AI Course/week18_openclaw_channels/README.md

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README.md

week18_openclaw_channels/README.md

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Week 18: OpenClaw Channels — Connect to Telegram

Your agent runs on a server. But right now you can only talk to it via SSH. That's not useful for everyday use.

This week you connect it to Telegram so you can message your agent from your phone.

Step 1: Create a Telegram Bot

  1. Open Telegram on your phone or computer
  2. Search for @BotFather (it has a blue checkmark)
  3. Send it this message:
/newbot
  1. BotFather asks for a name — this is the display name (e.g., "My AI Agent")
  2. BotFather asks for a username — this must end in bot (e.g., my_ai_agent_bot)
  3. BotFather gives you a token — it looks like 7123456789:AAHq...

Copy that token. You'll need it in the next step.

Important: Keep your bot token secret. Anyone with it can control your bot.

Step 2: Connect OpenClaw to Telegram

SSH into your server:

ssh root@YOUR_IP_ADDRESS

Add the Telegram channel:

openclaw channels add --channel telegram --token YOUR_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN

Replace YOUR_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN with the token from BotFather.

Verify it's connected:

openclaw channels list

You should see Telegram listed.

Step 3: Test It

  1. Open Telegram
  2. Search for your bot's username (the one ending in bot)
  3. Click Start
  4. Send a message: "Hello!"

Your agent should reply. You're now chatting with your own AI agent on Telegram.

Try asking it about the skill you wrote last week.

Step 4: Write a Second Skill

Your agent needs more abilities. Pick one of these or make up your own:

Idea 1: Daily Quote

A skill that shares an inspiring or interesting quote when asked.

Idea 2: Homework Reminder

A skill that helps organize homework tasks and deadlines.

Idea 3: Quick Facts

A skill about a subject you're studying — give it key facts and formulas.

Create the skill:

mkdir -p /opt/openclaw/workspace/skills/useful_skill
nano /opt/openclaw/workspace/skills/useful_skill/SKILL.md

Use the template in useful_skill/SKILL.md in this folder as a starting point.

Test it via Telegram — send a message that should trigger your new skill.

Step 5: Customize the Experience

Make your agent more useful:

  1. Update IDENTITY.md — give it a proper introduction

    nano /opt/openclaw/workspace/IDENTITY.md

  2. Test from your phone — send it messages throughout the day. What's useful? What's missing?

  3. Share it — send the bot username to a friend or family member. See what they ask it.

Tasks

  1. Create the Telegram bot and connect it to OpenClaw.
  2. Test at least 10 messages via Telegram.
  3. Write a second skill using one of the ideas above (or your own).
  4. Have someone else try it — see what they think.
  5. Fill in reflection.md.

Deliverables

  • Screenshot of a Telegram conversation with your bot
  • Your second SKILL.md file
  • reflection.md filled in

Troubleshooting

Bot doesn't respond?

  • Check that the channel is connected: openclaw channels list
  • Check logs: openclaw logs --tail 20
  • Make sure the bot token is correct

Responses are slow?

  • This is normal — the agent is running on a small server and calling the Anthropic API
  • Typical response time is 2-5 seconds

Stuck?

"I connected OpenClaw to Telegram but [describe what happens]. The logs say: [paste log output]. What's wrong?"