OpenClaw on Telegram — bot setup, group ops, inline mode

Open Telegram. Search @BotFather. Tap start. Send:

1. /newbot
2. Bot display name (e.g. "My Clawd")
3. Bot username (must end in bot, e.g. my_clawd_bot)

BotFather replies with your token: 1234567890:ABCD-EFGHijklmnop_QRSTUVwxyz. Copy it. That's the only thing you need.

At theclawd.com, click Get Started → paste your token in the "Telegram Bot Token" field → click Deploy. The Clawd handles the rest:

• Configures the webhook (or long-poll fallback)
• Wires the grammY framework
• Loads OpenClaw 2026.5+ runtime
• Connects your default model (Claude 4.6 Sonnet by default)
• Activates persistent memory + skill registry

30 seconds later, message your bot on Telegram. It responds.

Beyond DMs, OpenClaw on Telegram supports the full Bot API:

• Add to groups — Mention @your_bot for ad-hoc help. Bot sees only mentioned messages by default (privacy mode).
• Inline queries — Type @your_bot summarize this article: ... in any chat → instant inline result.
• Commands — /brief, /inbox, /calendar, custom slash commands you define in skills.
• Voice + media — Voice messages auto-transcribed. Forward photos/PDFs for OCR + Q&A.
• Reply keyboards — Quick-action buttons for common flows (approve/deny, refund/escalate).

Many users run OpenClaw on both Telegram and WhatsApp. The Clawd makes this trivial:

• Same agent, same memory across both
• Conversation context flows — start a thread on Telegram at lunch, continue on WhatsApp at home
• Channel-scoped permissions if you want them (e.g. customer support only on WhatsApp Business)
• Unified analytics dashboard (messages handled, time saved, escalations)

Add channels in the dashboard, no extra cost — they're bundled in your single $17/mo plan.

• Privacy mode — Use BotFather /setprivacy. ON = bot only sees @mentions in groups. OFF = sees all messages. Pick based on use case.
• Commands menu — /setcommands in BotFather. Users see slash-command suggestions when typing.
• Bot description + about — Set via /setdescription and /setabouttext. First impression matters.
• Bot picture — /setuserpic. Use your brand glyph.
• Inline mode — /setinline with placeholder text. Massive UX upgrade.