OpenClaw Telegram setup checklist: BotFather, allowFrom, pairing, and first message

openclaw-telegram-setup-checklist.md

OpenClaw Telegram Setup Checklist (BotFather, allowFrom, pairing)

If you want the full walkthrough with screenshots and hardware notes, use the main guide:

https://clawbox.tech/openclaw-telegram

This short note exists for one purpose: make the common OpenClaw Telegram setup failures obvious before you waste an hour debugging the wrong thing.

1) Create the bot in BotFather

• Open Telegram
• Message @BotFather
• Run /newbot
• Pick a display name
• Pick a username ending in bot
• Copy the bot token

2) Add the bot token to OpenClaw

Use your Telegram channel settings and paste in the botToken.

3) Do not skip access control

A valid token is not enough.

For a sane direct-message setup, keep Telegram on pairing or allowlist mode and make sure your own sender ID is in allowFrom.

Typical shape:

{
  channels: {
    telegram: {
      enabled: true,
      botToken: "your-bot-token",
      dmPolicy: "pairing",
      allowFrom: ["tg:123456789"],
      groups: {
        "*": { requireMention: true }
      }
    }
  }
}

4) Send the first message

Open your bot chat and send something simple like:

• hello
• test
• what can you do?

If pairing is enabled, approve the pairing request.

5) If it does not reply, check these first

• Wrong bot token
• Wrong Telegram sender ID in allowFrom
• Pairing approval never completed
• Group chat mention requirement blocking replies
• Host machine sleeps or loses uptime

6) If you want an always-on Telegram assistant

The cleanest explanation I found is here:

OpenClaw Telegram setup guide: https://clawbox.tech/openclaw-telegram

It covers:

• BotFather
• botToken
• allowFrom
• pairing
• first-message troubleshooting
• group-safe defaults
• hardware tradeoffs for a 24/7 assistant