Skip to main content

Connecting Your Apps (Channels)

ClawDesk can connect to your favorite messaging apps so that your AI assistants respond directly inside Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, and many more. In ClawDesk, these connections are called "channels."

How Channels Work​

The concept is simple:

  1. Someone sends a message on a platform like Telegram
  2. ClawDesk receives the message through a "bot" account
  3. Your AI agent processes the message
  4. ClawDesk sends the AI's response back to the platform
  5. The person sees the response as if chatting with a real person

Supported Apps​

ClawDesk can connect to 25+ messaging platforms:

AppDescriptionDifficulty to Set Up
📱 TelegramMost popular messaging integrationEasy
🎮 DiscordGaming and communitiesEasy
💼 SlackWorkplace communicationMedium
📞 WhatsAppWhatsApp BusinessMedium
🌐 Web ChatBuilt into ClawDeskAlready done!

Also Supported​

AppDescriptionDifficulty to Set Up
💬 SignalEncrypted messagingMedium
🍎 iMessageApple messaging (macOS only)Medium
🔗 MatrixDecentralized chatMedium
💼 Microsoft TeamsMicrosoft workplaceMedium
📧 EmailIMAP/SMTP emailEasy
💬 IRCClassic internet chatEasy
📱 LINEPopular in AsiaMedium
💼 Google ChatGoogle workplaceMedium
🌐 NostrDecentralized socialAdvanced

Setting Up Telegram (Step by Step)​

Telegram is the easiest channel to set up. Here's a complete walkthrough:

Step 1: Create a Telegram Bot​

  1. Open Telegram on your phone or computer
  2. Search for @BotFather (it's Telegram's official bot for creating bots)
  3. Send the message: /newbot
  4. BotFather will ask for a name — type something like "My AI Assistant"
  5. BotFather will ask for a username — it must end in "bot" (e.g., myai_helper_bot)
  6. BotFather gives you a bot token — a long string like: 
    7123456789:AAF-xyzABC123456789...
  7. Copy this token — you'll need it in the next step
Keep Your Token Secret

Your bot token is like a password. Never share it publicly or post it online. Anyone with this token can control your bot.

Step 2: Connect in ClawDesk​

  1. Open ClawDesk
  2. Go to the Channels page
  3. Click Telegram
  4. Paste your bot token
  5. Choose which agent should respond on Telegram
  6. Click Connect

Step 3: Test It​

  1. Open Telegram
  2. Search for your bot by its username
  3. Start a conversation
  4. Send a message — your ClawDesk AI should respond!

Setting Up Discord (Step by Step)​

Step 1: Create a Discord Application​

  1. Go to discord.com/developers/applications
  2. Click "New Application"
  3. Give it a name (e.g., "ClawDesk AI")
  4. Click Create

Step 2: Create a Bot​

  1. In your application, click "Bot" in the left sidebar
  2. Click "Add Bot"
  3. Under Token, click "Copy" to copy the bot token
  4. Under Privileged Gateway Intents, enable:
    • Message Content Intent (so the bot can read messages)

Step 3: Invite the Bot to Your Server​

  1. In your application, click "OAuth2" → "URL Generator"
  2. Check the "bot" scope
  3. Under Bot Permissions, check:
    • Send Messages
    • Read Message History
    • Read Messages/View Channels
  4. Copy the generated URL
  5. Open the URL in your browser
  6. Select your Discord server and click "Authorize"

Step 4: Connect in ClawDesk​

  1. Go to ClawDesk → Channels page
  2. Click Discord
  3. Paste your bot token
  4. Enter your Guild ID (right-click your server name → "Copy Server ID")
  5. Choose your agent
  6. Click Connect

Step 5: Test It​

  1. Go to your Discord server
  2. Type a message in a channel where the bot has access
  3. The bot should respond with an AI-generated reply

Setting Up Slack (Step by Step)​

Step 1: Create a Slack App​

  1. Go to api.slack.com/apps
  2. Click "Create New App" → "From scratch"
  3. Name it (e.g., "ClawDesk AI") and select your workspace
  4. Click Create App

Step 2: Configure Permissions​

  1. Go to "OAuth & Permissions"
  2. Under Bot Token Scopes, add:
    • chat:write (send messages)
    • app_mentions:read (respond to mentions)
    • channels:read (see channels)
    • channels:history (read messages)
  3. Click "Install to Workspace" and authorize

Step 3: Get Your Tokens​

  1. Copy the Bot User OAuth Token (starts with xoxb-)
  2. Go to "Basic Information" → "App-Level Tokens"
  3. Create a new token with connections:write scope
  4. Copy this token (starts with xapp-)

Step 4: Connect in ClawDesk​

  1. Go to ClawDesk → Channels page
  2. Click Slack
  3. Enter your bot token, app token, and signing secret
  4. Choose your agent
  5. Click Connect

Setting Up Web Chat (Already Built In!)​

ClawDesk includes a built-in web chat interface. It's already set up and ready to go.

To access it:

  1. Start the ClawDesk gateway
  2. Open your browser to http://localhost:18789/ui
  3. Start chatting!

You can also share this link with others on your local network.

Routing: Different Agents for Different Channels​

One powerful feature is routing — you can assign different agents to different channels:

This means:

  • Your Telegram bot can be a customer support AI (friendly, solution-oriented)
  • Your Discord bot can be a community helper (fun, casual)
  • Your Slack bot can be a business assistant (professional, concise)
  • Your Email responder can be a formal auto-replier (polished, with signatures)

Security: Controlling Who Can Talk to Your Bot​

You don't want random people sending thousands of messages to your AI (and running up your API costs). ClawDesk offers several protections:

Rate Limiting​

Limit how many messages a user can send per minute:

rate_limit = 30  # Max 30 messages per minute per user

User Allowlists​

Only allow specific users to interact:

allowed_users = ["user123", "user456"]

Channel Restrictions​

For Discord, limit the bot to specific channels:

allowed_channels = ["general", "ai-help"]

Multi-Channel Dashboard​

Once you have channels connected, the Overview page shows:

ChannelStatusMessages TodayAgent
📱 Telegram🟢 Connected47Support Agent
🎮 Discord🟢 Connected123Community Bot
💼 Slack🔴 Disconnected0—

You can monitor message volumes, connection status, and errors from a single dashboard.

Troubleshooting​

ProblemSolution
Bot not respondingCheck that the channel is enabled and the token is correct
"Unauthorized" errorRegenerate your bot token and update it in ClawDesk
Messages delayedCheck your internet connection and ClawDesk gateway status
Bot responds to itselfMake sure you're not looping — the bot should ignore its own messages
Rate limit reachedIncrease the rate limit or upgrade your provider plan
Discord: "Missing permissions"Re-invite the bot with proper permissions (Send Messages, Read History)

Next Steps​