Result: A fully functional AI Telegram bot running GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, or any of 627+ models — deployed in under 5 minutes, costing $5-25/month, with persistent memory and extensible skills.
What You'll Build
By the end of this tutorial, you'll have:
- ✅ A Telegram bot that responds with AI (any model you choose)
- ✅ Persistent memory across conversations
- ✅ Web search, code execution, and file management capabilities
- ✅ Auto-start on server reboot
- ✅ Access to 627+ AI models through one API key
Total cost: $0 upfront + ~$15/month for moderate usage (via Crazyrouter's discounted pricing)
Prerequisites (5 minutes)
You need three things:
1. A Server
Any Linux VPS works. Minimum: 2 cores, 4GB RAM.
| Provider | Price | Good For |
|---|---|---|
| Hetzner | €4.5/mo | Europe/US |
| Vultr | $6/mo | Global |
| DigitalOcean | $6/mo | Beginners |
| Oracle Cloud | Free tier | Budget |
| AWS Lightsail | $5/mo | AWS users |
2. Crazyrouter API Key
Your bot needs AI model access. Crazyrouter provides one API key for 627+ models at ~55% below official pricing.
- Register at crazyrouter.com (free)
- Copy API key from dashboard (starts with
sk-) - Free $0.20 starter credit included
Why Crazyrouter over direct OpenAI?
- Access GPT-5 and Claude and Gemini — same key
- ~55% cheaper per token
- Credits never expire
- Automatic failover if any provider goes down
3. Telegram Bot Token
- Open Telegram → search @botfather
- Send
/newbot - Choose a name and username
- Copy the token (format:
123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz)
Step 1: Deploy OpenClaw (2 minutes)
SSH into your server and run:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/xujfcn/crazyrouter-openclaw/main/install.sh | bash
The installer will:
🔍 Detecting system... Linux x64
📦 Installing Node.js 22...
📥 Installing OpenClaw...
🔑 Enter your Crazyrouter API Key: sk-xxxxx
🤖 Enter your Telegram Bot Token: 123456:ABC...
⚙️ Configuring 15+ AI models...
🔄 Setting up systemd auto-start...
🚀 Starting OpenClaw gateway...
✅ OpenClaw is running on port 18789!
Alternative (Docker):
git clone https://github.com/xujfcn/openclaw-deploy.git
cd openclaw-deploy && sudo ./deploy.sh
Step 2: Pair Your Telegram Bot (1 minute)
- Open Telegram → send
/startto your bot - Bot responds with a pairing code (6 characters)
- Enter the code when the installer prompts, OR run manually:
openclaw pairing approve telegram <pairing-code>
- Send any message to your bot — it should respond with AI! 🎉
Step 3: Choose Your AI Model
The installer pre-configures 15+ models. Change the default anytime:
# Set default model
openclaw configure --model claude-opus-4-6
Recommended Models for Telegram Bots
| Model | Best For | Cost (Crazyrouter) | Response Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 4.6 | Best overall quality | $6.75/M input | Medium |
| GPT-5 Mini | Budget-friendly daily use | $0.14/M input | Fast |
| GPT-5.2 | General + coding | $4.50/M input | Medium |
| Gemini 3 Flash | Ultra-fast responses | $0.04/M input | Very fast |
| DeepSeek R1 | Complex reasoning + math | $0.055/M input | Slow (thinking) |
Pro tip: Start with GPT-5 Mini ($0.14/M tokens) for testing. It's 97% cheaper than GPT-5.2 and handles most conversations well. Switch to Claude Opus 4.6 when you need top-tier quality.
Step 4: Customize Your Bot's Personality
Edit ~/.openclaw/workspace/SOUL.md:
# SOUL.md - Who You Are
You are a helpful AI assistant running on Telegram.
## Personality
- Friendly and concise
- Use emoji occasionally 🎯
- Give direct answers, then explain if needed
- Remember user preferences across conversations
## Rules
- Never share private information
- Keep responses under 500 words unless asked for more
- Use markdown formatting for readability
Your bot reads this file at startup and follows these instructions in every conversation.
Step 5: Enable Skills
Built-in Skills (already active)
| Skill | What It Does |
|---|---|
| 🔍 Web Search | Searches the internet for current information |
| 🌐 Browser | Controls a headless browser for web automation |
| 💻 Code Execution | Runs Python, Node.js, and shell commands |
| 📁 File Management | Reads, writes, and edits files on your server |
| 🧠 Memory | Remembers facts across conversations |
| 🗣️ TTS | Converts text to speech audio |
Install Additional Skills
# Video downloader (YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, etc.)
openclaw skill install yt-dlp
# Weather forecasts
openclaw skill install weather
# More skills at clawhub.com
Example Conversations After Setup
User: What's the weather in Tokyo?
Bot: 🌤️ Tokyo: 18°C, partly cloudy. High of 22°C today...
User: Download this video: https://youtube.com/watch?v=...
Bot: 📥 Downloading... [sends video file]
User: Search the web for latest GPT-5 benchmarks
Bot: 🔍 Based on the latest benchmarks from March 2026...
User: Remember that my favorite programming language is Python
Bot: ✅ Noted! I'll remember that for future conversations.
Memory: Your Bot Remembers Everything
Unlike ChatGPT where each conversation is isolated, OpenClaw maintains persistent memory:
~/.openclaw/workspace/
├── SOUL.md # Bot personality
├── USER.md # Facts about you
├── MEMORY.md # Long-term memory
├── memory/
│ ├── 2026-03-07.md # Today's notes
│ └── 2026-03-06.md # Yesterday's notes
└── TOOLS.md # Tool configurations
Your bot automatically:
- Saves important facts to daily memory files
- Curates long-term memories in MEMORY.md
- Reads these files at startup to maintain context
- Remembers your preferences, projects, and conversations
Cost Breakdown: Real Numbers
Scenario: Personal AI assistant on Telegram
| Usage | Daily | Monthly Tokens | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casual (10 msgs/day) | 10 messages | ~300K | $2 |
| Regular (50 msgs/day) | 50 messages | ~1.5M | $8 |
| Power user (200 msgs/day) | 200 messages | ~6M | $30 |
Plus server cost: $5-6/month for a basic VPS
Total for regular usage: ~$13-14/month — cheaper than ChatGPT Plus ($20/month), with more models, self-hosting, and multi-platform support.
Compared to alternatives
| Solution | Monthly Cost | Models | Self-hosted | Multi-platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Plus | $20 | GPT only | ❌ | ❌ |
| Claude Pro | $20 | Claude only | ❌ | ❌ |
| OpenClaw + Crazyrouter | $13-35 | 627+ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Custom bot (direct API) | $25-60 | 1-3 | ✅ | Build each |
Management Commands
# Status
openclaw status
# View logs
journalctl --user -u openclaw -f
# Restart
systemctl --user restart openclaw
# Update OpenClaw
npm update -g openclaw
# List paired devices
openclaw pairing list
# Change model
openclaw configure --model gpt-5-mini
3 Common Misconceptions
"Building a Telegram AI bot requires programming skills"
With OpenClaw's one-line installer, you need zero coding. Run the script, enter two keys, done. Configuration is via markdown files, not code.
"Self-hosting AI is expensive"
$5/month VPS + $8-15/month API costs (via Crazyrouter) = $13-20/month total. That's the same or less than a ChatGPT Plus subscription, with far more capabilities.
"I'm locked into one AI model"
Through Crazyrouter, you access 627+ models with one key. Tell your bot "switch to DeepSeek R1" or "use Gemini for this" — it switches instantly. No reconfiguration, no separate accounts.
Next Steps
- 📱 Add more platforms:
openclaw configure --section discord - 🛠️ Install skills:
openclaw skill install <name> - 🧠 Customize personality: Edit
SOUL.md - 📊 Monitor costs: Check Crazyrouter dashboard
- 🔄 Join the community: discord.com/invite/clawd
Resources:
- OpenClaw docs: docs.openclaw.ai
- Crazyrouter (AI backend): crazyrouter.com
- Deploy script: github.com/xujfcn/crazyrouter-openclaw
All steps tested on Ubuntu 24.04 with OpenClaw v0.92, March 7, 2026.
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