Channels

Channels connect your bots to messaging platforms like Telegram, Slack, Discord, and WhatsApp. Each channel represents a platform-specific configuration that routes messages to and from your bot.

Overview

A channel is:

Platform Connection: Link to Telegram, Slack, Discord, etc.
Webhook Handler: Receives incoming messages from the platform
Message Sender: Sends bot responses back to users
Configuration: Platform-specific credentials and settings

Supported Platforms

Bot API with native typing indicators

Slack

Workspace integration with thread support

Discord

Guild bots with slash commands (coming soon)

Business API integration (coming soon)

Creating a Channel

Choose Platform

Decide which messaging platform to connect.

Create Bot/App

Create a bot or app on the platform:

Telegram: Use @BotFather
Slack: Create app at api.slack.com/apps
Discord: Create bot at discord.com/developers

Get Credentials

Copy the required credentials:

Telegram: Bot token
Slack: Bot token + signing secret
Discord: Bot token + application ID

Configure in Platform

Create the channel in Chatbot Platform and enter credentials.

Test

Send a test message to verify the connection works.

Channel Features

Platform-Specific Capabilities

Different platforms support different features:

Feature	Telegram	Slack	Discord*	WhatsApp*
Typing Indicators	Native	Native	Native	Native
Thread Support	No	Yes	Yes	No
Group Chats	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Media Messages	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Buttons/Actions	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

*Coming soon

Webhook Management

Channels use webhooks to receive messages:

Platform Sends Message: User sends message on platform
Webhook Receives: Platform forwards to Chatbot Platform webhook
Bot Processes: Bot handles message and generates response
Response Sent: Bot sends reply back through platform API

Webhooks are configured automatically when you create a channel.

Multi-Channel Bots

A single bot can connect to multiple channels:

Bot: "Customer Support Bot"
  ├─ Channel: Telegram
  ├─ Channel: Slack
  └─ Channel: Discord

Benefits:

Unified bot logic across platforms
Single integration configuration
Centralized management
Consistent user experience

Each channel maintains separate conversations and context.

Channel Settings

Configure these per channel:

Setting	Description	Default
Platform	Telegram, Slack, Discord, etc.	Required
Credentials	API tokens and keys	Required
Webhook URL	Auto-generated by platform	Auto
Status	Active or disabled	Active

Testing Channels

After setting up a channel:

Verify Connection

Check that channel status shows “Connected” or “Active”.

Send Test Message

Send a message to the bot on the platform.

Check Response

Verify the bot responds correctly.

Review Logs

Check conversation history to see the message was received.

Troubleshooting

Channel Not Receiving Messages

Check:

Webhook URL is correctly configured on platform
Bot/app has required permissions
Platform credentials are valid
Channel is enabled (not disabled)

Bot Not Responding

Check:

Bot has active integration
Integration is working (test manually)
No timeout errors in logs
Bot is connected to correct channel

Webhook Errors

Common Issues:

Invalid signature (Slack)
Webhook URL changed
SSL certificate issues
Firewall blocking requests

Security

Chatbot Platform validates all incoming webhook requests using platform-specific verification methods.

Platform Verification

Telegram: Bot token validation Slack: Request signature verification Discord: Application verification This ensures only legitimate requests from the platform are processed.

API Access

Manage channels programmatically using the API.

Create a channel via API

cURL
JavaScript
PHP
Python

curl -X POST https://api.chatbotplatform.io/v1/bots/bot_123/channels \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "platform": "telegram",
    "credentials": {
      "bot_token": "123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz"
    }
  }'

const response = await fetch('https://api.chatbotplatform.io/v1/bots/bot_123/channels', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    platform: 'telegram',
    credentials: {
      bot_token: '123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz'
    }
  })
});
const data = await response.json();

$response = Http::withToken('YOUR_API_KEY')
    ->post('https://api.chatbotplatform.io/v1/bots/bot_123/channels', [
        'platform' => 'telegram',
        'credentials' => [
            'bot_token' => '123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz'
        ]
    ]);

$channel = $response->json();

response = requests.post(
    'https://api.chatbotplatform.io/v1/bots/bot_123/channels',
    headers={'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'},
    json={
        'platform': 'telegram',
        'credentials': {
            'bot_token': '123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz'
        }
    }
)
channel = response.json()

List bot channels

cURL
JavaScript
PHP
Python

curl https://api.chatbotplatform.io/v1/bots/bot_123/channels \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

const response = await fetch('https://api.chatbotplatform.io/v1/bots/bot_123/channels', {
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
  }
});
const { data } = await response.json();

$response = Http::withToken('YOUR_API_KEY')
    ->get('https://api.chatbotplatform.io/v1/bots/bot_123/channels');

$channels = $response->json('data');

response = requests.get(
    'https://api.chatbotplatform.io/v1/bots/bot_123/channels',
    headers={'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'}
)
channels = response.json()['data']

Delete a channel

cURL
JavaScript
PHP
Python

curl -X DELETE https://api.chatbotplatform.io/v1/channels/ch_123 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

await fetch('https://api.chatbotplatform.io/v1/channels/ch_123', {
  method: 'DELETE',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
  }
});

Http::withToken('YOUR_API_KEY')
    ->delete('https://api.chatbotplatform.io/v1/channels/ch_123');

requests.delete(
    'https://api.chatbotplatform.io/v1/channels/ch_123',
    headers={'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'}
)

Complete API Reference

View the full API specification with all endpoints, parameters, and response schemas.

Get Started

Bots

Agent Loops

MCP Servers

Use Cases

Overview

Supported Platforms

Telegram

Slack

Discord

WhatsApp

Creating a Channel

Channel Features

Platform-Specific Capabilities

Webhook Management

Multi-Channel Bots

Channel Settings

Testing Channels

Troubleshooting

Channel Not Receiving Messages

Bot Not Responding

Webhook Errors

Security

Platform Verification

API Access

Complete API Reference

Next Steps

Telegram Setup

Slack Setup

​Overview

​Supported Platforms

Telegram

Slack

Discord

WhatsApp

​Creating a Channel

​Channel Features

​Platform-Specific Capabilities

​Webhook Management

​Multi-Channel Bots

​Channel Settings

​Testing Channels

​Troubleshooting

​Channel Not Receiving Messages

​Bot Not Responding

​Webhook Errors

​Security

​Platform Verification

​API Access

Complete API Reference

​Next Steps

Telegram Setup

Slack Setup

Overview

Supported Platforms

Creating a Channel

Channel Features

Platform-Specific Capabilities

Webhook Management

Multi-Channel Bots

Channel Settings

Testing Channels

Troubleshooting

Channel Not Receiving Messages

Bot Not Responding

Webhook Errors

Security

Platform Verification

API Access

Next Steps