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OpenClaw Guide Ch5: Messaging Channel Integration

#openclaw #ai #agents #automation

Chapter 5: Messaging Channel Integration

🎯 Learning Objective: Configure Telegram/Discord/WhatsApp and other channels, understand multi-channel routing, and implement cross-platform message management

🌐 Channel Architecture Overview

OpenClaw supports multiple messaging channels, allowing AI assistants to serve users on their preferred platforms.

Supported Channel Types

  • 📱 Instant Messaging: Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack
  • 💬 Enterprise Messaging: Microsoft Teams, Feishu/Lark, WeCom
  • 🌍 Other Platforms: iMessage, Signal, Matrix, Web UI

🏗️ Gateway Routing Mechanism

5.1 Architecture Design 

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│            User Message Sources         │
├─────────────┬─────────────┬─────────────┤
│  Telegram   │   Discord   │  WhatsApp   │
│   Bot API   │   Bot API   │ Business API │
└─────────────┴─────────────┴─────────────┘
             │
             ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│            OpenClaw Gateway             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  • Account Management                  │
│  • Message Routing                     │
│  • Agent Bindings                      │
│  • Auth & Permissions                  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
             │
             ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│            Agent Distribution           │
├─────────────┬─────────────┬─────────────┤
│   Agent-1   │   Agent-2   │   Agent-3   │
│ (Personal)  │ (Customer)  │  (Support)  │
└─────────────┴─────────────┴─────────────┘
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5.2 Core Concepts

Account

  • Represents a specific Bot account (e.g., a Telegram Bot Token)
  • Each Account connects to only one channel type
  • Responsible for receiving and sending messages

Agent

  • The AI entity that processes messages
  • One Agent can serve multiple Accounts
  • Contains independent memory, skills, and configuration

Binding

  • Defines which messages are routed to which Agent
  • Supports routing by user ID, group ID, keywords, etc.
  • Configurable priority and fallback rules

📱 Telegram Integration

5.3 Creating a Telegram Bot

Step 1: Create a Bot via BotFather 

1. Search for @BotFather in Telegram
2. Send /newbot
3. Enter the Bot name: "My AI Assistant"
4. Enter the Bot username: "my_ai_assistant_bot"
5. Get the Bot Token: 123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrSTUvwxYZ
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Step 2: Configure Bot Permissions 

Send to @BotFather:
/setprivacy - Disable (allow reading all group messages)
/setjoingroups - Enable (allow adding to groups)
/setcommands - Set Bot commands
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Step 3: Configure OpenClaw 

{
  "telegram": {
    "accounts": [
      {
        "accountId": "main-assistant",
        "botToken": "123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrSTUvwxYZ",
        "name": "Main Assistant",
        "enabled": true,
        "pollInterval": 2000
      }
    ]
  },
  "bindings": [
    {
      "accountId": "main-assistant",
      "agentId": "main",
      "dmPolicy": "allowlist",
      "allowFrom": ["7996447774"],  // User ID allowlist
      "priority": 1
    }
  ]
}
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5.4 Advanced Telegram Features

Inline Button Support 

# Send a message with buttons
message action="send"
        target="@user123"
        message="Please choose an action:"
        buttons='[
          [{"text": "View Status", "callback_data": "status"}],
          [{"text": "Restart Service", "callback_data": "restart"}]
        ]'
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File Handling 

# Send a file
message action="send"
        target="@user123"
        message="Report generated"
        media="/path/to/report.pdf"
        filename="System_Report.pdf"
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Group Management 

# Send a message in a group
message action="send"
        target="-1001234567890"  // Group ID (negative number)
        message="Group status update"

# Reply to a specific message
message action="send"
        target="@user123"
        replyTo="message_id_123"
        message="This is a reply"
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💬 Discord Integration

5.5 Discord Bot Configuration

Create a Discord Application 

1. Visit https://discord.com/developers/applications
2. Click "New Application"
3. Enter the application name
4. Create a Bot on the "Bot" page
5. Copy the Bot Token
6. Set permissions: Send Messages, Read Message History, Use Slash Commands
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Configure OpenClaw 

{
  "discord": {
    "accounts": [
      {
        "accountId": "discord-bot",
        "botToken": "your_discord_bot_token_here",
        "name": "Discord Assistant",
        "enabled": true,
        "guildId": "your_guild_id"  // Optional: restrict to a specific server
      }
    ]
  },
  "bindings": [
    {
      "accountId": "discord-bot",
      "agentId": "main",
      "dmPolicy": "allowlist",
      "allowFrom": ["user_id_1", "user_id_2"]
    }
  ]
}
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5.6 Discord-Specific Features

Slash Command Support 

# Register a slash command
message action="send"
        channel="discord"
        target="guild_id"
        type="slash_command"
        name="status"
        description="View system status"
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Embeds 

message action="send"
        channel="discord"
        target="channel_id"
        embed='{
          "title": "System Status Report",
          "description": "All services running normally",
          "color": 3066993,
          "fields": [
            {"name": "CPU", "value": "45%", "inline": true},
            {"name": "Memory", "value": "2.1GB", "inline": true}
          ]
        }'
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📲 WhatsApp Business Integration

5.7 WhatsApp Business API

Apply for a Business Account 

1. Apply for WhatsApp Business API access
2. Obtain the Phone Number ID and Access Token
3. Configure the Webhook to receive messages
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OpenClaw Configuration 

{
  "whatsapp": {
    "accounts": [
      {
        "accountId": "business-wa",
        "phoneNumberId": "your_phone_number_id",
        "accessToken": "your_access_token",
        "verifyToken": "your_verify_token",
        "name": "Business WhatsApp",
        "enabled": true
      }
    ]
  }
}
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🏢 Enterprise Channel Integration

5.9 Slack Integration

Create a Slack App 

1. Visit https://api.slack.com/apps
2. Create a new application
3. Configure OAuth permissions: chat:write, channels:read, users:read
4. Install to the workspace to get the Token
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Socket Mode Configuration 

{
  "slack": {
    "accounts": [
      {
        "accountId": "company-slack",
        "botToken": "xoxb-your-bot-token",
        "appToken": "xapp-your-app-token",
        "socketMode": true,
        "name": "Company Slack Assistant",
        "enabled": true
      }
    ]
  }
}
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5.10 Microsoft Teams 

{
  "teams": {
    "accounts": [
      {
        "accountId": "teams-bot",
        "appId": "your_app_id",
        "appPassword": "your_app_password",
        "name": "Teams Assistant",
        "enabled": true
      }
    ]
  }
}
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🔀 Multi-Channel Routing Strategies

5.11 Advanced Routing Configuration

User-Based Intelligent Routing 

{
  "bindings": [
    {
      "accountId": "telegram-main",
      "agentId": "personal-assistant",
      "dmPolicy": "allowlist",
      "allowFrom": ["owner_user_id"],
      "priority": 1,
      "description": "Owner's personal assistant"
    },
    {
      "accountId": "telegram-support",
      "agentId": "customer-service",
      "dmPolicy": "open",
      "keywords": ["help", "support", "issue"],
      "priority": 2,
      "description": "Customer service bot"
    },
    {
      "accountId": "*",  // Wildcard: all accounts
      "agentId": "fallback",
      "priority": 999,
      "description": "Fallback handler"
    }
  ]
}
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Content-Based Routing 

{
  "bindings": [
    {
      "accountId": "discord-bot",
      "agentId": "tech-support",
      "channels": ["tech-help"],  // Restrict to specific channels
      "keywords": ["bug", "error", "crash"],
      "priority": 1
    },
    {
      "accountId": "discord-bot",
      "agentId": "general-chat",
      "channels": ["general", "random"],
      "priority": 2
    }
  ]
}
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5.12 Cross-Channel Message Sync

Message Bridge Configuration 

{
  "bridges": [
    {
      "name": "admin-sync",
      "enabled": true,
      "sources": [
        {"account": "telegram-main", "userId": "admin_id"},
        {"account": "discord-bot", "userId": "admin_discord_id"}
      ],
      "targets": [
        {"account": "slack-company", "channel": "admin-alerts"}
      ],
      "filters": ["urgent", "alert", "critical"]
    }
  ]
}
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🛡️ Security and Permission Management

5.13 Security Best Practices

Secure Token Storage 

# Environment variable approach
export TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN="123456789:ABCdef..."
export DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN="your_discord_token"

# Reference in configuration files
{
  "telegram": {
    "accounts": [
      {
        "accountId": "main",
        "botToken": "${TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN}",  // Environment variable reference
        "name": "Main Assistant"
      }
    ]
  }
}
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Tiered Permission Control 

{
  "security": {
    "userRoles": {
      "admin": {
        "users": ["admin_user_id"],
        "permissions": ["all"]
      },
      "moderator": {
        "users": ["mod_user_id_1", "mod_user_id_2"],
        "permissions": ["read", "moderate", "basic_commands"]
      },
      "user": {
        "users": ["*"],  // All users
        "permissions": ["read", "basic_commands"]
      }
    },
    "rateLimiting": {
      "maxMessagesPerMinute": 30,
      "maxCommandsPerHour": 100
    }
  }
}
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5.14 Monitoring and Logging

Message Flow Monitoring 

# View message statistics
openclaw status --channels

# Real-time log monitoring
openclaw logs --follow --filter "channel=telegram"

# Filter error logs
openclaw logs --level error --since "1h"
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🔧 Troubleshooting

5.15 Common Issues

Issue 1: Bot Not Responding 

# Check Bot status
openclaw status --detailed

# Verify Token validity
curl "https://api.telegram.org/bot${BOT_TOKEN}/getMe"

# Check network connectivity
openclaw doctor --check connectivity
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Issue 2: Incorrect Message Routing 

# View routing rules
openclaw config get bindings

# Test routing logic
openclaw agent --simulate --from "user_id" --message "test"

# Run in debug mode
openclaw gateway --debug --verbose
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📋 Chapter Summary

Key Takeaways

  1. Multi-Channel Support: Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, and other major platforms
  2. Intelligent Routing: Flexible routing based on user, content, and time
  3. Security: Token protection, tiered permissions, rate limiting
  4. Operations: Health checks, logging, fault diagnosis

Implementation Tips

  1. Deploy incrementally: Start with a single channel, then expand
  2. Security first: Strictly configure permissions and access control
  3. Monitor proactively: Build comprehensive monitoring and alerting
  4. User experience: Maintain a consistent cross-channel experience

🔗 Related Resources:

📌 This article is written by the AI team at TechsFree

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