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About 30 min

How to install OpenClaw and connect Telegram

About thirty minutes from nothing to an agent you can message in Telegram. Commands are copied from the official docs; check them against your version.

What you need

  • A computer or VPS with macOS, Linux, WSL2 or Windows
  • Node 24.16+ or Node 26 (the installer can add it)
  • An API key or subscription for a model, or a local model
  • A Telegram account

Steps

  1. 1

    Pick where it runs

    Your own laptop is fine for trying it. For an always-on agent use a small VPS or home server. Do not expose the gateway port to the internet.

  2. 2

    Install OpenClaw

    Run the official installer. It detects your OS, installs Node if needed, installs OpenClaw and starts onboarding.

    # macOS / Linux / WSL2
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

# Windows (PowerShell)
iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex
  3. 3

    Run onboarding and install the service

    Choose Quick start to reuse detected AI access, or Custom setup for the full flow. Then install the gateway as a background service so it survives reboots.

    openclaw onboard
# after quick start, stop the foreground gateway (Ctrl+C) and install the service
openclaw gateway install
  4. 4

    Create a Telegram bot and add it

    In Telegram, message @BotFather (check the handle exactly), run /newbot and copy the token. Add it to OpenClaw and check the channel status.

    openclaw channels add --channel telegram --token <bot-token>
openclaw channels status --probe
  5. 5

    Approve your own account

    Send any message to your bot. Unknown senders get a pairing code instead of an answer; approve yours within an hour.

    openclaw pairing list telegram
openclaw pairing approve telegram <CODE>
  6. 6

    Lock it down

    Run the built-in security audit and keep the gateway updated. Versions before 2026.4.22 have known critical flaws.

    openclaw security audit
openclaw update --channel stable

Tips from experience

  • Keep gateway.bind on loopback and reach it over SSH or Tailscale, never an open port.
  • Leave dmPolicy on pairing so strangers who find your bot cannot use it.
  • Treat third-party skills like browser extensions: install few, from sources you trust.
  • Set exec approvals to always ask until you trust your setup.