How to Connect Telegram to Your OpenClaw Instance

Why Telegram?

Telegram is the most popular way to interact with OpenClaw. It lets you message your AI assistant from anywhere — your phone, tablet, or desktop — with full message history and media support.

Prerequisites

• A ClawServe account with a running instance
• A Telegram account

Step 1: Create a Telegram Bot

1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
2. Send the command /newbot
3. Choose a display name (e.g., "My AI Assistant")
4. Choose a username (must end in "bot", e.g., "my_ai_assistant_bot")
5. BotFather will give you a bot token — copy it

Step 2: Connect in ClawServe

1. Go to your ClawServe Dashboard
2. Navigate to Channels > Telegram
3. Paste your bot token
4. Click Connect

That's it! Your bot is now linked to your OpenClaw instance.

Step 3: Start Chatting

Open Telegram, find your bot by its username, and send a message. Your OpenClaw will respond using the same AI model configured in your dashboard.

Tips for Power Users

• Group Chats — Add your bot to a Telegram group. It will respond when mentioned or when a trigger phrase is used.
• Media — Send images, documents, or voice messages. OpenClaw can process them using its vision and file skills.
• Commands — Use /status to check your instance health, /usage to see token stats.
• Privacy — All messages are encrypted in transit. Your conversation data stays in your isolated container.

Troubleshooting

• Bot not responding? Check that your instance is running in the Dashboard.
• Slow responses? This usually means the LLM is processing a complex request. Check the Usage tab for details.
• Token invalid? Regenerate the token via @BotFather with /revoke and reconnect.