OpenClaw Telegram Groups & Topics Guide | Threaded Chat Configuration

What This Setup Gives You

Enable OpenClaw in a Telegram group while restricting access to approved users
Configure behavior per topic (thread) inside forum-enabled groups
Control noise with requireMention
Route specific topics to a chosen agent using agentId

🔒 Privacy Note

The example below uses placeholder IDs only. Replace them with your own group ID, user IDs, and topic IDs.

Step 1: Create the Telegram Group, Topics, and Bot Access

A) Create (or choose) a Telegram group

Create a new group in Telegram, or use an existing one
If you want threaded conversations, make sure the group is forum-enabled (topics on)

B) Create your topics

In the group, create the topics you want OpenClaw to work in
Use clear topic names (for example: Ops, Content, Leads, Newsletter)

C) Add your Telegram bot to the group

Add your OpenClaw Telegram bot account as a group member
Confirm the bot can see messages in the topics you want to enable

D) Optional: grant admin permissions

If you want the bot to help with moderation or group actions, grant admin access. Keep permissions minimal and only enable what your workflows require.

Good default for most users: non-admin + message replies
Use admin only when you need management actions in Telegram
Typical admin permissions to consider: delete messages, pin messages, manage topics

Step 2: Gather IDs

A) Find your Telegram user ID

In Telegram, search for IDBot
Open the bot and start it
Copy your numeric user ID

B) Find your forum group ID

Use the same ID bot and open My Forums
Select your target forum-enabled group
Copy the numeric group ID (usually starts with -100...)

C) Find topic IDs

Open each topic in the group
Tap/click Share and copy the topic URL
Use the number at the end of the URL as the topic ID

Step 3: Add Telegram Group + Topic Rules

Edit your OpenClaw config at ~/.openclaw/openclaw.jsonand add a groups section under Telegram.

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "enabled": true,
      "token": "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN",
      "groups": {
        "-1001234567890": {
          "requireMention": true,
          "groupPolicy": "allowlist",
          "allowFrom": [
            "1111111111"
          ],
          "topics": {
            "2": {
              "requireMention": false,
              "groupPolicy": "allowlist",
              "allowFrom": [
                "1111111111"
              ],
              "agentId": "main"
            },
            "5": {
              "requireMention": false,
              "groupPolicy": "allowlist",
              "allowFrom": [
                "1111111111"
              ],
              "agentId": "main"
            },
            "7": {
              "requireMention": false,
              "groupPolicy": "allowlist",
              "allowFrom": [
                "1111111111"
              ],
              "agentId": "main"
            },
            "9": {
              "requireMention": false,
              "groupPolicy": "allowlist",
              "allowFrom": [
                "1111111111"
              ],
              "agentId": "main"
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 4: Understand the Key Fields

requireMention

If true, users must mention your bot to trigger a reply in that scope. At topic-level you can override this and set it to false for a more conversational thread.

groupPolicy: allowlist

Restricts access to approved user IDs only. Combine this with allowFromto keep your group safe from random triggers.

topics

Each topic ID acts like a threaded lane with independent behavior. You can tune mention requirements and access per topic.

agentId

Routes that topic to a specific agent session (for example main). Useful when you want separate behaviors by topic.

Step 5: Restart and Test

After saving your config, restart the gateway:

openclaw gateway restart

Then test in order:

Post in a configured topic from an allowlisted user ID
Verify mention behavior matches your settings
Post from a non-allowlisted account and confirm it is blocked
Repeat for each topic ID to confirm routing and permissions

Troubleshooting

Bot does not reply in a topic

Confirm topic ID is correct from the share URL
Check if requireMention is enabled and mention the bot
Verify your user ID is included in allowFrom

Wrong group behavior

Double-check the group ID key in groups. A single digit mismatch means rules won't apply to that group.

Need status diagnostics

Use OpenClaw diagnostics:

openclaw status

Best Practices

Keep allowlist enabled for groups
Use per-topic rules to reduce accidental triggers
Start strict (requireMention: true) then relax only where needed
Document each topic's purpose so your team knows how to use it

Configure Telegram Threaded Chats (Groups + Topics) in OpenClaw