OpenClaw Primary Channels: WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord

🌏 中文版

WhatsApp, Telegram, and Discord are the three most commonly used channels by OpenClaw users. Each has different setup procedures and distinctive features.

WhatsApp

The most popular channel. Implemented via WhatsApp Web (Baileys), requiring QR pairing.

Installation

WhatsApp is an on-demand plugin. It will automatically prompt for installation during openclaw onboard or openclaw channels add --channel whatsapp. You can also install manually:

openclaw plugins install @openclaw/whatsapp

Configuration

{
  channels: {
    whatsapp: {
      dmPolicy: "allowlist",
      allowFrom: ["+15551234567"]  // E.164 format
    }
  }
}

Account Linking

openclaw channels login --channel whatsapp
# Scan the QR code

# Multiple accounts
openclaw channels login --channel whatsapp --account work

Access Control

DM: pairing (default) / allowlist / open / disabled. Phone numbers are automatically normalized to E.164 format.

Groups: Two layers — group allowlist + sender authorization. Can be set to open / allowlist / disabled.

Mention: Group replies require a bot mention or replying to a bot message. Within a session, you can switch using /activation mention or /activation always.

Operational Details

Item	Value
Message chunking	4000 characters
Media limit	50 MB (configurable)
Group history buffer	50 messages (default)
Read receipt	On by default, can be disabled
Self-chat protection	Automatically enabled when the linked number is in the allowlist

Credentials are stored at ~/.openclaw/credentials/whatsapp/<accountId>/creds.json. Legacy paths are automatically migrated.

Logout

openclaw channels logout --channel whatsapp [--account <id>]

Telegram

The fastest channel to set up — just grab a bot token and you’re good to go.

Setup Steps

1. Find @BotFather on Telegram, run /newbot, and get the token
2. Configure the token: via config file or TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN environment variable
3. Set channels.telegram.enabled: true
4. Start the Gateway

Access Control

DM policy has the same four options. Groups can be configured with requireMention and groupAllowFrom.

Privacy Mode Note: Bots can only see messages directed at them by default. To see all group messages, disable privacy mode with /setprivacy or give the bot admin permissions.

Notable Features

Feature	Description
Live streaming	Implemented via message editing
Inline keyboard	Enables button interactions
Forum topics	Each topic gets an independent session
Custom command menu	Configurable
Sticker	Supported
Reactions	Notifications configurable
Device pairing	Supports iOS app pairing

Communication Mode

Long polling (default) or Webhook.

Discord

The richest interactive component support among all channels.

Setup Steps

1. Create an Application + Bot in the Discord Developer Portal
2. Enable Message Content Intent (required) and Server Members Intent (recommended)
3. Generate OAuth2 permissions (basic messaging + file + embed)
4. Obtain the Bot token, Server ID, and User ID
5. Configure the token (environment variable)
6. Start the Gateway

Guild Configuration

{
  channels: {
    discord: {
      guilds: {
        "<server-id>": {
          requireMention: true,
          historyLimit: 20
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Supports per-guild and per-channel overrides.

Interactive Components

Discord is the only channel that supports these:

Component	Description
Button	Can set allowedUsers to restrict who can click
Dropdown menu	Selection dropdown
Modal form	Forms with up to 5 fields
File gallery	Media attachments
Reusable components	Multiple interactions until expiration

Access Control

DM: pairing / allowlist / open / disabled.

Guild: open / allowlist / disabled. Default is allowlist.

Role-based routing: Can route to different agents based on user role.

Reply and Streaming

Setting	Options
Reply mode	off (default) / first / all
Streaming	off / partial / block / progress

Forum and thread support includes automatic thread creation with isolated sessions.

Comparison

	WhatsApp	Telegram	Discord
Setup difficulty	Medium (QR pairing)	Low (bot token)	Medium (Developer Portal)
DM support	✅	✅	✅
Group support	✅	✅	✅ (Guild)
Interactive components	❌	Inline keyboard	Button/Dropdown/Modal
Live streaming	❌	✅ (edit)	✅ (edit)
Thread	❌	✅ (Forum topics)	✅ (Thread)
Media	✅ 50MB	✅	✅
Multi-account	✅	✅	✅
Role routing	❌	❌	✅

Summary

For quick setup, choose Telegram. For chatting on-the-go from your phone, choose WhatsApp. For interactive components and role routing, choose Discord. All three can run simultaneously — the Gateway handles routing automatically.

References

This article is compiled from the following OpenClaw source documents:

• docs/channels/whatsapp.md — WhatsApp setup
• docs/channels/telegram.md — Telegram setup
• docs/channels/discord.md — Discord setup