Channels

Moltis connects to messaging platforms through channels. Each channel type has a distinct inbound mode, determining how it receives messages, and a set of capabilities that control what features are available.

Supported Channels

Inbound Modes

Polling

The bot periodically fetches new messages from the platform API. No public URL or open port is needed. Used by Telegram.

Gateway / WebSocket

The bot opens a persistent outbound WebSocket connection to the platform and receives events in real time. No public URL needed. Used by Discord and WhatsApp.

Socket Mode

Similar to a gateway connection, but uses the platform’s Socket Mode protocol. No public URL needed. Used by Slack.

Webhook

The platform sends HTTP POST requests to a publicly reachable endpoint on your server. You must configure the messaging endpoint URL in the platform’s settings. Used by Microsoft Teams.

None (Send-Only)

For channels that only send outbound messages and do not receive inbound traffic. No channels currently use this mode, but it is available for future integrations (e.g. email, SMS).

Capabilities Reference

Setup

Each channel is configured in moltis.toml under [channels]:

[channels.telegram.my_bot]
token = "123456:ABC-DEF..."
dm_policy = "allowlist"
allowlist = ["alice", "bob"]

[channels.msteams.my_teams_bot]
app_id = "..."
app_password = "..."

[channels.discord.my_discord_bot]
token = "..."

[channels.slack.my_slack_bot]
bot_token = "xoxb-..."
app_token = "xapp-..."

[channels.whatsapp.my_wa]
dm_policy = "open"

For detailed configuration, see the per-channel pages: Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp.

You can also use the web UI’s Channels tab for guided setup with each platform.

Proactive Outbound Messaging

Agents are not limited to replying in the current chat. Moltis supports three main outbound patterns:

• send_message tool for direct proactive messages to any configured channel account/chat
• Cron job delivery for background jobs that should post their final output to a channel
• Heartbeat delivery for periodic heartbeat acknowledgements sent to a chosen chat

Example send_message tool call:

{
  "account_id": "my-telegram-bot",
  "to": "123456789",
  "text": "Deployment finished successfully."
}

account_id is the configured channel account name from moltis.toml, and to is the destination chat, peer, or room identifier for that platform.

Access Control

All channels share the same access control model with three settings:

DM Policy

Controls who can send direct messages to the bot.

Group Policy

Controls who can interact with the bot in group chats / channels / guilds.

The group allowlist field name varies by channel: group_allowlist (Telegram, WhatsApp, MS Teams), guild_allowlist (Discord), channel_allowlist (Slack).

Mention Mode

Controls when the bot responds in groups (does not apply to DMs).

Allowlist Matching

All allowlist fields across all channels share the same matching behavior:

• Values are strings — even for numeric IDs, use "123456789" not 123456789
• Case-insensitive — "Alice" matches "alice"
• Glob wildcards — "admin_*", "*@example.com", "user_*_vip"
• Multiple identifiers — both the user’s numeric ID and username are checked (where applicable)

OTP Self-Approval

Channels that support OTP (Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp) allow non-allowlisted users to self-approve by entering a 6-digit code. The code appears in the web UI under Channels > Senders. See each channel’s page for details.