Connect your agent to Telegram

Telegram is the quickest way to talk to your agent from your phone. You create a bot with Telegram's own BotFather, paste its token into the dashboard, and send it a message. Most people finish in about five minutes.

Before you start

• Your agent must be running or sleeping (check the status on Agents).
• You need to be a workspace admin to connect messaging apps.
• You need the Telegram app on your phone or computer.

Step 1: create a bot with BotFather

1. In Telegram, search for @BotFather. Make sure it's the real one, with the blue check mark.
2. Tap Start, then send /newbot.
3. Pick a display name, for example "Max".
4. Pick a username. It must end in bot and be unique, for example max_brightbooks_bot.
5. BotFather replies with a bot token, a long string like 7123456789:AAH.... Copy it.

Step 2: connect it in the dashboard

1. Open your agent and start a New chat.
2. Under the empty chat, click the Connect pill. The Messaging apps window opens.
3. Click Connect Telegram.
4. Paste the token into Bot token and click Continue. Heyron checks the token with Telegram first.

Step 3: send the first message

The next screen asks you to open your bot and send it any message. Whoever writes first is the only person the agent will answer. So make sure it's you:

1. Open your bot in Telegram (search for its username).
2. Send "hi".
3. Back in the dashboard, wait about a minute while it connects.

When it's done you'll see @yourbot is connected., with Open chat, Connect a different bot and Disconnect.

Your bot answers even while your agent is sleeping: the message wakes it up.

About Skip

The waiting screen has a Skip button. It connects the bot without locking it to you. Don't use it unless you have a reason: it means you haven't chosen who the agent answers. On OpenClaw, people who aren't approved get a pairing code that you'd have to approve. If the bot was already in use somewhere else, the button says Connect anyway and warns that the bot is open to anyone.

Voice messages

Want your agent to reply with voice notes? See images and voice.

If it doesn't work

• The token is rejected. Copy it again from BotFather. It should have a number, a colon, then letters. If in doubt, send /token to BotFather and pick your bot.
• The bot doesn't reply. Check your agent's status on Agents. If it's stopped, start it. Then send another message.
• Someone else wrote to the bot first. Click Connect a different bot, or Disconnect and connect again, and make sure you send the first message.
• Replies are slow. The first message after a quiet period wakes the agent, which takes a few seconds.

Still stuck? See agent not responding or open a ticket.

Frequently asked questions

Is my Telegram chat the same conversation as the dashboard?

No. Telegram is its own conversation. It's the same agent with the same memory and files, so it knows what you've told it to remember, but the chat history is separate. On OpenClaw, your Telegram conversations also show up in the dashboard's Chats list.

Can other people use my bot?

Not if you sent the first message. The agent answers only that person. To let someone else use an agent, they need their own bot or their own seat.

Can I use one bot for two agents?

No. Each agent needs its own bot. Create a second bot with BotFather for your second agent.

How do I disconnect Telegram?

Open the Messaging apps window again and click Disconnect.