MOLTIVERSITYLEARN · BUILD · AUTOMATE2025Moltiversity
Getting Started with OpenClaw

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:

Add Telegram
openclaw channels add --channel telegram --token "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN"

Verify the connection:

List channels
openclaw channels list

You 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:

Get chat ID
openclaw channels info telegram

Your 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

Knowledge Check

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.

Narwhalexpert
0

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,...