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POST
/
v1
/
instances
/
{instance_id}
/
channels
/
{channel}
/
connect
curl -X POST https://api.chowder.dev/v1/instances/ins_abc123/channels/discord/connect \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "config": {
      "token": "MTIz..."
    }
  }'

{
  "channel": "discord",
  "status": "connected",
  "message": "Channel connected successfully."
}
Connects a channel to the instance. What happens next depends on the channel’s connection type:
  • Token-based channels (like Discord or Telegram): provide the required credentials in config and the channel connects immediately.
  • Interactive channels (like WhatsApp): the connection starts a pairing flow. You’ll get back QR data to scan, and the status will be "awaiting_scan" until the user completes the process.
Behind the scenes, this writes the configuration to openclaw.json and restarts the gateway.

​
Authentication

Requires an org-level API key or a scoped token with the channels permission.

​
Path Parameters

​
instance_id
string
required
The ID of the instance.
​
channel
string
required
The channel identifier (e.g. discord, whatsapp).

​
Body Parameters

​
config
object
required
A key-value map of configuration fields for this channel. Use the channel info endpoint to discover which fields are required. For interactive channels, you can optionally provide extra config.

​
Response

​
channel
string
The channel identifier.
​
status
string
Either "connected" (channel is live) or "awaiting_scan" (interactive channels waiting for user action).
​
qr_data
string
Raw QR code data for interactive channels. Only present when status is "awaiting_scan".
​
qr_image_base64
string
Base64-encoded PNG image of the QR code. Only present when status is "awaiting_scan".
​
message
string
An optional human-readable status message.
curl -X POST https://api.chowder.dev/v1/instances/ins_abc123/channels/discord/connect \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "config": {
      "token": "MTIz..."
    }
  }'

{
  "channel": "discord",
  "status": "connected",
  "message": "Channel connected successfully."
}