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- messaging/channels-setup.md: comprehensive guide covering all 3 channels (Telegram, Discord, iMessage), bun install, plugin setup, session persistence workarounds, and enterprise admin settings - messaging/imessage-setup.md: macOS-specific iMessage setup with Full Disk Access, /imessage access allow, and known quirks - messaging/README.md: rewritten with 3-way distinction table (Channels=event-based, Dispatch=message-based, RC=direct control) - examples/12: expanded from 2 options to 3 with clear trigger model - feature-map.md: row 9 updated to include iMessage - README.md: session persistence warning added as top-level section Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com> |
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|---|---|---|
| .. | ||
| channels-setup.md | ||
| imessage-setup.md | ||
| README.md | ||
| slack-setup.md | ||
| telegram-channels-setup.md | ||
Messaging
How Claude Code sends and receives messages, compared to OpenClaw.
Three ways to reach Claude Code from your phone
| Method | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Channels | Chat apps push events into a running session | iMessage, Telegram, Discord |
| Dispatch | Send a task from the Claude mobile app | Quick delegation |
| Remote Control | Steer an active session from phone/browser | Guiding in-progress work |
See channels-setup.md for the definitive guide to all three.
Supported channels (native, event-based)
| Channel | Plugin | Platform | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telegram | @anthropic-ai/claude-code-telegram |
Any OS | v2.1.80 |
| Discord | @anthropic-ai/claude-code-discord |
Any OS | v2.1.80 |
| iMessage | @anthropic-ai/claude-code-imessage |
macOS only | v2.1.87 |
All three follow the same pattern: install plugin, launch with
claude --channels, receive and respond to messages.
Permission approval from phone: When Claude needs to run a sensitive action, it sends a permission request through the channel. Reply "yes" or "no" from your phone.
MCP servers for other channels
For channels not yet supported natively, use MCP servers:
| Channel | MCP Server | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Slack | @modelcontextprotocol/slack |
Official, well-maintained |
| SMTP/IMAP MCP servers | Several community options |
See slack-setup.md for a complete Slack walkthrough.
Setup guides in this directory
| File | What it covers |
|---|---|
channels-setup.md |
General channels guide + Dispatch/RC comparison |
imessage-setup.md |
iMessage-specific setup (macOS) |
telegram-channels-setup.md |
Telegram-specific setup |
slack-setup.md |
Slack via MCP server |
The critical limitation
If the Claude Code session closes, channels stop working.
This is the biggest practical difference from OpenClaw's
always-on daemon. See channels-setup.md for workarounds
(tmux, Mac Mini, VPS).
OpenClaw comparison
OpenClaw ships with 15+ channel connectors: WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Signal, iMessage, IRC, Matrix, Teams, and more. Each is plug-and-play with YAML configuration.
Claude Code has 3 native channels (Telegram, Discord, iMessage) plus MCP servers for Slack and others. The gap is narrowing but OpenClaw still has broader multi-channel coverage.
Where Claude Code wins: security. OpenClaw's community skills (12% malicious per Cisco research) and CVE-2026-25253 highlight real risks. Claude Code's permission model and marketplace review process provide stronger guarantees for most users.