is ready

If your agent does not have strong instructions, no-mention group behavior gets chaotic fast.

FAQ

Is Telegram really the fastest OpenClaw channel to set up?

Yes. The getting started docs call Telegram the fastest channel to set up, and for most people that is true.

Do I need openclaw channels login telegram?

No. Telegram uses a bot token in config or env. The docs specifically note that you configure the token directly and then start the gateway.

What is the safest DM policy for Telegram?

pairing is the safest practical default. allowlist is excellent for one-owner setups once you know the numeric user ID.

Can OpenClaw work in Telegram groups?

Yes. Use groups, groupPolicy, groupAllowFrom, and requireMention to control behavior.

How do Telegram forum topics work with OpenClaw?

Forum topics get isolated session keys, which helps keep separate conversations from contaminating each other.

Why is my Telegram bot not seeing group messages?

Most often it is Telegram Privacy Mode or missing admin visibility, not the OpenClaw gateway itself.

Where should I learn the rest of the OpenClaw workflow model?

Start with Setup Guide, Heartbeat.md, Memory, and 5 OpenClaw automations that save 10 hours a week.

Final take

If you want an OpenClaw assistant in your pocket fast, Telegram is the best place to begin.

It is simple enough for a one-person setup, but structured enough to scale into private groups, forum topics, mention gating, and better access control. Set the bot up with BotFather, keep DM policy strict, add groups slowly, and let your workspace files handle the behavioral details.

That gives you a Telegram assistant that feels useful, not chaotic.