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

# Channels

> Deploy an agent to Telegram or Slack with a single webhook

A **channel** binds an agent to a messaging platform — Telegram or Slack — so end users can talk to it where they already are. Each channel gets a unique webhook URL; paste it into the platform's webhook configuration and you're live.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/hastekit/890s5wy2NHvxQLSN/images/agent-builder/channels.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=890s5wy2NHvxQLSN&q=85&s=39e00e8c8a8fffde8f0cb24f835a2dae" alt="Channels" width="3886" height="1634" data-path="images/agent-builder/channels.png" />
</Frame>

## Supported channels

| Channel      | Setup                                                                                                           |
| ------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Telegram** | Create a bot via @BotFather, paste the bot token, paste the HasteKit webhook URL into the bot's webhook config. |
| **Slack**    | Create a Slack app, paste the HasteKit webhook URL into Event Subscriptions, install the app to your workspace. |

## Creating a channel

1. Open **Agent Framework → Channels**.
2. Click **Add Channel**.
3. Choose the platform.
4. Select the **Agent** (and version or alias) the channel should route to. One agent per channel.
5. Provide the platform credentials:
   * **Telegram** — bot token from BotFather.
   * **Slack** — signing secret and OAuth credentials from your Slack app config.
6. Save. HasteKit shows you a **Webhook URL**.

## Wiring the platform side

### Telegram

Set the bot's webhook to the HasteKit URL:

```
https://api.telegram.org/bot<TOKEN>/setWebhook?url=<HASTEKIT_WEBHOOK_URL>
```

Or use BotFather's webhook configuration UI. Once set, every message the bot receives is delivered to HasteKit, which forwards it to the configured agent.

### Slack

In your Slack app dashboard:

1. **Event Subscriptions** → enable, paste the HasteKit URL as the Request URL.
2. Subscribe to bot events (`message.channels`, `message.im`, etc.).
3. **OAuth & Permissions** → grant `chat:write`, `im:history`, and any scopes you want the bot to use.
4. **Install to Workspace**.

Slack now routes events to HasteKit; the agent replies in the same channel/DM.

## Per-user context

Each incoming message is augmented with the platform's user identity (Telegram user ID, Slack user/team ID) in the agent's [request context](/docs/gateway/agent-builder/conversing-with-the-agent). Use this to:

* Scope [Memories](/docs/gateway/agent-builder/memories) per user (so the agent remembers each person separately).
* Look up the user's [connector connection](/docs/gateway/agent-builder/connectors) so the agent can act in *their* Gmail/Calendar/Jira on request.
* Substitute the user identity into the [system prompt](/docs/gateway/agent-builder/system-prompt) via `{{user_id}}`.

## Channels vs Connectors

It's easy to confuse these — they're opposite ends of the same conversation.

|           | Channels                | Connectors                           |
| --------- | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| Direction | The user → the agent    | The agent → external services        |
| Examples  | Telegram, Slack DMs     | Gmail, Google Calendar, Jira, GitHub |
| Auth      | One bot/app per channel | One OAuth connection per end user    |

A typical "personal assistant" agent has one **channel** (Telegram, so the user can chat) and several **connectors** (Gmail and Calendar, so the agent can read their inbox and book meetings).