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Connecting Channels

How messaging channels like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Slack work with your AI helper, what you need to set them up, and where the review step applies.

On this page

Your AI helper can talk to you (and, if you choose, to others) over messaging channels like WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, and Signal.

Two things to understand before you connect anything:

  1. Channels are a feature of the helper runtime, not of BrainRoad. Your helper runs on OpenClaw (or Hermes), and each runtime ships its own channel adapters. You set channels up inside the helper’s own interface, not on the BrainRoad dashboard. BrainRoad does not connect any messaging channel for you automatically.
  2. Every channel needs your own account or credentials. A Telegram bot token, a Slack app, your WhatsApp number, a Signal number. BrainRoad never provides these.

Email works differently: every helper gets a managed mailbox from BrainRoad, and replies go through the review step. See Email Setup.

What channels are available

These come from the runtimes themselves, so the exact list depends on which helper you use.

OpenClaw bundles adapters for Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, Google Chat, Microsoft Teams, Matrix, Mattermost, IRC, LINE, Twitch, and more.

Hermes ships its own set, including Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Google Chat, Microsoft Teams, Matrix, Mattermost, LINE, and IRC.

A few common ones and what they require:

ChannelWhat you need
TelegramA bot token from @BotFather (free, simplest to start with)
DiscordA bot token from the Discord Developer Portal
SlackApp and bot tokens from your Slack workspace
WhatsAppYour own WhatsApp number, linked by QR code — see WhatsApp Setup
SignalA Signal number (a separate one is recommended) — see Signal Setup

iMessage is not available on hosted helpers. It requires a bridge running on a Mac, and your helper runs on Linux. We do not list it as an option.

How to connect a channel

Channel setup lives in your helper’s own interface:

  1. From the helper’s interface. Open your helper from the Helper page on the dashboard. OpenClaw has a Channels view where you can see and manage connected channels.
  2. From the Console. Open Console on the dashboard (your helper must be running) and use OpenClaw’s own command line:
openclaw channels add        # guided setup menu
openclaw channels status     # see what is connected

Some channels (like WhatsApp and Signal) install as plugins the first time you select them; the guided setup walks you through it. For details on a specific channel, OpenClaw’s own documentation is the authoritative reference — BrainRoad runs the runtime without changing how its channels work.

Who can message your helper

OpenClaw controls this per channel. By default, unknown senders on direct-message channels get a one-time pairing code and cannot talk to your helper until you approve them. You can tighten this to a fixed allowlist or loosen it if you choose. Group chats are allowlist-only by default.

Start narrow. A channel is a direct line to your helper, so only open it up to people you would hand your business context to.

Where the review step applies

This part matters, so plainly:

  • Managed email replies go through review. Drafts wait in your Inbox for you to approve, edit, or decline before anything sends.
  • Chat channel replies do not automatically get that review step. When someone messages your helper on Telegram or WhatsApp, the runtime replies in the conversation directly — that is how chat works. Channels you connect keep the runtime’s own controls (pairing, allowlists), not BrainRoad’s review step.

So a sensible split: use channels as a way to talk to your own helper, and let customer-facing work flow through email, where drafts wait for your approval.

Channels and sleeping

An idle helper normally goes to sleep to save resources. A helper with a live channel connection stays running, because the channel adapter runs inside the helper’s workspace and a sleeping helper could miss messages.