openclaw channels

Manage connected chat channels and accounts

openclaw channels

Manage messaging channel connections and authentication for OpenClaw.

Usage

openclaw channels [command] [options]

Commands

list

List configured channels and auth profiles.

openclaw channels list [options]

--no-usage · boolean

Skip model provider usage/quota snapshots

--json · boolean

Output JSON format

status

Show gateway channel status and health.

openclaw channels status [options]

--probe · boolean

Probe channel credentials and connectivity

--timeout <ms> · number

Timeout in milliseconds (default: 10000)

--json · boolean

Output JSON format

add

Add or update a channel account.

openclaw channels add [options]

General Options

--channel <name> · string · required

Channel type: telegram, discord, slack, signal, whatsapp, imessage, matrix, etc.

--account <id> · string

Account ID (default when omitted)

--name <name> · string

Display name for this account

Telegram/Discord

--token <token> · string

Bot token for Telegram or Discord

--token-file <path> · string

Path to file containing bot token

Slack

--bot-token <token> · string

Slack bot token (xoxb-…)

--app-token <token> · string

Slack app token (xapp-…)

Signal

--signal-number <e164> · string

Signal account number in E.164 format ([phone])

--cli-path <path> · string

Path to signal-cli executable

--http-url <url> · string

Signal HTTP daemon base URL

--http-host <host> · string

Signal HTTP daemon host

--http-port <port> · number

Signal HTTP daemon port

WhatsApp

--auth-dir <path> · string

WhatsApp auth directory override

iMessage

--cli-path <path> · string

Path to imsg CLI executable

--db-path <path> · string

iMessage database path

--service <service> · string

iMessage service: imessage, sms, or auto

--region <region> · string

iMessage region for SMS

Matrix

--homeserver <url> · string

Matrix homeserver URL

--user-id <id> · string

Matrix user ID

--access-token <token> · string

Matrix access token

--password <password> · string

Matrix password

--device-name <name> · string

Matrix device name

--initial-sync-limit <n> · number

Matrix initial sync limit

Tlon (Urbit)

--ship <ship> · string

Tlon ship name (~sampel-palnet)

--url <url> · string

Tlon ship URL

--code <code> · string

Tlon login code

--group-channels <list> · string

Comma-separated list of group channels

--dm-allowlist <list> · string

Comma-separated list of allowed ships for DMs

--auto-discover-channels · boolean

Auto-discover group channels

Environment

--use-env · boolean

Use token from environment variable (default account only)

remove

Disable or delete a channel account.

openclaw channels remove [options]

--channel <name> · string · required

Channel name

--account <id> · string

Account ID (default when omitted)

--delete · boolean

Delete config entries without prompting

login

Link a channel account (for channels that support interactive authentication).

openclaw channels login [options]

--channel <channel> · string

Channel name (default: whatsapp)

--account <id> · string

Account ID

--verbose · boolean

Verbose connection logs

logout

Log out of a channel session.

openclaw channels logout [options]

--channel <channel> · string

Channel name (default: whatsapp)

--account <id> · string

Account ID

capabilities

Show provider capabilities (intents/scopes + supported features).

openclaw channels capabilities [options]

--channel <name> · string

Channel name (or “all” for all channels)

--account <id> · string

Account ID (only with —channel)

--target <dest> · string

Channel target for permission audit (e.g., Discord channel:id)

--timeout <ms> · number

Timeout in milliseconds (default: 10000)

--json · boolean

Output JSON format

resolve

Resolve channel/user names to IDs.

openclaw channels resolve <entries...> [options]

entries · string[] · required

Names or IDs to resolve

--channel <name> · string

Channel name

--account <id> · string

Account ID

--kind <kind> · string

Target kind: auto, user, or group (default: auto)

--json · boolean

Output JSON format

logs

Show recent channel logs from the gateway log file.

openclaw channels logs [options]

--channel <name> · string

Channel name (default: all)

--lines <n> · number

Number of lines to show (default: 200)

--json · boolean

Output JSON format

Examples

List Channels

# List all configured channels
openclaw channels list

# List with JSON output
openclaw channels list --json

# Check channel status
openclaw channels status --probe

Some channels (like WhatsApp) require interactive login with openclaw channels login. Others (like Telegram and Discord) use bot tokens that can be added directly.

Never commit or share channel tokens publicly. Store them securely and use environment variables or token files for automation.

Supported Channels

OpenClaw supports these messaging platforms:

• Telegram - Bot API with token authentication
• Discord - Bot with token authentication
• Slack - Bot with app and bot tokens
• Signal - via signal-cli or HTTP daemon
• WhatsApp - via WhatsApp Web (requires QR login)
• iMessage - macOS only, requires database access
• Matrix - Homeserver with password or token
• Google Chat - via webhooks
• Microsoft Teams - via extension
• Tlon (Urbit) - Ship connection

Configuration

Channel configurations are stored in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json under the channels section:

{
  channels: {
    telegram: {
      accounts: {
        default: {
          token: "123456:ABC-DEF"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables

You can use environment variables for tokens:

export TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=123456:ABC-DEF
export DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN=MTk4...
export SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-...
export SLACK_APP_TOKEN=xapp-...

Then add channels with --use-env:

openclaw channels add --channel telegram --use-env

Related Commands

• gateway - Manage the gateway that channels connect to
• status - Check overall system status including channels
• doctor - Diagnose channel connectivity issues