OpenClaw Telegram Proxy Fix for Restricted Networks

Problem statement: your token is valid, Telegram marks messages as delivered, but OpenClaw logs stop at starting provider with no polling. This is a high-friction failure for teams deploying inside restricted network environments.

Step-by-step diagnostic flow

1. Validate token path with proxied curl (getMe endpoint).
2. Validate non-proxied curl fails in your region (confirms network restriction).
3. Verify OpenClaw config has explicit proxy env vars and no typo in keys/case.
4. Restart gateway and check whether Telegram logs progress from startup to active polling.
5. If still silent, treat as provider-level proxy handling gap, not token misconfiguration.

Operationally safe workaround strategy

• Short term: run OpenClaw in a region/network where Telegram API is directly reachable.
• Medium term: use a managed OpenClaw host with controlled egress and monitoring.
• Long term: adopt provider-level proxy support as soon as upstream ships it.

What to include in your bug report

• OpenClaw version + Node + OS
• Sanitized proxy env config (variable names + structure)
• curl success via proxy vs failure without proxy
• Gateway log excerpt showing startup without polling continuation

Internal links for migration decisions

If this issue blocks customer-facing automations, evaluate managed vs self-hosted operations, use the core setup workflow, or move directly to OpenClaw cloud hosting to avoid regional network bottlenecks.

FAQ

Can I fix this only with environment variables?

Sometimes yes, but not reliably in every stack. If provider polling still does not start, environment variables alone are insufficient for your runtime.

Is Web UI health enough to prove Telegram will work?

No. Web UI can be healthy while Telegram polling path remains blocked. Validate each channel independently.

Sources

• GitHub discussion #8242 (updated 2026-02-28)
• OpenClaw docs: Telegram channel