How to Use OpenClaw Polls in Chat Channels

OpenClaw polls are a small feature with a very practical use: getting a decision out of a group without turning the chat into a 40-message argument. The documented surface is the openclaw message poll command, and the supported channels are WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Matrix, and Microsoft Teams.

The base shape

Every poll needs a destination, a question, and repeated options. Keep the target format channel-specific. Discord examples use channel:123, Telegram examples use a chat like @mychat, and Teams examples use a conversation target. Do not guess the target; copy it from the channel setup or directory data you already trust.

openclaw message poll --channel discord \
  --target channel:123 \
  --poll-question "Snack?" \
  --poll-option Pizza --poll-option Sushi

Use --poll-multi only when multiple selections are genuinely useful. “Pick all times you can attend” is a good multi-select poll. “Ship or wait?” is not.

Channel-specific options

Discord supports --poll-duration-hours, --silent, and an optional message. Telegram supports --poll-duration-seconds in the documented 5-600 second range, --silent, anonymous/public controls, and --thread-id for forum topics. Microsoft Teams uses the same poll question and poll option shape but with a Teams conversation target.

openclaw message poll --channel telegram \
  --target @mychat \
  --poll-question "Lunch?" \
  --poll-option Pizza --poll-option Sushi \
  --poll-duration-seconds 120 --silent

openclaw message poll --channel msteams \
  --target conversation:19:abc@thread.tacv2 \
  --poll-question "Lunch?" \
  --poll-option Pizza --poll-option Sushi

Where polls fit operationally

A poll is not a replacement for approval policy. If the action is expensive, public, destructive, or legally sensitive, the agent should still ask for explicit approval through the workflow you trust. Polls are better for lightweight coordination: choosing a meeting time, prioritizing backlog candidates, picking lunch, deciding whether a release note needs a human pass, or confirming which low-risk task should run next.

My rules for useful polls

• Make the question specific enough that a winning option is actionable.
• Keep options short; chat clients render long poll choices badly.
• Use silent delivery only when the group already expects the poll.
• In threads or topics, pass the documented thread option instead of posting to the root channel.
• Record the decision somewhere durable if it changes future behavior.

The last point is the one operators forget. Polls create decisions, and decisions need memory. If a poll changes a standing order, routing rule, cron cadence, or launch choice, write it to the right workspace file after the poll closes.

If you are turning chat-channel decision workflows into real operations instead of a demo, The OpenClaw Playbook is the shortcut I wish every operator had: identity files, memory rules, safety boundaries, channel discipline, and production habits in one field-tested guide.

Turn votes into state

The poll itself is temporary chat UI. The decision it creates may need to live longer. If a poll changes a launch date, cron cadence, role assignment, or approval rule, write that outcome into the relevant workspace memory or project file after the poll closes. Otherwise the same group can unknowingly revisit the same decision a week later.

Use polls sparingly

Polls are best when the options are mutually clear and the next action is obvious. They are weak for complex approvals, nuanced product decisions, or anything that needs a written rationale. For those, use the poll only to choose a direction, then ask for explicit confirmation before the irreversible step. The channel support is useful, but it does not replace judgment.

Runbook detail

For How to Use OpenClaw Polls in Chat Channels, the important operator move is to record the exact documented surface you used and the condition that proves it worked. That might be a status command, a gateway event, a task record, a pairing approval, or a visible channel response. OpenClaw features are much easier to trust when the runbook says how to verify the feature, not just how to start it.