> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.profclaw.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Chat Providers Overview

> Connect your AI agent to 27 chat channels. Covers Slack, Discord, Telegram, WhatsApp, Teams, Matrix, and more - with multi-account support and webhook setup.

profClaw's chat provider system provides a unified abstraction across all messaging platforms. One agent, every channel.

## Supported Channels

| Provider                                           | Type          | Status       | Key Capability                         |
| -------------------------------------------------- | ------------- | ------------ | -------------------------------------- |
| [WebChat](/chat-providers/webchat)                 | Built-in      | Stable       | Zero-setup browser widget              |
| [Slack](/chat-providers/slack)                     | Work          | Stable       | Socket Mode, Block Kit, slash commands |
| [Discord](/chat-providers/discord)                 | Community     | Stable       | Slash commands, components             |
| [Telegram](/chat-providers/telegram)               | Messaging     | Stable       | Webhooks, inline buttons               |
| [WhatsApp](/chat-providers/whatsapp)               | Messaging     | Stable       | WhatsApp Business API                  |
| [Matrix](/chat-providers/matrix)                   | Open Protocol | Stable       | E2EE, federated                        |
| [Microsoft Teams](/chat-providers/microsoft-teams) | Work          | Stable       | Adaptive Cards, Bot Framework          |
| [Rocket.Chat](/chat-providers/rocket-chat)         | Self-hosted   | Beta         | Open-source Slack alternative          |
| [IRC](/chat-providers/irc)                         | Legacy        | Beta         | Classic IRC protocol                   |
| [Signal](/chat-providers/signal)                   | Secure        | Beta         | E2EE, signald bridge                   |
| [LINE](/chat-providers/line)                       | Asia          | Beta         | LINE Messaging API                     |
| [Zalo](/chat-providers/zalo)                       | Vietnam       | Beta         | Zalo OA API                            |
| [Viber](/chat-providers/viber)                     | Messaging     | Beta         | Viber Bot API                          |
| [Facebook Messenger](/chat-providers/messenger)    | Social        | Beta         | Meta Messenger Platform                |
| [WeChat](/chat-providers/wechat)                   | China         | Beta         | WeChat Official Account                |
| [Tlon/Urbit](/chat-providers/tlon)                 | Decentralized | Experimental | Urbit network                          |
| [Custom](/chat-providers/custom)                   | DIY           | Stable       | Build your own provider                |
| Google Chat                                        | Work          | Beta         | Google Workspace                       |
| Mattermost                                         | Self-hosted   | Beta         | Open-source Teams alternative          |
| DingTalk                                           | China         | Beta         | Alibaba DingTalk                       |
| WeCom                                              | China         | Beta         | Tencent WeCom                          |
| Feishu/Lark                                        | Work          | Beta         | ByteDance enterprise                   |
| QQ                                                 | Social        | Beta         | Tencent QQ                             |
| Nostr                                              | Decentralized | Experimental | Nostr protocol                         |
| Twitch                                             | Streaming     | Beta         | Twitch chat integration                |
| Nextcloud Talk                                     | Self-hosted   | Beta         | Nextcloud messaging                    |
| Synology Chat                                      | Self-hosted   | Beta         | Synology NAS chat                      |

<Note>
  WebChat is enabled by default with no credentials required. It is always available at `http://localhost:3000`. All other providers require credential setup.
</Note>

## Capabilities Comparison

| Feature         | WebChat | Slack | Discord | Telegram | WhatsApp | Teams |
| --------------- | ------- | ----- | ------- | -------- | -------- | ----- |
| Direct Messages | Yes     | Yes   | Yes     | Yes      | Yes      | Yes   |
| Group/Channel   | No      | Yes   | Yes     | Yes      | No       | Yes   |
| Slash Commands  | No      | Yes   | Yes     | No       | No       | Yes   |
| Buttons/Menus   | No      | Yes   | Yes     | Yes      | Limited  | Yes   |
| File Uploads    | No      | Yes   | Yes     | Yes      | Yes      | Yes   |
| Reactions       | No      | Yes   | Yes     | No       | No       | No    |
| Threads         | No      | Yes   | Yes     | No       | No       | Yes   |
| Rich Blocks     | No      | Yes   | No      | No       | No       | Yes   |
| E2E Encryption  | No      | No    | No      | No       | Yes      | No    |
| OAuth Install   | No      | Yes   | Yes     | No       | No       | Yes   |

## Multi-Account Support

profClaw supports multiple accounts per provider. Each account is independently configured and can be assigned to different channels or teams:

```yaml theme={null}
# settings.yml
chat:
  slack:
    accounts:
      - id: work
        bot_token: xoxb-work-...
        is_default: true
      - id: community
        bot_token: xoxb-community-...
```

## Architecture

All providers implement the same interface, allowing the execution engine and security layer to treat all channels uniformly:

* **Inbound**: Receive messages via webhooks or long-polling
* **Outbound**: Send messages and structured responses
* **Status**: Health checks and connection monitoring
* **Auth**: OAuth flows or manual token configuration

```
User Message
    |
    v
[Chat Provider]  ----incoming----> [Message Handler]
                                         |
                                    [AI Executor]
                                    [Tool Pipeline]
                                         |
[Chat Provider]  <---outbound-----  [Response]
```

## Webhook Setup

Most providers require a public HTTPS webhook URL to deliver events. Use `profclaw serve` to start the server, then expose it with a tunnel during development or configure your domain for production.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Development (tunnel)">
    Use a tunnel tool to expose your local server:

    ```bash theme={null}
    # Using cloudflared (recommended, free, no account needed for quick tunnels)
    brew install cloudflared
    cloudflared tunnel --url http://localhost:3000

    # Or using ngrok
    ngrok http 3000
    ```

    Use the generated HTTPS URL as your webhook base URL in the provider's developer portal.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Production">
    Set your domain as the webhook base URL:

    ```bash theme={null}
    WEBHOOK_BASE_URL=https://profclaw.yourdomain.com
    ```

    profClaw appends provider-specific paths automatically. For example, the Slack webhook becomes:
    `https://profclaw.yourdomain.com/api/webhooks/slack`
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Warning>
  All webhook endpoints validate request signatures from the provider. Never disable signature verification in production.
</Warning>

## Configuration Pattern

All providers follow the same environment variable pattern - enable a provider by setting its credentials:

```bash theme={null}
# Slack
SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-...
SLACK_APP_TOKEN=xapp-...
SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET=...

# Discord
DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN=...

# Telegram
TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=...
```

Providers with no credentials set are simply not loaded. There is no need to explicitly disable them.

## Security Considerations

Chat providers inherit the global [security mode](/security/overview). Restrict which channels or users the agent responds to:

```yaml theme={null}
chat:
  channels:
    slack:
      allowedChannels:
        - C0123456789  # #engineering
        - C9876543210  # #devops
      allowedUsers:
        - U012345678   # Specific user IDs only
```

## Health Check

```bash theme={null}
profclaw doctor --chat
```

Shows connection status for all configured chat providers, including last event received and any authentication errors.

## Popular Guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Slack Bot Setup" icon="slack" href="/guides/slack-bot">
    Step-by-step guide to creating a Slack app and connecting profClaw.
  </Card>

  <Card title="WhatsApp Bot" icon="whatsapp" href="/guides/whatsapp-bot">
    Connect profClaw to WhatsApp Business API.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Self-Hosted Deployment" icon="server" href="/guides/self-hosted">
    Configure public webhooks for production deployments.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Custom Provider" icon="wrench" href="/chat-providers/custom">
    Implement your own chat provider using the provider SDK.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Related

* [profclaw channels](/cli/channels) - Enable, disable, and test chat providers from the CLI
* [Security Overview](/security/overview) - Restrict which channels and users the agent responds to
* [profclaw tunnel](/cli/tunnel) - Expose your local server for webhook delivery
* [Configuration Overview](/configuration/overview) - settings.yml reference for channel configuration