Chat channels

OpenClaw can talk to you on any chat app you already use. Each channel connects via the Gateway. Text is supported everywhere; media and reactions vary by channel.

Delivery notes

• Telegram replies that contain markdown image syntax, such as ![alt](url), are converted into media replies on the final outbound path when possible.
• Slack multi-person DMs route as group chats, so group policy, mention behavior, and group-session rules apply to MPIM conversations.
• WhatsApp setup is install-on-demand: onboarding can show the setup flow before the plugin package is installed, and the Gateway loads the WhatsApp runtime only when the channel is actually active.

Supported channels

• BlueBubbles — Recommended for iMessage; uses the BlueBubbles macOS server REST API with full feature support (bundled plugin; edit, unsend, effects, reactions, group management — edit currently broken on macOS 26 Tahoe).
• Discord — Discord Bot API + Gateway; supports servers, channels, and DMs.
• Feishu — Feishu/Lark bot via WebSocket (bundled plugin).
• Google Chat — Google Chat API app via HTTP webhook (downloadable plugin).
• iMessage (legacy) — Legacy macOS integration via imsg CLI (deprecated, use BlueBubbles for new setups).
• IRC — Classic IRC servers; channels + DMs with pairing/allowlist controls.
• LINE — LINE Messaging API bot (downloadable plugin).
• Matrix — Matrix protocol (downloadable plugin).
• Mattermost — Bot API + WebSocket; channels, groups, DMs (downloadable plugin).
• Microsoft Teams — Bot Framework; enterprise support (bundled plugin).
• Nextcloud Talk — Self-hosted chat via Nextcloud Talk (bundled plugin).
• Nostr — Decentralized DMs via NIP-04 (bundled plugin).
• QQ Bot — QQ Bot API; private chat, group chat, and rich media (bundled plugin).
• Signal — signal-cli; privacy-focused.
• Slack — Bolt SDK; workspace apps.
• Synology Chat — Synology NAS Chat via outgoing+incoming webhooks (bundled plugin).
• Telegram — Bot API via grammY; supports groups.
• Tlon — Urbit-based messenger (bundled plugin).
• Twitch — Twitch chat via IRC connection (bundled plugin).
• Voice Call — Telephony via Plivo or Twilio (plugin, installed separately).
• WebChat — Gateway WebChat UI over WebSocket.
• WeChat — Tencent iLink Bot plugin via QR login; private chats only (external plugin).
• WhatsApp — Most popular; uses Baileys and requires QR pairing.
• Yuanbao — Tencent Yuanbao bot (external plugin).
• Zalo — Zalo Bot API; Vietnam's popular messenger (bundled plugin).
• Zalo Personal — Zalo personal account via QR login (bundled plugin).

Notes

• Channels can run simultaneously; configure multiple and OpenClaw will route per chat.
• Fastest setup is usually Telegram (simple bot token). WhatsApp requires QR pairing and stores more state on disk.
• Group behavior varies by channel; see Groups.
• DM pairing and allowlists are enforced for safety; see Security.
• Troubleshooting: Channel troubleshooting.
• Model providers are documented separately; see Model Providers.