Anthropic Ships Claude Code Channels, Enabling Persistent AI Coding Agent Access via Telegram and Discord

Anthropic released Claude Code Channels as a research preview, allowing developers to control Claude Code sessions through Telegram and Discord. A message sent from either platform triggers the locally running Claude Code agent to execute the work and reply through the same chat. The feature leverages the Model Context Protocol standard and requires Claude Code v2.1.80 or later. The launch is positioned as a direct competitor to OpenClaw, with Anthropic emphasizing stronger security guarantees and brand trust. The feature makes Claude Code the first major AI coding agent accessible through consumer messaging platforms, lowering the barrier for non-terminal-native users.