OpenClaw Telegram Bot — How to Connect OpenClaw to Telegram

The killer feature of OpenClaw is that it's not trapped in a browser tab. It lives in your messaging app — available on your phone, your tablet, your desktop, anywhere Telegram runs. You message it like a friend. It messages you back proactively.

But connecting OpenClaw to Telegram isn't exactly plug-and-play. Here's how to do it both ways: the manual setup, and the 60-second shortcut.

The Hard Way: DIY Telegram Integration

Prerequisites

• A running OpenClaw instance (see our hosting guide)
• A domain name pointing to your server
• A valid SSL certificate (Let's Encrypt works)
• Nginx or similar reverse proxy configured

Step 1: Create Your Bot

1. Message @BotFather on Telegram
2. Send /newbot
3. Name your bot (e.g., "My AI Assistant")
4. Pick a username ending in bot (e.g., my_ai_assistant_bot)
5. Save the token BotFather gives you — you'll need it

Step 2: Find Your User ID

Message @userinfobot on Telegram. It'll reply with your numeric user ID. You need this to restrict who can talk to your bot.

Step 3: Configure OpenClaw

# In your OpenClaw config.yaml:
channels:
  telegram:
    enabled: true
    token: "7123456789:AAH..."   # from BotFather
    allowedUsers:
      - 123456789               # your Telegram user ID
    webhook:
      url: "https://yourdomain.com/telegram/webhook"
      port: 8443

Step 4: Set Up Nginx Proxy

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name yourdomain.com;

    ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.com/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.com/privkey.pem;

    location /telegram/webhook {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    }
}

Step 5: Register the Webhook

curl -X POST "https://api.telegram.org/bot<YOUR_TOKEN>/setWebhook" \
     -d "url=https://yourdomain.com/telegram/webhook"

Step 6: Test It

Message your bot on Telegram. If everything is configured correctly — DNS, SSL, Nginx, OpenClaw config, webhook registration — you'll get a reply.

If you don't: welcome to webhook debugging hell. Check DNS propagation, SSL cert validity, Nginx error logs, OpenClaw logs, and the Telegram getWebhookInfo API.

The Easy Way: ClawHatch (60 Seconds)

ClawHatch handles all of the above — server, Node.js, SSL, Nginx, webhook, BotFather configuration — automatically.

1. Open Telegram → @ClawHatchBot
2. Send /start
3. Paste your API key
4. Done. Bot is live.

No domain. No SSL. No Nginx. No webhook debugging.

What Can You Do with the Telegram Bot?

Once connected, your OpenClaw Telegram bot can:

• Send and receive text messages — just like chatting with a friend
• Read images — send a photo of a receipt, prescription, or document
• Send voice messages — the bot transcribes and responds
• Set reminders — "Remind me to call the dentist at 3pm"
• Message you proactively — morning briefings, price alerts, scheduled reports
• Execute workflows — code reviews, email drafts, smart home control
• Spawn sub-agents — specialist AI teams that research, code, and write for you