Compare platform compatibility

Compatibility scope

Every Agent has:

• One communication platform.
• One runtime.
• One platform bot or application identity.
• One encrypted platform credential set.
• One independent conversation and activity history.

The platform and runtime are selected when the Agent is created. They cannot be changed through Agent configuration later.

To move work to another platform or runtime, create another Agent and apply the required Template, Skills, model, credentials, and access settings.

Where this page says a control is not available, it means Agent Barn does not currently expose it as a routing policy. The underlying platform may still provide an equivalent control through its own administration.

Quick answer

These are selection guidelines, not platform rankings. Choose based on the required access boundary, tenant environment, runtime, and operational model.

Runtime support

The API uses agent_type for the runtime:

hermes
openclaw

Feature comparison

Each capability below describes what Agent Barn configures and enforces for that platform.

“Not through Agent Barn” means that the underlying platform may provide controls that are not represented as an Agent Barn routing policy.

Connection methods

Three platforms use an outbound connection opened by the Agent runtime. Microsoft Teams is the exception: it calls into a public Agent Barn endpoint.

The Microsoft Teams messaging endpoint has this shape:

https://AGENT_BARN_HOST/api/v1/webhooks/teams/AGENT_ID/messages

A Teams deployment therefore needs a stable external Agent Barn URL, public HTTPS access to the Teams webhook route, and a Teams or Azure bot registration configured with the generated messaging endpoint.

Slack, Telegram, and Discord need no inbound route into the deployment.

Credential requirements

Secret classification

Credential validation timing

Slack and Discord bot tokens must be unique across active Agents on their respective platforms. Agent Barn returns a conflict if the token is already assigned.

Use a distinct bot or application identity for every production Agent, including on platforms where uniqueness is not enforced.

Access controls

Platform access and Agent Barn sharing answer different questions:

• Platform access controls who may communicate with the Agent through Slack, Teams, Telegram, or Discord.
• Agent Access controls who may view or administer the Agent inside Agent Barn.

Configure both boundaries.

Channel access:  Allowlist
Direct messages: Off or Allowlist
Mention gating:  Required

Group access:    Allowlist
Direct messages: Off or Allowlist
Mention gating:  Required

Server access:            Allowlist
Allowed channels:         Explicitly configured
Allow all users:          Disabled
Allowed users or roles:   Explicitly configured
Require explicit mention: Enabled
Direct messages:          Disabled

Mention behavior

Agents should not act on ordinary conversation in shared spaces unless they are intentionally addressed.

Slack

Slack provides the strongest mention boundary.

• @agent first request delivered
• reply without @agent ignored
• @agent follow-up request delivered

A fresh explicit mention is required for each message in a channel or thread. Earlier participation does not automatically engage the Agent for later thread messages.

Microsoft Teams, Telegram, and Discord

These platforms require mentions in shared spaces, but a direct reply to the Agent’s own message may still count as addressing that Agent.

• @agent first request delivered
• ordinary channel message ignored
• direct reply to the Agent may be delivered

This reply behavior remains scoped to the Agent whose message was replied to.

Discord exposes Require an explicit mention in server channels as a setting. Keep it enabled unless the channel is deliberately dedicated to one Agent.

Direct messages

Direct messages do not require a mention on platforms where Agent Barn supports them:

• Slack: according to the configured DM policy.
• Microsoft Teams: personal scope is open.
• Telegram: according to the configured DM policy.
• Discord: direct messages are disabled.

Mention gating is materialized when the Agent starts. Routing changes require a restart before they take effect in the runtime.

Operational differences

Creation and startup

The Slack and Telegram web flows are guided: after the Agent is created, the wizard opens its access step so channels, chats, and direct-message policies can be reviewed before the Agent starts.

A stopped Agent can be configured without deploying its runtime. For a running Agent, platform-routing changes use Apply & Restart. For a stopped Agent, Apply saves the configuration and leaves it stopped.

Activity name enrichment

Telegram and Discord directory results are cached, so a recently changed name may not appear immediately. Numeric identifiers remain authoritative even when Agent Barn displays a human-readable name.

Scheduled and proactive destinations

For Slack or Telegram with Hermes, order matters, because the first allowed destination becomes the home destination. A proactive destination must also satisfy platform membership and send-permission requirements.

Additional platform-specific behavior

Choose a platform

Use this decision sequence.

Runtime:  OpenClaw
Platform: Microsoft Teams

Choose a runtime after the platform

Platform compatibility should eliminate invalid runtime choices, but it should not be the only runtime-selection factor. Also consider the runtime operating model, command approval requirements, Template compatibility, required Skills and integrations, scheduled and proactive work, resource footprint, and existing operational experience.

See Choose an Agent runtime for the full comparison.

Multi-platform Agents

To expose the same role on several platforms, create one Agent per platform:

Avoid presenting several independent Agents as one continuous cross-platform conversation, unless an explicit external synchronization design exists.

Use a separate bot or application identity for each Agent. Never run several Agent runtimes against the same Slack, Telegram, or Discord bot token.

API values

Platform values

slack
teams
telegram
discord

Runtime values

hermes
openclaw

The API field is named agent_type:

{
  "platform": "telegram",
  "agent_type": "hermes"
}

Valid combinations

Platform-specific creation fields

Slack:

{
  "platform": "slack",
  "slack_bot_token": "REDACTED",
  "slack_app_token": "REDACTED",
  "slack_group_policy": "allowlist",
  "slack_channel_ids": ["C1234567890"],
  "slack_dm_policy": "off",
  "slack_dm_user_ids": []
}

Microsoft Teams:

{
  "platform": "teams",
  "agent_type": "openclaw",
  "teams_app_id": "REDACTED",
  "teams_app_password": "REDACTED",
  "teams_tenant_id": "REDACTED"
}

Telegram:

{
  "platform": "telegram",
  "telegram_bot_token": "REDACTED",
  "telegram_group_policy": "allowlist",
  "telegram_allowed_chat_ids": ["-1001234567890"],
  "telegram_dm_policy": "off",
  "telegram_allowed_user_ids": []
}

Discord:

{
  "platform": "discord",
  "discord_bot_token": "REDACTED",
  "discord_group_policy": "allowlist",
  "discord_guild_ids": ["123456789012345678"],
  "discord_allowed_channel_ids": ["234567890123456789"],
  "discord_allow_all_users": false,
  "discord_allowed_user_ids": [],
  "discord_allowed_role_ids": ["345678901234567890"],
  "discord_require_mention": true,
  "discord_home_channel_id": "234567890123456789"
}

Each create request must also include the common Agent fields, including:

{
  "name": "Example Agent",
  "template_key": "REPLACE_WITH_TEMPLATE_KEY",
  "model": "REPLACE_WITH_MODEL",
  "skill_ids": []
}

The API validates runtime and platform compatibility. Platform and runtime fields are not available in the Agent update contract.

Setup guides

Continue with the setup guide for the selected platform.

After connecting the platform:

• Review Agent health and logs
• Test an allowed shared-space request.
• Test an unmentioned shared-space message.
• Test a user or destination outside the intended boundary.
• Record credential ownership and rotation procedures.
• Review the Template and Skills assigned to the Agent.