Channels

Channels connect OpenMotoko to messaging platforms. Each channel implements the ChannelAdapter interface and translates platform-specific messages into a common format.

Supported channels

Channel	Library	Auth Method
Telegram	grammy	Bot token
Discord	discord.js	Bot token
WhatsApp	whatsapp-web.js	QR session
Slack	@slack/bolt	Bot + App tokens
Signal	signal-cli	Phone number
iMessage	BlueBubbles API	Server password
Google Chat	Google APIs	Service account
Microsoft Teams	Bot Framework	App ID + password
Matrix	matrix-js-sdk	User + password
Mattermost	REST API	Bot token
Feishu / Lark	Feishu API	App ID + secret
LINE	Messaging API	Channel token + secret
IRC	IRC client	Server + nick
Webchat	Built-in	No external deps

Chat commands

All channels support these slash commands:

Command	Description
/status	Show agent status
/new	Start a new conversation
/reset	Clear conversation history
/compact	Summarize and compress context
/model <name>	Switch model
/think <level>	Set thinking depth
/cost	Show token usage and costs
/help	List commands

Channel setup

Telegram

1. Create a bot with @BotFather
2. Set TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN in your .env
3. Enable the Telegram channel in settings or openmotoko.json

The adapter supports DMs, group messages, mention detection, and a 4096-character message limit.

Discord

1. Create an application at the Discord Developer Portal
2. Add a bot and copy the token
3. Set DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN
4. Invite the bot to your server with message read/write permissions

Supports guild and DM messages, mentions, and media attachments (2000-character limit).

WhatsApp

1. Set WHATSAPP_SESSION_PATH (default ./data/whatsapp)
2. Start OpenMotoko and scan the QR code that appears in the logs
3. Session persists across restarts

Slack

1. Create a Slack app at api.slack.com/apps
2. Enable Socket Mode and create an app-level token
3. Set SLACK_BOT_TOKEN (xoxb-...) and SLACK_APP_TOKEN (xapp-...)

Signal

1. Install signal-cli on your system
2. Register or link a phone number
3. Set SIGNAL_CLI_PATH and SIGNAL_PHONE_NUMBER

iMessage

1. Run BlueBubbles Server on a Mac
2. Set BLUEBUBBLES_URL and BLUEBUBBLES_PASSWORD

Google Chat

1. Create a service account in Google Cloud Console
2. Enable the Chat API
3. Set GOOGLE_CHAT_CREDENTIALS_PATH to the JSON key file

Microsoft Teams

1. Register a bot in the Azure Bot Framework
2. Set TEAMS_APP_ID and TEAMS_APP_PASSWORD

Matrix

1. Create a bot account on your homeserver
2. Set MATRIX_HOMESERVER, MATRIX_USER, and MATRIX_PASSWORD

Mattermost

1. Create a bot account in Mattermost
2. Set MATTERMOST_URL and MATTERMOST_TOKEN

Feishu / Lark

1. Create an app in the Feishu developer console
2. Set FEISHU_APP_ID and FEISHU_APP_SECRET

LINE

1. Create a Messaging API channel in the LINE Developer Console
2. Set LINE_CHANNEL_TOKEN and LINE_CHANNEL_SECRET

IRC

1. Set IRC_SERVER, IRC_PORT, IRC_NICK, and IRC_CHANNEL
2. Default port is 6697 (TLS)

Webchat

The built-in webchat channel works out of the box with no external dependencies. It is the web UI’s chat interface.

Channel plugin system

You can extend OpenMotoko with third-party channel adapters via the plugin system.

openmotoko.config.ts

const config = {
  channelPlugins: [
    {
      packageName: '@openmotoko/channel-rocketchat',
      config: {
        url: 'https://chat.example.com',
        token: 'bot-token',
      },
    },
  ],
}

export default config

Plugin API endpoints

Method	Path	Description
GET	/api/channel-plugins	List installed plugins
POST	/api/channel-plugins/install	Install by package name
DELETE	/api/channel-plugins/:id	Remove a plugin

Channel policy

Each channel supports a per-channel policy in openmotoko.json:

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "enabled": true,
      "policy": {
        "dmPolicy": "allowlist",
        "allowFrom": ["123456789"],
        "requireMention": true
      }
    }
  }
}

Policy	Description
open	Accept messages from anyone
pairing	Require a pairing code
allowlist	Only accept from listed IDs