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OpenClaw Setup Guide

Connect AI to Telegram, Signal, or Discord in 5-15 minutes

⚠️ Prerequisites

1

Install OpenClaw

OpenClaw is the bridge between AI models and your messaging apps.

npm install -g openclaw

This installs OpenClaw globally on your system. Takes 2-3 minutes.

2

Choose Your Channel

Option A: Telegram (Recommended - 5 min)

Easiest setup, works great for most users.

  1. 1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
  2. 2. Send /newbot command
  3. 3. Name your bot (e.g., "My AI Assistant")
  4. 4. Choose username (must end in bot, e.g., my_ai_assistant_bot)
  5. 5. BotFather gives you a token (looks like 123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz)
  6. 6. Save this token - you'll need it in Step 3!

Option B: Signal (Private - 15 min)

Most private, requires more setup.

  1. 1. Install Java: brew install java (Mac) or download from java.com
  2. 2. Install signal-cli: brew install signal-cli (Mac) or see GitHub
  3. 3. Get dedicated phone number (Google Voice works)
  4. 4. Link via QR code: signal-cli link
  5. 5. Scan QR with Signal app on phone

Option C: Discord (Community - 10 min)

Best for groups and collaboration.

  1. 1. Go to Discord Developer Portal
  2. 2. Click "New Application" → Name it
  3. 3. Go to "Bot" → "Add Bot"
  4. 4. Copy bot token (click "Reset Token" if needed)
  5. 5. OAuth2 → URL Generator → Select bot scope → Copy link
  6. 6. Paste link in browser → Invite to your server
3

Configure OpenClaw

Tell OpenClaw which channel to use and your AI API key.

openclaw config set channels.telegram.token YOUR_BOT_TOKEN_HERE

Replace YOUR_BOT_TOKEN_HERE with your actual bot token from Step 2.

For Signal or Discord, use channels.signal or channels.discord instead.

4

Set Your AI Provider

Choose which AI model to use.

Option 1: OpenRouter (Cloud - Easy)

openclaw config set providers.openrouter.apiKey sk-or-v1-YOUR_KEY

Get key at openrouter.ai/keys

Option 2: Ollama (Local - Free)

ollama pull qwen3.5:cloud
openclaw config set providers.ollama.model qwen3.5:cloud

100% local, private, no API costs after download

5

Pair Your Device

Connect your phone/computer to OpenClaw.

openclaw gateway start

This generates a QR code. Scan it with your phone's camera or the OpenClaw mobile app.

✅ Success! You should see "Gateway started" and a QR code.

Scan the QR code → Your device is now paired!

🎉 You're All Set!

OpenClaw is now running and connected to your AI provider. Start chatting!

Test it: Send a message to your bot on Telegram/Discord/Signal

Need help? Check the troubleshooting guide or ask in the community