Now for the ears and mouth. The Channel Layer is how OpenClaw hears you and talks back. Each channel adapter connects to one messaging platform: Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, or Matrix. The adapter translates platform-specific message formats into a standard internal format the Gateway understands.
Here's where it gets interesting. You can use multiple platforms at once. Message OpenClaw from Telegram on your phone, then continue the same conversation from Discord on your desktop. The Gateway sees the same user regardless of which channel the message came through. Pretty neat, right?