Telegram

Send messages, manage chats, handle files, and automate Telegram bot workflows via the Telegram Bot API.

This skill uses ClawLink for hosted connection flows and credentials so you do not need to configure Telegram API access yourself.

Setup in 3 Steps

Step 1: Install	Step 2: Pair Account	Step 3: Connect Telegram
		App-specific connection GIF coming soon
Run the install command in OpenClaw	Sign in and approve the device	Open the dashboard and connect Telegram

How It Works

┌─────────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────────┐
│   OpenClaw      │────▶│   ClawLink   │────▶│  Telegram Bot    │
│   (User Chat)   │     │   (OAuth)    │     │      API         │
└─────────────────┘     └──────────────┘     └──────────────────┘
         │                       │                       │
         │  1. Install Plugin    │                       │
         │  2. Pair Device       │                       │
         │  3. Connect Telegram  │                       │
         │                       │  4. Secure Token      │
         │                       │  5. Proxy Requests   │
         │                       │                       │
         ▼                       ▼                       ▼
   ┌──────────┐           ┌──────────┐           ┌──────────┐
   │  SKILL   │           │ Dashboard│           │ Telegram │
   │  File    │           │ Auth     │           │   Bot    │
   └──────────┘           └──────────┘           └──────────┘

Install

Install the verified ClawLink plugin from ClawHub. After the user confirms, complete the full setup so ClawLink tools are visible in the next OpenClaw chat.

openclaw plugins install clawhub:clawlink-plugin
openclaw config set tools.alsoAllow '["clawlink-plugin"]' --strict-json
openclaw gateway restart

Then tell the user: "OpenClaw has been restarted. Send /new as a standalone message to start a fresh chat, then ask for Telegram again."

Quick Start

# Get bot info
clawlink_call_tool --tool "telegram_get_me" --params '{}'

# Get chat info
clawlink_call_tool --tool "telegram_get_chat" --params '{"chat_id": "CHAT_ID"}'

# Send a message
clawlink_call_tool --tool "telegram_send_message" --params '{"chat_id": "CHAT_ID", "text": "Hello from OpenClaw!"}'

Authentication

All Telegram tool calls are authenticated automatically by ClawLink using the bot token from the user's connected Telegram bot.

No bot token is required in chat. ClawLink stores the bot token securely and injects it into every Telegram Bot API request on the user's behalf.

Getting Connected

1. Install the ClawLink plugin (see Install above).
2. Pair the plugin with clawlink_begin_pairing if it is not configured yet.
3. Open https://claw-link.dev/dashboard?add=telegram and connect Telegram.
4. Call clawlink_list_integrations to verify the connection is active.

Connection Management

List Connections

clawlink_list_integrations

Response: Returns all connected integrations. Look for telegram in the list.

Verify Connection

clawlink_list_tools --integration telegram

Response: Returns the live tool catalog for Telegram.

Reconnect

If Telegram tools are missing or the connection shows an error:

1. Direct the user to https://claw-link.dev/dashboard?add=telegram
2. After they confirm, call clawlink_list_integrations to verify
3. Then call clawlink_list_tools --integration telegram

Security & Permissions

• Access is scoped to the Telegram bot token connected during setup.
• All write operations (send message, delete message, kick user) require explicit user confirmation.
• Messages can only be sent to chats where the bot is a member with posting rights.
• The bot must have admin rights in groups/channels to perform moderation actions.
• Rate limits apply (~30 messages/second globally, ~1 message/second per chat).

Tool Reference

Bot Info

Messages

Chats

Callbacks

Bot Commands

Code Examples

Send a text message

clawlink_call_tool --tool "telegram_send_message" \
  --params '{
    "chat_id": "-1001234567890",
    "text": "Deployment complete! Version 2.1.0 is live on production."
  }'

Send a photo

clawlink_call_tool --tool "telegram_send_photo" \
  --params '{
    "chat_id": "-1001234567890",
    "photo": "https://example.com/chart.png",
    "caption": "Weekly activity report"
  }'

Send a poll

clawlink_call_tool --tool "telegram_send_poll" \
  --params '{
    "chat_id": "-1001234567890",
    "question": "Which feature should we prioritize next?",
    "options": ["Dark mode", "Export to PDF", "Team sharing", "API access"]
  }'

Get chat information

clawlink_call_tool --tool "telegram_get_chat" \
  --params '{
    "chat_id": "-1001234567890"
  }'

Get chat member info

clawlink_call_tool --tool "telegram_get_chat_member" \
  --params '{
    "chat_id": "-1001234567890",
    "user_id": "123456789"
  }'

Forward a message

clawlink_call_tool --tool "telegram_forward_message" \
  --params '{
    "chat_id": "-1009876543210",
    "from_chat_id": "-1001234567890",
    "message_id": 42
  }'

Discovery Workflow

1. Call clawlink_list_integrations to confirm Telegram is connected.
2. Call clawlink_list_tools --integration telegram to see the live catalog.
3. Treat the returned list as the source of truth. Do not guess or assume what tools exist.
4. If the user describes a capability but the exact tool is unclear, call clawlink_search_tools with a short query and integration telegram.
5. If no Telegram tools appear, direct the user to https://claw-link.dev/dashboard?add=telegram.

Execution Workflow

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  READ OPERATIONS (Safe)                                     │
│  get → list → fetch → describe                              │
│                                                             │
│  Example: Get chat info → Get chat history → Report        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  WRITE OPERATIONS (Require Confirmation)                    │
│  describe → preview → confirm → call                        │
│                                                             │
│  Example: Preview message → User approves → Send message    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

1. For unfamiliar tools, ambiguous requests, or any write action, call clawlink_describe_tool first.
2. Use the returned guidance, schema, whenToUse, askBefore, safeDefaults, examples, and followups to shape the call.
3. Prefer read and get operations before writes when that reduces ambiguity.
4. For writes or anything marked as requiring confirmation, call clawlink_preview_tool first.
5. Execute with clawlink_call_tool. Pass confirmation only after the preview matches the user's intent.
6. If the tool call fails, report the real error. Do not invent results or restate the failure as a missing capability unless the live catalog supports that conclusion.

Notes

• Chat IDs for groups/channels start with -100 (e.g., -1001234567890). User DMs use the user's numeric ID.
• Telegram Bot API uses Unix timestamps in UTC for message dates.
• telegram_get_updates and webhooks are mutually exclusive — if a webhook is active, polling returns a 409 Conflict.
• Rate limits: ~30 messages/second globally, ~1 message/second per chat. On HTTP 429, honor the retry_after value.
• The bot can only delete messages it sent itself or messages in groups where it has admin rights.
• Photos are re-encoded by Telegram; use send_document to preserve original quality.
• Messages older than 48 hours cannot be deleted in groups.

Error Handling

Troubleshooting: Tools Not Visible

1. Check that the ClawLink plugin is installed:

   openclaw plugins list
   

2. If the plugin is installed but tools are missing, tell the user to send /new as a standalone message to reload the catalog.
3. If a fresh chat does not help, run:

   openclaw config set tools.alsoAllow '["clawlink-plugin"]' --strict-json
   openclaw gateway restart
   

4. After restart, tell the user to send /new again and retry.

Troubleshooting: Message Send Fails

1. Confirm the bot is a member of the target chat with post rights.
2. Check the chat ID format — groups use -100 prefix, users use numeric ID.
3. Verify the bot has permission to send media if attaching photos/documents.
4. If chat_not_found appears, the bot may have been removed from the group.

Troubleshooting: Delete Message Fails

1. The bot can only delete its own messages or messages in groups where it is an admin.
2. Messages older than 48 hours in groups cannot be deleted via the Bot API.
3. Service messages (user join/leave) cannot be deleted.

Resources

• Telegram Bot API Documentation
• Telegram Bot Features
• BotFather — manage bot settings and commands
• ClawLink: https://claw-link.dev
• ClawLink Docs: https://docs.claw-link.dev/openclaw
• ClawLink Verification: https://claw-link.dev/verify

Powered by ClawLink — an integration hub for OpenClaw