ZeroClaw Channels Reference

This reference maps channel capabilities, config blocks, allowlist behavior, and setup paths.

Last verified: February 18, 2026.

Quick Commands

zeroclaw channel list
zeroclaw channel start
zeroclaw channel doctor
zeroclaw channel bind-telegram <IDENTITY>

In-Chat Runtime Model Switching (Telegram / Discord)

When running zeroclaw channel start (or daemon mode), Telegram and Discord now support sender-scoped runtime switching:

/models — show available providers and current selection
/models <provider> — switch provider for the current sender session
/model — show current model and cached model IDs (if available)
/model <model-id> — switch model for the current sender session

Notes:

Switching clears only that sender's in-memory conversation history to avoid cross-model context contamination.
Model cache previews come from zeroclaw models refresh --provider <ID>.
These are runtime chat commands, not CLI subcommands.

Channel Matrix

Channel	Config section	Access control field	Setup path
`CLI`	n/a (always enabled)	n/a	Built-in
`Telegram`	`[channels_config.telegram]`	`allowed_users`	`zeroclaw onboard`
`Discord`	`[channels_config.discord]`	`allowed_users`	`zeroclaw onboard`
`Slack`	`[channels_config.slack]`	`allowed_users`	`zeroclaw onboard`
`Mattermost`	`[channels_config.mattermost]`	`allowed_users`	Manual config
`Webhook`	`[channels_config.webhook]`	n/a (`secret` optional)	`zeroclaw onboard` or manual
`iMessage`	`[channels_config.imessage]`	`allowed_contacts`	`zeroclaw onboard` (macOS)
`Matrix`	`[channels_config.matrix]`	`allowed_users`	`zeroclaw onboard`
`Signal`	`[channels_config.signal]`	`allowed_from`	Manual config
`WhatsApp`	`[channels_config.whatsapp]`	`allowed_numbers`	`zeroclaw onboard`
`Email`	`[channels_config.email]`	`allowed_senders`	Manual config
`IRC`	`[channels_config.irc]`	`allowed_users`	`zeroclaw onboard`
`Lark`	`[channels_config.lark]`	`allowed_users`	Manual config
`DingTalk`	`[channels_config.dingtalk]`	`allowed_users`	`zeroclaw onboard`
`QQ`	`[channels_config.qq]`	`allowed_users`	`zeroclaw onboard`

Deny-by-Default Rules

For channel allowlists, the runtime behavior is intentionally strict:

Empty allowlist ([]) means deny all.
Wildcard (["*"]) means allow all.
Explicit IDs are exact matches unless channel-specific docs state otherwise.

Telegram pairing bootstrap

Telegram has a secure bootstrap flow:

Keep allowed_users = [] to start in pairing mode.
Run zeroclaw channel bind-telegram <IDENTITY> to add one identity safely.
After binding, restart long-running channel processes if needed (daemon / channel start).

Minimal Config Examples

[channels_config.telegram]
bot_token = "123456:ABCDEF"
allowed_users = []

[channels_config.whatsapp]
access_token = "EAABx..."
phone_number_id = "123456789012345"
verify_token = "your-verify-token"
allowed_numbers = ["+1234567890"]

Signal

[channels_config.signal]
http_url = "http://127.0.0.1:8686"
account = "+1234567890"
allowed_from = ["+1987654321"]
ignore_attachments = true
ignore_stories = true

Lark

[channels_config.lark]
app_id = "cli_xxx"
app_secret = "xxx"
allowed_users = ["ou_abc"]
receive_mode = "websocket"   # or "webhook"
# port = 3100                  # required only when receive_mode = "webhook"

Operational Notes

zeroclaw channel add/remove is intentionally not a full config mutator yet; use zeroclaw onboard or edit ~/.zeroclaw/config.toml.
zeroclaw channel doctor validates configured channel health and prints timeout/unhealthy status.
If webhook is configured, doctor guidance points to gateway health check (GET /health).

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