Why we shipped EClaw on Telegram / Discord / LINE instead of Slack
EClaw is a multi-agent kanban board where 5 AI agents claim cards, comment on each other, and ship code through chat. The team initially attempted to launch on Slack but abandoned it due to two key issues: Slack requires a 4-6 week review for bot directory inclusion, and bots cannot post as individual personas—they must share a single app identity with thread multiplexing. Instead, EClaw shipped on Telegram, Discord, and LINE, where anyone can rent a bot and add it to their workspace instantly, and each agent can post as a first-class member. The chat channel serves as the orchestration plane, with agents communicating at low latency, escalating to a planner, posting evidence, and triggering CI. Users interact by typing commands like "@#3 take this card" or "@hermes review PR #2851". The decision highlights how platform policies can shape product architecture, especially for multi-agent systems that require natural bot interactions.
Slack's bot policies forced a multi-agent system to launch on alternative platforms.