# Zalo Bot Integration

## Overview

Zalo is a Vietnam-focused messaging platform with Bot API support. This documentation describes setting up a Zalo bot channel for direct messaging through OpenClaw's gateway system.

## Setup Steps

1. **Install the plugin:**

```bash
openclaw plugins install @openclaw/zalo
```

2. **Configure bot token** via environment variable (`ZALO_BOT_TOKEN`) or config file

3. **Restart the gateway** to activate the channel

## Core Capabilities

The integration supports:

- **Direct messages** only (groups "coming soon" per Zalo documentation)
- **Text messages** with 2000-character chunking
- **Image handling** for inbound/outbound media
- **Deterministic routing** ensuring replies return to Zalo

## Access Control

By default, unknown senders receive a pairing code that expires after one hour. Approval is managed through CLI commands:

```bash
openclaw pairing approve zalo <CODE>
```

Alternative policies include allowlisting specific user IDs.

## Technical Constraints

- The 2000-character output limit makes streaming blocked by default since it reduces practical utility
- Media uploads and downloads are capped at 5 MB by default
- Stickers and unsupported message types are logged but not processed

## Deployment Options

The channel supports two modes (mutually exclusive per Zalo API specifications):

### Long-Polling (Default)

No additional configuration required.

### Webhook Mode

Requires:

- HTTPS endpoint
- A secret token between 8-256 characters