How to Connect OpenClaw to Zalo Personal

Prerequisites

• ✓An existing OpenClaw gateway deployment where you can edit the config and restart the gateway.
• ✓Access to the Zalo Bot Platform at https://bot.zaloplatforms.com with permission to create a bot.
• ✓A Zalo Bot Creator / Marketplace bot (this guide follows the Marketplace-bot behavior described in the docs).

Steps

1. 1

   Ensure the Zalo plugin is available in your OpenClaw install

   OpenClaw ships the Zalo channel as a bundled plugin in current releases, so most packaged builds already have it. If you run an older build or a custom install that excludes Zalo, install the plugin so the gateway can start the Zalo channel.

   bashCopy

   openclaw plugins install @openclaw/zalo

2. 2

   Install the Zalo plugin from a source checkout if needed

   If you work from a local source checkout instead of a packaged build, you can point the plugin installer at the local Zalo plugin path. This is useful when you vendor plugins alongside your gateway code.

   bashCopy

   openclaw plugins install ./path/to/local/zalo-plugin

3. 3

   Create a Zalo bot and obtain the bot token

   You need a bot token from the Zalo Bot Platform so OpenClaw can authenticate to the Zalo API. Create the bot, configure its settings, and copy the full token string, including both the numeric ID and secret.

   textCopy

   1.   Go to https://bot.zaloplatforms.com and sign in.
   2.   Create a new bot and configure its settings.
   3.   Copy the full bot token (typically `numeric_id:secret`). For Marketplace bots, the usable runtime token may appear in the bot’s welcome message after creation.

4. 4

   Configure the Zalo bot token in OpenClaw

   Wire the Zalo bot token into your gateway config so the Zalo channel can start. You can either set an environment variable for the default account or define the channel block in your configuration file with the token and DM policy.

   jsonCopy

   {
     channels: {
       zalo: {
         enabled: true,
         accounts: {
           default: {
             botToken: "12345689:abc-xyz",
             dmPolicy: "pairing",
           },
         },
       },
     },
   }
   
   ZALO_BOT_TOKEN=...

5. 5

   Restart the gateway and approve initial DM pairing

   After you add the token, restart your OpenClaw gateway so it can resolve the Zalo config and start the channel. Zalo DMs default to pairing, so when a user first messages the bot, approve their pairing code before messages are processed.

   bashCopy

   openclaw pairing list zalo
   openclaw pairing approve zalo <CODE>

6. 6

   Send a test message to your Zalo bot from the CLI

   Once the channel is running, you can verify outbound delivery by sending a message from the CLI to a specific Zalo chat ID. This confirms the bot token and routing are working end-to-end.

   bashCopy

   openclaw message send --channel zalo --target 123456789 --message "hi"

Configuration

Troubleshooting

openclaw channels status --probe
openclaw logs --follow

Frequently asked questions