DM Pairing Explained

What Is DM Pairing?

DM Pairing is OpenClaw's channel-based authentication mechanism. Instead of requiring a username and password, OpenClaw pairs your messaging account (WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, iMessage, Signal) directly to the daemon using a one-time pairing code sent via direct message.

How It Works

1. You start the OpenClaw daemon: openclaw start
2. You open the dashboard and click Pair New User
3. OpenClaw generates a 6-digit pairing code and displays it
4. You DM that code to your OpenClaw bot on the target channel (e.g., Telegram)
5. The daemon verifies the code and permanently links your account

After pairing, every message from your paired account is trusted — no passwords or tokens required in the chat.

Security Properties

• One-time codes: Pairing codes expire after 10 minutes
• Per-channel binding: Each channel (Telegram, WhatsApp, etc.) must be paired separately
• Revocable: You can unpair any account instantly: openclaw users unpair <user_id>
• Allowlist enforcement: Unpaired users receive no response from the agent

Pairing Multiple Users

Enterprise installs can pair multiple users to one OpenClaw instance. Each user gets their own isolated context and permissions:

openclaw users list
openclaw users pair --channel telegram

Troubleshooting Pairing

• Code expired? Generate a new one from the dashboard
• Code not accepted? Ensure you're messaging the correct bot and the daemon is running
• Already paired but locked out? Reset with: openclaw users reset --channel telegram