OpenClaw Module 2: Channels & Skills
Goal: attach at least one real channel (for example Telegram or Slack) to an agent, verify routing, and understand where Skills live.
Use a non-production bot token and test workspace. Only bind channels you control.
Hands-on Steps (Directly Runnable)
Execute each command, capture output, then note issues and fixes.
Step 1: List and add channels
See which channel types OpenClaw can manage:
openclaw channels list
Add a Telegram bot account (example):
openclaw channels add --channel telegram --token <bot-token>
For other channels, run:
openclaw channels add --help
and follow the per-channel flags described there (tokens, private keys, app tokens, etc.).
openclaw channels listopenclaw channels add --channel telegram --token <bot-token>openclaw channels add --helpStep 2: Check channel health and capabilities
Check channel runtime status:
openclaw channels status
Probe capabilities (for example Discord or Slack):
openclaw channels capabilities
openclaw channels capabilities --channel discord --target channel:123
If something looks misconfigured, rerun:
openclaw doctor
and follow its suggestions for channel fixes.
openclaw channels statusopenclaw channels capabilitiesopenclaw channels capabilities --channel discord --target channel:123openclaw doctorStep 3: Bind channel traffic to your agent
List existing agent bindings:
openclaw agents bindings
Bind a Telegram account to your work agent (example):
openclaw agents bind --agent work --bind telegram:ops
If you omit the account id (for example just telegram), OpenClaw uses the default account for that channel; later runs with explicit account ids can upgrade the binding in place.
openclaw agents bindingsopenclaw agents bind --agent work --bind telegram:opsStep 4: Inspect Skills / tools available to the agent
List Skills and tools available (varies by install):
openclaw skills # if your build exposes a skills subcommand`
Even when there is no dedicated skills command, you can still:
- Read
TOOLS.mdin the agent workspace to see tool definitions. - Use
openclaw docs(when available) to open local docs for plugins/hooks.
The goal for this step is to know which tools an agent can reach once a channel message comes in.
openclaw skillsEven when there is no dedicatedcommand, you can still:
- Readin the agent workspace to see tool definitions.
- UseContinue to the next module
Turn the commands on this page into your team runbook.