Channels — Messenger Integration

Even when you're away from the terminal, you can send tasks to Claude Code from Telegram, Discord, or iMessage and receive the results in the same chat.

[Telegram app] ──DM──► [Telegram bot] ──MCP──► [Claude Code session] ──► [File/terminal work]
                                        ◄────────────────────────────── [Result reply]

Research Preview

Channels is a research preview feature available from v2.1.80. The --channels flag syntax and protocol may change.

How It Differs from Remote Control

Feature	Remote Control	Channels
Direction	Continue controlling an existing session from mobile	Push external messages into a session
Interface	claude.ai/code or mobile app	Telegram, Discord, iMessage
Use case	Monitor/direct work in progress	Request tasks from chat, receive webhooks

Prerequisites

Requirement	Description
Claude Code v2.1.80+	Check with claude --version
claude.ai login	API key/Console auth not supported
Bun runtime	Required to run the plugin server
Messenger app	Telegram, Discord, or iMessage

# Install Bun (macOS/Linux)
curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash

# Windows (PowerShell as Administrator)
powershell -c "irm bun.sh/install.ps1 | iex"

# Verify
bun --version

Supported Channels

Telegram

1. Create a bot: In Telegram, open @BotFather → /newbot → set a name/username (must end in "bot") → copy the API token

2. Install the plugin:

/plugin install telegram@claude-plugins-official

If the plugin doesn't show up

Run /plugin marketplace update claude-plugins-official and try again. If you're adding the marketplace for the first time, run /plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-official.

3. Activate the plugin:

/reload-plugins

If the /telegram:configure command isn't recognized right after installation, this step was skipped.

4. Register the token:

/telegram:configure <your_token>

5. Restart in Channels mode:

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

6. Pair your device: DM the bot → receive a 6-digit code → approve it in the terminal:

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

Discord

1. Create a bot: Discord Developer Portal → New Application → Bot → Reset Token
2. Enable Message Content Intent: Bot settings → Privileged Gateway Intents
3. Invite to a server: OAuth2 → URL Generator → bot scope + permissions (View Channels, Send Messages, Read Message History, Attach Files, Add Reactions)
4. Install and configure the plugin:

/plugin install discord@claude-plugins-official
/reload-plugins
/discord:configure <token>
claude --channels plugin:discord@claude-plugins-official

iMessage (macOS only)

No separate bot token needed — it reads the Messages database directly and replies via AppleScript.

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

You must grant your terminal Full Disk Access in macOS settings.

Security Configuration

Access Control

Every channel is protected by a sender allowlist. Only allowed IDs can send messages; everything else is ignored.

# Check current status
/telegram:access

# Change the policy
/telegram:access policy allowlist   # Allowlist only (recommended default)
/telegram:access policy pairing     # Temporary, for adding new users
/telegram:access policy disabled    # Disable the bot

# Add/remove users directly
/telegram:access allow <userID>
/telegram:access remove <userID>

Allowlist permission = session permission

If a channel plugin declares the permission relay capability, users on the allowlist can approve/deny permission prompts through the channel. The official Telegram, Discord, and iMessage plugins support this capability. Only add users you trust.

Unattended Runs — Bypassing Permission Prompts

If you need to run a remote session in an environment where permission relay isn't supported, you can skip the prompts entirely with --dangerously-skip-permissions.

claude --channels plugin:telegram@claude-plugins-official --dangerously-skip-permissions

Trusted environments only

This flag bypasses all tool approvals. Use it only in trusted environments — your own local machine, an isolated server, etc.

Group Chats

DMs and groups are managed independently:

# Register a group (responds only when mentioned)
/telegram:access group add <groupID>

# Respond to all messages
/telegram:access group add <groupID> --no-mention

# Allow only specific members
/telegram:access group add <groupID> --allow 111111,222222

Enterprise Environments

On Team/Enterprise plans, Channels is disabled by default.

• An admin must set channelsEnabled: true in claude.ai Admin Settings
• The allowed plugin list can be restricted with allowedChannelPlugins
• Pro/Max users can use it right away without an organization

Core Behavior

The Session Is the Bot's Lifeline

Session open    → Bot connected   → Messages can be processed
Session closed  → Bot doesn't respond
New session     → Bot moves to the new session (previous session disconnects)

• You must keep the session running when launched with the --channels flag
• For always-on operation, use a background process or a persistent terminal
• The session pauses when a permission prompt appears

Using Multiple Channels at Once

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

You can pass multiple plugins separated by spaces.

Limitations

Limitation	Description
Session required	If the session shuts down, messages can't be received
Authentication	claude.ai login required (API keys not supported)
Preview	Only plugins on Anthropic's allowlist can be used
Idle disconnects	Responses may become unstable after long periods without messages (fixed by restarting the session)

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