Integrating OpenClaw with Telegram: Complete Tutorial

Telegram's bot platform is one of the most developer-friendly messaging APIs available. Connecting it to OpenClaw gives you an AI coding assistant accessible from any device where Telegram runs -- which is essentially everywhere. This tutorial covers the complete integration process.

Why Telegram for OpenClaw

Telegram offers several advantages as an OpenClaw channel:

• Cross-platform availability: Native apps for iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, and a web client
• Rich formatting: Telegram supports Markdown in bot messages, which means code blocks, bold text, and inline code render properly
• No server requirement for polling mode: Telegram bots can use long polling, which means your OpenClaw instance doesn't need to be publicly accessible (though webhooks are more efficient)
• Large file support: Telegram allows files up to 2 GB, useful if your bot needs to share generated files

Step 1: Create a Telegram Bot

Telegram bot creation goes through BotFather, which is itself a bot. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather, then start a conversation.

Create the Bot

Send the /newbot command. BotFather will ask for two things:

1. Display name: A human-readable name like "OpenClaw Assistant"
2. Username: A unique identifier ending in bot, like openclaw_assistant_bot

After you provide both, BotFather responds with your bot token -- a long string that looks like 123456789:ABCdefGhIJKlmNoPQRsTUVwxYZ. Copy this token immediately and store it securely.

Configure Bot Settings

While still in the BotFather conversation, configure these recommended settings:

Send /setdescription and provide a brief description of what the bot does. This appears when users first encounter the bot.

Send /setabouttext and add a one-line summary. This appears in the bot's profile.

Send /setuserpic and upload an appropriate avatar image for your bot.

Group Privacy Mode

By default, Telegram bots in group chats only receive messages that mention them or are replies to their messages. This is called privacy mode and it's enabled by default.

If you want the bot to see all messages in a group (for example, to provide contextual assistance), send /setprivacy to BotFather and select "Disable." Be thoughtful about this -- disabling privacy mode means the bot processes every message in every group it's added to.

Step 2: Configure OpenClaw

With your bot token ready, configure OpenClaw to connect to it.

Using the Setup Wizard

Navigate to your OpenClaw instance's /setup page. In the channel configuration section, select "Telegram" as the channel type and paste your bot token.

The setup wizard handles the rest: it writes the channel configuration to openclaw.json and restarts the gateway. The bot should come online within seconds.

Manual Configuration

For manual setup, the channel configuration requires:

• Bot Token: The token from BotFather
• Channel Type: telegram

Write this configuration using the OpenClaw config set command and restart the gateway.

Step 3: Test the Bot

Open Telegram and find your bot by searching for its username. Click "Start" to begin a conversation, then send a test message.

Verification Checklist

Work through these tests to confirm the integration is functioning correctly:

1. Direct message: Send a message to the bot in a private chat. Verify it responds with AI-generated content.
2. Code formatting: Ask the bot to write a function. Verify Telegram renders the code block with proper formatting.
3. Long responses: Ask a complex question. Verify the bot handles responses that exceed Telegram's 4096-character message limit (OpenClaw should split long responses automatically).
4. Response time: Note the typical response latency. Telegram adds minimal overhead -- most delay comes from the AI provider.

Step 4: Group Chat Setup

Adding the bot to a group chat extends AI access to your entire team.

Adding the Bot to a Group

Open the group, tap the group name, select "Add Members," and search for your bot's username. Add it to the group.

Interaction Patterns

In group chats, users typically interact with the bot using one of these patterns:

• Mention: @openclaw_assistant_bot what does this error mean?
• Reply: Reply to any of the bot's messages to continue a conversation thread
• Command: /ask what is the time complexity of merge sort? (if you've configured custom commands)

The interaction pattern depends on your bot's privacy mode setting and your team's preferences.

Managing Group Context

In group settings, the bot receives messages from multiple users. Each user's conversation context is typically maintained separately, so User A's conversation doesn't bleed into User B's responses. However, this behavior depends on your OpenClaw configuration.

Webhook vs. Polling

Telegram supports two methods for bots to receive messages.

Long Polling (Default)

The bot periodically asks Telegram's servers for new messages. This is simpler to set up because it doesn't require a publicly accessible URL. The trade-off is slightly higher latency (up to a few seconds) and more network traffic.

Webhooks

Telegram pushes new messages to a URL you specify. This is more efficient and has lower latency, but requires your OpenClaw instance to be publicly accessible via HTTPS. For Railway deployments with a public domain, webhooks are the better choice.

Troubleshooting

Bot Doesn't Respond

First, verify the bot token is correct by visiting https://api.telegram.org/bot<YOUR_TOKEN>/getMe in a browser. If it returns your bot's information, the token is valid.

Next, check your OpenClaw gateway logs for Telegram-related errors. Common issues include network connectivity problems between your server and Telegram's API, or invalid configuration syntax.

Messages Are Delayed

Sustained delays usually indicate either AI provider latency or resource constraints on your OpenClaw instance. Check your instance's CPU and memory usage during peak times. If the AI provider is the bottleneck, there's little you can do on the infrastructure side -- consider using a faster model for chat interactions.

Bot Works in DM but Not in Groups

This is almost always a privacy mode issue. Either disable privacy mode via BotFather (as described in Step 1) or ensure users are mentioning the bot or replying to its messages in group chats.

Formatting Issues

If code blocks or Markdown formatting appears as raw text, verify that your OpenClaw configuration specifies Markdown as the message format for Telegram. Telegram supports both HTML and Markdown formatting in bot messages.

Security Best Practices

Store your bot token as an environment variable or in your platform's secrets manager. Never commit it to version control. If you suspect the token has been compromised, use BotFather's /revoke command to generate a new one immediately.

For group deployments, consider who has the ability to add the bot to new groups. A malicious or careless user could add the bot to an inappropriate group, consuming your AI API quota.

Conclusion

Telegram's combination of wide device support, rich formatting, and a straightforward bot API makes it one of the most practical channels for OpenClaw. The integration takes about ten minutes to set up, and once running, it provides your team with an AI coding assistant that's as accessible as sending a text message.