openclaw-channel-octo

OpenClaw channel plugin for Octo. Connects via WebSocket for real-time messaging.

Prerequisites

• Node.js >= 22 (OpenClaw >= 2026.4.15 requires Node 22; this is a platform constraint, not a plugin-level requirement.)
• OpenClaw installed and configured (npm i -g openclaw)
• A bot created via BotFather in Octo (send /newbot to BotFather)

Install

Install from ClawHub:

openclaw plugins install clawhub:openclaw-channel-octo

Or install via npm:

npx -y openclaw-channel-octo install

After installing, bind a bot account:

npx -y openclaw-channel-octo bind \
  --bot-token bf_your_token_here \
  --api-url https://your-server.example/api \
  --account-id my_bot \
  --agent your_agent_id

install flags:

• --force: reinstall even if already installed
• --dev: install the @dev dist-tag instead of @latest

CLI Commands

# Install/update the plugin (no bot config)
npx -y openclaw-channel-octo install

# Bind a bot to an agent (writes channels.octo + bindings(channel=octo))
npx -y openclaw-channel-octo bind --bot-token <T> --api-url <U> --account-id <ID> --agent <agent>

# Batch-create one bot per agent and bind them all
npx -y openclaw-channel-octo quickstart --api-key <user-api-key> --api-url <U>

# Update the plugin to the latest version
npx -y openclaw-channel-octo update

# Diagnose plugin health
npx -y openclaw-channel-octo doctor

# Uninstall (removes plugin + all bot configs under channels.octo)
npx -y openclaw-channel-octo uninstall

# Remove a single bot account (only touches channels.octo)
npx -y openclaw-channel-octo remove-account --account-id my_bot

OpenClaw internal commands

After installation, these commands are available inside OpenClaw:

Example:

/octo_doctor                                          # check all accounts
/octo_doctor my_bot                                   # check one specific account
/octo_add_account my_bot bf_xxx https://im.example.com/api    # add a bot
/octo_remove_account my_bot                           # remove a bot

The legacy /dmwork_* aliases keep working for one release cycle and emit a deprecation hint on every invocation. Prefer the /octo_* names.

Configuration

Bot accounts are stored in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json under channels.octo.accounts:

{
  "channels": {
    "octo": {
      "apiUrl": "http://your-server:8090",
      "accounts": {
        "my_bot": {
          "botToken": "bf_your_token_here",
          "apiUrl": "http://your-server:8090"
        },
        "another_bot": {
          "botToken": "bf_another_token",
          "apiUrl": "https://im.example.com/api"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration fields per account:

• botToken (required): Bot token from BotFather (bf_ prefix)
• apiUrl (required): Octo server API URL
• wsUrl (optional): WebSocket URL. Auto-detected if omitted.
• requireMention (optional): Only respond when @mentioned in groups
• historyLimit (optional): Group chat history message limit (default: 20)

What it does

1. Registers the bot with the Octo server via REST API
2. Connects to WebSocket for real-time message receiving
3. Auto-reconnects on disconnection
4. Sends a greeting to the bot owner on connect
5. Dispatches incoming messages to OpenClaw's message handler
6. Supports streaming responses (start/send/end), typing indicators, and read receipts

As an OpenClaw Plugin

The index.ts exports a standard OpenClaw plugin object. When loaded by OpenClaw:

• register(api) is called automatically
• api.runtime is injected for logging and lifecycle management
• api.registerChannel() registers the Octo channel plugin
• api.registerCommand() registers 7 /octo_* slash commands (each with a deprecated /dmwork_* alias)
• Configuration is read from channels.octo in OpenClaw's config

The plugin uses the ChannelPlugin SDK interface with support for:

• Direct messages and group chats
• Multi-account configuration via channels.octo.accounts
• Config hot-reload on channels.octo prefix changes

Disconnect

To disconnect the bot, send /disconnect to BotFather in Octo. This invalidates the current IM token and kicks the WebSocket connection.