WhatsApp, Telegram or Discord: which channel for your agent?¶
A channel is the chat app you use to talk to your agent. This page compares the three channels we have tested with Hermes: what each one needs, who can talk to the agent, and the risks. It ends with what we know about channels for n8n and OpenClaw.
| Time needed | 5 minutes to read |
| You need | Nothing yet |
| Result | You know which channel to set up first, and which guide to follow |
You can start without any channel
Hermes has a Chat page in its dashboard that works in any browser. It is the quickest way to test your agent. (Chat with Hermes in the dashboard)
The short answer¶
- Telegram: about 5 minutes. You create a bot with @BotFather and paste its token in the client area. Most of our recipes send their results to Telegram, so if you are not sure, start here.
- WhatsApp: about 5 minutes, but you need a separate phone number for the agent.
- Discord: about 10 minutes and the most steps. You need a Discord server where you have Manage Server, and the Developer Portal is easier on a computer.
Side by side (Hermes)¶
| Telegram | Discord | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Time needed (our guide) | 5 minutes | 5 minutes | 10 minutes |
| What you need | A Telegram account (phone or desktop app) | A phone with WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business for the agent's own number | A Discord account, a server where you have Manage Server, and a computer |
| How you connect it | Create a bot with @BotFather and paste its token in the client area Settings | Scan a QR code from the dashboard Channels page with the agent's phone (Linked devices) | Create a bot in the Discord Developer Portal, invite it to your server, and paste its token in the dashboard Channels page |
| Who can talk to the agent | People you approve with a pairing code, or the IDs in Authorised Telegram IDs | People you approve with a pairing code | Only the user IDs in ALLOWED DISCORD USER IDS |
| How you talk to it | Message your bot | Message the agent's number from your own WhatsApp | Mention the bot in your server; it answers in a thread |
| Main risk | The bot token is a password | WhatsApp can restrict or ban numbers that behave like bots | The bot token is a password; with no allowed IDs the bot ignores everyone |
| Guide | Connect Telegram | Connect WhatsApp | Connect Discord |
Telegram¶
- You create the bot yourself in Telegram: send
/newbotto @BotFather, choose a name and a username ending inbot, and copy the token. - You paste the token in the client area (Settings → Bot token) and click Save and apply.
- The first time you message the bot, it replies with a pairing code; you approve yourself in the dashboard. If you already know your numeric Telegram ID, you can put it in Authorised Telegram IDs instead.
- One bot per agent. Telegram delivers a bot's messages to one program only.
- If the token leaks: in @BotFather send
/mybots, choose the bot, tap Revoke current token, and save the new token.
More: Connect Hermes to Telegram.
WhatsApp¶
Use a separate number
Hermes connects through WhatsApp's linked-devices feature, which is not an official WhatsApp integration for bots. WhatsApp can restrict or ban numbers that behave like bots. Do not use your personal number. Use a spare SIM or a new number with WhatsApp Business.
- The phone with the agent's number stays the main device; Hermes becomes a linked device, like WhatsApp Web.
- In the dashboard, Channels → WhatsApp: choose Bot mode and click PAIR WITH QR. You have 10 minutes to scan the code from Linked devices inside WhatsApp on the agent's phone.
- You then talk to the agent from another WhatsApp account (for example your personal one), by messaging the agent's number.
- New people get a pairing code, and you approve them in the dashboard.
- If you change phones or WhatsApp logs the agent out, click Re-pair with QR.
More: Connect Hermes to WhatsApp.
Discord¶
- You need a Discord server where you have the Manage Server permission. Your own server is the simplest.
- In the Developer Portal you create an application, turn on Message Content Intent (required), copy the bot token (shown only once) and invite the bot with a generated link. Discord may ask you to solve a captcha.
- You turn on Developer Mode in Discord to copy your user ID, then paste the token and your ID in the dashboard (Channels → Discord → CONFIGURE) and restart the gateway.
- Discord has no pairing codes: Hermes only answers the IDs in ALLOWED DISCORD USER IDS. With none, it ignores all Discord messages.
- If the token leaks: Bot → Reset Token in the Developer Portal, then save the new token in Hermes.
More: Connect Hermes to Discord.
Scheduled results and reminders¶
Whatever channel you use, Hermes delivers scheduled results to that app's home channel. Send /sethome in the chat where you want them. Without it, the job runs but nothing arrives. (Schedule a recurring task)
You can connect more than one channel. Approvals are per channel: if a person writes to the agent on WhatsApp and on Telegram, approve both requests. (Choose who can talk to your agent)
n8n and OpenClaw¶
- n8n: n8n workflows can send messages to your Telegram with a Telegram API credential (your bot's token) and your numeric Telegram ID. A bot can only write to people who have opened it, so tap Start in your bot first. See step 1 of the contact form recipe. To try an AI chat without any app, n8n has its own test chat (Open chat) (n8n first steps).
- OpenClaw: the client area Settings tab has a Telegram bot section (bot token from @BotFather and your Telegram ID). WhatsApp, Discord and other channels are connected in the OpenClaw dashboard (Settings → Channels); guides for OpenClaw are coming soon. (First steps with OpenClaw, OpenClaw FAQ)
For WhatsApp with OpenClaw, the same advice applies: use a separate number, not your personal one (OpenClaw FAQ).