| name | telegram-table-format |
| description | Render tables/columnar data as Telegram-native nested bullets instead of pipe/markdown tables, which wrap badly on mobile. |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| tags | ["telegram","formatting","tables","mobile","ux"] |
Telegram Table Format
Purpose
Teach an agent how to present tabular or columnar data in Telegram in a way
that actually reads well on a phone. Telegram does NOT render real tables.
Pipe-style markdown tables (| Col | Col |) and monospace code-block tables
both wrap badly on mobile screens, lose alignment, and are painful to read.
This skill replaces them with a Telegram-native format.
When to use
- You are about to send a message to the user via Telegram that contains a
table, grid, comparison, metrics list, or any columnar data.
- The user asks you to "show me a table" of something.
- You are summarizing structured data (stats, scores, comparisons, schedules).
Core principle
Never emit a raw pipe table to Telegram. Instead, use nested bullets with
indentation and familiar bullet symbols to show hierarchy. This is the same
visual structure Word and OneNote use — top-level items with sub-details
indented beneath them. It reads cleanly on any screen size.
Bullet symbol convention:
- Top level (row label / header):
•
- Second level (field name + value):
◦ (indented under its parent)
- Third level (sub-detail):
▪ (indented further)
The format (decision algorithm)
Read the data, then pick ONE of these paths:
Path 1 — Bullet-detail format (PREFERRED)
Use when: columns ≤ 5 AND rows ≤ ~10.
Each row becomes a header bullet. Its column values become indented
sub-bullets beneath it. This is the default choice for almost all cases.
Path 2 — Inline monospace
Use when: each row fits on one short line (≤ ~80 chars total) AND there are
only 2 columns (a label and a value). Wrap short values in single backticks.
Use sparingly — only when the label+value pair is genuinely compact.
Path 3 — Rendered image
Use when: the table is dense or wide (many columns, many rows) AND an image
rendering tool is available. Offer this to the user before sending.
Fallback — Plain text with clear line breaks
When none of the above fits: plain prose with clear separators. Never
fall back to a pipe table.
Examples
BEFORE — ugly pipe table (do not send this)
| Metric | Value |
|----------|--------|
| Latency | 350ms |
| Errors | 0.2% |
| Uptime | 99.9% |
This wraps on mobile and loses its columns entirely.
AFTER — bullet-detail format (2-column example)
System Health
• Latency
◦ 350ms
• Errors
◦ 0.2%
• Uptime
◦ 99.9%
AFTER — bullet-detail format (3–4 column example)
Imagine a table: Engine | Accuracy | Best At | Worst At
Engine Performance
• Codex
◦ Accuracy: 10.0
◦ Best at: scripting
◦ Worst at: auditing
• Gemini
◦ Accuracy: 8.2
◦ Best at: auditing
◦ Worst at: sandbox validation
• Claude
◦ Accuracy: 7.6
◦ Best at: auditing
◦ Worst at: no scripting data yet
Inline monospace (2-column, short values only)
Latency → 350ms
Errors → 0.2%
Uptime → 99.9%
Use this ONLY when the label+value pairs are short enough to stay on one line.
Learning the user's preference
If the user states a format preference — for example "I prefer inline
monospace" or "use the bullet format going forward" — record it in the
agent's preference memory file and apply it in all future messages without
being asked again.
- Relay (Robert's agent): append to
memory/robert-prefs.md
- Eoin (Corinne's agent): append to
memory/corinne-prefs.md
Write a line like:
Table format preference: bullet-detail (stated YYYY-MM-DD)
Do NOT create any external feedback files, JSON stores, or runtime state.
Preference memory is the only mechanism. If no preference has been recorded,
default to bullet-detail format (Path 1).
