Claude Code Channels Setup

Claude Code Channels pushes messages from external platforms (Telegram, Discord) into a running Claude Code session via MCP server plugins.

Prerequisites

• Claude Code v2.1.80+
• Bun runtime
• A claude.ai account (not API key mode)

Platform Selection

Ask which platform(s) the user wants, then follow the relevant reference:

• Telegram: See references/telegram.md
• Discord: See references/discord.md

Both can run simultaneously:

claude --channels plugin:telegram@claude-plugins-official,plugin:discord@claude-plugins-official

Universal Workflow

Regardless of platform, setup follows 6 steps:

1. Create bot on the platform's developer portal
2. Install plugin: /plugin install <platform>@claude-plugins-official
3. Configure token: /<platform>:configure <token>
4. Launch session: claude --channels plugin:<platform>@claude-plugins-official
5. Pair account: DM the bot, get a code, run /<platform>:access pair <code>
6. Lock down: /<platform>:access policy allowlist

Troubleshooting

MCP Server Shows "failed" on Startup

Known race condition — server may fail on cold start but reconnect fine.

Fix: Run /mcp, navigate to the failed server, select Reconnect.

Persistent failures — verify the bot token:

# Telegram
TOKEN=$(grep TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN ~/.claude/channels/telegram/.env | cut -d= -f2)
curl -s "https://api.telegram.org/bot$TOKEN/getMe"

# Discord
TOKEN=$(grep DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN ~/.claude/channels/discord/.env | cut -d= -f2)
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bot $TOKEN" https://discord.com/api/v10/users/@me

If unauthorized/401, regenerate the token and update ~/.claude/channels/<platform>/.env.

Plugin Not Found

Add the official marketplace first:

/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-official

Bot Not Responding

1. Session must be running with --channels flag
2. /mcp must show the server as "connected"
3. Telegram: verify token with BotFather
4. Discord: enable Message Content Intent in Developer Portal → Bot → Privileged Gateway Intents

Dependency Issues

Pre-install manually:

cd ~/.claude/plugins/cache/claude-plugins-official/<platform>/<version>
bun install --no-summary

Running as Background Service (tmux)

# Start
tmux new-session -d -s claude-<platform> \
  'claude --dangerously-skip-permissions --channels plugin:<platform>@claude-plugins-official'

# Attach / Detach
tmux attach -t claude-<platform>   # Ctrl+b then d to detach

# After startup, if MCP failed: /mcp → select server → Reconnect

Access Control

Both platforms share the same model. Replace <platform> with telegram or discord.

Command	Effect
/<platform>:access	Show current state
/<platform>:access pair <code>	Approve pairing
/<platform>:access deny <code>	Reject pairing
/<platform>:access allow <id>	Add user by ID
/<platform>:access remove <id>	Remove user
/<platform>:access policy <mode>	pairing / allowlist / disabled
/<platform>:access group add <id>	Enable group/channel
/<platform>:access group add <id> --no-mention	Enable without requiring @mention
/<platform>:access group rm <id>	Disable group/channel
/<platform>:access set <key> <value>	Configure delivery settings

State Files

~/.claude/channels/<platform>/
├── .env          # Bot token (mode 0o600)
├── access.json   # Policy, allowlist, groups, pending
├── approved/     # Approved user ID → chat ID mapping
└── inbox/        # Downloaded attachments