Overview

This guide walks you through connecting OpenRouter to Telegram using OpenClaw. You'll learn how to configure authentication, set up the channel, and deploy your AI assistant.

OpenRouter Features

  • Access to 100+ models
  • Unified billing
  • Model comparison
  • Automatic fallbacks

Telegram Capabilities

  • Direct messages
  • Group chats
  • Media support
  • Reactions
  • Native commands

Step 1: Configure OpenRouter

OpenRouter API key

  1. Create account at openrouter.ai
  2. Generate API key
  3. Set OPENROUTER_API_KEY environment variable

Environment variable: OPENROUTER_API_KEY

Step 2: Configure Telegram

  1. Create a bot with @BotFather on Telegram
  2. Copy the bot token provided
  3. Set TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN environment variable
  4. Add telegram configuration to openclaw.json
  5. Start the gateway and message your bot

Step 3: Combined Configuration

Add both configurations to your openclaw.json:

{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": {
        "primary": "openrouter/anthropic/claude-sonnet-4"
      }
    }
  },
  "models": {
    "providers": {
      "openrouter": {
  "models": {
    "providers": {
      "openrouter": {
        "apiKey": "${OPENROUTER_API_KEY}
    }
  },
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "botToken": "${TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN}",
      "dmPolicy": "pairing",
      "allowFrom": ["alice", "bob"],
      "historyLimit": 20,
      "reactionNotifications": "own"
    }
  }
}
}

Step 4: Start the Gateway

# Start the gateway
openclaw gateway start

# Check status
openclaw status

# View logs
openclaw logs --follow

Access Control

Telegram supports the following access control policies:

DM Policies

Policy Description
allowlist Only senders in allowFrom list are processed
pairing Unknown senders receive a pairing code; admin must approve
open All DMs are processed (requires allowFrom: ["*"])

Group Policies

Policy Description
allowlist Only groups in groupAllowFrom are processed
open All groups are processed

Deploy Options

Choose how to deploy your OpenRouter + Telegram setup:

Local Deployment

Run on your personal machine with local-only access

View Guide →

VPS Deployment

Always-on deployment on a Linux VPS

View Guide →

Cloud Deployment

Managed container deployment on Fly.io or similar

View Guide →

Docker Deployment

Containerized deployment with Docker

View Guide →

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I set up OpenRouter with Telegram?
Configure OpenRouter as your AI provider and enable Telegram as a channel in openclaw.json. The gateway routes Telegram messages to OpenRouter for processing automatically.
Is OpenRouter a good choice for Telegram bots?
OpenRouter works great with Telegram. Single API for multiple providers and Easy model switching make it well-suited for AI assistant bot and Group automation.