A channel is an MCP server that pushes events into your running Claude Code session, so Claude can react to things that happen while you’re not at the terminal. Channels can be two-way: Claude reads the event and replies back through the same channel, like a chat bridge. Events only arrive while the session is open, so for an always-on setup you run Claude in a background process or persistent terminal. You install a channel as a plugin and configure it with your own credentials. Telegram and Discord are included in the research preview. When Claude replies through a channel, you see the inbound message in your terminal but not the reply text. The terminal shows the tool call and a confirmation (like “sent”), and the actual reply appears on the other platform. This page covers:
- Supported channels: Telegram and Discord setup
- Install and run a channel with fakechat, a localhost demo
- Who can push messages: sender allowlists and how you pair
- Enable channels for your organization on Team and Enterprise
To build your own channel, see the Channels reference.
Supported channels
Each supported channel is a plugin that requires Bun. For a hands-on demo of the plugin flow before connecting a real platform, try the fakechat quickstart.
You can also build your own channel for systems that don’t have a plugin yet.
Quickstart
Fakechat is an officially supported demo channel that runs a chat UI on localhost, with nothing to authenticate and no external service to configure. Once you install and enable fakechat, you can type in the browser and the message arrives in your Claude Code session. Claude replies, and the reply shows up back in the browser. After you’ve tested the fakechat interface, try out Telegram or Discord. To try the fakechat demo, you’ll need:
- Claude Code installed and authenticated with a claude.ai account
- Bun installed. The pre-built channel plugins are Bun scripts. Check with
bun --version; if that fails, install Bun. - Team/Enterprise users: your organization admin must enable channels in managed settings
If Claude hits a permission prompt while you’re away from the terminal, the session pauses until you approve locally. For unattended use, --dangerously-skip-permissions bypasses prompts, but only use it in environments you trust.
Security
Every approved channel plugin maintains a sender allowlist: only IDs you’ve added can push messages, and everyone else is silently dropped. Telegram and Discord bootstrap the list by pairing:
- Find your bot in Telegram or Discord and send it any message
- The bot replies with a pairing code
- In your Claude Code session, approve the code when prompted
- Your sender ID is added to the allowlist
On top of that, you control which servers are enabled each session with --channels, and on Team and Enterprise plans your organization controls availability with channelsEnabled.
Being in .mcp.json isn’t enough to push messages: a server also has to be named in --channels.
Enterprise controls
Channels are controlled by the channelsEnabled setting in managed settings.
| Plan type | Default behavior |
|---|---|
| Pro / Max, no organization | Channels available; users opt in per session with --channels |
| Team / Enterprise | Channels disabled until an admin explicitly enables them |
Enable channels for your organization
Admins can enable channels from claude.ai → Admin settings → Claude Code → Channels, or by setting channelsEnabled to true in managed settings.
Once enabled, users in your organization can use --channels to opt channel servers into individual sessions. If the setting is disabled or unset, the MCP server still connects and its tools work, but channel messages won’t arrive. A startup warning tells the user to have an admin enable the setting.
Research preview
Channels are a research preview feature. Availability is rolling out gradually, and the --channels flag syntax and protocol contract may change based on feedback.
During the preview, --channels only accepts plugins from an Anthropic-maintained allowlist. The channel plugins in claude-plugins-official are the approved set. If you pass something that isn’t, Claude Code starts normally but the channel doesn’t register, and the startup notice tells you why.
To test a channel you’re building, use --dangerously-load-development-channels. See Test during the research preview for information about testing custom channels that you build.
Report issues or feedback on the Claude Code GitHub repository.
Next steps
Once you have a channel running, explore these related features:
- Build your own channel for systems that don’t have plugins yet
- Remote Control to drive a local session from your phone instead of forwarding events into it
- Scheduled tasks to poll on a timer instead of reacting to pushed events