Set Up a Messaging Channel

Guide the user through installing a messaging plugin so they can reach this agent from their phone or desktop.

IMPORTANT — architectural limitation: The agent CANNOT execute /plugin marketplace add or /plugin install — these are REPL-only commands. This skill SHOWS the user the exact commands to run, and guides them through the flow.

Available platforms

Note: Slack is NOT a channel plugin. See Claude in Slack for the different integration model.

Prerequisites for official channels (Telegram/Discord/iMessage/Fakechat):

• Claude Code v2.1.80 or later
• Bun installed
• claude.ai login (API key auth is NOT supported for channels)
• Team/Enterprise: admin must enable channels in managed settings

Steps

1. Ask the user which platform (unless specified in the argument). Default recommendation: WhatsApp.
2. Check if the plugin is already installed:

   ls ~/.claude/plugins/cache/ 2>/dev/null | grep -iE "whatsapp|telegram|discord|imessage|slack"

   If already installed, skip to the relaunch step.
3. Show the EXACT commands from the plugin's README (do not invent or simplify):

WhatsApp — complete flow (from crisandrews/claude-whatsapp README)

Prerequisites: Node.js v18+

Step 1 — Create a folder for the WhatsApp agent (if not already in one):

mkdir ~/my-whatsapp-agent && cd ~/my-whatsapp-agent
claude

Step 2 — Install the plugin (inside Claude Code):

/plugin marketplace add crisandrews/claude-whatsapp
/plugin install whatsapp@claude-whatsapp

When prompted for scope, select "Install for you, in this repo only (local scope)" — isolates the agent to this folder.

Step 3 — Exit and relaunch with the channel flag:

/exit

Then from the terminal:

claude --dangerously-load-development-channels plugin:whatsapp@claude-whatsapp --dangerously-skip-permissions

Flag explanation:

• --dangerously-load-development-channels plugin:whatsapp@claude-whatsapp — loads the whatsapp channel plugin
• --dangerously-skip-permissions — agent executes tools without asking for confirmation (recommended for smooth WhatsApp flow, otherwise every reply would need approval)

First launch: installs dependencies in the background (~60-90 seconds). Wait for the "dependencies installed" notification.

Step 4 — Scan the QR code:

/whatsapp:configure

Opens a QR code on screen. Scan from phone: WhatsApp → Settings → Linked Devices → Link a Device.

Session is saved to .whatsapp/auth/ — you won't scan again unless you log out.

Step 5 — Pair (first-time contact): Message your own WhatsApp number from another phone. It replies with a 6-character code. Then in Claude Code:

/whatsapp:access pair <code>

Step 6 — Lock down access:

/whatsapp:access policy allowlist

Now only approved contacts can reach the agent.

Optional: autonomous mode with web browsing

For an agent that doesn't ask permission and can browse the web:

claude --dangerously-load-development-channels plugin:whatsapp@claude-whatsapp --dangerously-skip-permissions --chrome

The --chrome flag enables browser automation (via claude-in-chrome MCP).

Optional: voice transcription

When recommending these commands to a user, substitute <lang> with the language they're actually using in the conversation (e.g. en, es, pt). Do not default to es.

After the plugin is running:

/whatsapp:configure audio

Downloads local Whisper model (~77 MB) — no API keys needed, runs entirely on device. Whisper auto-detects the spoken language.

Optionally pin the language for better accuracy on short clips:

/whatsapp:configure audio <lang>

Supported: en, es, pt, fr, de, it, ja, zh, ko, ar, ru, hi. Examples: /whatsapp:configure audio en (English), /whatsapp:configure audio es (Spanish), /whatsapp:configure audio pt (Portuguese).

Optional: run as background service

See the README at https://github.com/crisandrews/claude-whatsapp for macOS launchd and Linux systemd examples.

Telegram (official — complete flow from https://code.claude.com/docs/en/channels)

Prerequisites: Bun installed (bun --version to verify). Claude Code v2.1.80+. claude.ai login (API key auth not supported for channels).

Step 1 — Create a Telegram bot:

1. Open @BotFather in Telegram, send /newbot
2. Give it a display name and a unique username ending in bot
3. Copy the token BotFather returns

Step 2 — Install the plugin:

/plugin install telegram@claude-plugins-official

If "plugin not found", run /plugin marketplace update claude-plugins-official (or /plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-official if never added). Then retry.

After installing: /reload-plugins to activate the configure command.

Step 3 — Configure the token:

/telegram:configure <token>

Saves to ~/.claude/channels/telegram/.env. (Alternatively, set TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN in shell env before launching Claude Code.)

Step 4 — Restart with channels enabled:

/exit

claude --channels plugin:telegram@claude-plugins-official

Step 5 — Pair account:

• Send any message to your bot on Telegram
• Bot replies with a pairing code
• In Claude Code:

/telegram:access pair <code>
/telegram:access policy allowlist

Discord (official — complete flow from https://code.claude.com/docs/en/channels)

Prerequisites: Same as Telegram (Bun, v2.1.80+, claude.ai login).

Step 1 — Create a Discord bot:

1. Go to Discord Developer Portal → New Application → name it
2. In Bot section: create username, click Reset Token, copy the token
3. Scroll to Privileged Gateway Intents → enable Message Content Intent

Step 2 — Invite the bot to your server:

1. Go to OAuth2 → URL Generator
2. Select scope: bot
3. Enable permissions: View Channels, Send Messages, Send Messages in Threads, Read Message History, Attach Files, Add Reactions
4. Open the generated URL to add bot to your server

Step 3 — Install the plugin:

/plugin install discord@claude-plugins-official

Then /reload-plugins.

Step 4 — Configure the token:

/discord:configure <token>

Saves to ~/.claude/channels/discord/.env.

Step 5 — Restart with channels:

/exit
claude --channels plugin:discord@claude-plugins-official

Step 6 — Pair account:

• DM the bot on Discord
• Bot replies with pairing code
• In Claude Code:

/discord:access pair <code>
/discord:access policy allowlist

iMessage (official, macOS only — from https://code.claude.com/docs/en/channels)

Prerequisites: macOS, Bun, Claude Code v2.1.80+, claude.ai login. No bot token or external service needed — reads Messages database directly, sends via AppleScript.

Step 1 — Grant Full Disk Access: The Messages database at ~/Library/Messages/chat.db is protected. On first launch, macOS prompts for access — click Allow. The prompt names the app that launched Bun (Terminal, iTerm, etc.).

If no prompt or you clicked "Don't Allow", grant manually: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access → add your terminal. Without this, server exits with authorization denied.

Step 2 — Install the plugin:

/plugin install imessage@claude-plugins-official

If "not found": /plugin marketplace update claude-plugins-official first.

Step 3 — Restart with channels:

/exit
claude --channels plugin:imessage@claude-plugins-official

Step 4 — Text yourself:

• Open Messages on any device signed into your Apple ID
• Send a message to yourself — reaches Claude immediately (self-chat bypasses access control)
• On first reply: macOS prompts to let terminal control Messages → click OK

Step 5 — Allow other senders (optional):

/imessage:access allow +15551234567

Handles are phone numbers (+country format) or Apple ID emails (user@example.com).

Slack

Slack is NOT in the official channels list. If the user wants Slack, direct them to:

• Claude in Slack — different integration model, uses Claude web sessions instead of channels
• This is NOT a plugin — it's configured via Slack app + claude.ai settings
• Refer to the docs, don't try to install it as a plugin

Fakechat (demo for testing)

For quick testing without setting up any real platform:

/plugin install fakechat@claude-plugins-official
/exit
claude --channels plugin:fakechat@claude-plugins-official

Opens a chat UI at http://localhost:8787 — type messages, Claude replies back. Good for verifying the channel flow before setting up WhatsApp/Telegram/etc.

How it works with ClawCode

• Both plugins coexist — each is an independent MCP server. No conflicts.
• Your personality applies — when a message arrives, you respond as yourself (from SOUL.md + IDENTITY.md), not as a generic Claude.
• Formatting is automatic — each messaging plugin injects its own format rules (e.g., WhatsApp uses *bold*, not **bold**).
• Memory is shared — what the user tells you via WhatsApp is saved to memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md just like in terminal.
• Time commitments persist — if the user requests a reminder, recurring task, or any future-time commitment via the messaging channel ("recordame en X", "remind me in X", "every Monday at X"), route it through the crons skill. It uses bin/cron-from.sh for deterministic time math and CronCreate(durable: true) so the cron survives session restarts. Never promise a reminder using ScheduleWakeup or verbal-only — see skills/crons/SKILL.md ⛔ FORBIDDEN block.

Verifying the setup

After installing and relaunching:

1. Run /mcp — should show both clawcode and the messaging plugin as connected.
2. Send a test message from your phone.
3. The agent should respond with its personality (not generic Claude).
4. Ask /status in the chat — should show the agent's identity card.

Index conversation logs in memory (recommended)

Messaging plugins log conversations to disk. These logs are valuable context that the agent should be able to search. ClawCode can index them automatically via memory.extraPaths in agent-config.json.

IMPORTANT: Only index .md log files, NOT .jsonl. Most plugins (including claude-whatsapp) write both formats — indexing both would duplicate content.

Known log locations

Enable log indexing

After the messaging plugin is installed, add its log directory to agent-config.json:

agent_config(
  action='set',
  key='memory.extraPaths',
  value='["./.whatsapp/logs/conversations"]'
)

Then /mcp to reload. Next memory_search will find content from those conversations. Only .md files are indexed.

Log entries appear in search results with extra: prefix, e.g. extra:conversations/2026-04-09.md.

Important reminders

• The agent cannot install plugins directly. Always show commands for the user to run.
• After installing a messaging plugin, the user MUST restart Claude Code with the --dangerously-load-development-channels flag.
• Verify with /mcp after relaunch.
• For WhatsApp, the first connection requires scanning a QR code — cannot be automated.
• Canonical reference: https://github.com/crisandrews/claude-whatsapp