Channels Overview

Channels connect Open Astra agents to messaging platforms. Users on Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, iMessage, Google Chat, Microsoft Teams, LINE, Viber, X, Email, Linear, Jira, or Zapier can talk to any configured agent without needing to use the API directly. Each channel maps incoming messages to agent turns and delivers responses back on the same platform.

Available channels

Channel	Required env vars	Notes
Telegram	`TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN`	Most popular. Supports file uploads, inline keyboards
Discord	`DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN`	Supports slash commands, embeds, thread replies
Slack	`SLACK_BOT_TOKEN`, `SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET`	Supports Block Kit, slash commands, home tab
WhatsApp	`WHATSAPP_PHONE_NUMBER_ID`, `WHATSAPP_ACCESS_TOKEN`	Requires Meta Business account and webhook verification
Signal	`SIGNAL_API_URL`, `SIGNAL_PHONE_NUMBER`	Requires signal-cli REST bridge
iMessage	`BLUEBUBBLES_URL`, `BLUEBUBBLES_PASSWORD`	Requires BlueBubbles server on macOS
Google Chat	`GOOGLE_CHAT_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY`	Supports Cards V2, threaded replies
Microsoft Teams	`TEAMS_APP_ID`, `TEAMS_APP_PASSWORD`	Requires Azure Bot registration and Teams app manifest
LINE	`LINE_CHANNEL_ACCESS_TOKEN`, `LINE_CHANNEL_SECRET`	Supports rich messages, quick replies, Flex Messages
Viber	`VIBER_AUTH_TOKEN`	Supports rich media, keyboards, broadcast messages
X	`X_API_KEY`, `X_API_SECRET`, `X_ACCESS_TOKEN`, `X_ACCESS_SECRET`	Responds to Direct Messages via OAuth 1.0a and Account Activity API
Email	`SMTP_HOST`, `SMTP_USER`, `SMTP_PASSWORD`, `SMTP_FROM`	SMTP outbound (any provider) + Postmark inbound webhook; threads on sender address
Linear	`LINEAR_WEBHOOK_SECRET`, `LINEAR_API_KEY`	Bidirectional — webhook ingestion + comment replies; label-based agent routing
Jira	Database config (`jira_sync_configs` table)	Bidirectional — webhook events + comment replies; per-workspace Jira project sync
Zapier	Database config (`zapier_subscriptions` table)	REST Hooks bridge — trigger/subscribe/polling; routes Zapier events to agents

Shared slash commands

Every channel supports the same set of slash commands, regardless of platform:

Command	Description
`/start`	Start a new session or greet the user
`/reset`	Clear the current session conversation history
`/agent`	Show the currently active agent
`/agents`	List all available agents
`/switch <id>`	Switch to a different agent by ID
`/memory <query>`	Search memory and display results
`/usage`	Show token and cost usage for this session
`/help`	Show all available commands

How channels work

Each channel adapter starts alongside the gateway and handles platform-specific authentication, message parsing, and response formatting. All adapters convert incoming platform messages into the same internal ChannelMessage type before passing them to the agent loop. Responses from the agent loop are converted back to platform-specific format for delivery.

Enabling channels

Channels are enabled by setting the required environment variables. No code changes are needed. The gateway detects which channel env vars are present at startup and activates those channels automatically.

bash

# Enable Telegram
TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=123456:ABC-DEF...

# Enable Discord
DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN=your-bot-token

# Enable Slack
SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-...
SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET=your-signing-secret

Setting the default agent per channel

Each channel can have a different default agent. Users can also switch agents mid-session with /switch <id>.

yaml

channels:
  telegram:
    enabled: true
    defaultAgent: assistant-agent
  discord:
    enabled: true
    defaultAgent: code-agent
  slack:
    enabled: true
    defaultAgent: team-agent