How to Talk to Your CRM on Telegram with DenchClaw

You can query and update your CRM directly from Telegram — no app switching, no opening a browser. DenchClaw connects to Telegram via a bot, giving you a conversational interface to your local DuckDB database. This guide shows you how to set it up and what you can do with it.

What This Enables#

Once connected, you can message your DenchClaw bot on Telegram and say things like:

• "Who did I last talk to at Acme Corp?"
• "Add a note to Sarah Chen: called today, interested in Q2 pilot"
• "What leads are stuck in the 'Contacted' stage?"
• "Move deal with Notion to 'Negotiation'"

The bot reads from and writes to your local DuckDB instance. Your data never leaves your machine — Telegram carries the query, but the data stays local.

Prerequisites#

• DenchClaw installed (npx denchclaw, runs at localhost:3100)
• A Telegram account
• About 10 minutes

Step 1: Create a Telegram Bot via BotFather#

1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
2. Send /newbot
3. Choose a name (e.g., "My CRM Bot") and a username (must end in bot, e.g., mycrm_dench_bot)
4. BotFather will reply with a bot token — copy it. Looks like: 7123456789:AAFxyz...

Keep this token private. Anyone with it can control your bot.

Step 2: Configure the Telegram Plugin in OpenClaw#

DenchClaw runs on OpenClaw, which manages channel connections. Open localhost:3100 and navigate to Settings → Channels → Telegram.

Enter your bot token and click Connect.

OpenClaw will verify the token and start a webhook listener. Your DenchClaw AI agent is now reachable at your Telegram bot username.

Alternatively, configure via config file:

# ~/.openclaw-dench/config.yaml
plugins:
  telegram:
    token: "7123456789:AAFxyz..."

Then restart the gateway:

openclaw gateway restart

Step 3: Send Your First Message#

Open Telegram, find your bot (search for the username you created), and send /start.

The bot will respond with a greeting and instructions. Try a simple query:

How many contacts do I have?

DenchClaw queries DuckDB and replies:

You have 247 contacts across 3 object types: People (180), Companies (52), Leads (15).

Step 4: Common Commands and Queries#

Find a contact:

Find Sarah Chen

Add a note:

Add note to Sarah Chen: Follow up next Tuesday about pricing

Update a field:

Set Sarah Chen's status to Qualified

Pipeline overview:

Show me all deals in Negotiation stage

Create a new contact:

Add new lead: John Smith, CTO at Vercel, john@vercel.com

Recent activity:

What contacts did I update today?

DenchClaw understands natural language. You don't need to memorize commands.

Step 5: Security — Lock It to Your Account#

By default, your bot will respond to anyone who messages it. You want to restrict it to yourself only.

In OpenClaw settings, under the Telegram plugin, enable Allowlist mode and add your Telegram user ID.

To find your Telegram user ID: message @userinfobot on Telegram and it will reply with your numeric ID.

Once allowlisted, anyone else who messages the bot will get no response.

What the Bot Can and Can't Do#

Can do:

• Query any object in your DuckDB CRM
• Create, update, and delete entries
• Run AI-powered summaries across your pipeline
• Trigger browser agent tasks (e.g., "enrich this lead")
• Set reminders and follow-up notes

Can't do (currently):

• Send emails or LinkedIn messages on your behalf directly from Telegram (though you can trigger those workflows)
• Display rich tables (returns formatted text instead)
• Access files or attachments on your machine

Comparing Telegram to Other Channels#

DenchClaw supports multiple messaging channels. Telegram is the most developer-friendly: it's fast, reliable, and bots have a good API.

WhatsApp is another option — better if your contacts already use WhatsApp for business. The setup is slightly different (QR code scan via wacli) but the CRM functionality is identical.

See all supported messaging channels for a full comparison including Discord, iMessage, Signal, and Slack.

Troubleshooting#

Bot doesn't respond:

• Check that OpenClaw gateway is running: openclaw gateway status
• Verify the bot token in settings
• Check DenchClaw logs: openclaw gateway logs

"Unauthorized" errors:

• Bot token may be incorrect or revoked. Regenerate via BotFather with /revoke

Slow responses:

• Your LLM model may be slow. Switch to a faster model in OpenClaw settings.

Can't find bot:

• Telegram bot usernames are case-insensitive but must be exact. Double-check the username from BotFather.

FAQ#

Is my CRM data sent to Telegram?

No. The query text travels over Telegram's API, but your actual CRM data stays in DuckDB on your local machine. Responses are generated locally and sent back as text.

Can multiple people use the same bot?

Yes, if you add multiple Telegram user IDs to the allowlist. Each person's messages are handled by the same DenchClaw instance. Useful for small teams.

Does it work on mobile?

Yes — this is the primary use case. Telegram is mobile-first, making it ideal for quick CRM updates while you're out of the office.

Can I customize what the bot can do?

Yes. You can edit the system prompt in OpenClaw settings to constrain or expand the agent's behavior on Telegram specifically.

What if I already have a Telegram bot?

You can use an existing bot by providing its token. Just make sure no other service is already polling that bot's webhook.

For initial setup of DenchClaw itself, see the OpenClaw CRM setup guide. For a full introduction to what DenchClaw is and how it works, read what is DenchClaw.

Ready to try DenchClaw? Install in one command: npx denchclaw. Full setup guide →