| name | telegram-setup |
| description | Guide for setting up a Telegram bot connection |
Telegram Bot Setup Guide
Prerequisites
- A Telegram account
- Access to @BotFather on Telegram
Steps
1. Create a Bot with @BotFather
- Open Telegram and search for
@BotFather
- Send
/newbot command
- Follow the prompts to set a name and username
- Copy the bot token (looks like
123456:ABC-DEF1234ghIkl-zyx57W2v1u123ew11)
2. Configure Bot Settings (Recommended)
In @BotFather:
/setprivacy → Disable (to receive all group messages)/setjoingroups → Enable (to allow adding to groups)/setcommands → Set bot commands if needed
3. Connect via Claude Code
Use the channel_connect tool:
channel_connect channel=telegram config={"botToken": "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN"}
4. Verify Connection
channel_status channel=telegram
Troubleshooting
- 401 Unauthorized: Bot token is invalid or revoked. Create a new token via @BotFather.
- 409 Conflict: Another instance is polling. Stop other bot instances first.
- No messages received: Check that privacy mode is disabled for group messages.
Security Notes
- Never share your bot token publicly
- Use allowlists to restrict who can interact with the bot
- Bot tokens can be revoked via @BotFather with
/revoke
