Connecting your AI agent to Telegram lets customers reach it through private messages or group chats. The entire setup takes about five minutes. You create a bot through Telegram's BotFather, copy a token, and paste it into your OneClickClaw dashboard.
Step-by-step setup
Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
Open the Telegram app on your phone or desktop. In the search bar, type @BotFather and open a conversation with it. Look for the blue checkmark next to the name to confirm you are talking to the official BotFather.
Send the /newbot command
Type /newbot and send it. BotFather asks you to choose a display name for your bot. This is the name your customers see when they chat with it (for example, "Acme Support").
Choose a name and username for your bot
After you pick a display name, BotFather asks for a username. The username must end with the word "bot" (for example, AcmeSupportBot or acme_support_bot). This username is unique across all of Telegram, so you may need to try a few options.
Tip
Your bot username must end with "bot". For example: MyCompanyBot or support_bot.
Copy the bot token
Once BotFather accepts your username, it replies with an HTTP API token. The token looks like 123456789:ABCDefGhIJKlmNOpQrSTUvWxYz. Copy this token and keep it safe. Anyone who has this token can control your bot.
Open the Channels page in OneClickClaw
Log in to your OneClickClaw dashboard. Navigate to your agent, then go to Channels and click Add Telegram.
Paste the token and save
Paste your bot token into the "Bot Token" field and click Save. OneClickClaw validates the token, pushes the configuration to your server, and activates the Telegram channel. The status indicator turns green when the connection is live.
Channel Type
Bot Token
Save Button
Test by sending a message to your bot
Open Telegram and find your bot by searching for its username. Send a message like "Hello, are you there?". Your agent should reply within a few seconds. If you see a response, the integration is working.
Test the connection
After setup, your bot handles both private messages and group chats. To add the bot to a group, open the group settings, add a member, and search for your bot's username. The bot starts responding to messages in that group immediately.
Note
Telegram bots can handle both private messages and group chats. In groups, you may need to disable privacy mode (send /setprivacy to BotFather and set it to Disable) so the bot can read all messages, not just commands.
For information on viewing channel status and connecting additional platforms, see Managing Channels.