Connecting OpenClaw to Google Chat

Introduction

Google Chat is a core communication tool in the Google Workspace ecosystem, widely used by enterprises and teams for daily collaboration. Connecting OpenClaw to Google Chat allows team members to interact directly with the AI assistant in their familiar work environment without switching tools.

OpenClaw integrates natively with Google Chat via HTTP Webhooks (Native Integration), meaning it functions not as a plugin but as a Google Chat application embedded directly into the chat experience. As part of OpenClaw's multi-channel gateway, the Google Chat channel can run simultaneously with Telegram, Slack, Discord, and other channels without interference.

Prerequisites

• OpenClaw is installed and running
• A Google Workspace account (admin permissions required to publish Chat apps)
• OpenClaw service is accessible via a public HTTPS URL (required for Webhook mode)
• A project has been created in Google Cloud Console

Integration Method

OpenClaw's integration with Google Chat uses the HTTP Webhook application model. When a user sends a message, Google Chat sends the event as an HTTP POST request to the Webhook endpoint provided by OpenClaw. OpenClaw processes it and returns the reply to the user.

The message flow is as follows:

User sends a message in Google Chat
         ↓
Google Chat server
         ↓
Sends HTTP POST to OpenClaw Webhook endpoint
         ↓
OpenClaw processes the message and calls the AI model
         ↓
Returns response to Google Chat
         ↓
User receives the reply in Google Chat

Since this is a native integration rather than a plugin, the bot behaves in Google Chat just like an official Google application, supporting one-on-one chats, group chats, and chat rooms.

Step 1: Configure in Google Cloud Console

1.1 Enable Google Chat API

1. Log in to Google Cloud Console
2. Select or create a project
3. Navigate to APIs & Services → Library in the left menu
4. Search for Google Chat API and click on it
5. Click Enable to enable the API

1.2 Configure Google Chat Application

After enabling the API, go to the Google Chat API configuration page:

1. Click the Configuration tab
2. Fill in the application's basic information (name, avatar, description, etc.)
3. Under Connection settings, select HTTP endpoint URL
4. Enter the OpenClaw Webhook address

1.3 Set Up a Service Account

To verify requests from Google Chat, you need to configure a service account:

1. In Google Cloud Console, navigate to IAM & Admin → Service Accounts
2. Create or select a service account
3. Download the JSON key file — you will need it when configuring OpenClaw

Step 2: Configure the Channel via OpenClaw

OpenClaw provides a convenient channel login command to complete Google Chat configuration. Run the following in your terminal:

openclaw channels login

This command starts an interactive configuration flow that guides you through the following steps:

1. Select the channel to configure (choose Google Chat)
2. Enter Webhook-related information
3. Provide the Google Cloud service account credentials
4. Verify the connection

After configuration, OpenClaw will automatically save the credentials to the configuration file.

Restart and Verify

openclaw restart

# View Google Chat channel connection logs
openclaw logs -f --component channel:google-chat

After a successful startup, the logs should show that the Google Chat channel is ready, indicating the Webhook endpoint has started listening for requests from Google Chat.

Step 3: Publish and Use

Publishing the App

Depending on your use case, you can choose different publishing methods:

After setting the publishing scope in the Google Cloud Console Chat API configuration page, target users will be able to find and use the application in Google Chat.

Using in Google Chat

1. Open Google Chat
2. Search for your bot name in the chat list
3. Click to start a one-on-one conversation and type your question
4. In chat rooms, @mention the bot to trigger a response

Running Multiple Channels in Parallel

OpenClaw's multi-channel gateway architecture allows Google Chat to run simultaneously with other channels. For example, you can enable Google Chat, Slack, and Telegram at the same time. All channels share the same AI model configuration and skill settings, but process messages independently.

This means:

• Conversation contexts across different channels are isolated from each other
• Different trigger rules can be configured for different channels
• Issues with one channel do not affect the normal operation of others
• All channels are managed uniformly through OpenClaw's configuration file or openclaw channels login

Troubleshooting

Webhook Requests Not Reaching OpenClaw

• Verify that the OpenClaw service's public HTTPS address is accessible
• Confirm the Webhook URL configured in Google Cloud Console is correct
• Check that the firewall or reverse proxy allows traffic on the relevant port

Bot Not Visible in Google Chat

• Confirm that the Google Chat API is enabled
• Confirm that the application has been properly published (at least visible to test users)
• Confirm that you are using a Google Workspace account, not a personal Gmail account

Request Verification Failure

• Confirm the service account key file path is correct and the file is not corrupted
• Confirm the project ID in the OpenClaw configuration matches the Google Cloud project

# View detailed error logs
openclaw logs --level error --component channel:google-chat

Summary

The core steps to connect OpenClaw to Google Chat are:

1. Enable Google Chat API in Google Cloud Console and configure the HTTP Webhook application
2. Complete channel configuration via openclaw channels login
3. Set the publishing scope so target users can find and use the bot
4. Leverage the multi-channel gateway to run alongside other channels

Google Chat integration uses the native HTTP Webhook model, making configuration relatively straightforward. As long as a public HTTPS address is reachable and service account credentials are correct, the integration can be completed smoothly.