OpenClaw Telegram Bot Setup — From BotFather to Production (2026)

TL;DR

Setting up an OpenClaw Telegram bot takes about 10 minutes: create a bot via @BotFather, copy the token, paste it into OpenClaw's config, and you're live. This guide covers the full flow — from a blank slate to a production-ready bot with webhooks, group support, and proper error handling.

Want to skip the setup? OneClaw has BotFather integration built-in. Paste your token, pick an AI model, and your bot is live in 3 minutes. Start a free trial →

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Why Telegram is the Best Channel for OpenClaw

Feature	Telegram	WhatsApp (Baileys)	Discord
Official bot API	✅	❌ (unofficial, ban risk)	✅
Setup time	3 min	15 min	10 min
Per-message cost	Free	Free (unofficial)	Free
Proactive messaging	✅	❌	✅
File/image support	✅ up to 2 GB	✅ 64 MB	✅ 25 MB
Group/channel support	✅	✅	✅
Account ban risk	None	Medium-High	None

Recommendation: Start with Telegram. Add WhatsApp/Discord later if you need them.

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Prerequisites

• A Telegram account (free)
• A running OpenClaw instance — self-hosted (see our Hostinger guide) or on OneClaw
• An AI model API key already configured in OpenClaw

Estimated time: 10 minutes.

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Step 1: Create a Bot with @BotFather

BotFather is Telegram's official bot for creating other bots.

1. Open Telegram → search @BotFather (blue verified ✓)
2. Start chat → send /newbot

BotFather asks 2 questions:

Display name → e.g. "My Personal Assistant" Username ending in bot → e.g. my_assistant_bot (globally unique)

BotFather replies with your token:

1234567890:AAHxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Copy it.

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Step 2: Configure OpenClaw

On OneClaw (managed)

1. Dashboard → Deploy
2. Paste token in "Telegram Token" field
3. Pick AI model (Claude / GPT / Gemini)
4. Click "Deploy" — live in 30 seconds

Skip to Step 4.

Self-hosting

nano /opt/openclaw/.env

Add:

TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=1234567890:AAHxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Restart:

cd /opt/openclaw && docker compose restart openclaw

Watch logs for Telegram bot connected: @my_assistant_bot.

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Step 3: Set Bot Commands (Recommended)

In @BotFather:

1. Send /setcommands → pick your bot
2. Paste:

help - Show what I can do
reset - Clear conversation history
summarize - Summarize a URL or text
image - Generate an image
settings - Change preferences

Users see a menu button with auto-complete.

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Step 4: Test Your Bot

1. Telegram → search your bot (e.g. @my_assistant_bot)
2. Send /start
3. Within 1-2s you get a welcome message
4. Send "Summarize the latest news on AI agents"
5. Verify Claude/GPT-powered response

🎉 Your OpenClaw Telegram bot is live.

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Step 5: Add to Groups (Optional)

By default bots only see @mentions in groups. To see all messages:

1. @BotFather → /mybots → select bot
2. Bot Settings → Group Privacy → Disable

Add bot to any group. Be transparent in the group description.

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Step 6: Webhooks for Production

Polling works for personal use. Webhooks reduce latency.

Self-hosted

Need a public HTTPS URL. In .env:

TELEGRAM_WEBHOOK_URL=https://your-domain.com/webhook/telegram

Restart — OpenClaw registers webhook automatically. Verify:

curl https://api.telegram.org/bot<TOKEN>/getWebhookInfo

OneClaw

Webhooks enabled by default. Nothing to do.

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Step 7: Customize the Bot Personality

OpenClaw uses SOUL.md to define personality, skills, memory.

OneClaw

Dashboard → Templates to pick from 40+ pre-built personalities, or → Personality to edit SOUL.md directly. Changes push in < 10 seconds.

Self-hosted

Edit /opt/openclaw/data/SOUL.md:

# Who I Am
AI assistant for Acme Corp customer support.

## Personality
- Friendly but professional
- Ask clarifying questions
- Escalate to human when unsure

## What I Can Do
- Answer product questions
- Draft support tickets
- Search our docs

Restart OpenClaw.

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Troubleshooting

Bot doesn't reply

• docker compose logs -f openclaw
• curl https://api.telegram.org/bot<TOKEN>/getMe should return bot info
• curl -I https://api.telegram.org for egress
• Clear stale webhook: curl https://api.telegram.org/bot<TOKEN>/deleteWebhook

"Conflict: terminated by other getUpdates request"

• Another process is polling the same token. Kill it or rotate token.

Bot replies with API errors

• Check ANTHROPIC_API_KEY billing / rate limit

Group messages ignored

• Privacy mode on. BotFather → Bot Settings → Group Privacy → Disable.

Messages truncated

• Telegram caps at 4096 chars. OpenClaw auto-splits. If truncation persists, set MAX_MESSAGE_LENGTH or send long responses as .txt attachments.

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Production Checklist

• Token in secret manager (not plaintext committed to git)
• Rate limit configured (MAX_CONCURRENT_REQUESTS=5)
• Error messages don't leak stack traces
• Descriptive bot username
• /help command lists capabilities
• Privacy policy link in bot description (/setdescription)
• Webhooks + HTTPS
• Monitoring — alerts if bot stops responding > 5 min
• Daily backups of chat history / user preferences

OneClaw handles all of these by default.

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Skip All This — Use OneClaw

OneClaw does it for you:

• Paste BotFather token → live in 30 seconds
• Pick AI model from dropdown
• Pre-configured: group privacy, commands, webhooks, monitoring
• Auto-updates, daily backups, 99.9% uptime SLA

Start your 3-Day Free Trial →

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Related Guides

• Install OpenClaw on Hostinger VPS
• OpenClaw One-Click Deploy Guide
• Personal AI Agent Free
• Best OpenClaw Hosting 2026

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Published by the OneClaw team. Feedback? Open an issue on GitHub or email support@oneclaw.net.