openclaw as mcp server

[dense belfry]

I want to configure OpenClaw as an MCP server in bridge mode to connect Claude Code to Telegram. I'm running the latest stable version of openclaw

[fading spindle]

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[umbral heron]

Yep — for this setup you want openclaw mcp serve, not openclaw mcp set. mcp set/list/show is OpenClaw’s registry for MCP servers it consumes; mcp serve is OpenClaw exposing its routed Telegram conversations to Claude Code.

Basic path:

1. Get Telegram working in OpenClaw first

   • Configure channels.telegram.enabled: true + botToken
   • Pair/allow your Telegram DM or group
   • Send at least one message through Telegram so Gateway has a routed session/conversation
     Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/channels/telegram

2. Add OpenClaw as a stdio MCP server in Claude Code

Local gateway:

claude mcp add openclaw -- openclaw mcp serve --claude-channel-mode on

Remote gateway:

claude mcp add openclaw -- openclaw mcp serve \
  --url wss://your-gateway-host:18789 \
  --token-file ~/.openclaw/gateway.token \
  --claude-channel-mode on

Equivalent MCP JSON shape if you’re editing config manually:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openclaw": {
      "command": "openclaw",
      "args": ["mcp", "serve", "--claude-channel-mode", "on"]
    }