🤖 OpenClaw on Telegram & WhatsApp
Your complete animated guide to AI-powered messaging automation
📱 Telegram
💬 WhatsApp
🔧 Basic Commands
⚡ AI Automation
📌 What is OpenClaw?
OpenClaw is an open-source AI automation framework that lets you deploy intelligent bots on messaging platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp. It uses natural language processing to understand user messages and execute automated workflows — making it a powerful tool for businesses, agencies, and developers.
Telegram Bot
Deploy AI bots via Telegram Bot API. Supports groups, channels and direct messages.
WhatsApp Bot
Connect via WhatsApp Business API or Baileys library for automated conversations.
🚀 Step-by-Step Setup: Telegram
Create a Telegram Bot
Open Telegram → Search for @BotFather → Send /newbot → Follow the prompts to get your Bot Token
Install OpenClaw
Run in terminal: git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw then cd openclaw && npm install
Configure Telegram Token
Edit your .env file: set TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=your_token_here
Start the Bot
Run npm run start:telegram — your bot is now live on Telegram!
📲 Step-by-Step Setup: WhatsApp
Install Baileys Library
Run: npm install @whiskeysockets/baileys in your OpenClaw directory
Configure WhatsApp in .env
Set WHATSAPP_ENABLED=true and WHATSAPP_SESSION_NAME=openclaw
Scan QR Code
Run npm run start:whatsapp → Scan the QR code with your WhatsApp mobile app
Bot Goes Live
Once connected, OpenClaw listens for incoming messages and processes them through your AI workflows
⌨️ Basic OpenClaw Commands
Once your bot is running, these are the core commands available on both Telegram and WhatsApp:
| Command | Platform | Description |
|---|---|---|
| /start | Telegram | Initialize the bot and display welcome message |
| /help | Both | List all available commands and usage tips |
| /ask [question] | Both | Ask the AI any question — powered by LLM |
| /workflow [name] | Both | Trigger a named automation workflow |
| /status | Both | Check bot connection and health status |
| /reset | Both | Clear conversation context and start fresh |
| /schedule [task] [time] | Both | Schedule a task or message for later |
| /broadcast [message] | Telegram | Send a message to all subscribed users (admin only) |
| /setlang [code] | Both | Set bot response language (en, ar, es, fr…) |
| /config | Both | View or update bot configuration settings |
🎬 Live Demo: AI Chat in Action
Here’s an animated preview of OpenClaw responding to user messages:
🔗 Connecting OpenClaw to n8n Workflows
OpenClaw integrates seamlessly with n8n automation to create powerful AI pipelines. When a user sends a command, OpenClaw can trigger an n8n workflow via webhook:
This allows your Telegram and WhatsApp bot to seamlessly trigger multi-step automations involving GoHighLevel CRM, email systems, Google Sheets, and more.