Is my data secure and encrypted?

All data is encrypted at rest using AES-256 and in transit using TLS 1.3. Your encryption keys are stored exclusively on your dedicated VPS.

Are my conversations truly private?

Yes. Each user gets a fully isolated container environment. We follow a zero-knowledge architecture.

Do you train AI models on my data?

Never. Your conversations and data are never used to train AI models.

Telegram Bot Integration for OpenClaw AI Agents: A Complete Guide

TL;DR

Create a Telegram bot via @BotFather and obtain your BOT_TOKEN
Configure the Telegram channel in OpenClaw using `openclaw configure`
Set OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN for secure communication between gateway and agent
Verify integration by sending a test message; bot should respond through OpenClaw’s reasoning engine

Telegram bot QR code linking with OpenClaw agent terminal interface

Messaging Channel Comparison

OpenClaw supports multiple messaging channels. Choose based on your use case and infrastructure requirements.

Channel	Status	Auth Method	Message Rate Limit	Best For
Telegram	✅ Live	Bot API Token	30 msg/sec	High-throughput bots, group automation
Discord	🚧 Coming Soon	Bot Token + Gateway	120 msg/min	Community bots, rich embeds
Slack	🚧 Coming Soon	OAuth + Socket Mode	1 msg/sec per method	Enterprise workflows
WhatsApp	❌ Not Supported	N/A	N/A	N/A - Use Telegram instead
Signal	❌ Not Supported	N/A	N/A	N/A - Privacy focus unsupported

Prerequisites

Active OpenClaw instance (v0.8.0+)
Telegram account with admin access
OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN environment variable set
Outbound internet access on port 443

Step-by-Step Setup

Follow these commands in your OpenClaw terminal to configure Telegram integration.

# 1. Launch OpenClaw configuration wizard
openclaw configure

# 2. Navigate to Channels → Telegram
# 3. When prompted, paste your BotFather token
Enter Telegram Bot Token: 123456:ABC-DEF1234ghIkl-zyx57W2v1u123ew11

# 4. Verify gateway token is set
echo $OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN

# 5. Restart the messaging gateway
openclaw gateway restart --channel telegram

Configuration Schema

The channels.yaml file defines Telegram behavior. This example includes rate limiting, webhook settings, and skill triggers.

# ~/.openclaw/config/channels.yaml
telegram:
  enabled: true
  bot_token: "${TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN}"  # Set via environment variable
  gateway_token: "${OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN}"
  webhook:
    enabled: true
    path: "/webhook/telegram"
    port: 18789
    listen_address: "0.0.0.0"
  rate_limit:
    max_requests: 30
    per_seconds: 1
    burst: 5
  message:
    parse_mode: "MarkdownV2"
    disable_web_page_preview: true
    allow_group_messages: true
    authorized_chat_ids: []  # Leave empty to allow all; or [123456789]
  skills:
    trigger_prefix: "/"  # Commands like /research, /summarize
    auto_load: ["researcher", "summarizer"]
  session:
    reconnect_interval: 30
    max_reconnect_attempts: 5

Gateway Architecture

The Telegram gateway acts as a reverse proxy between Telegram Bot API and your OpenClaw agent instance. When deployed via EasyClawd (easyclawd.com), the gateway runs inside your isolated container and exposes a Cloudflare Tunnel endpoint.

Inbound messages hit https://your-id.easyclawd.com/webhook/telegram
Gateway validates OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN signature
Messages are routed to the agent’s reasoning loop
Responses flow back through the same secure tunnel

Security Considerations

⚠️ Warning: Never commit bot tokens or gateway tokens to version control. Exposed tokens allow attackers to impersonate your agent and execute skills. Always use environment variables or secret management. Rotate tokens immediately if leaked using `openclaw token rotate --channel telegram`.

Testing and Verification

Send a direct message to your bot on Telegram. If configured correctly, OpenClaw will respond using its default persona. Check logs for gateway activity.

# Monitor real-time message flow
openclaw logs --channel telegram --follow

# Test skill invocation
# In Telegram: /research "latest LLM agent benchmarks"

# Check gateway health
openclaw health check --component gateway-telegram

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Cause	Fix
Bot doesn’t respond	Gateway token mismatch	Verify OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN matches dashboard
403 Forbidden	IP not whitelisted	Ensure webhook URL is registered with BotFather
Rate limit errors	Exceeding 30 msg/sec	Add rate_limit.burst to channels.yaml
Session timeouts	Network instability	Increase reconnect_interval to 60 seconds
Skills not triggering	Missing trigger_prefix	Confirm slash commands in config