> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.orkestral.pro/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Channels

> Command your team from the messaging apps you already use: WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, MS Teams and Signal.

**Channels** connect your team of agents to the messaging apps you already use. You ask for
a feature, approve a plan and follow progress from your phone, without opening the app. The
agents get your message in the channel, do the work and reply right there.

## Supported channels

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="WhatsApp" icon="whatsapp" />

  <Card title="Telegram" icon="telegram" />

  <Card title="Discord" icon="discord" />

  <Card title="MS Teams" icon="microsoft" />

  <Card title="Signal" icon="comment" />
</CardGroup>

## Connect a channel

Open **Resources → Channels** in Orkestral and pick the channel. Each one has its own way to
pair:

<Steps>
  <Step title="WhatsApp">
    Scan the QR code with the WhatsApp on your phone (same flow as WhatsApp Web). The session
    is stored locally.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Telegram, Discord, MS Teams">
    Paste the bot token (created in each platform's portal). The token is encrypted in the
    local secret store, never exposed in the interface.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Signal">
    Pair the device by following the on-screen instructions.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Credentials live in an encrypted vault on your machine. The key never reaches the renderer
  and tokens never appear in plain text.
</Note>

## What you can do from a channel

* **Ask for work.** Send a message describing what you want; it becomes an executable plan, just like in [chat](/en/chat).
* **Approve a plan.** Reply `approve` (or `approve all`) when there is a pending plan, and execution starts. See [approvals](/en/approvals).
* **Follow along.** The team replies back in the channel as the work advances.

## Helpful details

* **Voice transcribed locally.** Send a voice note; it is transcribed on your machine before becoming a message.
* **Attachments.** Images the agent can "see"; other files stay attached to the conversation.
* **Streamed replies.** The reply is edited as the agent thinks, mimicking chat streaming.
* **Compact messages.** What goes out to the channel is summarized so it does not become a giant text on your phone; the full detail stays in the issue and the knowledge base.

## See also

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Inbox" icon="inbox" href="/en/inbox">
    The real-time conversations panel inside the app.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Approvals" icon="circle-check" href="/en/approvals">
    How to approve plans, from the app or from a channel.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>