OpenClaw Chat Integrations: Slack, Discord, and Telegram

The target keyword for this guide is openclaw chat integration. A reasonable working estimate is 200 to 600 monthly searches, with adjacent demand from phrases like OpenClaw Slack integration,OpenClaw Discord bot, OpenClaw Telegram bot setup, and connect OpenClaw to chat. Search intent is practical and implementation-focused: users who already have OpenClaw running and want to control it from their messaging app of choice.

Connecting OpenClaw to a chat platform turns your messaging app into a command center for your AI agent. Instead of SSH'ing into a server or opening a web dashboard, you can delegate tasks, check status, and trigger automations from the same app you already use for team communication.

This guide covers the three most popular chat integrations for OpenClaw in 2026: Slack, Discord, and Telegram. Each has different strengths, setup requirements, and security considerations. We will walk through each integration from creation to pairing to daily use.

Why Connect OpenClaw to a Chat Platform

Before jumping into setup, it helps to understand what a chat integration actually unlocks. An OpenClaw agent connected to a messaging platform can:

• Execute tasks you describe in natural language — check email, summarize a GitHub issue, update a spreadsheet
• Run on a schedule and send results into a channel
• Monitor services and alert you when something needs attention
• Act as a shared assistant that your whole team can interact with

The agent runs on your infrastructure (a VPS, a Mac mini, or a Raspberry Pi). The chat platform is just the interface layer. OpenClaw handles all the actual tool calling and task execution. If you are new to the MCP ecosystem, start with ourcomplete MCP server build guide.

Prerequisites

These apply to all three integrations:

• OpenClaw installed and running (gateway active)
• Node.js v20 or later
• Network access from OpenClaw to the chat platform APIs
• Your OpenClaw configuration file accessible (typically ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json)

If you do not have OpenClaw running yet, start with the OpenClaw setup guidebefore continuing with chat integrations. For a broader understanding of how OpenClaw connects to services, read ourMCP Servers Explained guide and theMCP Protocol Deep Dive.

1. Telegram Integration

Telegram is the simplest integration to set up and the most reliable for personal use. Because Telegram bots communicate via polling or Webhooks rather than persistent WebSocket connections, they are resilient to network interruptions and work well on less stable connections.

Creating a Telegram Bot

1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather — this is Telegram's official bot creation tool.
2. Send /newbot and follow the prompts. Choose a display name (visible to users) and a unique username that must end in bot (e.g., MyOpenClawBot).
3. Copy the bot token that BotFather gives you. It will look like123456789:ABCdefGHIjklmNOPqrstUVwxyz-1234567. Store it securely — this token grants full control of your bot.

Configuring OpenClaw for Telegram

Edit your OpenClaw configuration file and add a telegram entry under channels:

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "botToken": "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN_HERE",
      "dmPolicy": "pairing"
    }
  }
}

The dmPolicy setting controls who can message your bot:

• pairing (recommended) — users must be paired before the bot responds to their messages
• allowlist — only specific user IDs can interact with the bot
• open — anyone who finds your bot can interact with it (not recommended for production)
• disabled — direct messages are not allowed, but group chats can work

Pairing Your Bot

1. Restart the OpenClaw gateway to load the new configuration
2. Open Telegram and start a conversation with your bot by sending /start
3. Check your OpenClaw gateway console or dashboard — you will see a pairing code prompt
4. Approve the pairing request. The bot will confirm that pairing is complete
5. Send a test message like "What time is it?" to verify the bot responds

Once paired, you can send tasks to your bot from Telegram on any device — phone, desktop, or tablet. This makes Telegram the most mobile-friendly way to interact with OpenClaw.

Telegram Allowlist Configuration

For teams, you can configure an allowlist so that specific Telegram user IDs can interact with the bot without individual pairing:

"telegram": {
  "botToken": "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN",
  "dmPolicy": "allowlist",
  "allowlist": [123456789, 987654321]
}

You can find a user's Telegram ID by messaging @userinfobot on Telegram.

2. Discord Integration

Discord is the best option for teams that already use it for development or community communication. Discord bots support rich formatting, threaded conversations, and role-based access control.

Creating a Discord Application and Bot

1. Go to the Discord Developer Portaland create a new application.
2. Navigate to the Bot tab and click "Add Bot." Give it a name and avatar.
3. Copy the bot token under the Bot section. This is your Discord bot token.
4. Enable Privileged Gateway Intents. You need MESSAGE CONTENT INTENT to read message content. SERVER MEMBERS INTENT is useful for allowlisting by role.

Inviting the Bot to Your Server

1. In the Discord Developer Portal, go to OAuth2 → URL Generator.
2. Select the bot scope and the following permissions:Send Messages, Read Message History, View Channels.
3. Copy the generated URL and open it in your browser. Select the server you want to add the bot to.

Configuring OpenClaw for Discord

{
  "channels": {
    "discord": {
      "botToken": "YOUR_DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN",
      "dmPolicy": "pairing",
      "allowlist": [],
      "serverId": "YOUR_SERVER_ID"
    }
  }
}

To find your server ID, enable Developer Mode in Discord's Advanced settings, then right-click your server name and select "Copy ID."

Pairing and Testing on Discord

1. Restart the OpenClaw gateway
2. Send a direct message to your bot on Discord by clicking on its name and typing a message
3. Approve the pairing request in the OpenClaw gateway dashboard
4. For channel interactions, you can mention the bot with @BotName or configure it to respond to all messages in specific channels

Discord bots support rich responses including embeds, code blocks, and reactions. OpenClaw uses these natively, so you get formatted output for things like logs, search results, and status reports.

Channel-Specific Configuration

You can restrict the bot to specific channels rather than having it respond everywhere:

"discord": {
  "botToken": "YOUR_TOKEN",
  "channelAllowlist": ["CHANNEL_ID_1", "CHANNEL_ID_2"],
  "requireMention": true
}

The requireMention setting is useful for shared servers — the bot only responds when explicitly @mentioned, preventing interference in non-bot channels.

3. Slack Integration

Slack is the most appropriate choice for professional teams and enterprise environments. The integration supports Socket Mode (WebSocket-based, no public endpoints needed) and works with Slack's granular permission model.

Creating a Slack App

1. Go to the Slack API dashboardand click "Create New App." Choose "From scratch" and select your workspace.
2. Enable Socket Mode under Settings. This lets OpenClaw connect to Slack via a WebSocket instead of requiring a public HTTP endpoint.
3. Generate an App-Level Token with the connections:write scope. This token starts with xapp-.

Configuring OAuth and Permissions

1. Under OAuth & Permissions, add Bot Token Scopes. The essentials are:app_mentions:read, channels:history, chat:write,groups:history, im:history, mpim:history, andreactions:read.
2. Install the app to your workspace. Copy the Bot User OAuth Token (starts with xoxb-).
3. Under Event Subscriptions, subscribe to app_mention,message.channels, message.groups, message.im, andmessage.mpim.
4. Under App Home, enable "Always Show My Bot as Online" and "Allow users to send Slash commands and messages from the messages tab."

Configuring OpenClaw for Slack

{
  "channels": {
    "slack": {
      "botToken": "xoxb-YOUR_BOT_TOKEN",
      "appToken": "xapp-YOUR_APP_TOKEN",
      "dmPolicy": "pairing",
      "socketMode": true
    }
  }
}

Pairing and Testing on Slack

1. Restart the OpenClaw gateway
2. The bot should appear online in your Slack workspace within seconds
3. Send a direct message to the bot app
4. Approve the pairing request
5. Test by mentioning the bot in a channel: @MyBot what is the status of the deployment?

Slack integration is particularly powerful for DevOps workflows. You can configure OpenClaw to monitor a #deployments channel and automatically respond to status requests, trigger rollbacks, or summarize log output. For more on Slack-specific MCP setup, see our dedicatedOpenClaw Slack MCP Server Guide.

Security Considerations Across All Platforms

Connecting an AI agent to a chat platform means exposing powerful capabilities to anyone who can message your bot. Treat this access with the same care you would give SSH access to your server.

• Use pairing mode for personal bots. This ensures only you can interact with the agent, even if someone discovers your bot's username.
• Use allowlists for team bots. Explicitly list which user IDs can interact with the bot.
• Never expose a bot with dmPolicy: "open" on a public-facing server. Anyone who finds your bot can run arbitrary tasks through your agent.
• Rotate bot tokens periodically. If a token is compromised, regenerate it in the platform's developer dashboard.
• Run OpenClaw in a container or on dedicated hardware rather than your daily-use laptop. This limits blast radius in case of compromise.

Which Platform Should You Choose?

The best platform depends on how and where you work:

• Choose Telegram if you want the most mobile-friendly experience and quick setup. Telegram bots work reliably on unstable connections and are the easiest to configure.
• Choose Discord if you are part of a development community or want rich message formatting, threaded conversations, and role-based access controls.
• Choose Slack if you need enterprise-grade permissions, audit logging, and integration with existing workplace workflows. Slack is the best choice for team-wide agent deployment.

There is no rule that says you can only use one. OpenClaw supports multiple channels simultaneously. You can have a Telegram bot for personal tasks, a Discord bot for your developer community, and a Slack bot for your team — all running from the same OpenClaw instance.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Bot is online but not responding

Check your dmPolicy setting. If it is set to pairing, you need to complete the pairing process before the bot will respond. Check the OpenClaw gateway logs for pairing requests.

Bot responds in DMs but not in channels

For Discord, ensure the bot has Read Message History permission and theMESSAGE CONTENT INTENT is enabled. For Slack, verify Event Subscriptions are correctly configured and the app token has the connections:write scope.

Bot token errors on startup

Verify your tokens are correctly copied without extra whitespace or quotes. For Slack, confirm you are using the Bot User OAuth Token (xoxb-) and the App Token (xapp-), not the reversed values.

Rate limiting

All three platforms have rate limits. If your agent makes many rapid requests, you may see rate-limit errors. OpenClaw handles most rate limits gracefully, but very high-frequency interactions may require adding delays between requests.