Overview
Channels are inbound surfaces the agent listens on—for example Telegram, Discord, or browser-based control experiences. Traffic is handled by the OpenClaw gateway, which applies channel configuration.Configuration
Each channel has settings for tokens, pairing, direct-message policy, and related options. Ageneral merges project defaults with agent overrides before updating the gateway.Connectors vs channels
Connectors supply OAuth and MCP integrations from the catalog. See Connectors. Choosing a connector is separate from choosing which channels the gateway listens on.Pairing
Many channels require explicit pairing before new chats or groups are trusted. Complete the steps shown in the product when pairing is required.Troubleshooting
If inbound traffic stops:- Confirm the channel is enabled.
- Confirm required connectors are enabled.
- Allow time for the latest configuration to apply.