How does Hermes connect to Telegram, Discord, and Slack? The core is two steps: first open the hermes gateway, and then match the token, user ID, and allowlist of each platform. It's not Hermes that really gets stuck, it's the Telegram User ID, Discord User ID, Slack Member ID, channel invitations, and event subscriptions permission items.
Telegram, Discord, Slack have in common
Hermes officially puts Telegram, Discord, and Slack in the same gateway system, which means you don't have to rewrite a set of logic for each platform. Telegram uses BotFather token and digital user ID, Discord uses Bot Token and Discord User ID, and Slack uses Socket Mode, Bot Token, App-Level Token, and Slack Member ID. No matter which platform it is, the bot can respond normally only by pairing the whitelist of allowed users first.
Where things are most likely to go wrong
- Telegram: Remember to use the numeric User ID, not the username; If you don't see the message in the group, check the privacy mode and allowlist first.
- Discord: The bot must have permission to enter the channel, and you need to use your Discord User ID for access control.
- Slack: The most common pitfalls are forgetting to subscribe to 'message.channels' / 'message.groups' or forgetting to invite a bot to a channel.
If you're new to Hermes, it's recommended to start with Telegram or Discord, as the troubleshooting path is more intuitive. Slack is better suited for team scenarios, but it also has more configuration items. You just need to remember one sentence: the Hermes gateway is responsible for access, the platform token and ID are responsible for authorization, and channel invitations and event subscriptions are responsible for receiving messages.
Who is it not suitable for? If you only want to run Hermes in your local terminal and don't need a messaging platform, then don't touch the gateway yet, just use the CLI to save trouble.
