@captain-app/openclaw 2026.2.4

package/docs/channels/telegram.md

@@ -0,0 +1,750 @@
+---
+summary: "Telegram bot support status, capabilities, and configuration"
+read_when:
+  - Working on Telegram features or webhooks
+title: "Telegram"
+---
+
+# Telegram (Bot API)
+
+Status: production-ready for bot DMs + groups via grammY. Long-polling by default; webhook optional.
+
+## Quick setup (beginner)
+
+1. Create a bot with **@BotFather** ([direct link](https://t.me/BotFather)). Confirm the handle is exactly `@BotFather`, then copy the token.
+2. Set the token:
+   - Env: `TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=...`
+   - Or config: `channels.telegram.botToken: "..."`.
+   - If both are set, config takes precedence (env fallback is default-account only).
+3. Start the gateway.
+4. DM access is pairing by default; approve the pairing code on first contact.
+
+Minimal config:
+
+```json5
+{
+  channels: {
+    telegram: {
+      enabled: true,
+      botToken: "123:abc",
+      dmPolicy: "pairing",
+    },
+  },
+}
+```
+
+## What it is
+
+- A Telegram Bot API channel owned by the Gateway.
+- Deterministic routing: replies go back to Telegram; the model never chooses channels.
+- DMs share the agent's main session; groups stay isolated (`agent:<agentId>:telegram:group:<chatId>`).
+
+## Setup (fast path)
+
+### 1) Create a bot token (BotFather)
+
+1. Open Telegram and chat with **@BotFather** ([direct link](https://t.me/BotFather)). Confirm the handle is exactly `@BotFather`.
+2. Run `/newbot`, then follow the prompts (name + username ending in `bot`).
+3. Copy the token and store it safely.
+
+Optional BotFather settings:
+
+- `/setjoingroups` — allow/deny adding the bot to groups.
+- `/setprivacy` — control whether the bot sees all group messages.
+
+### 2) Configure the token (env or config)
+
+Example:
+
+```json5
+{
+  channels: {
+    telegram: {
+      enabled: true,
+      botToken: "123:abc",
+      dmPolicy: "pairing",
+      groups: { "*": { requireMention: true } },
+    },
+  },
+}
+```
+
+Env option: `TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=...` (works for the default account).
+If both env and config are set, config takes precedence.
+
+Multi-account support: use `channels.telegram.accounts` with per-account tokens and optional `name`. See [`gateway/configuration`](/gateway/configuration#telegramaccounts--discordaccounts--slackaccounts--signalaccounts--imessageaccounts) for the shared pattern.
+
+3. Start the gateway. Telegram starts when a token is resolved (config first, env fallback).
+4. DM access defaults to pairing. Approve the code when the bot is first contacted.
+5. For groups: add the bot, decide privacy/admin behavior (below), then set `channels.telegram.groups` to control mention gating + allowlists.
+
+## Token + privacy + permissions (Telegram side)
+
+### Token creation (BotFather)
+
+- `/newbot` creates the bot and returns the token (keep it secret).
+- If a token leaks, revoke/regenerate it via @BotFather and update your config.
+
+### Group message visibility (Privacy Mode)
+
+Telegram bots default to **Privacy Mode**, which limits which group messages they receive.
+If your bot must see _all_ group messages, you have two options:
+
+- Disable privacy mode with `/setprivacy` **or**
+- Add the bot as a group **admin** (admin bots receive all messages).
+
+**Note:** When you toggle privacy mode, Telegram requires removing + re‑adding the bot
+to each group for the change to take effect.
+
+### Group permissions (admin rights)
+
+Admin status is set inside the group (Telegram UI). Admin bots always receive all
+group messages, so use admin if you need full visibility.
+
+## How it works (behavior)
+
+- Inbound messages are normalized into the shared channel envelope with reply context and media placeholders.
+- Group replies require a mention by default (native @mention or `agents.list[].groupChat.mentionPatterns` / `messages.groupChat.mentionPatterns`).
+- Multi-agent override: set per-agent patterns on `agents.list[].groupChat.mentionPatterns`.
+- Replies always route back to the same Telegram chat.
+- Long-polling uses grammY runner with per-chat sequencing; overall concurrency is capped by `agents.defaults.maxConcurrent`.
+- Telegram Bot API does not support read receipts; there is no `sendReadReceipts` option.
+
+## Draft streaming
+
+OpenClaw can stream partial replies in Telegram DMs using `sendMessageDraft`.
+
+Requirements:
+
+- Threaded Mode enabled for the bot in @BotFather (forum topic mode).
+- Private chat threads only (Telegram includes `message_thread_id` on inbound messages).
+- `channels.telegram.streamMode` not set to `"off"` (default: `"partial"`, `"block"` enables chunked draft updates).
+
+Draft streaming is DM-only; Telegram does not support it in groups or channels.
+
+## Formatting (Telegram HTML)
+
+- Outbound Telegram text uses `parse_mode: "HTML"` (Telegram’s supported tag subset).
+- Markdown-ish input is rendered into **Telegram-safe HTML** (bold/italic/strike/code/links); block elements are flattened to text with newlines/bullets.
+- Raw HTML from models is escaped to avoid Telegram parse errors.
+- If Telegram rejects the HTML payload, OpenClaw retries the same message as plain text.
+
+## Commands (native + custom)
+
+OpenClaw registers native commands (like `/status`, `/reset`, `/model`) with Telegram’s bot menu on startup.
+You can add custom commands to the menu via config:
+
+```json5
+{
+  channels: {
+    telegram: {
+      customCommands: [
+        { command: "backup", description: "Git backup" },
+        { command: "generate", description: "Create an image" },
+      ],
+    },
+  },
+}
+```
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+- `setMyCommands failed` in logs usually means outbound HTTPS/DNS is blocked to `api.telegram.org`.
+- If you see `sendMessage` or `sendChatAction` failures, check IPv6 routing and DNS.
+
+More help: [Channel troubleshooting](/channels/troubleshooting).
+
+Notes:
+
+- Custom commands are **menu entries only**; OpenClaw does not implement them unless you handle them elsewhere.
+- Command names are normalized (leading `/` stripped, lowercased) and must match `a-z`, `0-9`, `_` (1–32 chars).
+- Custom commands **cannot override native commands**. Conflicts are ignored and logged.
+- If `commands.native` is disabled, only custom commands are registered (or cleared if none).
+
+## Limits
+
+- Outbound text is chunked to `channels.telegram.textChunkLimit` (default 4000).
+- Optional newline chunking: set `channels.telegram.chunkMode="newline"` to split on blank lines (paragraph boundaries) before length chunking.
+- Media downloads/uploads are capped by `channels.telegram.mediaMaxMb` (default 5).
+- Telegram Bot API requests time out after `channels.telegram.timeoutSeconds` (default 500 via grammY). Set lower to avoid long hangs.
+- Group history context uses `channels.telegram.historyLimit` (or `channels.telegram.accounts.*.historyLimit`), falling back to `messages.groupChat.historyLimit`. Set `0` to disable (default 50).
+- DM history can be limited with `channels.telegram.dmHistoryLimit` (user turns). Per-user overrides: `channels.telegram.dms["<user_id>"].historyLimit`.
+
+## Group activation modes
+
+By default, the bot only responds to mentions in groups (`@botname` or patterns in `agents.list[].groupChat.mentionPatterns`). To change this behavior:
+
+### Via config (recommended)
+
+```json5
+{
+  channels: {
+    telegram: {
+      groups: {
+        "-1001234567890": { requireMention: false }, // always respond in this group
+      },
+    },
+  },
+}
+```
+
+**Important:** Setting `channels.telegram.groups` creates an **allowlist** - only listed groups (or `"*"`) will be accepted.
+Forum topics inherit their parent group config (allowFrom, requireMention, skills, prompts) unless you add per-topic overrides under `channels.telegram.groups.<groupId>.topics.<topicId>`.
+
+To allow all groups with always-respond:
+
+```json5
+{
+  channels: {
+    telegram: {
+      groups: {
+        "*": { requireMention: false }, // all groups, always respond
+      },
+    },
+  },
+}
+```
+
+To keep mention-only for all groups (default behavior):
+
+```json5
+{
+  channels: {
+    telegram: {
+      groups: {
+        "*": { requireMention: true }, // or omit groups entirely
+      },
+    },
+  },
+}
+```
+
+### Via command (session-level)
+
+Send in the group:
+
+- `/activation always` - respond to all messages
+- `/activation mention` - require mentions (default)
+
+**Note:** Commands update session state only. For persistent behavior across restarts, use config.
+
+### Getting the group chat ID
+
+Forward any message from the group to `@userinfobot` or `@getidsbot` on Telegram to see the chat ID (negative number like `-1001234567890`).
+
+**Tip:** For your own user ID, DM the bot and it will reply with your user ID (pairing message), or use `/whoami` once commands are enabled.
+
+**Privacy note:** `@userinfobot` is a third-party bot. If you prefer, add the bot to the group, send a message, and use `openclaw logs --follow` to read `chat.id`, or use the Bot API `getUpdates`.
+
+## Config writes
+
+By default, Telegram is allowed to write config updates triggered by channel events or `/config set|unset`.
+
+This happens when:
+
+- A group is upgraded to a supergroup and Telegram emits `migrate_to_chat_id` (chat ID changes). OpenClaw can migrate `channels.telegram.groups` automatically.
+- You run `/config set` or `/config unset` in a Telegram chat (requires `commands.config: true`).
+
+Disable with:
+
+```json5
+{
+  channels: { telegram: { configWrites: false } },
+}
+```
+
+## Topics (forum supergroups)
+
+Telegram forum topics include a `message_thread_id` per message. OpenClaw:
+
+- Appends `:topic:<threadId>` to the Telegram group session key so each topic is isolated.
+- Sends typing indicators and replies with `message_thread_id` so responses stay in the topic.
+- General topic (thread id `1`) is special: message sends omit `message_thread_id` (Telegram rejects it), but typing indicators still include it.
+- Exposes `MessageThreadId` + `IsForum` in template context for routing/templating.
+- Topic-specific configuration is available under `channels.telegram.groups.<chatId>.topics.<threadId>` (skills, allowlists, auto-reply, system prompts, disable).
+- Topic configs inherit group settings (requireMention, allowlists, skills, prompts, enabled) unless overridden per topic.
+
+Private chats can include `message_thread_id` in some edge cases. OpenClaw keeps the DM session key unchanged, but still uses the thread id for replies/draft streaming when it is present.
+
+## Inline Buttons
+
+Telegram supports inline keyboards with callback buttons.
+
+```json5
+{
+  channels: {
+    telegram: {
+      capabilities: {
+        inlineButtons: "allowlist",
+      },
+    },
+  },
+}
+```
+
+For per-account configuration:
+
+```json5
+{
+  channels: {
+    telegram: {
+      accounts: {
+        main: {
+          capabilities: {
+            inlineButtons: "allowlist",
+          },
+        },
+      },
+    },
+  },
+}
+```
+
+Scopes:
+
+- `off` — inline buttons disabled
+- `dm` — only DMs (group targets blocked)
+- `group` — only groups (DM targets blocked)
+- `all` — DMs + groups
+- `allowlist` — DMs + groups, but only senders allowed by `allowFrom`/`groupAllowFrom` (same rules as control commands)
+
+Default: `allowlist`.
+Legacy: `capabilities: ["inlineButtons"]` = `inlineButtons: "all"`.
+
+### Sending buttons
+
+Use the message tool with the `buttons` parameter:
+
+```json5
+{
+  action: "send",
+  channel: "telegram",
+  to: "123456789",
+  message: "Choose an option:",
+  buttons: [
+    [
+      { text: "Yes", callback_data: "yes" },
+      { text: "No", callback_data: "no" },
+    ],
+    [{ text: "Cancel", callback_data: "cancel" }],
+  ],
+}
+```
+
+When a user clicks a button, the callback data is sent back to the agent as a message with the format:
+`callback_data: value`
+
+### Configuration options
+
+Telegram capabilities can be configured at two levels (object form shown above; legacy string arrays still supported):
+
+- `channels.telegram.capabilities`: Global default capability config applied to all Telegram accounts unless overridden.
+- `channels.telegram.accounts.<account>.capabilities`: Per-account capabilities that override the global defaults for that specific account.
+
+Use the global setting when all Telegram bots/accounts should behave the same. Use per-account configuration when different bots need different behaviors (for example, one account only handles DMs while another is allowed in groups).
+
+## Access control (DMs + groups)
+
+### DM access
+
+- Default: `channels.telegram.dmPolicy = "pairing"`. Unknown senders receive a pairing code; messages are ignored until approved (codes expire after 1 hour).
+- Approve via:
+  - `openclaw pairing list telegram`
+  - `openclaw pairing approve telegram <CODE>`
+- Pairing is the default token exchange used for Telegram DMs. Details: [Pairing](/start/pairing)
+- `channels.telegram.allowFrom` accepts numeric user IDs (recommended) or `@username` entries. It is **not** the bot username; use the human sender’s ID. The wizard accepts `@username` and resolves it to the numeric ID when possible.
+
+#### Finding your Telegram user ID
+
+Safer (no third-party bot):
+
+1. Start the gateway and DM your bot.
+2. Run `openclaw logs --follow` and look for `from.id`.
+
+Alternate (official Bot API):
+
+1. DM your bot.
+2. Fetch updates with your bot token and read `message.from.id`:
+   ```bash
+   curl "https://api.telegram.org/bot<bot_token>/getUpdates"
+   ```
+
+Third-party (less private):
+
+- DM `@userinfobot` or `@getidsbot` and use the returned user id.
+
+### Group access
+
+Two independent controls:
+
+**1. Which groups are allowed** (group allowlist via `channels.telegram.groups`):
+
+- No `groups` config = all groups allowed
+- With `groups` config = only listed groups or `"*"` are allowed
+- Example: `"groups": { "-1001234567890": {}, "*": {} }` allows all groups
+
+**2. Which senders are allowed** (sender filtering via `channels.telegram.groupPolicy`):
+
+- `"open"` = all senders in allowed groups can message
+- `"allowlist"` = only senders in `channels.telegram.groupAllowFrom` can message
+- `"disabled"` = no group messages accepted at all
+  Default is `groupPolicy: "allowlist"` (blocked unless you add `groupAllowFrom`).
+
+Most users want: `groupPolicy: "allowlist"` + `groupAllowFrom` + specific groups listed in `channels.telegram.groups`
+
+## Long-polling vs webhook
+
+- Default: long-polling (no public URL required).
+- Webhook mode: set `channels.telegram.webhookUrl` and `channels.telegram.webhookSecret` (optionally `channels.telegram.webhookPath`).
+  - The local listener binds to `0.0.0.0:8787` and serves `POST /telegram-webhook` by default.
+  - If your public URL is different, use a reverse proxy and point `channels.telegram.webhookUrl` at the public endpoint.
+
+## Reply threading
+
+Telegram supports optional threaded replies via tags:
+
+- `[[reply_to_current]]` -- reply to the triggering message.
+- `[[reply_to:<id>]]` -- reply to a specific message id.
+
+Controlled by `channels.telegram.replyToMode`:
+
+- `first` (default), `all`, `off`.
+
+## Audio messages (voice vs file)
+
+Telegram distinguishes **voice notes** (round bubble) from **audio files** (metadata card).
+OpenClaw defaults to audio files for backward compatibility.
+
+To force a voice note bubble in agent replies, include this tag anywhere in the reply:
+
+- `[[audio_as_voice]]` — send audio as a voice note instead of a file.
+
+The tag is stripped from the delivered text. Other channels ignore this tag.
+
+For message tool sends, set `asVoice: true` with a voice-compatible audio `media` URL
+(`message` is optional when media is present):
+
+```json5
+{
+  action: "send",
+  channel: "telegram",
+  to: "123456789",
+  media: "https://example.com/voice.ogg",
+  asVoice: true,
+}
+```
+
+## Stickers
+
+OpenClaw supports receiving and sending Telegram stickers with intelligent caching.
+
+### Receiving stickers
+
+When a user sends a sticker, OpenClaw handles it based on the sticker type:
+
+- **Static stickers (WEBP):** Downloaded and processed through vision. The sticker appears as a `<media:sticker>` placeholder in the message content.
+- **Animated stickers (TGS):** Skipped (Lottie format not supported for processing).
+- **Video stickers (WEBM):** Skipped (video format not supported for processing).
+
+Template context field available when receiving stickers:
+
+- `Sticker` — object with:
+  - `emoji` — emoji associated with the sticker
+  - `setName` — name of the sticker set
+  - `fileId` — Telegram file ID (send the same sticker back)
+  - `fileUniqueId` — stable ID for cache lookup
+  - `cachedDescription` — cached vision description when available
+
+### Sticker cache
+
+Stickers are processed through the AI's vision capabilities to generate descriptions. Since the same stickers are often sent repeatedly, OpenClaw caches these descriptions to avoid redundant API calls.
+
+**How it works:**
+
+1. **First encounter:** The sticker image is sent to the AI for vision analysis. The AI generates a description (e.g., "A cartoon cat waving enthusiastically").
+2. **Cache storage:** The description is saved along with the sticker's file ID, emoji, and set name.
+3. **Subsequent encounters:** When the same sticker is seen again, the cached description is used directly. The image is not sent to the AI.
+
+**Cache location:** `~/.openclaw/telegram/sticker-cache.json`
+
+**Cache entry format:**
+
+```json
+{
+  "fileId": "CAACAgIAAxkBAAI...",
+  "fileUniqueId": "AgADBAADb6cxG2Y",
+  "emoji": "👋",
+  "setName": "CoolCats",
+  "description": "A cartoon cat waving enthusiastically",
+  "cachedAt": "2026-01-15T10:30:00.000Z"
+}
+```
+
+**Benefits:**
+
+- Reduces API costs by avoiding repeated vision calls for the same sticker
+- Faster response times for cached stickers (no vision processing delay)
+- Enables sticker search functionality based on cached descriptions
+
+The cache is populated automatically as stickers are received. There is no manual cache management required.
+
+### Sending stickers
+
+The agent can send and search stickers using the `sticker` and `sticker-search` actions. These are disabled by default and must be enabled in config:
+
+```json5
+{
+  channels: {
+    telegram: {
+      actions: {
+        sticker: true,
+      },
+    },
+  },
+}
+```
+
+**Send a sticker:**
+
+```json5
+{
+  action: "sticker",
+  channel: "telegram",
+  to: "123456789",
+  fileId: "CAACAgIAAxkBAAI...",
+}
+```
+
+Parameters:
+
+- `fileId` (required) — the Telegram file ID of the sticker. Obtain this from `Sticker.fileId` when receiving a sticker, or from a `sticker-search` result.
+- `replyTo` (optional) — message ID to reply to.
+- `threadId` (optional) — message thread ID for forum topics.
+
+**Search for stickers:**
+
+The agent can search cached stickers by description, emoji, or set name:
+
+```json5
+{
+  action: "sticker-search",
+  channel: "telegram",
+  query: "cat waving",
+  limit: 5,
+}
+```
+
+Returns matching stickers from the cache:
+
+```json5
+{
+  ok: true,
+  count: 2,
+  stickers: [
+    {
+      fileId: "CAACAgIAAxkBAAI...",
+      emoji: "👋",
+      description: "A cartoon cat waving enthusiastically",
+      setName: "CoolCats",
+    },
+  ],
+}
+```
+
+The search uses fuzzy matching across description text, emoji characters, and set names.
+
+**Example with threading:**
+
+```json5
+{
+  action: "sticker",
+  channel: "telegram",
+  to: "-1001234567890",
+  fileId: "CAACAgIAAxkBAAI...",
+  replyTo: 42,
+  threadId: 123,
+}
+```
+
+## Streaming (drafts)
+
+Telegram can stream **draft bubbles** while the agent is generating a response.
+OpenClaw uses Bot API `sendMessageDraft` (not real messages) and then sends the
+final reply as a normal message.
+
+Requirements (Telegram Bot API 9.3+):
+
+- **Private chats with topics enabled** (forum topic mode for the bot).
+- Incoming messages must include `message_thread_id` (private topic thread).
+- Streaming is ignored for groups/supergroups/channels.
+
+Config:
+
+- `channels.telegram.streamMode: "off" | "partial" | "block"` (default: `partial`)
+  - `partial`: update the draft bubble with the latest streaming text.
+  - `block`: update the draft bubble in larger blocks (chunked).
+  - `off`: disable draft streaming.
+- Optional (only for `streamMode: "block"`):
+  - `channels.telegram.draftChunk: { minChars?, maxChars?, breakPreference? }`
+    - defaults: `minChars: 200`, `maxChars: 800`, `breakPreference: "paragraph"` (clamped to `channels.telegram.textChunkLimit`).
+
+Note: draft streaming is separate from **block streaming** (channel messages).
+Block streaming is off by default and requires `channels.telegram.blockStreaming: true`
+if you want early Telegram messages instead of draft updates.
+
+Reasoning stream (Telegram only):
+
+- `/reasoning stream` streams reasoning into the draft bubble while the reply is
+  generating, then sends the final answer without reasoning.
+- If `channels.telegram.streamMode` is `off`, reasoning stream is disabled.
+  More context: [Streaming + chunking](/concepts/streaming).
+
+## Retry policy
+
+Outbound Telegram API calls retry on transient network/429 errors with exponential backoff and jitter. Configure via `channels.telegram.retry`. See [Retry policy](/concepts/retry).
+
+## Agent tool (messages + reactions)
+
+- Tool: `telegram` with `sendMessage` action (`to`, `content`, optional `mediaUrl`, `replyToMessageId`, `messageThreadId`).
+- Tool: `telegram` with `react` action (`chatId`, `messageId`, `emoji`).
+- Tool: `telegram` with `deleteMessage` action (`chatId`, `messageId`).
+- Reaction removal semantics: see [/tools/reactions](/tools/reactions).
+- Tool gating: `channels.telegram.actions.reactions`, `channels.telegram.actions.sendMessage`, `channels.telegram.actions.deleteMessage` (default: enabled), and `channels.telegram.actions.sticker` (default: disabled).
+
+## Reaction notifications
+
+**How reactions work:**
+Telegram reactions arrive as **separate `message_reaction` events**, not as properties in message payloads. When a user adds a reaction, OpenClaw:
+
+1. Receives the `message_reaction` update from Telegram API
+2. Converts it to a **system event** with format: `"Telegram reaction added: {emoji} by {user} on msg {id}"`
+3. Enqueues the system event using the **same session key** as regular messages
+4. When the next message arrives in that conversation, system events are drained and prepended to the agent's context
+
+The agent sees reactions as **system notifications** in the conversation history, not as message metadata.
+
+**Configuration:**
+
+- `channels.telegram.reactionNotifications`: Controls which reactions trigger notifications
+  - `"off"` — ignore all reactions
+  - `"own"` — notify when users react to bot messages (best-effort; in-memory) (default)
+  - `"all"` — notify for all reactions
+
+- `channels.telegram.reactionLevel`: Controls agent's reaction capability
+  - `"off"` — agent cannot react to messages
+  - `"ack"` — bot sends acknowledgment reactions (👀 while processing) (default)
+  - `"minimal"` — agent can react sparingly (guideline: 1 per 5-10 exchanges)
+  - `"extensive"` — agent can react liberally when appropriate
+
+**Forum groups:** Reactions in forum groups include `message_thread_id` and use session keys like `agent:main:telegram:group:{chatId}:topic:{threadId}`. This ensures reactions and messages in the same topic stay together.
+
+**Example config:**
+
+```json5
+{
+  channels: {
+    telegram: {
+      reactionNotifications: "all", // See all reactions
+      reactionLevel: "minimal", // Agent can react sparingly
+    },
+  },
+}
+```
+
+**Requirements:**
+
+- Telegram bots must explicitly request `message_reaction` in `allowed_updates` (configured automatically by OpenClaw)
+- For webhook mode, reactions are included in the webhook `allowed_updates`
+- For polling mode, reactions are included in the `getUpdates` `allowed_updates`
+
+## Delivery targets (CLI/cron)
+
+- Use a chat id (`123456789`) or a username (`@name`) as the target.
+- Example: `openclaw message send --channel telegram --target 123456789 --message "hi"`.
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+**Bot doesn’t respond to non-mention messages in a group:**
+
+- If you set `channels.telegram.groups.*.requireMention=false`, Telegram’s Bot API **privacy mode** must be disabled.
+  - BotFather: `/setprivacy` → **Disable** (then remove + re-add the bot to the group)
+- `openclaw channels status` shows a warning when config expects unmentioned group messages.
+- `openclaw channels status --probe` can additionally check membership for explicit numeric group IDs (it can’t audit wildcard `"*"` rules).
+- Quick test: `/activation always` (session-only; use config for persistence)
+
+**Bot not seeing group messages at all:**
+
+- If `channels.telegram.groups` is set, the group must be listed or use `"*"`
+- Check Privacy Settings in @BotFather → "Group Privacy" should be **OFF**
+- Verify bot is actually a member (not just an admin with no read access)
+- Check gateway logs: `openclaw logs --follow` (look for "skipping group message")
+
+**Bot responds to mentions but not `/activation always`:**
+
+- The `/activation` command updates session state but doesn't persist to config
+- For persistent behavior, add group to `channels.telegram.groups` with `requireMention: false`
+
+**Commands like `/status` don't work:**
+
+- Make sure your Telegram user ID is authorized (via pairing or `channels.telegram.allowFrom`)
+- Commands require authorization even in groups with `groupPolicy: "open"`
+
+**Long-polling aborts immediately on Node 22+ (often with proxies/custom fetch):**
+
+- Node 22+ is stricter about `AbortSignal` instances; foreign signals can abort `fetch` calls right away.
+- Upgrade to a OpenClaw build that normalizes abort signals, or run the gateway on Node 20 until you can upgrade.
+
+**Bot starts, then silently stops responding (or logs `HttpError: Network request ... failed`):**
+
+- Some hosts resolve `api.telegram.org` to IPv6 first. If your server does not have working IPv6 egress, grammY can get stuck on IPv6-only requests.
+- Fix by enabling IPv6 egress **or** forcing IPv4 resolution for `api.telegram.org` (for example, add an `/etc/hosts` entry using the IPv4 A record, or prefer IPv4 in your OS DNS stack), then restart the gateway.
+- Quick check: `dig +short api.telegram.org A` and `dig +short api.telegram.org AAAA` to confirm what DNS returns.
+
+## Configuration reference (Telegram)
+
+Full configuration: [Configuration](/gateway/configuration)
+
+Provider options:
+
+- `channels.telegram.enabled`: enable/disable channel startup.
+- `channels.telegram.botToken`: bot token (BotFather).
+- `channels.telegram.tokenFile`: read token from file path.
+- `channels.telegram.dmPolicy`: `pairing | allowlist | open | disabled` (default: pairing).
+- `channels.telegram.allowFrom`: DM allowlist (ids/usernames). `open` requires `"*"`.
+- `channels.telegram.groupPolicy`: `open | allowlist | disabled` (default: allowlist).
+- `channels.telegram.groupAllowFrom`: group sender allowlist (ids/usernames).
+- `channels.telegram.groups`: per-group defaults + allowlist (use `"*"` for global defaults).
+  - `channels.telegram.groups.<id>.requireMention`: mention gating default.
+  - `channels.telegram.groups.<id>.skills`: skill filter (omit = all skills, empty = none).
+  - `channels.telegram.groups.<id>.allowFrom`: per-group sender allowlist override.
+  - `channels.telegram.groups.<id>.systemPrompt`: extra system prompt for the group.
+  - `channels.telegram.groups.<id>.enabled`: disable the group when `false`.
+  - `channels.telegram.groups.<id>.topics.<threadId>.*`: per-topic overrides (same fields as group).
+  - `channels.telegram.groups.<id>.topics.<threadId>.requireMention`: per-topic mention gating override.
+- `channels.telegram.capabilities.inlineButtons`: `off | dm | group | all | allowlist` (default: allowlist).
+- `channels.telegram.accounts.<account>.capabilities.inlineButtons`: per-account override.
+- `channels.telegram.replyToMode`: `off | first | all` (default: `first`).
+- `channels.telegram.textChunkLimit`: outbound chunk size (chars).
+- `channels.telegram.chunkMode`: `length` (default) or `newline` to split on blank lines (paragraph boundaries) before length chunking.
+- `channels.telegram.linkPreview`: toggle link previews for outbound messages (default: true).
+- `channels.telegram.streamMode`: `off | partial | block` (draft streaming).
+- `channels.telegram.mediaMaxMb`: inbound/outbound media cap (MB).
+- `channels.telegram.retry`: retry policy for outbound Telegram API calls (attempts, minDelayMs, maxDelayMs, jitter).
+- `channels.telegram.network.autoSelectFamily`: override Node autoSelectFamily (true=enable, false=disable). Defaults to disabled on Node 22 to avoid Happy Eyeballs timeouts.
+- `channels.telegram.proxy`: proxy URL for Bot API calls (SOCKS/HTTP).
+- `channels.telegram.webhookUrl`: enable webhook mode (requires `channels.telegram.webhookSecret`).
+- `channels.telegram.webhookSecret`: webhook secret (required when webhookUrl is set).
+- `channels.telegram.webhookPath`: local webhook path (default `/telegram-webhook`).
+- `channels.telegram.actions.reactions`: gate Telegram tool reactions.
+- `channels.telegram.actions.sendMessage`: gate Telegram tool message sends.
+- `channels.telegram.actions.deleteMessage`: gate Telegram tool message deletes.
+- `channels.telegram.actions.sticker`: gate Telegram sticker actions — send and search (default: false).
+- `channels.telegram.reactionNotifications`: `off | own | all` — control which reactions trigger system events (default: `own` when not set).
+- `channels.telegram.reactionLevel`: `off | ack | minimal | extensive` — control agent's reaction capability (default: `minimal` when not set).
+
+Related global options:
+
+- `agents.list[].groupChat.mentionPatterns` (mention gating patterns).
+- `messages.groupChat.mentionPatterns` (global fallback).
+- `commands.native` (defaults to `"auto"` → on for Telegram/Discord, off for Slack), `commands.text`, `commands.useAccessGroups` (command behavior). Override with `channels.telegram.commands.native`.
+- `messages.responsePrefix`, `messages.ackReaction`, `messages.ackReactionScope`, `messages.removeAckAfterReply`.