Fix: Telegram "User Not Found" After Accidentally Cancelling Onboarding

If you accidentally cancelled the OpenClaw Telegram onboarding process and now see a "user not found" or "HTTPS error" when messaging your bot, this guide will help you recover.

The Problem

When you first set up OpenClaw with Telegram, the bot runs an onboarding flow to register you as an authorized user. If you:

• Accidentally hit cancel during onboarding
• Closed the chat before completing registration
• Interrupted the setup process

...your Telegram account never gets added to the user allowlist. The bot sees your messages but rejects them because you're not a recognized user.

Common error messages:

• "Connection error"
• "User not found"
• Gateway logs showing unauthorized access attempts

The Solution

Unlike Discord (which has the /user add command in-app), Telegram requires you to add users through the OpenClaw config file.

Step 1: Find Your Telegram User ID

You need your numeric Telegram user ID. There are several ways to get it:

Option A: Check gateway logs

openclaw gateway logs | grep -i telegram

Look for your username and the associated user ID in the logs.

Option B: Use a Telegram bot Message @userinfobot on Telegram — it will reply with your user ID.

Step 2: Add Yourself to the Config

Edit your OpenClaw config file (~/.openclaw/openclaw.json):

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "enabled": true,
      "allowFrom": [
        {
          "id": "YOUR_TELEGRAM_USER_ID",
          "role": "owner"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_TELEGRAM_USER_ID with your actual numeric ID (e.g., 123456789).

Step 3: Restart the Gateway

openclaw gateway restart

Step 4: Test It

Send a message to your bot on Telegram. It should now respond normally.

Alternative: Re-run Onboarding

If you'd rather go through the guided setup again:

1. Remove the Telegram configuration section from your config
2. Run openclaw configure and select Telegram
3. Complete the onboarding flow properly this time

Preventing Future Issues

• Don't rush onboarding — let each step complete before proceeding
• Keep a backup of your openclaw.json after successful setup
• Check allowFrom if you're having auth issues — the user ID might be missing or wrong

Related

• OpenClaw Telegram Configuration Docs
• For Discord: Use /user add command directly in your server

Based on a community discussion in #help. Thanks to everyone who helped troubleshoot!