OpenClaw Telegram Not Connecting — How to Fix It 2026

Telegram connection issues in OpenClaw fall into a few distinct categories. This guide walks through each one systematically.

Step 1: Verify Your Bot Token

# Test token directly:
curl -s "https://api.telegram.org/bot<YOUR_TOKEN>/getMe"

# Expected: {"ok":true,"result":{"id":...,"username":"yourbotname"}}
# If 401 Unauthorized: token is invalid — regenerate from @BotFather

Step 2: Check OpenClaw Channel Config

openclaw channels list
# Verify: telegram | bot: @yourbotname | status: connected

# If missing or error:
openclaw channels remove telegram
openclaw channels add telegram
# Re-enter bot token when prompted

Step 3: Webhook vs Polling Conflict

If you previously set a webhook, it conflicts with OpenClaw's polling mode:

# Check webhook status:
curl -s "https://api.telegram.org/bot<TOKEN>/getWebhookInfo"

# Clear any existing webhook:
curl -s -X POST "https://api.telegram.org/bot<TOKEN>/deleteWebhook"

openclaw gateway restart

Step 4: Check Gateway Logs

openclaw gateway logs --tail 100 | grep -i "telegram\|error\|failed"

Common log errors:

• 409 Conflict: terminated by other getUpdates request — Kill the other polling process: ps aux | grep telegram
• 400 Bad Request: chat not found — Send /start to your bot in Telegram first
• 403 Forbidden: bot was blocked — Unblock your bot in Telegram

Step 5: Start a Conversation First

The bot won't respond until you've sent it at least one message. In Telegram: search for your bot, click Start or send /start.

Step 6: Check Group Privacy Mode

# In Telegram, message @BotFather:
/setprivacy
# Select your bot → DISABLED
# (Required for bot to receive all messages in groups)

Step 7: VPS Firewall Check

# Ensure outbound HTTPS works:
curl -s https://api.telegram.org/
# Should return content, not timeout

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