Telegram Skill
Your ClawStart agent lives on a server, but that does not mean you need to sit in front of a computer to talk to it. The Telegram skill hooks your agent up to a Telegram bot, and from that point you can message it from your phone, tablet, or desktop app. Wherever Telegram works, your agent works too.
Telegram has something like 900 million users. You probably already have it installed. Once your agent is connected, you get push notifications when it responds, your conversation history syncs across all your devices, and you can fire off a quick question while standing in line somewhere.
How it works
When you turn on the Telegram skill, ClawStart creates a dedicated bot just for your agent. You get a link that opens a direct chat in Telegram. Every message you send goes straight to your agent, and the response comes right back through the bot. Feels just like texting a regular contact.
On the technical side, here is what is happening: Telegram sends your message to your agent's container through a webhook. The agent processes it using the language model and whatever skills are needed, then replies back through the Telegram Bot API. The whole trip usually takes 3 to 10 seconds for a simple question, longer if the agent needs to go search something or open a browser.
Everything you can do through the web chat works through Telegram too. All the skills and MCP servers are available, you are just talking to the same agent through a different door.
What you get
Responses come in within a few seconds for most things. It works on every platform Telegram runs on: iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, even the web version. Your chat history is saved in Telegram so you can scroll back any time. And push notifications mean you know right away when the agent finishes something, just like any other message.
Example conversation
You (Telegram):
"Morning. What's on my plate today?"
Agent:
"Good morning. Checked your Gmail: you have a meeting with the design team at 2pm, and Sarah sent a message asking about the logo update deadline. Also, TechCrunch ran a piece about your competitor launching a new feature. Want me to look into any of these?"
You:
"Yes, what did the competitor launch?"
Agent:
"Searching... They added real-time collaboration to their editor. The article says it is similar to Google Docs but built into their existing product. Pricing stays the same. The feature is in beta, invite only for now. Here is the article link."
You:
"Write a reply to Sarah. Tell her the logo update will be done by Thursday."
Agent:
"Here is the draft: 'Hi Sarah, the logo update is on track for Thursday. I will send the final files by end of day. Let me know if you need anything before then.' Send it or keep as draft?"
You:
"Send it."
Agent:
"Done. Anything else before your 2pm?"
That whole thing happened from a Telegram chat. The agent checked email, searched the web, and sent a reply, all without you opening Gmail or a browser.
How people use it
Quick questions on the go. Waiting for a bus? Pull out your phone and ask the agent something. "What time does the nearest pharmacy close?" It uses web search and sends the answer straight to Telegram.
Background tasks. "Research the top 5 project management tools and save a comparison to my Notion." Send that message, put your phone in your pocket, go about your day. The agent works in the background with browser control and Notion MCP, then pings you when it is done.
Email from your phone. Pair Telegram with the Gmail skill. "Anything from my boss today?" The agent checks your inbox and reports back through Telegram.
Evening catch-up. "Summarize today's top 5 tech news stories." Read through it on the couch. If something interests you, just ask a follow-up and the agent digs deeper.
Telegram vs Web Chat
Both channels connect to the same agent with the same skills. Telegram is better for quick back-and-forth when you are away from your computer: morning inbox check, quick searches, sending off tasks while commuting. Web chat is nicer for longer sessions where you want a bigger screen, easier copy-paste, and direct access to agent settings.
A lot of people use both. Web chat for setup and serious work sessions, Telegram for quick pokes throughout the day.
What it cannot do yet
The agent handles text messages only for now. Images, voice messages, and file uploads through Telegram are not supported yet but they are planned. The bot works in one-on-one chats only, no group chat support at this point. Telegram has a 4096-character limit per message, so if the agent writes something longer it gets split into pieces, which can mess up the formatting a bit.
Setup
Takes less than a minute. Create your agent, go to the Telegram section in your dashboard, and you get a bot link. Tap it in Telegram, hit Start, and you are connected. If you want a step-by-step walkthrough, there is a detailed guide.
Privacy
Messages travel through your agent's isolated container. The bot only answers your Telegram account. Nobody else can use your agent through the bot link.
The Telegram skill is available on the Starter plan ($10/mo) and up. See pricing for details.
Check out all skills and MCP servers.
Frequently asked questions
Can other people message my agent's bot?
No. The bot is locked to your Telegram account. If someone else writes to it, the agent just ignores the message. This is set up at the container level, not through Telegram settings.
Does the agent support group chats?
Right now the agent only works in direct messages. Group chat support is something we are working on but it is not ready yet. The bot will only respond in a one-on-one conversation with you.
Can I send images or files through Telegram to the agent?
At the moment the agent only handles text messages. Image and file support through Telegram is planned for a future update. You can always paste a link to an image and ask the agent to visit it with browser control.
What happens if the agent takes a long time to respond?
It depends on what the agent is doing behind the scenes. A simple answer comes back in 2 to 5 seconds. If it needs to search the web, open a browser, or talk to an MCP server, that can take 10 to 30 seconds. Telegram does not have a timeout on bot responses, so you will always get your answer.
Can I use Telegram and web chat at the same time?
Yes. Both connect to the same agent with the same skills and settings. The conversation history will be different in each since they are separate channels, but everything else is shared.