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January 28, 2026
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What is OpenClaw?

OpenClaw (prev. Clawdbot) is an open-source AI Agent gateway that bridges popular messaging platforms with AI models. It allows you to chat with AI assistants directly from your favorite messaging apps.

Multi-Platform Support

WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, iMessage, and more via plugins

AI Agent Bridge

Connect to coding agents like Pi with RPC mode and tool streaming

Multi-Agent Routing

Route different accounts to isolated agents with separate workspaces

MiniMax Integration

Native support for MiniMax M3 as a model provider
With OpenClaw and MiniMax M3, you can create a powerful AI assistant accessible from your pocket - just send a message and get intelligent responses anywhere, anytime.

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Quick Start

This guide will walk you through setting up OpenClaw with Telegram and MiniMax M3.

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Prerequisites

  • A Telegram account (phone number required)
  • A MiniMax Subscription Key with Token Plan or Credits access, or a pay-as-you-go API Key
  • A computer with terminal access (macOS, Linux, or Windows with WSL)

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Part 1: Create a Telegram Bot

1

Open Telegram

Create a Telegram account if you don’t have one (phone number required).
2

Find BotFather

Search and select @BotFather in Telegram. This is the official bot for creating and managing Telegram bots.Find BotFather
3

Create Your Bot

Send /newbot to BotFather, then:
  • Choose your bot’s display name
  • Choose your bot’s username (must be unique)
  • Save the bot token - you’ll need it later!
Create bot
4

Find UserInfoBot

Search and select @userinfobot in Telegram.Find UserInfoBot
5

Get Your Telegram ID

Send /start to @userinfobot. Save your Telegram ID for later use.Get Telegram ID

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Part 2: Install and Configure OpenClaw

1

Run Installation Command

Run the installation command in your terminal:
You’ll see this entry page:Entry page
2

Start Setup

Select “Yes” .
3

Select QuickStart Mode

Select “QuickStart” to use the guided setup.
4

Select Model Provider

Select “MiniMax” as the model provider.
5

Select Auth Method

Select “MiniMax Global — OAuth (minimax.io)” as the authentication method.
6

Sign In to MiniMax

You’ll be sent to a browser window to sign in to or sign up for your MiniMax API Platform account.
7

Authorize OpenClaw

Select “Authorize”, after which you can return to the terminal.Authorize
8

Confirm Model Selection

A model picker will appear with the available models already selected. Press Enter to continue.
9

Select Telegram Channel

Back in the terminal, select “Telegram (Bot API)” as your messaging channel.Select Telegram
10

Enter Bot Token

Enter the Telegram Bot token you saved from BotFather in Part 1.Enter bot token
11

Confirm Installation

Select “Yes” when asked to confirm.Confirm
12

Select Package Manager

Select “npm” as the package manager.Select npm
13

Select Skills

Select any additional skills you wish to install (press space to select, up and down arrows to navigate).Select skills
14

Configure API Keys

Configure additional API Keys for tools that OpenClaw can use (optional).Configure API Keys
15

Skip Additional Config

Select “Skip for now” if you don’t want to configure additional tools (press space to select, up and down arrows to navigate).Skip for now
16

Open Web UI

Select “Open the Web UI” to access the OpenClaw dashboard.Open Web UI

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Part 3: Connect to Your Bot

1

Find Your Bot

In Telegram, search and select the bot you created in Part 1.Find your bot
2

Start the Bot

Send something to your bot. You should receive a message containing a pairing code.Start bot
3

Approve Pairing

In your terminal, run the following command (replace <code> with the pairing code from the message):
Approve pairing
4

Verify Connection

You should see a success message in both the terminal and Telegram.Success

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Start Chatting!

Congratulations! You’re all set! You can start chatting with your OpenClaw in Telegram now. Start chatting
Your OpenClaw-powered assistant can help you with:
  • Answering questions and providing information
  • Writing and editing text
  • Coding assistance and debugging
  • Creative tasks and brainstorming
  • And much more!
When logged in to minimax-portal via OAuth, OpenClaw’s image tool is automatically configured to use the VLM endpoint behind MiniMax’s Image Understanding MCP server, giving your agent image understanding capabilities out of the box — no extra setup needed.

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Summary

In this tutorial, you learned how to:
  • Create a Telegram Bot
  • Install and configure OpenClaw with MiniMax OAuth authentication
  • Connect your bot to enable AI-powered conversations
With OpenClaw and MiniMax M3, you now have a personal AI assistant accessible from anywhere through Telegram. The combination of OpenClaw’s flexible gateway architecture and MiniMax M3’s powerful capabilities creates a seamless AI experience on your favorite messaging platform.

MiniMax M3

OpenClaw Documentation

Token Plan