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# Manage Messaging Channels

> Rotate, pause, resume, remove, and conflict-check messaging channels on an existing sandbox.

Use host-side channel commands to change a configured messaging channel.

## Rotate Credentials

Running `channels add` for a channel that is already configured overwrites stored tokens and registers the updated bridge provider.
Rebuild the sandbox after the update so the image reflects the current channel set.

For WeChat, the cached-token shortcut applies.
Remove WeChat first when you intend to acquire a fresh account through a new QR scan.

For detailed token rotation procedures, refer to [Credential Rotation](../../security/credential-rotation).

## Remove a Channel

Remove the channel and clear its stored credentials:

```bash
nemohermes my-assistant channels remove telegram
nemohermes my-assistant channels remove wechat
nemohermes my-assistant channels remove teams
```

`channels remove wechat` clears the bot token, deletes the `<sandbox>-wechat-bridge` provider, and removes `wechat` from the enabled-channel set.
The next rebuild omits WeChat configuration and per-account state files.

For in-sandbox QR-paired channels such as WhatsApp, `channels remove` destructively clears the session directory before rebuild so stale auth files do not reconnect the channel.

The cleanup targets `/sandbox/.hermes/platforms/<channel>/`.

It tries `openshell sandbox exec` and falls back to SSH if the first transport does not produce the success sentinel.
If neither transport can reach a running sandbox, the command exits nonzero and asks you to start the sandbox and rerun it.

NemoClaw leaves the registry, policy preset, and `session.policyPresets` unchanged on that failure path so a later retry can complete cleanly.

`channels remove whatsapp` clears the client-side Baileys session but cannot deregister the linked device with WhatsApp's servers after the local connection is gone.
The phone continues to list the sandbox as a Linked Device until you remove it manually or WhatsApp's 14-day inactivity timeout expires.

Remove the phone entry before pairing the same account with another sandbox.

## Pause and Resume a Channel

Use `channels stop` when you want to pause a bridge without deleting credentials:

```bash
nemohermes my-assistant channels stop telegram
nemohermes my-assistant channels start telegram
nemohermes my-assistant channels stop wechat
nemohermes my-assistant channels start wechat
```

For WeChat, `channels stop wechat` followed by rebuild keeps the per-account state under `/sandbox/.hermes/` even though the bridge is no longer wired into Hermes config.
A later `channels start wechat` plus rebuild revives the bridge against the same iLink account without a fresh QR scan.
The bot token remains in the OpenShell provider across the stop and start cycle.

When `channels start` re-enables a channel, NemoClaw reapplies the matching built-in policy preset before rebuild.
If policy restoration fails, the command keeps the channel disabled and exits without rebuilding into a partially active state.

## Avoid Cross-Sandbox Conflicts

Telegram, Discord, Slack, and WeChat allow one active consumer per channel credential.
Multiple sandboxes can use the same channel type when each uses a distinct token or WeChat bot account.

For WeChat, each sandbox must own a distinct iLink `accountId`.
Running two sandboxes against the same account causes one to lose messages.

If another sandbox already uses the same token, interactive onboarding prompts for confirmation and non-interactive onboarding exits nonzero.
For Slack, NemoClaw checks both bot and Socket Mode app tokens.

For Microsoft Teams, NemoClaw also checks the local webhook port because active Teams sandboxes cannot share it.
If NemoClaw has only legacy metadata and cannot compare credential hashes, it keeps the conservative warning.

Rerun `channels add <channel>` with the intended token to refresh stored non-secret identity metadata.

Before any rebuild, NemoClaw rechecks the staged messaging plan against other registered sandboxes.
A credential or resource conflict aborts before backup or deletion and leaves the original sandbox registered and intact.

Resolve the conflict, then rerun the operation.
`nemohermes status` reports cross-sandbox overlaps.

## Stop All Delivery

Use `channels stop` for an individual bridge or stop the sandbox when you need to stop the complete supervised runtime.

`nemohermes tunnel stop` stops host auxiliary services without stopping the supervisor-owned Hermes gateway, agent-owned host forwards, or managed OpenShell gateway port.
The deprecated full `nemohermes stop` command attempts to stop host forwards and safely release an unshared OpenShell gateway port while the Hermes gateway remains under sandbox supervision.

Full stop preserves a shared gateway and fails closed without releasing its port when ownership is ambiguous.

## Related Topics

* [Add Channels After Onboarding](add-channels-after-onboarding) to configure another channel.
* [Run Sandboxes](../operate-sandboxes/run-sandboxes) for tunnel and sandbox stop or start behavior.
* [Troubleshooting](../../reference/troubleshooting) for channel delivery failures.
* [Commands](../../reference/commands) for channel command flags.