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Errors / Channel Forbidden

Fix: Channel Forbidden

Error: "403 Forbidden", "401 Unauthorized", "not_in_channel", "missing scope"

What It Means

The chat platform (Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp) said "no" to OpenClaw. Your bot's authentication token is invalid, expired, or doesn't have permission to do what you're asking. It's like showing up to a building with an expired ID badge.

Common Causes

  • •Bot token is invalid or expired
  • •Bot doesn't have required permissions
  • •Bot was removed from the server or channel
  • •API permissions were changed or revoked
  • •Wrong token configured

Ask Your Agent to Fix This

Copy this prompt and send it to your OpenClaw agent:

Check the status of all my connected channels (Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp). If any show errors or are disconnected, re-authenticate them using "openclaw channels login" and tell me what you did.

How to Fix It

1. Check Channel Status

openclaw channels status --probe
openclaw channels status --channel telegram
openclaw channels status --channel discord

2. Check Logs for Details

openclaw logs --follow

Look for specific error codes: 401, 403, Forbidden, not_in_channel, missing_scope

3. Re-authenticate the Channel

# Re-run channel login
openclaw channels login telegram
openclaw channels login discord
# Or set new token directly
openclaw config set channels.discord.token 'NEW_TOKEN_HERE'

4. Discord: Check Bot Permissions

Make sure your bot has these permissions in your server:

  • • View Channels - See the channel
  • • Send Messages - Reply to messages
  • • Read Message History - See past messages
  • • Embed Links - Send rich content
  • • Message Content Intent - Required for reading messages

5. Discord: Re-invite the Bot

If the bot was removed:

  1. Go to Discord Developer Portal → Your App → OAuth2
  2. Generate a new invite URL with correct permissions
  3. Re-invite the bot to your server

How to Prevent This

  • ✓Store tokens in your config file, not just environment variables
  • ✓Run openclaw channels status --probe regularly to catch issues early
  • ✓Check Discord developer portal if permissions change

Related Errors

Allowlist Blocked

Related allowlist error.

Unauthorized

Related auth error.

Related Guides

Telegram Setup

Connect Telegram.

Discord Setup

Connect Discord.

Still having trouble?

Ask on Discord