diff --git a/gateway/platforms/telegram.py b/gateway/platforms/telegram.py
index 884ef9c45..265329602 100644
--- a/gateway/platforms/telegram.py
+++ b/gateway/platforms/telegram.py
@@ -299,9 +299,11 @@ class TelegramAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
 
         # Exhausted retries — fatal
         message = (
-            "Another Telegram bot poller is already using this token. "
+            "Another process is already polling this Telegram bot token "
+            "(possibly OpenClaw or another Hermes instance). "
             "Hermes stopped Telegram polling after %d retries. "
-            "Make sure only one gateway instance is running for this bot token."
+            "Only one poller can run per token — stop the other process "
+            "and restart with 'hermes start'."
             % MAX_CONFLICT_RETRIES
         )
         logger.error("[%s] %s Original error: %s", self.name, message, error)
diff --git a/hermes_cli/claw.py b/hermes_cli/claw.py
index 3ab6bf9a8..d0bfd73d2 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/claw.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/claw.py
@@ -52,6 +52,41 @@ _OPENCLAW_SCRIPT_INSTALLED = (
 # Known OpenClaw directory names (current + legacy)
 _OPENCLAW_DIR_NAMES = (".openclaw", ".clawdbot", ".moldbot")
 
+def _warn_if_gateway_running(auto_yes: bool) -> None:
+    """Check if a Hermes gateway is running with connected platforms.
+
+    Migrating bot tokens while the gateway is polling will cause conflicts
+    (e.g. Telegram 409 "terminated by other getUpdates request"). Warn the
+    user and let them decide whether to continue.
+    """
+    from gateway.status import get_running_pid, read_runtime_status
+
+    if not get_running_pid():
+        return
+
+    data = read_runtime_status() or {}
+    platforms = data.get("platforms") or {}
+    connected = [name for name, info in platforms.items()
+                 if isinstance(info, dict) and info.get("state") == "connected"]
+    if not connected:
+        return
+
+    print()
+    print_error(
+        "Hermes gateway is running with active connections: "
+        + ", ".join(connected)
+    )
+    print_info(
+        "Migrating bot tokens while the gateway is active will cause "
+        "conflicts (Telegram, Discord, and Slack only allow one active "
+        "session per token)."
+    )
+    print_info("Recommendation: stop the gateway first with 'hermes stop'.")
+    print()
+    if not auto_yes and not prompt_yes_no("Continue anyway?", default=False):
+        print_info("Migration cancelled. Stop the gateway and try again.")
+        sys.exit(0)
+
 # State files commonly found in OpenClaw workspace directories that cause
 # confusion after migration (the agent discovers them and writes to them)
 _WORKSPACE_STATE_GLOBS = (
@@ -252,6 +287,10 @@ def _cmd_migrate(args):
         print_info(f"Workspace:   {workspace_target}")
     print()
 
+    # Check if a gateway is running with connected platforms — migrating tokens
+    # while the gateway is active will cause conflicts (e.g. Telegram 409).
+    _warn_if_gateway_running(auto_yes)
+
     # Ensure config.yaml exists before migration tries to read it
     config_path = get_config_path()
     if not config_path.exists():