Descriptions:
Claude Code’s new Channels feature adds native Telegram and Discord integration to local AI agents, letting users delegate tasks to their machine from a smartphone — no separate infrastructure required. Nick Saraev walks through the entire setup in this hands-on demo, covering both platforms end-to-end: creating a Telegram bot via BotFather, obtaining a Discord bot token through the developer portal, and connecting both to Claude Code using the `claude –channels` plugin with the `@claude-plugins-official` extension.
The practical use cases shown include scraping 98 HVAC leads in Texas via a Discord message (delivered back as a downloadable CSV), and remotely editing a YouTube thumbnail through Telegram — all processed locally on Saraev’s computer while he operates from his phone. The system maintains a local conversation history with a reasoning layer for each completed task, giving users interpretability over what the agent actually executed rather than just a raw log.
Saraev frames Channels as a direct answer to OpenClaw, arguing it delivers the same “agent running on your machine” workflow with significantly less setup complexity and tighter native integration with Claude Code’s existing skill system. For developers already running Claude Code locally, this feature effectively turns any messaging app into a remote control for persistent AI automation — without requiring a VPS, separate orchestration layer, or exposed web interface.
📺 Source: Nick Saraev · Published March 20, 2026
🏷️ Format: Hands On Build
