How to Create a Telegram Bot Token for OpenClaw

You need a Telegram bot token to deploy an OpenClaw assistant on Telegram. This guide walks you through creating one. It takes about 2 minutes.

If you're looking for a full Telegram bot hosting overview first, start here: OpenClaw Telegram Bot Hosting.

OpenClaw Telegram Bot Token (Support Term)

If you searched for openclaw telegram bot token, this page is the canonical setup flow. After token setup, use How to Configure OpenClaw Group Chat Behavior for requireMention / groupPolicy, How to Change the OpenClaw DM Policy to control who can DM your bot, and How to Unlock DM Access on Your OpenClaw Bot for dmPolicy / allowlist lockout recovery.

Step 1: Open BotFather

Open Telegram and search for @BotFather, or go directly to t.me/BotFather. BotFather is Telegram's official tool for creating and managing bots.

Step 2: Verify BotFather's identity

Before interacting with BotFather, verify it's the official Telegram bot. Open BotFather's profile and check for:

1. Verified badge — Look for the blue checkmark (✓) next to the name. This means Telegram has verified it's the official bot.
2. Username — Confirm it's @BotFather exactly. Scam bots often use similar names like @BotFather2 or @botfather_official.

Open BotFather's profile to see the verified badge:

Once you've verified it's official, proceed to create your bot.

Step 3: Start the conversation

Tap or click the START button to begin interacting with BotFather.

Step 4: Send the /newbot command

After tapping START, BotFather shows you all available commands. Send the /newbot command to create a new bot.

BotFather will ask you two things:

1. A name for your bot — This is the display name. It can be anything, like "My AI Assistant" or "Team Helper Bot".
2. A username for your bot — This must end in bot. For example: my_ai_assistant_bot or team_helper_bot.

Step 5: Copy the token

After you provide a username, BotFather gives you a bot token. It looks something like this:

7123456789:AAHdqTcvCH1vGWJxfSeofSAs0K5PALDsaw

Copy this token. You'll paste it into the ClawCloud deploy wizard.

Step 6: Deploy on ClawCloud

Go to the ClawCloud deploy wizard, Telegram will be preselected, then paste the token. That's it — your bot will be live in under a minute.

Step 7: Optional — Customize your bot

You can customize your bot's profile in BotFather before or after deploying:

• /setdescription — Set the text users see when they open a chat with your bot for the first time.
• /setabouttext — Set the text shown in the bot's profile.
• /setuserpic — Upload a profile photo for your bot.

These are optional. Your bot works without any of them.

Troubleshooting

"Invalid bot token" error in ClawCloud — Make sure you copied the entire token, including the colon and everything after it. Don't include any extra spaces.

Can't find BotFather — Search for @BotFather (with the @ symbol) in Telegram's search bar. The official BotFather has a blue verified checkmark.