openclaw/docs/channels/telegram.md

summary, read_when, title

summary	read_when	title
Telegram bot support status, capabilities, and configuration	Working on Telegram features or webhooks	Telegram

Production-ready for bot DMs and groups via grammY. Long polling is the default mode; webhook mode is optional.

Default DM policy for Telegram is pairing. Cross-channel diagnostics and repair playbooks. Full channel config patterns and examples.

Quick setup

Open Telegram and chat with **@BotFather** (confirm the handle is exactly `@BotFather`).

Run `/newbot`, follow prompts, and save the token.

{
  channels: {
    telegram: {
      enabled: true,
      botToken: "123:abc",
      dmPolicy: "pairing",
      groups: { "*": { requireMention: true } },
    },
  },
}

Env fallback: `TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=...` (default account only).
Telegram does **not** use `openclaw channels login telegram`; configure token in config/env, then start gateway.

openclaw gateway
openclaw pairing list telegram
openclaw pairing approve telegram <CODE>

Pairing codes expire after 1 hour.

Add the bot to your group, then set `channels.telegram.groups` and `groupPolicy` to match your access model. Token resolution order is account-aware. In practice, config values win over env fallback, and `TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN` only applies to the default account.

Telegram side settings

Telegram bots default to **Privacy Mode**, which limits what group messages they receive.

If the bot must see all group messages, either:

- disable privacy mode via `/setprivacy`, or
- make the bot a group admin.

When toggling privacy mode, remove + re-add the bot in each group so Telegram applies the change.

Admin status is controlled in Telegram group settings.

Admin bots receive all group messages, which is useful for always-on group behavior.

- `/setjoingroups` to allow/deny group adds
- `/setprivacy` for group visibility behavior

Access control and activation

`channels.telegram.dmPolicy` controls direct message access:

- `pairing` (default)
- `allowlist` (requires at least one sender ID in `allowFrom`)
- `open` (requires `allowFrom` to include `"*"`)
- `disabled`

`channels.telegram.allowFrom` accepts numeric Telegram user IDs. `telegram:` / `tg:` prefixes are accepted and normalized.
`dmPolicy: "allowlist"` with empty `allowFrom` blocks all DMs and is rejected by config validation.
Setup asks for numeric user IDs only.
If you upgraded and your config contains `@username` allowlist entries, run `openclaw doctor --fix` to resolve them (best-effort; requires a Telegram bot token).
If you previously relied on pairing-store allowlist files, `openclaw doctor --fix` can recover entries into `channels.telegram.allowFrom` in allowlist flows (for example when `dmPolicy: "allowlist"` has no explicit IDs yet).

For one-owner bots, prefer `dmPolicy: "allowlist"` with explicit numeric `allowFrom` IDs to keep access policy durable in config (instead of depending on previous pairing approvals).

Common confusion: DM pairing approval does not mean "this sender is authorized everywhere".
Pairing grants DM access only. Group sender authorization still comes from explicit config allowlists.
If you want "I am authorized once and both DMs and group commands work", put your numeric Telegram user ID in `channels.telegram.allowFrom`.

### Finding your Telegram user ID

Safer (no third-party bot):

1. DM your bot.
2. Run `openclaw logs --follow`.
3. Read `from.id`.

Official Bot API method:

curl "https://api.telegram.org/bot<bot_token>/getUpdates"

Third-party method (less private): `@userinfobot` or `@getidsbot`.

Two controls apply together:

1. **Which groups are allowed** (`channels.telegram.groups`)
   - no `groups` config:
     - with `groupPolicy: "open"`: any group can pass group-ID checks
     - with `groupPolicy: "allowlist"` (default): groups are blocked until you add `groups` entries (or `"*"`)
   - `groups` configured: acts as allowlist (explicit IDs or `"*"`)

2. **Which senders are allowed in groups** (`channels.telegram.groupPolicy`)
   - `open`
   - `allowlist` (default)
   - `disabled`

`groupAllowFrom` is used for group sender filtering. If not set, Telegram falls back to `allowFrom`.
`groupAllowFrom` entries should be numeric Telegram user IDs (`telegram:` / `tg:` prefixes are normalized).
Do not put Telegram group or supergroup chat IDs in `groupAllowFrom`. Negative chat IDs belong under `channels.telegram.groups`.
Non-numeric entries are ignored for sender authorization.
Security boundary (`2026.2.25+`): group sender auth does **not** inherit DM pairing-store approvals.
Pairing stays DM-only. For groups, set `groupAllowFrom` or per-group/per-topic `allowFrom`.
If `groupAllowFrom` is unset, Telegram falls back to config `allowFrom`, not the pairing store.
Practical pattern for one-owner bots: set your user ID in `channels.telegram.allowFrom`, leave `groupAllowFrom` unset, and allow the target groups under `channels.telegram.groups`.
Runtime note: if `channels.telegram` is completely missing, runtime defaults to fail-closed `groupPolicy="allowlist"` unless `channels.defaults.groupPolicy` is explicitly set.

Example: allow any member in one specific group:

{
  channels: {
    telegram: {
      groups: {
        "-1001234567890": {
          groupPolicy: "open",
          requireMention: false,
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Example: allow only specific users inside one specific group:

{
  channels: {
    telegram: {
      groups: {
        "-1001234567890": {
          requireMention: true,
          allowFrom: ["8734062810", "745123456"],
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

<Warning>
  Common mistake: `groupAllowFrom` is not a Telegram group allowlist.

  - Put negative Telegram group or supergroup chat IDs like `-1001234567890` under `channels.telegram.groups`.
  - Put Telegram user IDs like `8734062810` under `groupAllowFrom` when you want to limit which people inside an allowed group can trigger the bot.
  - Use `groupAllowFrom: ["*"]` only when you want any member of an allowed group to be able to talk to the bot.
</Warning>

Group replies require mention by default.

Mention can come from:

- native `@botusername` mention, or
- mention patterns in:
  - `agents.list[].groupChat.mentionPatterns`
  - `messages.groupChat.mentionPatterns`

Session-level command toggles:

- `/activation always`
- `/activation mention`

These update session state only. Use config for persistence.

Persistent config example:

{
  channels: {
    telegram: {
      groups: {
        "*": { requireMention: false },
      },
    },
  },
}

Getting the group chat ID:

- forward a group message to `@userinfobot` / `@getidsbot`
- or read `chat.id` from `openclaw logs --follow`
- or inspect Bot API `getUpdates`

Runtime behavior

• Telegram is owned by the gateway process.
• Routing is deterministic: Telegram inbound replies back to Telegram (the model does not pick channels).
• Inbound messages normalize into the shared channel envelope with reply metadata and media placeholders.
• Group sessions are isolated by group ID. Forum topics append :topic:<threadId> to keep topics isolated.
• DM messages can carry message_thread_id; OpenClaw routes them with thread-aware session keys and preserves thread ID for replies.
• Long polling uses grammY runner with per-chat/per-thread sequencing. Overall runner sink concurrency uses agents.defaults.maxConcurrent.
• Long polling is guarded inside each gateway process so only one active poller can use a bot token at a time. If you still see getUpdates 409 conflicts, another OpenClaw gateway, script, or external poller is likely using the same token.
• Long-polling watchdog restarts trigger after 120 seconds without completed getUpdates liveness by default. Increase channels.telegram.pollingStallThresholdMs only if your deployment still sees false polling-stall restarts during long-running work. The value is in milliseconds and is allowed from 30000 to 600000; per-account overrides are supported.
• Telegram Bot API has no read-receipt support (sendReadReceipts does not apply).

Feature reference

OpenClaw can stream partial replies in real time:

- direct chats: preview message + `editMessageText`
- groups/topics: preview message + `editMessageText`

Requirement:

- `channels.telegram.streaming` is `off | partial | block | progress` (default: `partial`)
- `progress` maps to `partial` on Telegram (compat with cross-channel naming)
- `streaming.preview.toolProgress` controls whether tool/progress updates reuse the same edited preview message (default: `true` when preview streaming is active)
- legacy `channels.telegram.streamMode` and boolean `streaming` values are auto-mapped

Tool-progress preview updates are the short "Working..." lines shown while tools run, for example command execution, file reads, planning updates, or patch summaries. Telegram keeps these enabled by default to match released OpenClaw behavior from `v2026.4.22` and later. To keep the edited preview for answer text but hide tool-progress lines, set:

```json
{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "streaming": {
        "mode": "partial",
        "preview": {
          "toolProgress": false
        }
      }
    }
  }
}
```

Use `streaming.mode: "off"` only when you want to disable Telegram preview edits entirely. Use `streaming.preview.toolProgress: false` when you only want to disable the tool-progress status lines.

For text-only replies:

- DM: OpenClaw keeps the same preview message and performs a final edit in place (no second message)
- group/topic: OpenClaw keeps the same preview message and performs a final edit in place (no second message)

For complex replies (for example media payloads), OpenClaw falls back to normal final delivery and then cleans up the preview message.

Preview streaming is separate from block streaming. When block streaming is explicitly enabled for Telegram, OpenClaw skips the preview stream to avoid double-streaming.

If native draft transport is unavailable/rejected, OpenClaw automatically falls back to `sendMessage` + `editMessageText`.

Telegram-only reasoning stream:

- `/reasoning stream` sends reasoning to the live preview while generating
- final answer is sent without reasoning text

Outbound text uses Telegram `parse_mode: "HTML"`.

- Markdown-ish text is rendered to Telegram-safe HTML.
- Raw model HTML is escaped to reduce Telegram parse failures.
- If Telegram rejects parsed HTML, OpenClaw retries as plain text.

Link previews are enabled by default and can be disabled with `channels.telegram.linkPreview: false`.

Telegram command menu registration is handled at startup with `setMyCommands`.

Native command defaults:

- `commands.native: "auto"` enables native commands for Telegram

Add custom command menu entries:

{
  channels: {
    telegram: {
      customCommands: [
        { command: "backup", description: "Git backup" },
        { command: "generate", description: "Create an image" },
      ],
    },
  },
}

Rules:

- names are normalized (strip leading `/`, lowercase)
- valid pattern: `a-z`, `0-9`, `_`, length `1..32`
- custom commands cannot override native commands
- conflicts/duplicates are skipped and logged

Notes:

- custom commands are menu entries only; they do not auto-implement behavior
- plugin/skill commands can still work when typed even if not shown in Telegram menu

If native commands are disabled, built-ins are removed. Custom/plugin commands may still register if configured.

Common setup failures:

- `setMyCommands failed` with `BOT_COMMANDS_TOO_MUCH` means the Telegram menu still overflowed after trimming; reduce plugin/skill/custom commands or disable `channels.telegram.commands.native`.
- `setMyCommands failed` with network/fetch errors usually means outbound DNS/HTTPS to `api.telegram.org` is blocked.

### Device pairing commands (`device-pair` plugin)

When the `device-pair` plugin is installed:

1. `/pair` generates setup code
2. paste code in iOS app
3. `/pair pending` lists pending requests (including role/scopes)
4. approve the request:
   - `/pair approve <requestId>` for explicit approval
   - `/pair approve` when there is only one pending request
   - `/pair approve latest` for most recent

The setup code carries a short-lived bootstrap token. Built-in bootstrap handoff keeps the primary node token at `scopes: []`; any handed-off operator token stays bounded to `operator.approvals`, `operator.read`, `operator.talk.secrets`, and `operator.write`. Bootstrap scope checks are role-prefixed, so that operator allowlist only satisfies operator requests; non-operator roles still need scopes under their own role prefix.

If a device retries with changed auth details (for example role/scopes/public key), the previous pending request is superseded and the new request uses a different `requestId`. Re-run `/pair pending` before approving.

More details: [Pairing](/channels/pairing#pair-via-telegram-recommended-for-ios).

Configure inline keyboard scope:

{
  channels: {
    telegram: {
      capabilities: {
        inlineButtons: "allowlist",
      },
    },
  },
}

Per-account override:

{
  channels: {
    telegram: {
      accounts: {
        main: {
          capabilities: {
            inlineButtons: "allowlist",
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Scopes:

- `off`
- `dm`
- `group`
- `all`
- `allowlist` (default)

Legacy `capabilities: ["inlineButtons"]` maps to `inlineButtons: "all"`.

Message action example:

{
  action: "send",
  channel: "telegram",
  to: "123456789",
  message: "Choose an option:",
  buttons: [
    [
      { text: "Yes", callback_data: "yes" },
      { text: "No", callback_data: "no" },
    ],
    [{ text: "Cancel", callback_data: "cancel" }],
  ],
}

Callback clicks are passed to the agent as text:
`callback_data: <value>`

Telegram tool actions include:

- `sendMessage` (`to`, `content`, optional `mediaUrl`, `replyToMessageId`, `messageThreadId`)
- `react` (`chatId`, `messageId`, `emoji`)
- `deleteMessage` (`chatId`, `messageId`)
- `editMessage` (`chatId`, `messageId`, `content`)
- `createForumTopic` (`chatId`, `name`, optional `iconColor`, `iconCustomEmojiId`)

Channel message actions expose ergonomic aliases (`send`, `react`, `delete`, `edit`, `sticker`, `sticker-search`, `topic-create`).

Gating controls:

- `channels.telegram.actions.sendMessage`
- `channels.telegram.actions.deleteMessage`
- `channels.telegram.actions.reactions`
- `channels.telegram.actions.sticker` (default: disabled)

Note: `edit` and `topic-create` are currently enabled by default and do not have separate `channels.telegram.actions.*` toggles.
Runtime sends use the active config/secrets snapshot (startup/reload), so action paths do not perform ad-hoc SecretRef re-resolution per send.

Reaction removal semantics: [/tools/reactions](/tools/reactions)

Telegram supports explicit reply threading tags in generated output:

- `[[reply_to_current]]` replies to the triggering message
- `[[reply_to:<id>]]` replies to a specific Telegram message ID

`channels.telegram.replyToMode` controls handling:

- `off` (default)
- `first`
- `all`

Note: `off` disables implicit reply threading. Explicit `[[reply_to_*]]` tags are still honored.

Forum supergroups:

- topic session keys append `:topic:<threadId>`
- replies and typing target the topic thread
- topic config path:
  `channels.telegram.groups.<chatId>.topics.<threadId>`

General topic (`threadId=1`) special-case:

- message sends omit `message_thread_id` (Telegram rejects `sendMessage(...thread_id=1)`)
- typing actions still include `message_thread_id`

Topic inheritance: topic entries inherit group settings unless overridden (`requireMention`, `allowFrom`, `skills`, `systemPrompt`, `enabled`, `groupPolicy`).
`agentId` is topic-only and does not inherit from group defaults.

**Per-topic agent routing**: Each topic can route to a different agent by setting `agentId` in the topic config. This gives each topic its own isolated workspace, memory, and session. Example:

```json5
{
  channels: {
    telegram: {
      groups: {
        "-1001234567890": {
          topics: {
            "1": { agentId: "main" },      // General topic → main agent
            "3": { agentId: "zu" },        // Dev topic → zu agent
            "5": { agentId: "coder" }      // Code review → coder agent
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}
```

Each topic then has its own session key: `agent:zu:telegram:group:-1001234567890:topic:3`

**Persistent ACP topic binding**: Forum topics can pin ACP harness sessions through top-level typed ACP bindings (`bindings[]` with `type: "acp"` and `match.channel: "telegram"`, `peer.kind: "group"`, and a topic-qualified id like `-1001234567890:topic:42`). Currently scoped to forum topics in groups/supergroups. See [ACP Agents](/tools/acp-agents).

**Thread-bound ACP spawn from chat**: `/acp spawn <agent> --thread here|auto` binds the current topic to a new ACP session; follow-ups route there directly. OpenClaw pins the spawn confirmation in-topic. Requires `channels.telegram.threadBindings.spawnAcpSessions=true`.

Template context exposes `MessageThreadId` and `IsForum`. DM chats with `message_thread_id` keep DM routing but use thread-aware session keys.

### Audio messages

Telegram distinguishes voice notes vs audio files.

- default: audio file behavior
- tag `[[audio_as_voice]]` in agent reply to force voice-note send

Message action example:

{
  action: "send",
  channel: "telegram",
  to: "123456789",
  media: "https://example.com/voice.ogg",
  asVoice: true,
}

### Video messages

Telegram distinguishes video files vs video notes.

Message action example:

{
  action: "send",
  channel: "telegram",
  to: "123456789",
  media: "https://example.com/video.mp4",
  asVideoNote: true,
}

Video notes do not support captions; provided message text is sent separately.

### Stickers

Inbound sticker handling:

- static WEBP: downloaded and processed (placeholder `<media:sticker>`)
- animated TGS: skipped
- video WEBM: skipped

Sticker context fields:

- `Sticker.emoji`
- `Sticker.setName`
- `Sticker.fileId`
- `Sticker.fileUniqueId`
- `Sticker.cachedDescription`

Sticker cache file:

- `~/.openclaw/telegram/sticker-cache.json`

Stickers are described once (when possible) and cached to reduce repeated vision calls.

Enable sticker actions:

{
  channels: {
    telegram: {
      actions: {
        sticker: true,
      },
    },
  },
}

Send sticker action:

{
  action: "sticker",
  channel: "telegram",
  to: "123456789",
  fileId: "CAACAgIAAxkBAAI...",
}

Search cached stickers:

{
  action: "sticker-search",
  channel: "telegram",
  query: "cat waving",
  limit: 5,
}

Telegram reactions arrive as `message_reaction` updates (separate from message payloads).

When enabled, OpenClaw enqueues system events like:

- `Telegram reaction added: 👍 by Alice (@alice) on msg 42`

Config:

- `channels.telegram.reactionNotifications`: `off | own | all` (default: `own`)
- `channels.telegram.reactionLevel`: `off | ack | minimal | extensive` (default: `minimal`)

Notes:

- `own` means user reactions to bot-sent messages only (best-effort via sent-message cache).
- Reaction events still respect Telegram access controls (`dmPolicy`, `allowFrom`, `groupPolicy`, `groupAllowFrom`); unauthorized senders are dropped.
- Telegram does not provide thread IDs in reaction updates.
  - non-forum groups route to group chat session
  - forum groups route to the group general-topic session (`:topic:1`), not the exact originating topic

`allowed_updates` for polling/webhook include `message_reaction` automatically.

`ackReaction` sends an acknowledgement emoji while OpenClaw is processing an inbound message.

Resolution order:

- `channels.telegram.accounts.<accountId>.ackReaction`
- `channels.telegram.ackReaction`
- `messages.ackReaction`
- agent identity emoji fallback (`agents.list[].identity.emoji`, else "👀")

Notes:

- Telegram expects unicode emoji (for example "👀").
- Use `""` to disable the reaction for a channel or account.

Channel config writes are enabled by default (`configWrites !== false`).

Telegram-triggered writes include:

- group migration events (`migrate_to_chat_id`) to update `channels.telegram.groups`
- `/config set` and `/config unset` (requires command enablement)

Disable:

{
  channels: {
    telegram: {
      configWrites: false,
    },
  },
}

Default is long polling. For webhook mode set `channels.telegram.webhookUrl` and `channels.telegram.webhookSecret`; optional `webhookPath`, `webhookHost`, `webhookPort` (defaults `/telegram-webhook`, `127.0.0.1`, `8787`).

The local listener binds to `127.0.0.1:8787`. For public ingress, either put a reverse proxy in front of the local port or set `webhookHost: "0.0.0.0"` intentionally.

Webhook mode validates request guards, the Telegram secret token, and the JSON body before returning `200` to Telegram.
OpenClaw then processes the update asynchronously through the same per-chat/per-topic bot lanes used by long polling, so slow agent turns do not hold Telegram's delivery ACK.

- `channels.telegram.textChunkLimit` default is 4000. - `channels.telegram.chunkMode="newline"` prefers paragraph boundaries (blank lines) before length splitting. - `channels.telegram.mediaMaxMb` (default 100) caps inbound and outbound Telegram media size. - `channels.telegram.timeoutSeconds` overrides Telegram API client timeout (if unset, grammY default applies). - `channels.telegram.pollingStallThresholdMs` defaults to `120000`; tune between `30000` and `600000` only for false-positive polling-stall restarts. - group context history uses `channels.telegram.historyLimit` or `messages.groupChat.historyLimit` (default 50); `0` disables. - reply/quote/forward supplemental context is currently passed as received. - Telegram allowlists primarily gate who can trigger the agent, not a full supplemental-context redaction boundary. - DM history controls: - `channels.telegram.dmHistoryLimit` - `channels.telegram.dms[""].historyLimit` - `channels.telegram.retry` config applies to Telegram send helpers (CLI/tools/actions) for recoverable outbound API errors.

CLI send target can be numeric chat ID or username:

openclaw message send --channel telegram --target 123456789 --message "hi"
openclaw message send --channel telegram --target @name --message "hi"

Telegram polls use `openclaw message poll` and support forum topics:

openclaw message poll --channel telegram --target 123456789 \
  --poll-question "Ship it?" --poll-option "Yes" --poll-option "No"
openclaw message poll --channel telegram --target -1001234567890:topic:42 \
  --poll-question "Pick a time" --poll-option "10am" --poll-option "2pm" \
  --poll-duration-seconds 300 --poll-public

Telegram-only poll flags:

- `--poll-duration-seconds` (5-600)
- `--poll-anonymous`
- `--poll-public`
- `--thread-id` for forum topics (or use a `:topic:` target)

Telegram send also supports:

- `--presentation` with `buttons` blocks for inline keyboards when `channels.telegram.capabilities.inlineButtons` allows it
- `--pin` or `--delivery '{"pin":true}'` to request pinned delivery when the bot can pin in that chat
- `--force-document` to send outbound images and GIFs as documents instead of compressed photo or animated-media uploads

Action gating:

- `channels.telegram.actions.sendMessage=false` disables outbound Telegram messages, including polls
- `channels.telegram.actions.poll=false` disables Telegram poll creation while leaving regular sends enabled

Telegram supports exec approvals in approver DMs and can optionally post prompts in the originating chat or topic. Approvers must be numeric Telegram user IDs.

Config path:

- `channels.telegram.execApprovals.enabled` (auto-enables when at least one approver is resolvable)
- `channels.telegram.execApprovals.approvers` (falls back to numeric owner IDs from `allowFrom` / `defaultTo`)
- `channels.telegram.execApprovals.target`: `dm` (default) | `channel` | `both`
- `agentFilter`, `sessionFilter`

Channel delivery shows the command text in the chat; only enable `channel` or `both` in trusted groups/topics. When the prompt lands in a forum topic, OpenClaw preserves the topic for the approval prompt and the follow-up. Exec approvals expire after 30 minutes by default.

Inline approval buttons also require `channels.telegram.capabilities.inlineButtons` to allow the target surface (`dm`, `group`, or `all`). Approval IDs prefixed with `plugin:` resolve through plugin approvals; others resolve through exec approvals first.

See [Exec approvals](/tools/exec-approvals).

Error reply controls

When the agent encounters a delivery or provider error, Telegram can either reply with the error text or suppress it. Two config keys control this behavior:

Key	Values	Default	Description
channels.telegram.errorPolicy	reply, silent	reply	reply sends a friendly error message to the chat. silent suppresses error replies entirely.
channels.telegram.errorCooldownMs	number (ms)	60000	Minimum time between error replies to the same chat. Prevents error spam during outages.

Per-account, per-group, and per-topic overrides are supported (same inheritance as other Telegram config keys).

{
  channels: {
    telegram: {
      errorPolicy: "reply",
      errorCooldownMs: 120000,
      groups: {
        "-1001234567890": {
          errorPolicy: "silent", // suppress errors in this group
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Troubleshooting

- If `requireMention=false`, Telegram privacy mode must allow full visibility.
  - BotFather: `/setprivacy` -> Disable
  - then remove + re-add bot to group
- `openclaw channels status` warns when config expects unmentioned group messages.
- `openclaw channels status --probe` can check explicit numeric group IDs; wildcard `"*"` cannot be membership-probed.
- quick session test: `/activation always`.

- when `channels.telegram.groups` exists, group must be listed (or include `"*"`)
- verify bot membership in group
- review logs: `openclaw logs --follow` for skip reasons

- authorize your sender identity (pairing and/or numeric `allowFrom`)
- command authorization still applies even when group policy is `open`
- `setMyCommands failed` with `BOT_COMMANDS_TOO_MUCH` means the native menu has too many entries; reduce plugin/skill/custom commands or disable native menus
- `setMyCommands failed` with network/fetch errors usually indicates DNS/HTTPS reachability issues to `api.telegram.org`

- Node 22+ + custom fetch/proxy can trigger immediate abort behavior if AbortSignal types mismatch.
- Some hosts resolve `api.telegram.org` to IPv6 first; broken IPv6 egress can cause intermittent Telegram API failures.
- If logs include `TypeError: fetch failed` or `Network request for 'getUpdates' failed!`, OpenClaw now retries these as recoverable network errors.
- If logs include `Polling stall detected`, OpenClaw restarts polling and rebuilds the Telegram transport after 120 seconds without completed long-poll liveness by default.
- Increase `channels.telegram.pollingStallThresholdMs` only when long-running `getUpdates` calls are healthy but your host still reports false polling-stall restarts. Persistent stalls usually point to proxy, DNS, IPv6, or TLS egress issues between the host and `api.telegram.org`.
- On VPS hosts with unstable direct egress/TLS, route Telegram API calls through `channels.telegram.proxy`:

channels:
  telegram:
    proxy: socks5://<user>:<password>@proxy-host:1080

- Node 22+ defaults to `autoSelectFamily=true` (except WSL2) and `dnsResultOrder=ipv4first`.
- If your host is WSL2 or explicitly works better with IPv4-only behavior, force family selection:

channels:
  telegram:
    network:
      autoSelectFamily: false

- RFC 2544 benchmark-range answers (`198.18.0.0/15`) are already allowed
  for Telegram media downloads by default. If a trusted fake-IP or
  transparent proxy rewrites `api.telegram.org` to some other
  private/internal/special-use address during media downloads, you can opt
  in to the Telegram-only bypass:

channels:
  telegram:
    network:
      dangerouslyAllowPrivateNetwork: true

- The same opt-in is available per account at
  `channels.telegram.accounts.<accountId>.network.dangerouslyAllowPrivateNetwork`.
- If your proxy resolves Telegram media hosts into `198.18.x.x`, leave the
  dangerous flag off first. Telegram media already allows the RFC 2544
  benchmark range by default.

<Warning>
  `channels.telegram.network.dangerouslyAllowPrivateNetwork` weakens Telegram
  media SSRF protections. Use it only for trusted operator-controlled proxy
  environments such as Clash, Mihomo, or Surge fake-IP routing when they
  synthesize private or special-use answers outside the RFC 2544 benchmark
  range. Leave it off for normal public internet Telegram access.
</Warning>

- Environment overrides (temporary):
  - `OPENCLAW_TELEGRAM_DISABLE_AUTO_SELECT_FAMILY=1`
  - `OPENCLAW_TELEGRAM_ENABLE_AUTO_SELECT_FAMILY=1`
  - `OPENCLAW_TELEGRAM_DNS_RESULT_ORDER=ipv4first`
- Validate DNS answers:

dig +short api.telegram.org A
dig +short api.telegram.org AAAA

More help: Channel troubleshooting.

Configuration reference

Primary reference: Configuration reference - Telegram.

• startup/auth: enabled, botToken, tokenFile, accounts.* (tokenFile must point to a regular file; symlinks are rejected)
• access control: dmPolicy, allowFrom, groupPolicy, groupAllowFrom, groups, groups.*.topics.*, top-level bindings[] (type: "acp")
• exec approvals: execApprovals, accounts.*.execApprovals
• command/menu: commands.native, commands.nativeSkills, customCommands
• threading/replies: replyToMode
• streaming: streaming (preview), streaming.preview.toolProgress, blockStreaming
• formatting/delivery: textChunkLimit, chunkMode, linkPreview, responsePrefix
• media/network: mediaMaxMb, timeoutSeconds, pollingStallThresholdMs, retry, network.autoSelectFamily, network.dangerouslyAllowPrivateNetwork, proxy
• webhook: webhookUrl, webhookSecret, webhookPath, webhookHost
• actions/capabilities: capabilities.inlineButtons, actions.sendMessage|editMessage|deleteMessage|reactions|sticker
• reactions: reactionNotifications, reactionLevel
• errors: errorPolicy, errorCooldownMs
• writes/history: configWrites, historyLimit, dmHistoryLimit, dms.*.historyLimit

Multi-account precedence: when two or more account IDs are configured, set `channels.telegram.defaultAccount` (or include `channels.telegram.accounts.default`) to make default routing explicit. Otherwise OpenClaw falls back to the first normalized account ID and `openclaw doctor` warns. Named accounts inherit `channels.telegram.allowFrom` / `groupAllowFrom`, but not `accounts.default.*` values.

Related

Pair a Telegram user to the gateway. Group and topic allowlist behavior. Route inbound messages to agents. Threat model and hardening. Map groups and topics to agents. Cross-channel diagnostics.