Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Add Telegram Channel agent skill (add-telegram)
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The add-telegram skill adds Telegram as a messaging channel for NanoClaw, so you can chat with your agent through a Telegram bot. This guide is for people who may be new to agent skills, and it explains how to install the skill, what it changes, how to create the bot, and what to check before you run it. By the end you will know what the skill needs, how to set it up, and how to add a second bot if you need one.
Add Telegram Channelnanocoai/nanoclaw · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Download the add-telegram skill ZIP from this page.
- 2Unzip or upload the skill. Unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/, or upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- 3Confirm NanoClaw is ready. Make sure NanoClaw is installed, pnpm is available and the build step runs.
- 4Ask the agent to add Telegram. Use a plain request such as "Add Telegram to NanoClaw" and let the skill apply its steps.
- 5Create the bot with BotFather. Message @BotFather in Telegram, send /newbot and copy the token it gives you.
- 6Paste the token. Give the token to the skill so it can be saved to TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN in .env and checked with getMe.
- 7Verify the build and tests. Let the skill run the build and the focused Telegram tests, then send your bot a message to confirm delivery.
What the add-telegram skill does
An agent skill is a folder of instructions and optional scripts that an AI agent can follow to carry out a specific task. This one is named add-telegram and is described as adding Telegram channel integration via Chat SDK.
NanoClaw does not ship with channels in its main code. The skill copies the Telegram adapter, its pairing helper and their tests from the project's channels branch, registers them, and installs the adapter package. It then walks you through creating a bot with BotFather and saving the bot token in your .env file.
- Copies the Telegram adapter, pairing helper and related tests into the project
- Adds one import line to the channel barrel so the adapter registers itself
- Adds a pair-telegram setup step to the setup map
- Installs the @chat-adapter/telegram npm package at a pinned version
- Can add a second Telegram bot under a separate name
Install the add-telegram skill
Download the skill ZIP from this page. Then choose one of these options. For a personal setup, unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, unzip it into that project's .claude/skills/ folder. You can also upload the ZIP in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
After installing, the skill's SKILL.md file describes the steps the agent will follow. Read it before you run anything, since the skill runs scripts and makes network calls.
- Personal: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
- Single project: unzip into .claude/skills/ inside the project
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP
Check the requirements first
This skill assumes you already have a working NanoClaw installation. It needs pnpm and a build step, because the skill runs pnpm run build and pnpm exec vitest to validate its changes. It also needs Git access to the channels branch of the nanocoai/nanoclaw repository.
You need a Telegram account to create the bot. The command line tools curl and jq must also be available, because the skill uses them to confirm your bot token.
- An existing NanoClaw installation with pnpm and a build step
- Git access to the channels branch of nanocoai/nanoclaw
- A Telegram account and a bot created with @BotFather
- curl and jq on the command line
- Network access, since the skill calls the Telegram API
Trigger the skill with a natural request
You do not need a special command. Ask your agent in plain language, for example: "Add Telegram to NanoClaw" or "Connect my NanoClaw agent to a Telegram bot." The agent should recognise the request and follow the add-telegram instructions.
If a bot is already configured, the skill will ask whether to keep using the existing bot or add another one. Answer yes or no as prompted.
- "Add Telegram to NanoClaw"
- "Connect my agent to a Telegram bot"
- "Add a second Telegram bot to NanoClaw"
Create the bot and store its token
Bot creation happens in Telegram and needs you to do it yourself. Open Telegram, message @BotFather, send /newbot, and follow the prompts for a name and a username that ends in "bot". Copy the token BotFather gives you. The skill will ask you to paste it.
The token is saved to TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN in your .env file. The skill only sets this value if it is not already filled in, so an existing value is not overwritten. The skill then checks the token with the Telegram getMe method and reads back the bot's username.
- Message @BotFather and send /newbot
- Choose a display name, then a username ending in "bot"
- Paste the token when the skill asks for it
- If you plan to use group chats, turn Group Privacy off under Bot Settings so the bot sees all messages
curl -sf https://api.telegram.org/bot{{bot_token}}/getMe | jq -er '.result.username'Add a second bot
If a Telegram bot is already configured, you can add another one under a short name. The name you choose becomes the registry key telegram-<name>, and the token is stored under a matching key such as TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN_<NAME>. A name whose token key is already set is refused, so an existing bot's token cannot be overwritten.
The second token must belong to a different bot. If it resolves to the same bot as the first, the skill stops before writing anything.
- Pick a lowercase name with letters, digits or dashes
- Make sure the token key for that name is not already in .env
- Use a token from a different bot than the first
Safety notes before you run it
This skill runs scripts and uses the network. It writes your bot token into .env, and the source says the token is synced to the container. If you do not want a bot token stored in .env, do not use this skill.
The skill edits project files, including the channel barrel and setup map, and it copies in new files that overwrite existing ones at those paths. Run it in a project you can restore, and use the REMOVE.md file if you later want to take Telegram out.
- Stores TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN in .env and syncs it to the container
- Runs shell commands and calls api.telegram.org
- Overwrites the copied Telegram files because the channels branch is treated as canonical
- Every step is designed to be safe to re-run
What people use it for
- A developer running NanoClaw who wants to message their agent from a phone through Telegram.
- A team that already has one Telegram bot wired to NanoClaw and wants a second bot under a separate name.
- Someone rebuilding a NanoClaw install who wants the Telegram channel restored by re-running the skill.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the add-telegram skill?
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. You can also upload the ZIP in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
What do I need before using add-telegram?
You need an existing NanoClaw installation with pnpm and a build step, Git access to the channels branch of nanocoai/nanoclaw, a Telegram account with a bot made through @BotFather, and curl and jq on the command line. The skill also needs network access.
Is the add-telegram skill free to use?
The skill is listed under the MIT licence. The source provided does not mention pricing, so check the repository for any other terms.
Does add-telegram work with a non-Telegram chat app?
No. The skill only covers Telegram. The source does not describe support for other messaging channels, so you would need a different skill for those.
Why does the test fail after I install the skill?
The registration test checks that the channel barrel imports the Telegram adapter and that @chat-adapter/telegram is installed. If the import line was deleted or changed, or the package is missing, the test will fail. Re-run the skill to restore the import, since every step is safe to repeat.
Where is my bot token stored and can I remove it?
The token is stored as TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN in your .env file and synced to the container. To remove it, follow the REMOVE.md file, which says to delete that value from .env along with the copied Telegram files.
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Our verdict
Use add-telegram if you already run NanoClaw and want to chat with your agent through a Telegram bot, especially if you need a second bot alongside an existing one. Skip it if you have never set up NanoClaw, need a channel other than Telegram, or do not want a bot token stored in your .env file.
Download the skill