How to Connect OpenClaw to Telegram and WhatsApp (2026 Guide)

OpenClaw turns Telegram and WhatsApp into powerful AI interfaces — your phone becomes a command center for an always-on AI assistant. This guide covers the full setup for both platforms.

Prefer 1-click setup? NeatClaw connects Telegram and WhatsApp via one-click OAuth — no CLI, no config files, no QR code debugging.

Before You Start

Verify your OpenClaw instance is ready:

OpenClaw is installed and the gateway is running
Your Anthropic API key is configured
Port 18789 is accessible

openclaw status --all

All items should show ✅ before continuing.

Telegram Setup (3 Minutes)

Step 1: Create Your Telegram Bot

Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
Send the command: /newbot
Choose a display name: e.g., My OpenClaw Assistant
Choose a username: e.g., myopenclaw_bot (must end in _bot)
BotFather sends you an API token — copy it immediately

Token format: 1234567890:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz

Security note: Treat your bot token like a password. Don't commit it to git repositories or share it publicly.

Step 2: Configure OpenClaw

Option A — Web UI (easier):

Open the OpenClaw dashboard: http://localhost:18789
Navigate to Settings → Channels
Click Add Channel → Telegram
Paste your bot token
Click Save & Enable

Option B — CLI:

openclaw config set channels.telegram.enabled true
openclaw config set channels.telegram.token "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN_HERE"
openclaw restart

Step 3: Pair Your Account

Find your bot on Telegram (search for the username you chose)
Click Start
Send any message — you'll receive a pairing code
Run: openclaw pair XXXXX (replace XXXXX with your code)

Done. Your Telegram bot is now connected to OpenClaw and backed by Claude AI.

WhatsApp Setup (2 Minutes)

WhatsApp connects via QR code scanning — the same method used by WhatsApp Web.

Step 1: Enable WhatsApp in OpenClaw

openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.enabled true
openclaw restart

Step 2: Scan the QR Code

Open the OpenClaw dashboard: http://localhost:18789
Navigate to Settings → Channels → WhatsApp
Click Generate QR Code
On your phone, open WhatsApp
Go to Settings → Linked Devices → Link a Device
Scan the QR code displayed in OpenClaw

Done. WhatsApp is connected.

Step 3 (Optional): Restrict Allowed Numbers

For security, limit which phone numbers can interact with your agent:

openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.allowlist '["15551234567"]'

Replace with your number in E.164 format (no + or spaces).

Common Issues and Fixes

Telegram: "Bot Token Invalid"

Cause: Token was copied incorrectly or the bot was deleted.

Fix: Go to @BotFather, select your bot, send /token to get a new token. Update OpenClaw config and restart.

WhatsApp: QR Code Won't Scan

Cause: The gateway isn't accessible from your device's network.

Fix:

openclaw gateway status
openclaw gateway restart

Ensure http://localhost:18789 is reachable in your browser before scanning.

Both Platforms: No Response from Bot

Cause: Missing or invalid Anthropic API key.

Fix:

openclaw config set providers.anthropic.apiKey "sk-ant-your-key-here"
openclaw restart

Setup Time Comparison

Step	Self-Hosted OpenClaw	NeatClaw
Install OpenClaw	2–6 hours	0 (pre-installed)
Configure API keys	5 minutes	0 (built-in)
Set up Telegram	5 minutes	1 click
Set up WhatsApp	3 minutes	1 QR scan
Troubleshoot errors	0–120 minutes	0
Total time	2–7 hours	2 minutes

Running Multiple Channels Simultaneously

You can enable Telegram, WhatsApp, and Discord all at once:

openclaw config set channels.telegram.enabled true
openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.enabled true
openclaw config set channels.discord.enabled true
openclaw restart

Your agent maintains conversation context across all platforms — a conversation started on Telegram can be continued on WhatsApp.

The Instant Setup Alternative

If connecting messaging platforms is taking longer than 15 minutes, the bottleneck is usually installation configuration, not the platform setup itself.

NeatClaw pre-configures everything:

Telegram bot is provisioned automatically when you connect
WhatsApp QR code appears in your dashboard immediately
Discord OAuth works in one click
All platforms maintain shared conversation context

Get Telegram + WhatsApp + Discord in 2 minutes with NeatClaw

Sources: Official OpenClaw Telegram Documentation, OpenClaw Channel Setup Tutorial