Set up an OpenClaw Telegram assistant

Least-privilege setup

1. 1

   Store the token

   Prefer a secret-backed value or `TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN` for the default account; never commit it.

2. 2

   Set access policy

   Use `dmPolicy: "pairing"` or an explicit numeric allowlist. Keep group policy allowlisted and require mentions where appropriate.

3. 3

   Start and pair

   Start the Gateway, message the bot, then approve the one-hour pairing code.

   openclaw pairing list telegram
   openclaw pairing approve telegram <CODE>

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4. 4

   Probe the channel

   Confirm the bot identity, network path, and configured group assumptions.

   openclaw channels status --probe

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Failure and rollback

• A 401 from `getMe` means Telegram rejected the configured token; replace or regenerate it.
• Network errors usually mean DNS/HTTPS access to `api.telegram.org` is unavailable.
• To stop access, disable the channel, restart the Gateway, revoke the BotFather token if exposed, and remove obsolete pairing/allowlist entries.