Problem

Gateway startup takes ~50 seconds on Windows. Profiling shows all channel plugins (Telegram, Discord x2, etc.) initialize simultaneously at boot, even if no messages are pending.

Proposal

Add a \channels.lazyConnect\ config option:

\\yaml
channels:
lazyConnect: true # default: true
\\

• \ rue\ (default): Channel connects on first inbound/outbound message, not at boot. Gateway is
  eady\ once core is loaded; channels connect lazily.
• **\alse**: Current behaviour — all channels init at startup.

Expected Impact

• 10-15s startup reduction on multi-channel setups
• Particularly impactful on Windows where Node.js module loading is slower
• First message per channel sees a ~1s connect delay (acceptable trade-off)

Implementation Notes

• Channel plugin \init()\ should be split into
  egister()\ (immediate, sets up routing) and \connect()\ (deferred, establishes socket/API connection)
• On first message route to a lazy channel, call \connect()\ then forward
• Status endpoint should show channels as
  egistered\ vs \connected\

Environment

• Windows 10, Node v24.14.0, OpenClaw 4.11
• 3 channel plugins: Telegram + 2x Discord
• Measured: 50s cold start → estimated 35s with lazy load