OpenClaw Telegram Guide: Complete Bot Setup & Configuration

Introduction

Telegram is one of the best platforms for AI bots, thanks to its robust bot API and features like inline commands, keyboards, and group chat support. OpenClaw’s Telegram integration leverages these features to provide a powerful, interactive AI assistant experience.

This guide covers everything you need to set up OpenClaw as a Telegram bot, from creating the bot to configuring advanced features.

For other chat app integrations, see our guides:

• WhatsApp Setup
• Discord Setup
• Slack Setup
• iMessage Setup

Why Telegram?

Telegram offers several advantages for AI bots:

• Official Bot API — Robust, well-documented API
• Inline Commands — Quick actions without typing
• Custom Keyboards — Interactive buttons
• Group Chat Support — Works in groups and channels
• File Support — Send/receive documents, images, audio
• Privacy — Better privacy controls than many platforms

Prerequisites

Before setting up Telegram integration:

1. OpenClaw Installed — See installation guide
2. OpenClaw Configured — Run openclaw onboard to set up your AI model
3. Telegram Account — Active Telegram account
4. Bot Token — You’ll create this in the next step

Step 1: Create a Telegram Bot

Using @BotFather

1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
2. Start a chat with @BotFather
3. Send /newbot command
4. Choose a name for your bot (e.g., “My OpenClaw Assistant”)
5. Choose a username (must end in bot, e.g., “myopenclaw_bot”)
6. Copy the bot token — You’ll see something like:

   123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz

Important: Keep your bot token secret! Don’t share it publicly.

Bot Settings (Optional)

Configure your bot with @BotFather:

• /setdescription — Set bot description
• /setabouttext — Set about text
• /setuserpic — Set bot profile picture
• /setcommands — Set command list (see below)

Setting Bot Commands

Define commands users can see:

/start - Start chatting with OpenClaw
/help - Get help and commands
/email - Check your email
/calendar - View calendar
/tasks - List tasks
/weather - Get weather
/briefing - Daily briefing

Send /setcommands to @BotFather, then paste the commands above.

Step 2: Configure OpenClaw

Run Integration Setup

Start the Telegram integration:

openclaw integrations telegram

Or use the general integrations command:

openclaw integrations
# Select Telegram from the menu

Enter Bot Token

When prompted, paste your bot token:

Enter your Telegram bot token: 123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz

OpenClaw will verify the token and connect to Telegram.

Verify Connection

You should see:

✓ Telegram bot connected successfully!
  Bot username: @myopenclaw_bot
  Start chatting: https://t.me/myopenclaw_bot

Step 3: Start Chatting

Start a Conversation

1. Open Telegram and search for your bot (by username)
2. Tap “Start” or send /start
3. Send a message like “Hello, can you help me?”

OpenClaw will respond through your bot!

Test Commands

Try these commands:

• /start — Start conversation
• /help — Get help
• /email — Check email (if configured)
• /calendar — View calendar
• /tasks — List tasks

Advanced Features

Inline Commands

Telegram supports inline commands that appear as you type:

1. Type @yourbotname in any chat
2. Type a query like “weather” or “email”
3. Select from suggestions that appear

Configure inline commands in OpenClaw:

openclaw config set telegram.inline true

Custom Keyboards

OpenClaw can send custom keyboards with buttons:

openclaw config set telegram.keyboard true

Example keyboard layout:

[Email] [Calendar] [Tasks]
[Weather] [Briefing] [Help]

Users can tap buttons instead of typing commands.

Group Chat Support

OpenClaw works in group chats:

1. Add your bot to a group
2. Grant permissions (if needed)
3. Mention the bot or use commands:
   • @myopenclaw_bot check email
   • /email@myopenclaw_bot

Configure group behavior:

openclaw config set telegram.groups.enabled true
openclaw config set telegram.groups.requireMention true

File Handling

OpenClaw can handle files sent via Telegram:

• Images — Analyze and describe
• Documents — Read PDFs, Word docs, etc.
• Audio — Transcribe voice messages
• Video — Extract information

Send a file to your bot and ask OpenClaw to process it.

Configuration Options

Response Formatting

Configure how OpenClaw formats responses:

openclaw config set telegram.format "markdown"

Options:

• markdown — Rich formatting (bold, italic, links, code)
• html — HTML formatting
• plain — Plain text

Rate Limiting

Control message rate:

openclaw config set telegram.rateLimit 30

Limits to 30 messages per minute per user.

Privacy Settings

Configure privacy:

openclaw config set telegram.privacy.privateOnly true

Only respond to direct messages, not group chats.

Notification Settings

Control notifications:

openclaw config set telegram.notifications.enabled true
openclaw config set telegram.notifications.quietHours "22:00-08:00"

Usage Tips

1. Command Shortcuts

Create shortcuts for common tasks:

• /e → Check email
• /c → View calendar
• /t → List tasks
• /w → Weather

2. Scheduled Messages

Set up scheduled briefings:

openclaw config set telegram.schedules.dailyBriefing "08:00"

OpenClaw will send a daily briefing at 8 AM.

3. Multi-User Support

OpenClaw supports multiple users:

• Each user has separate context
• Memory is user-specific
• Responses are personalized

4. Channel Integration

Use OpenClaw in Telegram channels:

1. Add bot as admin to channel
2. Grant post permissions
3. Configure channel behavior:

   openclaw config set telegram.channels.enabled true

5. Webhook vs Polling

OpenClaw uses polling by default (checks for messages periodically). For better performance, configure webhooks:

openclaw config set telegram.webhook.enabled true
openclaw config set telegram.webhook.url "https://yourdomain.com/webhook"

Requires a publicly accessible server.

Troubleshooting

Bot Not Responding

If your bot doesn’t respond:

1. Check bot status:

   openclaw status

2. Verify token:

   openclaw config get telegram.token

3. Check logs:

   openclaw logs

4. Test connection:

   openclaw test telegram

Token Invalid

If you see “token invalid” errors:

1. Verify token — Check @BotFather for correct token
2. Regenerate token — Use /revoke then /newbot in @BotFather
3. Update token:

   openclaw integrations telegram

Messages Not Received

If messages aren’t being received:

1. Check bot is running:

   openclaw status

2. Restart OpenClaw:

   openclaw restart

3. Check network — Ensure OpenClaw can reach Telegram API

Group Chat Issues

If bot doesn’t work in groups:

1. Check permissions — Bot needs message permissions

2. Enable group support:

   openclaw config set telegram.groups.enabled true

3. Require mention:

   openclaw config set telegram.groups.requireMention true

Rate Limiting

If you hit rate limits:

1. Increase rate limit:

   openclaw config set telegram.rateLimit 60

2. Check Telegram limits — Telegram has API rate limits

3. Use webhooks — More efficient than polling

Security Best Practices

Bot Token Security

• Keep token secret — Never share publicly

• Use environment variables:

  export TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN="your-token"

• Rotate token — Regenerate if compromised:

  /revoke in @BotFather

Privacy Settings

• Private mode — Only respond to direct messages
• User whitelist — Restrict to specific users:

  openclaw config set telegram.allowedUsers ["user1", "user2"]

Data Privacy

• Local processing — All messages processed locally
• No cloud storage — Unless explicitly configured
• Secure storage — Data stored in ~/.openclaw

Advanced Use Cases

Team Collaboration

Use OpenClaw in team groups:

• Task management — Assign and track tasks
• Calendar coordination — Schedule meetings
• Information retrieval — Quick answers for team

Personal Productivity

Use as personal assistant:

• Email management — Check and respond to emails
• Calendar — View and manage schedule
• Tasks — Track todos and projects

Content Creation

Use for content workflows:

• Draft generation — Create drafts via Telegram
• Research — Gather information
• Editing — Review and edit content

Comparison with Other Platforms

Telegram vs WhatsApp

• Telegram — Separate bot account, more features
• WhatsApp — Uses personal account, simpler setup

See our WhatsApp guide for comparison.

Telegram vs Discord

• Telegram — Better for personal use, simpler
• Discord — Better for servers, more features

See our Discord guide for details.

Next Steps

Now that Telegram is connected:

1. Explore Other Integrations — WhatsApp, Discord, Slack
2. Set Up Skills — Skills Library
3. Configure Email — Gmail Integration
4. Read FAQ — Common Questions

Conclusion

Telegram integration provides one of the best experiences for OpenClaw, thanks to Telegram’s robust bot API and features like inline commands and custom keyboards. The setup is straightforward—create a bot with @BotFather, enter the token, and start chatting.

For more help, check our integrations page or FAQ. Happy chatting with your AI assistant on Telegram!