OpenClaw Synology Chat Integration

What Is Synology Chat?

Synology Chat is a team messaging application built into Synology NAS devices running DSM (DiskStation Manager). Think of it as a self-hosted alternative to Slack or Microsoft Teams — your messages, files, and conversations stay entirely on your own hardware. It supports channels, direct messages, file sharing, and integrations via incoming and outgoing webhooks.

Because Synology Chat runs on your NAS, it's ideal for privacy-conscious users and teams who want full control over their communication data without relying on third-party cloud services.

Why Connect OpenClaw to Synology Chat?

Integrating OpenClaw with Synology Chat gives you a powerful AI assistant that runs privately on your own infrastructure. Here's why it's worth setting up:

• Private AI on your NAS — your conversations and data never leave your network. No cloud dependency for the chat layer.
• Team access — everyone on your Synology Chat server can interact with the AI assistant in shared channels or via direct messages.
• No extra apps — if your team already uses Synology Chat, adding an AI assistant requires no new software or accounts. It just appears as another bot in your existing workflow.
• Full OpenClaw capabilities — the bot has access to all OpenClaw features including web search, file management, code execution, and 3,200+ ClawHub skills.
• Model flexibility — use Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, or any OpenRouter-supported model. Switch models without reconfiguring Synology Chat.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• A Synology NAS running DSM 7.0 or later.
• Synology Chat installed and running on your NAS (install it from Package Center if you haven't already).
• An OpenClaw instance — either self-hosted via Docker or deployed through OpenClaw Launch.
• Admin access to your Synology Chat server (to create webhooks).
• Network connectivity between your OpenClaw instance and the NAS (they need to reach each other over HTTP/HTTPS).

Step 1: Create Webhooks in Synology Chat

Synology Chat uses webhooks for bot integrations. You'll need both an incoming webhook (for OpenClaw to send messages to Synology Chat) and an outgoing webhook (for Synology Chat to forward user messages to OpenClaw).

1. Open Synology Chat on your NAS and go to your profile icon (top-right) → Integration.
2. Click Incoming Webhooks → Create. Give it a name like "OpenClaw Bot" and select the channel where the bot should post. Copy the Incoming Webhook URL — you'll need it shortly.
3. Go back to Integration and click Outgoing Webhooks → Create. Set the name and choose a trigger keyword (e.g., "@ai") or select "All messages" for the channel. Set the Callback URL to your OpenClaw instance's Synology Chat endpoint (typicallyhttp://<openclaw-host>:18789/channels/synologyChat/webhook). Copy the Outgoing Webhook Token.

Step 2: Configure OpenClaw's Synology Chat Channel

Add the Synology Chat channel to your OpenClaw configuration. The config key is channels.synologyChat. Here's what a typical configuration looks like:

{
  "channels": {
    "synologyChat": {
      "enabled": true,
      "incomingWebhookUrl": "https://your-nas:5001/webapi/entry.cgi?api=SYNO.Chat.External&method=incoming&version=2&token=%22YOUR_INCOMING_TOKEN%22",
      "outgoingWebhookToken": "YOUR_OUTGOING_TOKEN"
    }
  },
  "plugins": {
    "entries": {
      "synologyChat": {
        "enabled": true
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace the values:

• incomingWebhookUrl — the full incoming webhook URL you copied from Synology Chat.
• outgoingWebhookToken — the token from the outgoing webhook you created.

Step 3: Set the Webhook URL and Token

If you're using OpenClaw Launch, select Synology Chat as your channel in the configurator and paste your webhook URL and token into the corresponding fields. The platform handles the JSON config for you.

If you're self-hosting, edit your ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json file directly. After saving, OpenClaw's file watcher detects the change and hot-reloads the channel configuration — no restart needed.

Step 4: Test the Connection

Once configured, verify everything works:

1. Open Synology Chat and navigate to the channel where you set up the bot.
2. Send a message (using your trigger keyword if you set one, or just type normally if the outgoing webhook is set to "All messages").
3. The message should reach OpenClaw via the outgoing webhook, and OpenClaw's response should appear in the channel via the incoming webhook.
4. If you don't see a response within a few seconds, check the troubleshooting section below.

Using OpenClaw Launch with Synology Chat

OpenClaw Launch supports Synology Chat as a channel option in the visual configurator. Instead of manually editing JSON config files, you can:

1. Go to your dashboard and create a new configuration.
2. Select Synology Chat as the channel.
3. Paste your incoming webhook URL and outgoing webhook token.
4. Choose your AI model and any skills you want to enable.
5. Click Deploy. Your OpenClaw instance launches in seconds with Synology Chat pre-configured.

This is the fastest way to get started — no Docker setup, no config files, no server management.

Tips & Best Practices

• Use a dedicated channel — create a channel specifically for the AI bot (e.g., #ai-assistant) to keep bot conversations separate from team discussions.
• Choose the right model for your NAS resources — if you're running OpenClaw on the same NAS, lighter models like Gemini Flash or DeepSeek use fewer resources. If OpenClaw runs externally (or via OpenClaw Launch), model choice doesn't affect NAS performance.
• Use a trigger keyword — setting the outgoing webhook to trigger on a keyword like "@ai" prevents the bot from responding to every message in the channel, reducing noise and API costs.
• Enable HTTPS on your NAS — if OpenClaw runs outside your local network, use HTTPS for the webhook URLs to encrypt traffic between your NAS and the OpenClaw instance.
• Set up a reverse proxy — if your NAS is behind a router, configure port forwarding or a reverse proxy (Synology's built-in reverse proxy works) so that OpenClaw can reach the NAS webhook endpoints.

Troubleshooting

Webhook errors (HTTP 400 or 403)

Double-check that the incoming webhook URL is complete and URL-encoded correctly. Synology Chat webhook URLs contain query parameters with quoted tokens — make sure the full URL is copied exactly. A 403 error usually means the outgoing webhook token in your OpenClaw config doesn't match the one Synology Chat generated.

Connection refused

This means OpenClaw can't reach your NAS (or vice versa). Verify:

• The NAS IP/hostname is reachable from the OpenClaw instance.
• The correct port is open (default: 5001 for HTTPS, 5000 for HTTP).
• If using Docker, the container's network can access the NAS.

NAS firewall blocking requests

DSM has a built-in firewall (Control Panel → Security → Firewall). Make sure it allows incoming connections on the Synology Chat port from the OpenClaw instance's IP address. If your OpenClaw instance runs on OpenClaw Launch, allow connections from the deployment server IP.

Bot responds in Synology Chat but not to all users

Check that the outgoing webhook is configured for the correct channel and trigger settings. If you used a trigger keyword, make sure users are including it in their messages.

FAQ

Can I run OpenClaw directly on my Synology NAS?

Yes. Synology NAS devices that support Docker (Container Manager in DSM 7.2+) can run OpenClaw as a Docker container locally. This gives you a fully self-contained setup where both the AI and the chat platform run on the same device. See our Docker guide for container setup details.

Does Synology Chat work with OpenClaw Launch?

Yes. OpenClaw Launch supports Synology Chat as a channel option. Select it in the configurator, paste your webhook credentials, and deploy. The OpenClaw instance runs on our servers and connects to your NAS via webhooks.

Which AI models work with Synology Chat?

All models supported by OpenClaw work with Synology Chat — including Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Qwen, and any model available through OpenRouter. The model runs on the OpenClaw side (not on the NAS), so NAS hardware specs don't limit model choice.

Is my data private when using Synology Chat with OpenClaw?

Synology Chat messages stay on your NAS. When a message is sent to OpenClaw, it's processed by the AI model you selected (via the model provider's API). If you want full privacy, run a local model with Ollama — see our Ollama guide. Using OpenClaw Launch, the instance is isolated and your config is encrypted at rest.

What's Next?

• Install OpenClaw — full installation guide for self-hosting.
• OpenClaw Docker Guide — run OpenClaw in Docker, including on a Synology NAS.
• Best OpenClaw Skills — top skills to enhance your AI assistant.
• OpenClaw MCP Guide — extend your bot with Model Context Protocol tools.
• OpenClaw Manual — complete reference for commands and configuration.