The communication protocol between the OpenClaw gateway and connected channels, handling message normalization, delivery guarantees, and channel-specific features.
Every messaging channel has its own protocol. WhatsApp uses the Cloud API. Telegram uses Bot API. Discord uses WebSocket Gateway. Slack uses Events API. The agent gateway protocol normalizes these into a single internal format.
Incoming messages from any channel are converted to a standard message object. The agent processes this standard format. Responses are converted back to the channel-specific format for delivery.
The protocol also handles channel-specific features: WhatsApp QR pairing, Telegram bot commands, Discord slash commands, and Slack interactive messages. Each channel gets a native experience while the agent sees a unified interface.
Without protocol normalization, your agent would need separate code paths for every channel. The gateway protocol abstracts channel complexity, letting you build one agent that works everywhere.
Clawctl manages all channel protocol handling automatically. Add channels through the dashboard. The gateway handles pairing, authentication, and message formatting for each channel.
Try Clawctl — 60 Second DeployNo. The gateway handles all protocol translation. Your agent works with a standard message format.
OpenClaw supports 23+ channels natively. Custom channel integrations require extending the gateway.
Yes. Images, files, buttons, and interactive elements are supported where the underlying channel allows them.
Agent Gateway
The control plane that routes messages between users and AI agents across multiple channels, managing authentication, rate limiting, and channel-specific protocols.
OpenClaw Architecture
The technical design of OpenClaw: a gateway that routes messages from 23+ channels to an LLM-powered agent with MCP tool integrations, running in a Docker sandbox.
MCP (Model Context Protocol)
An open protocol that lets AI agents connect to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
AI Agent Runtime
The execution environment that hosts an AI agent, managing its lifecycle, tool access, memory, and communication with LLM providers.