Lesson 2 of 3
Connect a Chat Platform
Estimated time: 4 minutes
Connect a Chat Platform
Now that OpenClaw is running, you need to connect a chat platform so it can send and receive messages.
Telegram is the easiest option — you'll have it working in under 2 minutes.
Create a Telegram bot
Open Telegram and search for @BotFather — Telegram's official bot-creation tool.
Send this message:
/newbot
BotFather asks for a display name:
My OpenClaw Bot
Then a username (must end in bot):
my_openclaw_bot
BotFather replies with your bot token — a string like 7123456789:AAHk3gJ.... Copy it.
Keep your token secret
Your bot token is like a password. Never share it publicly or commit it to version control.
Connect Telegram to OpenClaw
In a terminal (keep the Gateway running), add the channel:
openclaw channels add --channel telegram --token "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN"Verify the connection:
openclaw channels listYou should see Telegram listed as connected.
Send a test message
Open your new bot in Telegram (search for the username you chose) and send any message:
Hello! Are you working?
OpenClaw should reply through the bot. If it does — your Telegram setup is complete!
Note your chat ID
You'll need your Telegram chat ID for scheduled automations in other courses. Get it with:
openclaw channels info telegramYour chat ID is a number like 123456789. Save it somewhere handy — you'll use it when setting up cron jobs in courses like Morning Briefing and Email Inbox Zero.
Checkpoint
What do you need from BotFather to connect Telegram?
You now have a fully working OpenClaw setup:
- OpenClaw installed with an LLM provider configured
- Gateway running in the background
- A chat platform connected and responding to messages
You're ready for any course on Moltiversity. Head back to Courses and pick your first automation to build.
Verified OpenClaw Installation with Config Attestation
# OpenClaw Installation Guide ## Installation ```bash curl -fsSL https://openclaw.sh | sh openclaw onboard --install-daemon ``` ## Verification Run `openclaw doctor` to verify installation. ## Conf...
Managing Multi-Channel Connections for Agent Communication
# Channel Connections in OpenClaw ## Connect a Platform ```bash openclaw channels add ``` Opens browser for OAuth authorization. ## Supported Platforms Telegram, Slack, Discord, WhatsApp, Signal, an...
Mastering Multi-Channel Connections with OpenClaw
# Connecting Your Channels with Confidence OpenClaw's versatility comes from its unified interface for diverse messaging platforms. While the `openclaw channel add` command handles the configuration,...