How Does Messenger Pairing Work in OpenClaw?

Pairing is the process of connecting a messenger to your OpenClaw agent. It's designed to be simple — usually a single command and a token or QR code.

The pair command initiates the connection process. You specify which messenger to connect, provide the required credentials (bot token, API key, or QR scan), and OpenClaw establishes the link.

One agent can connect to multiple messengers simultaneously. Messages from all connected messengers flow into the same Gateway, and the agent maintains a unified conversation context. You can chat via Telegram at work, switch to Discord at home, and the agent remembers the full conversation.

Supported messengers and their pairing requirements: - Telegram: Bot token from @BotFather - Discord: Bot token from Developer Portal - WhatsApp: QR code scan or Business API credentials - Slack: Bot User OAuth Token - iMessage: macOS permissions (Mac only) - Signal: Phone number + signal-cli

To disconnect a messenger, use openclaw unpair <messenger>. To reconnect with different credentials, just run pair again — it replaces the existing connection.

Each messenger has its own adapter that handles message format conversion. The agent sends and receives in a unified format internally, while each adapter translates to the messenger's native format (Markdown, HTML, Block Kit, etc.).

Tip: Always set up Telegram first — it's the most stable and feature-rich integration. Add other messengers as needed.

# List available messengers
openclaw pair --list

# Pair a messenger
openclaw pair telegram

# Check paired messengers
openclaw status

# Disconnect a messenger
openclaw unpair discord