How to Connect OpenClaw to Google Chat

Prerequisites

• ✓A Google Cloud project where you can enable the Google Chat API and create service accounts.
• ✓Access to the Google Cloud Console, including the Google Chat API Credentials and Chat Configuration pages.
• ✓An OpenClaw gateway already running and reachable from your machine so you can later expose `/googlechat` over HTTPS.
• ✓Tailscale, a reverse proxy like Caddy, or Cloudflare Tunnel available to expose a public HTTPS endpoint for `/googlechat`.

Steps

1. 1

   Enable the Google Chat API in your Google Cloud project

   Start by turning on the Google Chat API so your Chat app and webhooks can exist at all. Use the Google Chat API Credentials page to both enable the API and later manage service accounts and keys.

   textCopy

   Go to: https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/api/chat.googleapis.com/credentials

2. 2

   Create a service account and JSON key for OpenClaw

   Create a dedicated service account for the Chat integration and download a JSON key that OpenClaw will use to verify webhook tokens and call the Chat API. Keep permissions and principals empty as the docs specify, and store the JSON file on the gateway host where OpenClaw can read it.

   textCopy

   Press Create Credentials>Service Account.
   Name it whatever you want (e.g., `openclaw-chat`).
   Leave permissions blank (press Continue).
   Leave principals with access blank (press Done).
   
   In the list of service accounts, click on the one you just created.
   Go to the Keys tab.
   Click Add Key>Create new key.
   Select JSON and press Create.

3. 3

   Store the service account key on the OpenClaw gateway

   Move the downloaded JSON key onto the machine running your OpenClaw gateway so the process can read it at startup. openclaw`, which keeps channel credentials in one place.

   textCopy

   Store the downloaded JSON file on your gateway host (e.g., `~/.openclaw/googlechat-service-account.json`).

4. 4

   Create and configure the Google Chat app

   Create a Chat app in the Google Cloud Console and point its HTTP endpoint at your OpenClaw gateway’s `/googlechat` path. Make sure you enable interactive features, join spaces, and restrict visibility to your own account while you test.

   textCopy

   Fill in the Application info:
       App name: (e.g. `OpenClaw`)
       Avatar URL: (e.g. `https://openclaw.ai/logo.png`)
       Description: (e.g. `Personal AI Assistant`)
   
   Enable Interactive features.
   Under Functionality, check Join spaces and group conversations.
   Under Connection settings, select HTTP endpoint URL.
   Under Triggers, select Use a common HTTP endpoint URL for all triggers and set it to your gateway’s public URL followed by `/googlechat`.
       Tip: Run `openclaw status` to find your gateway’s public URL.
   
   Under Visibility, check Make this Chat app available to specific people and groups in <Your Domain>.
   Enter your email address (e.g. `user@example.com`) in the text box.
   Click Save at the bottom.

5. 5

   Set the Chat app status to live

   After saving the Chat app configuration, you need to explicitly mark it as live so Google Chat will let users talk to it. This is easy to miss because the status control appears only after the first save.

   textCopy

   After saving, refresh the page.
   Look for the App status section (usually near the top or bottom after saving).
   Change the status to Live - available to users.
   Click Save again.

6. 6

   Configure OpenClaw with the Google Chat service account and audience

   Wire the service account JSON into OpenClaw and set the audience type and value so token verification matches your Chat app configuration. googlechat` section in your gateway config.

   textCopy

   Env: `GOOGLE_CHAT_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_FILE=/path/to/service-account.json`
   Or config: `channels.googlechat.serviceAccountFile: "/path/to/service-account.json"`.

7. 7

   Expose only the /googlechat webhook path over HTTPS

   Google Chat requires a public HTTPS endpoint, but you should keep the OpenClaw dashboard private. Use Tailscale Funnel (recommended), a reverse proxy like Caddy, or Cloudflare Tunnel to expose only `/googlechat` while keeping `/` locked down.

   textCopy

   # Check what address your gateway is bound to:
   ss -tlnp | grep 18789
   
   # Expose the dashboard to the tailnet only (port 8443):
   # If bound to localhost (127.0.0.1 or 0.0.0.0):
   tailscale serve --bg --https 8443 http://127.0.0.1:18789
   
   # If bound to Tailscale IP only (e.g., 100.106.161.80):
   tailscale serve --bg --https 8443 http://100.106.161.80:18789
   
   # Expose only the webhook path publicly:
   # If bound to localhost (127.0.0.1 or 0.0.0.0):
   tailscale funnel --bg --set-path /googlechat http://127.0.0.1:18789/googlechat
   
   # If bound to Tailscale IP only (e.g., 100.106.161.80):
   tailscale funnel --bg --set-path /googlechat http://100.106.161.80:18789/googlechat
   
   # Verify the configuration:
   tailscale serve status
   tailscale funnel status
   
   Your public webhook URL will be: `https://<node-name>.<tailnet>.ts.net/googlechat`
   Your private dashboard stays tailnet-only: `https://<node-name>.<tailnet>.ts.net:8443/`
   Use the public URL (without `:8443`) in the Google Chat app config.
   
   Caddy reverse proxy example:
   
   your-domain.com {
       reverse_proxy /googlechat* localhost:18789
   }
   
   Cloudflare Tunnel ingress example:
   *   Path: `/googlechat` ->`http://localhost:18789/googlechat`
   *   Default Rule: HTTP 404 (Not Found)

8. 8

   Start the OpenClaw gateway and add the bot in Google Chat

   With config and networking in place, start or restart the gateway so the Google Chat channel registers its webhook handler. Then add the app in Google Chat via Direct Messages and send a test message to confirm the round trip.

   textCopy

   Start the gateway. Google Chat will POST to your webhook path.
   
   Once the gateway is running and your email is added to the visibility list:
   1.   Go to https://chat.google.com/.
   2.   Click the + (plus) icon next to Direct Messages.
   3.   In the search bar (where you usually add people), type the App name you configured in the Google Cloud Console.
       Note: The bot will not appear in the “Marketplace” browse list because it is a private app. You must search for it by name.
   4.   Select your bot from the results.
   5.   Click Add or Chat to start a 1:1 conversation.
   6.   Send “Hello” to trigger the assistant!

Configuration

Troubleshooting

openclaw config get channels.googlechat
openclaw plugins list | grep googlechat
openclaw gateway restart

openclaw channels status
# Should show: Google Chat default: enabled, configured, ...

openclaw channels status --probe
openclaw logs --follow

Frequently asked questions