Connect OpenClaw to Signal

Signal is an official plugin built around signal-cli. Use a separate Signal number for the bot: loop protection can make a bot running on your personal account ignore messages from that same account.

Install the plugin

openclaw plugins install @openclaw/signal
openclaw channels add

The guided flow detects signal-cli, can offer an installation path, and asks for the bot number and transport details.

Link or register the account

The fastest path is to link the bot account as a device:

signal-cli link -n "OpenClaw"

Scan the resulting QR code from the Signal account used for the bot. A dedicated-number registration path is also available, but registration can affect an existing Signal session for that number.

Use E.164 phone-number form such as +15551234567. Do not publish the bot’s authentication files or registration material.

Restart and verify

openclaw gateway restart
openclaw channels status --probe

Send a first DM from an allowed sender, then approve the pairing request:

openclaw pairing list signal
openclaw pairing approve signal <CODE>

Expected result

The Signal account is connected, the channel probe succeeds, and an approved sender receives a reply from the bot number.

If the daemon is reachable but silent

Check the configured account, the signal-cli transport URL or path, receive mode, and pairing policy. Follow logs while sending one fresh message:

openclaw logs --follow

Keep signal-cli current. Upstream protocol changes can break old releases even when the local daemon still starts.