Set up Claude Code Channels for Telegram or Discord

In March 2026, Anthropic introduced Claude Code Channels, a feature that lets you work with Claude Code through Telegram or Discord. Messages from the messaging app arrive in an open session on your computer, where Claude already has access to your project and its working context.

Channels is in research preview, an early testing stage, so its commands and protocol may still change. We set up Telegram and Discord and tested them in practice; this guide covers installation, account pairing, and common problems. Since we previously published an OpenClaw setup guide, we also explain which tasks each tool is suited to.

What is Claude Code Channels, and what can you use it for?

How it works

A channel runs through an MCP server that Claude Code launches on your computer as a separate child process. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a standard for connecting external tools to an AI agent. Here, the server passes messages between the messaging app and your active Claude Code session.

When you message your Telegram bot, the plugin receives the message through the Telegram Bot API using long polling: Telegram keeps a request open until a message arrives or the request times out. The plugin forwards the text to the session as an MCP event over stdio, the process’s standard input and output streams. Claude reads files, analyzes code, or runs commands according to your request, then sends its response through the same channel.

What you can do through Channels

Through your messaging app, you give tasks to the same Claude Code session you were using in the terminal. Within the permissions granted to that session, you can:

• read and edit project files;
• run terminal commands;
• receive replies in the same chat;
• send and receive files: Telegram displays images with a preview, while documents and attachments have separate limits, listed below;
• add emoji reactions to messages.

The terminal shows the incoming message and the reply tool call, while the response text appears in your messaging app.

Channels vs. OpenClaw: what is the difference?

OpenClaw is a separate agent with its own working directory (workspace). Channels connects a messaging app to an open Claude Code session in your project. For example, if you ask, “Check why the tests in api/users.test.ts are failing,” Claude works with the files in the project directory where the session is running.

In a typical Telegram or Discord workflow, you send a task, and Claude completes it and replies. The session must stay active for this to work: ending it or shutting down the computer disconnects the bot.

You can configure OpenClaw to start tasks on a schedule or in response to events using Heartbeat, Automations, and Hooks. In earlier versions, the scheduler was called Cron; the openclaw cron command is retained for compatibility. The agent can run around the clock on a VPS, a rented remote server. It supports dozens of communication channels, a memory system, and skills: sets of instructions for specific tasks. Additional skills are available in the ClawHub catalog.

Claude Code Channels is convenient for working remotely with an open project: you can give the agent a task from your phone and review the result on your computer later. OpenClaw suits ongoing automation where the agent needs to start tasks itself and use a range of integrations.

What you need before you start

An up-to-date version of Claude Code

Check your installed Claude Code version:

claude --version

Use an up-to-date version of Claude Code for this guide, since older releases may not support all the features in the current plugins. If you installed it using the official script, update it with the command below, then check claude --version again. For a fresh installation, follow the next section.

claude update

A Claude subscription or Console API key

Channels requires Anthropic authentication: a claude.ai account with a subscription that includes Claude Code, or an Anthropic Console API key. Channels is not available through Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud (Vertex AI), or Microsoft Foundry. On individual Pro and Max plans, you can connect channels straight away. For Team and Enterprise, the organization owner must first enable Channels in the settings. The relevant managed setting is channelsEnabled, which an administrator configures centrally. Console organizations must also enable it if they deploy managed settings.

Bun to run the plugins

The prebuilt Telegram and Discord plugins run on Bun, a JavaScript runtime. These plugins specifically require Bun; having Node.js installed is not enough.

Check whether Bun is installed:

bun --version

If the terminal cannot find the command, install Bun for your operating system.

On macOS or Linux, run:

curl -fsSL https://bun.com/install | bash

On Windows, run this in CMD or PowerShell:

powershell -c "irm bun.sh/install.ps1 | iex"

The Windows command calls PowerShell and runs the installation script, so it works in either shell. Once installation is complete, open a new terminal window and run bun --version again.

Git for the plugin marketplace

The claude-plugins-official marketplace is downloaded from GitHub, so adding or updating it requires Git to be available on PATH. Check this in your regular terminal:

git --version

If the command is not found on Windows, install Git for Windows, close the terminal, open a new one, and check again. You should see a version number. On macOS or Linux, likewise install Git for your system if it is not already present. Claude Code itself can run commands through PowerShell on Windows without Git Bash, but the git command is still needed to clone the plugin marketplace.

A Telegram bot

For Telegram, you need a token for a bot created through @BotFather. This step is illustrated in the section on creating a Telegram bot in our OpenClaw guide. The image above shows the later pairing step for OpenClaw specifically; for Claude Code Channels, follow the separate instructions below.

A Discord application and bot

For Discord, create an Application in the Developer Portal and configure its bot. In addition to the token, you will need a server to invite the bot to and access to its settings.

Installing Claude Code

Installation on Windows

Step 1. Open Command Prompt: press Win+R, type cmd, and press Enter.

Step 2. Run the installation command:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd

Run this command in CMD. If you use PowerShell, run the following instead:

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Step 3. Wait for installation to finish, close the terminal, and open a new CMD window. Check whether the command is available:

claude --version

If a version number appears, continue to step 6.

The message is not recognized means the terminal cannot find the executable. If the installer completed successfully, check the file path and the PATH environment variable by following the steps below.

Step 4. Find claude.exe by running this in CMD:

where /r "%USERPROFILE%" claude.exe

The search checks the folders in your user profile. For an installation using the official script, look for claude.exe in .local\bin. Its path usually looks like this:

C:\Users\<username>\.local\bin\claude.exe

Copy the folder path, removing \claude.exe from the end: in this example, C:\Users\<username>\.local\bin.

Step 5. Add this folder to your user Path variable through Windows settings:

1. Press Win+R, enter rundll32 sysdm.cpl,EditEnvironmentVariables, and select OK.
2. In the upper part of the window, under User variables, select Path and click Edit.
3. Click New.
4. Paste the path to the folder you found, for example C:\Users\<username>\.local\bin.
5. Save the changes by clicking OK in each open dialog.
6. Close CMD and open a new window so it picks up the updated PATH value.

Step 6. Open your project folder in File Explorer, type cmd in the address bar, and press Enter. In the CMD window that opens in this folder, start Claude Code:

claude

Installation on macOS

Step 1. Open Terminal and install Claude Code:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

Step 2. Open a new terminal window, change to your project folder, and start Claude Code:

claude

Step 3. Sign in through your browser, following the “Browser sign-in” section below.

Installation on Linux

Linux uses the same installation script as macOS. Run this in your terminal:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

After installation, open a new terminal window, change to your project folder, run claude, and sign in through your browser.

Browser sign-in

If you are not signed in and have not set an API key, Claude Code will ask you to choose a sign-in method when you first launch it:

• Claude account with subscription — an account with a Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise subscription;
• Anthropic Console account — API usage with separate billing;
• 3rd-party platform — Amazon Bedrock, Microsoft Foundry, or Vertex AI.

To connect using a subscription, select Claude account with subscription and follow the browser sign-in steps below. If you plan to use a Console API key, follow the separate instructions at the end of this section. Third-party platform authentication is not supported for Channels.

If you choose to sign in with a Claude account, make sure your subscription includes Claude Code access.

After choosing the first option, wait for the authorization page to open in your browser, click Authorize, and return to the terminal. If the browser does not open automatically, press c to copy the sign-in URL and open it manually. If the browser displays a code after you sign in, paste it into the terminal at the Paste code here if prompted prompt.

When the terminal shows Login successful, press Enter to continue to your Claude Code session.

If you are using a Console API key

To connect Channels with an API key, create one in Anthropic Console and make sure API billing is configured for your organization. Exit Claude Code with /exit and set the environment variable in your shell. Replace <API_key> with your own key, without the angle brackets.

CMD on Windows:

set "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=<API_key>"

PowerShell:

$env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="<API_key>"

Bash or Zsh on macOS and Linux:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="<API_key>"

Run claude in the same terminal window. If it asks whether to use the key, approve it and check the result with /status. Once the key is approved, requests are billed through the API, even if you also have a Claude subscription. To return to your subscription, remove the variable from the current window with set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY= in CMD, Remove-Item Env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in PowerShell, or unset ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in Bash/Zsh, then restart Claude Code.

Setting up the Telegram channel

If you have already connected OpenClaw to Telegram, some steps will be familiar. Create a separate bot for Channels: multiple processes receiving messages through getUpdates with the same token will conflict, so do not reuse one token for OpenClaw and Claude Code Channels.

Step 1. Create a bot through @BotFather

Open @BotFather in Telegram and send the /newbot command.

BotFather will ask for:

• Name — the name displayed in the chat; it can contain spaces;
• Username — a unique bot username ending in bot, such as my_claude_code_bot.

Step 2. Install the Telegram plugin

In your open Claude Code session, install the official Telegram plugin:

/plugin install telegram@claude-plugins-official

Select Install for you (user scope) to install the plugin for your user account and make it available across projects.

If Claude Code reports that the claude-plugins-official marketplace was not found, add it with the following command, then retry the installation:

/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-official

If the marketplace is already added but you see Plugin ... not found in marketplace, refresh its catalog and run the installation command again:

/plugin marketplace update claude-plugins-official

After installation, apply the changes to make the plugin commands available:

/reload-plugins

Step 3. Save the bot token

Run the following command in Claude Code, replacing <token> with your bot token. Do not include the angle brackets.

/telegram:configure <token>

The command saves the token to ~/.claude/channels/telegram/.env.

If you see Unknown skill: telegram:configure, open /plugin and check that the Telegram plugin is installed and enabled. Run /reload-plugins again or restart Claude Code. Once the plugin is available, you can also set the token using either of the methods below; use only one of them.

Option A: an environment variable. Exit Claude Code with /exit, then run the command below in CMD before starting it again. Replace <BotFather_token> with your token without angle brackets, but keep the outer double quotes.

set "TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=<BotFather_token>"

Option B: a .env file. Create the folder by running this in CMD:

mkdir "%USERPROFILE%\.claude\channels\telegram"

Open Notepad and create a file containing a single line:

TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=<BotFather_token>

Save the file as %USERPROFILE%\.claude\channels\telegram\.env, replacing <BotFather_token> in its contents with your token, without angle brackets. In Notepad, select All files as the file type so it does not add a .txt extension: the filename must be exactly .env. If you used the environment variable in option A, launch Claude Code in the same CMD window; a value set with set applies only to that window and processes started from it.

Step 4. Start Claude Code with channels enabled

If Claude Code is still running, exit it with /exit. In the same terminal window, change to the project directory you want to use and start Claude Code with the Telegram channel:

claude --channels plugin:telegram@claude-plugins-official

On startup, look for the notice that plugin:telegram@claude-plugins-official is enabled, and check that there is no 1 MCP server failed error. A normal launch starts a new conversation in the current directory. To resume the latest conversation in this project, add --continue: claude --continue --channels plugin:telegram@claude-plugins-official. You can use the same flag when starting the Discord channel.

If you see 1 MCP server failed, check that Bun is available by running bun --version in the same terminal window, and open /mcp to inspect the server status. On Windows, check Git Bash if the error specifically refers to it. The git command is also needed to download the plugin marketplace, even when Claude Code itself uses PowerShell.

Step 5. Pair your account

Find your bot in Telegram. If a Start button appears, tap it, then send a message such as “Hi” if needed. The bot should reply with a six-character pairing code.

If there is no reply, return to the terminal and check that the session was started with --channels and that the MCP server has not failed to start.

In your Claude Code session, enter:

/telegram:access pair abc123

Replace abc123 with the code from the bot’s message. If Claude Code asks for permission to access the channel configuration files, check which files it is accessing and approve the required action.

Once pairing is confirmed, the next message from your account will be forwarded to Claude Code as a request.

Step 6. Restrict access

The default policy is pairing: anyone who messages the bot can receive a pairing code, but access is granted only after that code is approved in Claude Code. After pairing your account, switch the bot to the list of approved users, or allowlist:

/telegram:access policy allowlist

The bot will accept messages only from accounts whose numeric IDs are on the list; all other messages are silently ignored. If you have paired only your own account, only you will have access.

The plugin determines your ID automatically during pairing. If you need it separately, you can find your numeric Telegram ID through @userinfobot.

Your first message: testing the connection

Send the bot a short request. If the first reply tool call needs permission, the official plugin forwards the prompt to Telegram with See more, Allow, and Deny buttons; it also remains available in the terminal. Open See more, check the action, and approve sending the reply. Claude Code applies whichever answer it receives first. In the terminal, you can also select Always allow for reply so you do not need to approve every subsequent message. The test is complete when Claude’s reply appears in your Telegram chat.

What the Telegram channel can do

When the bot receives a message, it briefly shows a “typing…” status. This confirms that the request has arrived, but the status may disappear before the response is ready.

Setting up Discord: step-by-step instructions

For Discord, create an application in the Developer Portal, configure its bot, and invite it to a server. The plugin lets Claude read message history in an accessible chat or channel and download attachments on request.

Step 1. Create an application and configure the bot

Open the Discord Developer Portal, click New Application, and give the application a name. If an introductory questionnaire appears first, choose the option to create a bot.

Open Bot in the sidebar and give the bot a username.

Under Privileged Gateway Intents, enable Message Content Intent and click Save Changes to save the setting. This permission is needed to read message text in server channels; without it, some messages will arrive with empty content. The Presence Intent and Server Members Intent toggles shown enabled in the older screenshot are not required by the official Claude Code Channels plugin.

Step 2. Generate a token

On the same Bot page, click Reset Token and complete any verification Discord requests. Copy and save the token: you will not be able to view that value again.

Step 3. Invite the bot to your server

To send the bot direct messages (DMs), you need to share a server with it. Open OAuth2 → URL Generator, select bot, and enable the following under Bot Permissions:

• View Channels;
• Send Messages;
• Send Messages in Threads;
• Read Message History;
• Attach Files;
• Add Reactions.

Set Integration type to Guild Install. Copy the generated URL, open it, and add the bot to your server.

Not all of these permissions are needed for direct messages, but they will be useful if you connect server channels later. The plugin instructions recommend selecting them at this stage.

Step 4. Install the plugin

In your open Claude Code session, install the Discord plugin:

/plugin install discord@claude-plugins-official

Select Install for you (user scope). If the marketplace or plugin is not found, use the commands from step 2 of the Telegram section. Once installation succeeds, apply the changes:

/reload-plugins

Step 5. Save the bot token

/discord:configure <token>

Run the command above in Claude Code, replacing <token> with the value obtained in step 2. Do not include angle brackets. The token will be saved to ~/.claude/channels/discord/.env.

To run several bots on one computer with different tokens and separate user allowlists, set DISCORD_STATE_DIR to a different directory for each instance.

Step 6. Restart Claude Code with the Discord channel

Exit Claude Code with /exit, then run the following in your terminal from the project directory you want to use:

claude --channels plugin:discord@claude-plugins-official

Step 7. Pair your account and restrict access

Send the bot a direct message in Discord. Once you receive a pairing code, approve it in your Claude Code session:

/discord:access pair <code>

Replace <code> with the value from the bot’s message, without angle brackets.

After pairing, switch the bot to the user allowlist:

/discord:access policy allowlist

Now send the bot a short request to test the connection. If Claude Code asks for permission to reply, open See more in your Discord DM and confirm that the action is to send a message before clicking Allow. You can also answer the prompt in the terminal. The connection is working when Claude’s reply appears in your DM with the bot.

What the Discord channel can do

To find an attachment, Claude can first read the available messages using fetch_messages, then download the selected file with download_attachment.

Using several channels at once

You can connect Telegram and Discord to one session by listing the plugins separated by spaces:

claude --channels plugin:telegram@claude-plugins-official plugin:discord@claude-plugins-official

The channels work independently: Claude sends its response through the platform the message came from.

Updating installed plugins

Updating Claude Code and updating a plugin are separate operations. If you have configured Channels before, exit any active bot sessions with /exit and run the following in your regular terminal:

claude plugin marketplace update claude-plugins-official

Update only the plugins you have installed:

claude plugin update telegram@claude-plugins-official

claude plugin update discord@claude-plugins-official

Then start the session you need with --channels. Add --continue to resume the previous conversation. In a running session, new plugin files take effect after /reload-plugins or a restart; updating the files on disk does not change the code already loaded. See Anthropic’s plugin update instructions for details.

Background operation: keeping your session connected

For Channels to work, your Claude Code session must stay active, and the computer must remain on and connected to the network. If you end the process, shut down the computer, or put it to sleep, the bot will stop responding.

On Windows

The tmux and screen utilities are not available in a standard Windows environment, though you can use them in WSL, for example. If you run Claude Code in CMD, leave the window open; you can minimize it when needed.

For round-the-clock operation, you can move Claude Code to a Linux VPS so access to the bot does not depend on your personal computer.

On macOS, Linux, or a VPS

On macOS and Linux, you can install tmux or screen to keep a program running after the terminal closes. Before switching to tmux, end the previous session using this bot with /exit so two processes do not use the same token. If tmux is already installed, run the following from the same project directory:

tmux new-session -s claude 'claude --continue --channels plugin:telegram@claude-plugins-official'

Wait for Claude Code to start, respond to the initial prompts, check the active authentication method with /status, and wait for a reply from the bot. To leave the process running in the background, press Ctrl+B, release the keys, then press D. Once you are back at the shell prompt, you can close the terminal or end the SSH connection: the bot will keep working while the computer is on, connected to the network, and awake. To reattach to the session, run:

tmux attach -t claude

You can run Claude Code on a Linux VPS in the same way: install the required components on the server, open the project there, and start the session through tmux. Claude Code will continue running on the server after you disconnect from SSH.

Common problems and how to fix them

If the channel is not working, first check the Claude Code launch command, confirm Bun is available with bun --version, and make sure no other program or session is using the bot token. The following sections cover the most common causes of failure.

The bot does not respond after setup

Check whether another Claude Code or OpenClaw session is using the same bot token. Concurrent getUpdates requests with one token conflict, which can stop the intended session from receiving messages.

End any extra processes using this token, then restart the session you want with --channels.

The session was started without –channels

Check the launch command: without --channels, messages will not be forwarded to the session even if the plugin and token are already configured. This flag explicitly determines which channels can send Claude events during the current session.

Discord messages arrive without text

Open Bot → Privileged Gateway Intents in the Developer Portal and check Message Content Intent. After enabling it, click Save Changes, restart the session with the Discord channel, and send a new test message.

The pairing code is not accepted

Approve the code in Claude Code using /telegram:access pair <code> or /discord:access pair <code>. Sending it back to the bot in the chat app will not pair your account.

A message was sent while the session was closed

A closed Claude Code session does not process requests. Telegram keeps events the bot has not yet received, including new messages, for no more than 24 hours, so some messages may arrive after you start it again. The Discord plugin does not automatically forward missed messages to the agent on startup, although history can be read with a separate tool. After restarting, check whether the request was completed and send it again if necessary.

Several projects on one computer

If several projects are open on the same computer, disable the Telegram plugin at user scope. Set the following in ~/.claude/settings.json:

{ "enabledPlugins": { "telegram@claude-plugins-official": false } }

Enable it in the settings for the project you want to use, .claude/settings.json, by setting the same key to true. This limits automatic plugin loading in other projects, but two sessions in one project must still not use the same token at the same time. If the files already contain other settings, preserve them and add or change only the relevant key.

The channel does not start on the first attempt

Restart Claude Code, check its version, and run bun --version in the same terminal. In our tests, restarting resolved most of these failures. If the error persists, inspect the server status through /mcp and read the error message to identify which stage of the connection is failing.

Security

Channel configuration includes several separate access controls.

An approved user can pass the agent a file or text containing someone else’s instructions. Attempts to override the intended task in this way are called prompt injection: a message might, for example, try to make the agent read secrets or run an unrelated command. Combine allowlist with action review and limited file access; we discuss examples in the prompt injection section of our OpenClaw guide.

Explicit channel activation. For an MCP server’s events to reach the session, you must both add it to .mcp.json and name it in --channels at startup. This determines where Claude can receive messages from; the flag does not verify the safety of the plugin’s code.

Pairing and the user allowlist. Initial access is approved with a code in Claude Code, after which the allowlist policy filters out messages from other accounts. Add only people you trust to work with the session: they will also be able to approve the agent’s actions through direct messages.

No open inbound port. The prebuilt Telegram and Discord plugins do not require you to expose a server on your computer to the internet, configure a webhook URL, or set up a reverse proxy. Your computer initiates the connections to the platforms. This reduces the risk associated with an internet-accessible control panel, though bot tokens, your chat account, and agent permissions still need protection.

The consequences of exposed access are illustrated by a SecurityScorecard study published in February 2026: at one stage of its scan, the team found 40,214 OpenClaw instances accessible from the internet. The report also describes remote code execution risks, including CVE-2026-25253. These figures reflect conditions during the study. The prebuilt Channels plugins do not have this kind of exposed control panel, but protection against other forms of compromise is still necessary.

Keep the platform’s privacy limits in mind, too: conversations with bots pass through the chat service’s servers. We explain how Telegram chats are protected and how other services differ in our article on messaging privacy.

How we use Channels to work on articles

We run Claude Code in a project containing our article drafts. When we leave for a meeting, we keep the computer on and the session active so we can send tasks from a phone.

After starting Claude Code with --channels, we minimize CMD and send tasks through Telegram on the phone. For example:

• “Check the draft in article-channels.md and fix any grammatical errors.”
• “Add a security section after the Discord section.”
• “Read references.md and make a short list of the key points.”

Claude updates the files on our computer and replies in Telegram. In our tests, responses to short requests usually arrived within about a minute, so we could review the result when we returned to our desks.

This setup is sufficient for working during a meeting as long as the computer does not sleep and no one closes CMD. For persistent remote access independent of the work computer, you can run the session on a VPS.

If an action needs approval and the prompt arrives in Telegram, we first tap See more and check the command or file path. We then approve or deny the action with Allow or Deny.

Tips for getting started

Start with Telegram

With all prerequisites already installed, connecting Telegram took us about five minutes, compared with 10–15 minutes for Discord. Telegram is convenient for personal use because you do not need to create a server or configure a bot invitation.

Protect the session from accidental closure

On macOS and Linux, run Claude Code through tmux if you plan to close the terminal or disconnect from SSH. In CMD on Windows, leave the window open. In either case, the computer must remain on and must not go to sleep.

Remember the allowlist

Switch the policy to allowlist immediately after pairing the intended account so the bot stops issuing pairing codes to other users.

Use one Telegram token in one session

Do not run several processes that receive messages for the same Telegram bot at once. Use different bots for separate sessions and keep their configurations separate.

Review actions before approving them

The Allow button in your chat app authorizes an action just as approval in the terminal does, so open See more first and read the command or file path. Every user on the allowlist can approve the agent’s actions through direct messages, so review the list periodically.

Combine tools to suit your tasks

Channels is enough to work with your current project from a phone. If you need Heartbeat, Automations, Hooks, a memory system, and OpenClaw’s wider range of integrations, you can use the tools together. For Telegram, each needs its own bot with a separate token.

Claude Code Channels limitations

• Preview status. The feature is in research preview, so command syntax and the protocol may change.
• Anthropic authentication. You need an eligible claude.ai account or a Console API key; channels are not available through Bedrock, Vertex AI, or Foundry.
• Prebuilt integrations. The official messaging plugins support Telegram, Discord, and iMessage, with iMessage available only on macOS. Slack and WhatsApp are not included in this plugin set.
• Dependence on an active session. Messages are processed while Claude Code is running; check whether requests sent during downtime arrive after startup.
• Action approvals. If permission is needed, execution waits for a response in the terminal or in Telegram or Discord direct messages.
• Approved plugin list. The --channels flag works with plugins on Anthropic’s list or a list configured by your organization’s administrator. The --dangerously-load-development-channels flag is available for testing custom channels locally.
• Paid Claude Code access. The free Claude plan does not include Claude Code; an eligible subscription or API access is required.

Checks before working remotely

Before stepping away from your computer, run a quick check in the chat you configured:

1. Ask Claude to name the current directory and make sure the session is working in the correct project.
2. Send a simple request, such as “List the files in the current folder,” and wait for a reply in the chat app.
3. Check that the bot’s policy is set to allowlist. If a tool needs permission, make sure the prompt arrives in your direct messages and you can view its details by tapping See more.
4. If you use tmux, detach with Ctrl+B, then D, and repeat the request from your phone. On Windows, minimize CMD and check for a reply in the same way.

If no permission prompt appears during the test, the action may already be allowed by the session settings.

Conclusion

Claude Code Channels is useful when you want to keep working on a project after stepping away from your computer: you send a task through Telegram or Discord, and the agent carries it out in an active session with access to your files. We recommend Telegram for your first connection because it is easier to configure. Enable allowlist immediately after pairing your account and check that replies and permission prompts arrive.

Consider OpenClaw for automation that needs its own memory system, many integrations, and tasks that start independently on a schedule or in response to events. Claude Code also offers Remote Control to manage a local session through claude.ai or the Claude mobile app, as well as scheduled tasks, so your choice depends on the capabilities you need.

When planning remote work, check where the session is running, whether the computer might go to sleep, and who has access to the bot. These settings determine both Channels availability and which actions can be performed through the chat app.

If you have questions during setup, leave a comment. Our OpenClaw setup guide covers autonomous agents, memory, skills, and automation in more detail.