What Is Claude Code Channels | Discord/Telegram Integration Setup and Usage

What Is Claude Code Channels?

Channels is implemented as an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server-type plugin. A Discord bot or Telegram bot acts as a bridge, injecting messages sent from outside into the running Claude Code session as <channel> events.

Anthropic's official description states "Use channels to push messages, alerts, and webhooks into your code.claude.com" (source: Serverworks Blog), and one of its primary purposes is to pipe CI alerts and webhooks directly into Claude Code.

Communication supports both one-way and two-way modes.

• One-way: Pushing information from external systems into Claude Code, such as CI pipeline failure notifications
• Two-way: Sending questions and instructions to Claude Code from a smartphone DM and receiving results back

It is currently offered as a research preview, and the two supported platforms are Discord and Telegram.

Version History

Channels was gradually released across versions v2.1.77 through v2.1.81. Official Channels support was added in v2.1.80, and within the same release cycle, features such as subagent designation via @-mention (v2.1.78), the --agent session feature, and the /branch command were also introduced.

What You Can Do with Channels

There are many practical scenarios where Channels proves useful.

Asynchronous work requests from mobile

Even while out, simply sending "fix this bug" from a Telegram DM will have Claude Code running on your PC take care of it. When you return to the terminal, the diff will already be ready — that's the kind of workflow Channels makes possible.

Automatic response to CI/CD failures

When a test fails, you can set up a flow where GitHub Actions webhooks send notifications to a dedicated Discord channel, and Claude Code receives the alert and automatically begins investigating and fixing the issue. You can paste error logs and send "why did this fail?" and Claude Code will read the code and explain the cause.

Asynchronous code review requests

Even during a meeting, you can send "look into the performance issue in this function" and Claude Code will start analyzing it during downtime.

Prerequisites

To use Channels, prepare the following.

Installing Bun

The Channels plugin requires the Bun JavaScript runtime. Use the following command to check if it is already installed.

bun --version

If not installed, get it from the official site (bun.sh). It supports macOS, Linux, and Windows (WSL).

A Discord or Telegram Bot Account

• Discord: Create an application and bot in the Discord Developer Portal
• Telegram: Send /newbot to BotFather within the Telegram app to obtain a token

Discord Integration Setup Steps

The following steps are based on the Qiita article Claude Code Channels Complete Guide.

1. Create a new application in the Discord Developer Portal and add a bot from the Bot tab
2. Make sure to enable Message Content Intent under "Privileged Gateway Intents" (messages will not arrive if this setting is omitted)
3. Grant the necessary permissions such as View Channels, Send Messages, and Attach Files, then generate an invite link and invite the bot to your server
4. Launch Claude Code and install the plugin

/plugin install discord@claude-plugins-official

5. Configure the bot token

/discord:configure <your-bot-token>

6. Send a DM to the bot you created from Discord — a pairing code will be returned. Approve the code to complete pairing.

You can now send messages to Claude Code from Discord channels or DMs. For security, it is recommended to create and use a dedicated personal Discord server.

Telegram Integration Setup Steps

Creating a bot on Telegram is simpler than on Discord (source: note: Let's Call ClaudeCode from Discord Using Channels).

1. Send /newbot to Telegram's BotFather, set a bot name and username, and obtain the token
2. Launch Claude Code and install the plugin

/plugin install telegram@claude-plugins-official

3. Configure the token

/telegram:configure <your-bot-token>

4. Send /start to the bot you created on Telegram to complete pairing

Telegram is especially convenient when mobile usage is your primary use case.

Configuring Response Modes

Channels has two modes that control when Claude Code responds.

• Always-respond mode: Automatically responds to every message sent. Suitable for personal use in DMs
• Mention-response mode: Only responds when mentioned with something like @Claude. Useful for preventing unintended triggers when sharing a channel with a team

When using Channels in a team, it is safer to use mention-response mode as the default and only call Claude Code when needed.

Usage Example: Automatically Fixing CI Failures

Here is an example of integrating Channels into a real development workflow to automatically fix CI/CD failures.

1. When a pipeline such as GitHub Actions fails, send a notification to a dedicated Discord channel via webhook
2. The notification content (error logs, failed files, line numbers) flows into the Claude Code session through Channels
3. Claude Code reads the code, identifies the cause, and creates a fix
4. A message indicating the fix is complete is returned to Discord

This enables a workflow where you receive a notification like "Test failed: auth_service.py L47 AssertionError" on your smartphone while out and simply reply "please fix it" — and the fix progresses automatically. This can significantly reduce the time spent responding to CI failures.

Tips for Team Usage

Here are key points to keep in mind when using Channels as a team.

• Isolate with a dedicated server: Create a server dedicated to Claude Code integration rather than using your personal main server
• Channel design: Separating channels by purpose — such as "CI alerts," "questions," and "work requests" — lets you organize Claude Code's behavior by use case
• Permission management: Grant only the minimum necessary permissions to the bot to prevent unauthorized access from unintended parties

Limitations and Caveats

Before using Channels in production, you need to understand the following limitations.

• Only active while the session is running: Closing Claude Code means messages can no longer be received. To keep it running continuously, you need to leave your PC on or operate it on a server
• Authentication method: API key authentication is not supported; login to claude.ai is required
• Only two supported platforms currently: Discord and Telegram only (Slack, Teams, etc. are not supported)
• Context length constraints: The feature may become unstable if the session context becomes too long
• Research preview: Specifications may change, so use caution for mission-critical production processes

Summary

Claude Code Channels is a feature that allows you to operate a local Claude Code session from outside using Discord or Telegram as a bridge. It works simply by installing Bun and setting up a bot, and greatly expands the freedom of your development workflow — from automatically handling CI notifications to submitting asynchronous work requests from mobile.

While there is a limitation that it is only active while a session is running, it is worth trying as a first step toward a style of development where you are not tied to the terminal. Start by connecting with a personal Telegram bot and try using it for simple questions and requests while you're out and about.