telegram

name	telegram
description	Post messages and article summaries to a Telegram channel. When the user provides an article URL or content, summarize it to ~2000 characters and post to the configured channel. Use when the user needs to share articles, summaries, or updates to their channel.

Telegram Channel Poster

This skill provides the ability to post messages and article summaries to a Telegram channel using the Grammy framework.

Primary Use Case: Article Summaries

When the user provides an article (URL or content), this skill will:

1. Fetch and read the article content
2. Generate a summary of approximately 2000 characters
3. Post the summary to the configured Telegram channel

Preferred summary format:

• Language: Always write summaries in the same language as the source article (English by default)
• Length: ~2000 characters (strict preference)
• Include key points and takeaways
• Maintain readability
• Use Markdown formatting for emphasis

Prerequisites

Before using this skill, ensure:

1. Grammy is installed (already installed in this skill directory)

2. Add credentials to ~/.claude/.env:

TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=your_bot_token_here
TELEGRAM_CHANNEL_ID=your_channel_id_here

3. Your bot has been added as an administrator to the target channel

Note: Bun automatically loads .env files - no additional packages needed!

Core Capabilities

1. Summarize and Post Article (Primary Function)

When the user provides an article URL:

Workflow:

1. Use WebFetch or agent-browser to retrieve the article content
2. Generate a summary of ~2000 characters
3. Post the summary to the channel using post.ts

# CRITICAL: Change to skill directory FIRST, then run post.ts
# The entire message (including newlines) must be ONE quoted string argument
cd ~/.claude/skills/telegram && bun run post.ts "**Article Title**

[Summary ~2000 chars]

Source: [URL]"

CRITICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• ALWAYS cd to ~/.claude/skills/telegram first (so bun finds node_modules)
• The ENTIRE message must be passed as a SINGLE quoted string argument
• Do NOT split the message into multiple arguments
• When TELEGRAM_CHANNEL_ID is set in .env, the script expects exactly 1 argument (the message)

Summary Guidelines:

• Always write in the same language as the source article
• Target length: 2000 characters (strict preference)
• Include article title
• Extract key points and insights
• Maintain readability and flow
• Use Markdown for formatting (bold, italic)
• Include source URL at the end
• NEVER add "Posted via Claude Code" or similar signatures

2. Post Message to Channel

Option A: Using default channel from .env

cd ~/.claude/skills/telegram && bun run post.ts "Your message here"

Option B: Specify channel explicitly

cd ~/.claude/skills/telegram && bun run post.ts "@channel_username" "Your message here"

Multi-line messages:

cd ~/.claude/skills/telegram && bun run post.ts "Line 1

Line 2

Line 3"

Arguments:

• If TELEGRAM_CHANNEL_ID is set in .env: Only message is required (1 argument)
• Otherwise: First argument is channel (@ prefix or numeric ID), second is message (2 arguments)
• Multi-line content must be in a single quoted string, NOT multiple arguments

3. Post with Formatting

Grammy supports Markdown and HTML formatting:

# Markdown formatting
cd ~/.claude/skills/telegram && bun run post.ts "@channel" "**Bold** _italic_ `code`"

# HTML formatting
cd ~/.claude/skills/telegram && bun run post.ts "@channel" "<b>Bold</b> <i>italic</i> <code>code</code>"

Usage Instructions

For Article Summaries (Primary Use Case):

When the user provides an article URL or asks to share an article:

1. Fetch the article - Use WebFetch to get the content
2. Generate summary - Create a ~2000 character summary with key points
3. Format for Telegram - Use Markdown formatting
4. Post to channel - Use cd ~/.claude/skills/telegram && bun run post.ts "summary"
5. Confirm success - Show the message ID

For Direct Messages:

When the user wants to post a message directly:

1. Get the message content - The text to post
2. Run the post script - Default channel is pre-configured
3. Confirm success - The script will output the result

The skill posts to the channel configured via TELEGRAM_CHANNEL_ID in ~/.claude/.env.

Common Patterns

Summarize and post article

User: "Summarize and post this article: https://example.com/article"

Claude:
1. Uses WebFetch to get article content
2. Generates ~2000 character summary
3. Posts via: cd ~/.claude/skills/telegram && bun run post.ts "**Article Title**

[Summary]

Source: https://example.com/article"

Post simple message

cd ~/.claude/skills/telegram && bun run post.ts "Hello from Claude!"

Post formatted announcement

cd ~/.claude/skills/telegram && bun run post.ts "**New Update**

Check out our latest features!"

Error Handling

If the bot token is missing:

• Check that .env file contains TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN
• Verify the token is valid from @BotFather

If posting fails:

• Ensure the bot is added as admin to the channel
• Verify the channel username is correct (include @ prefix)
• Check that the channel exists and bot has permission to post

Environment Variables

Required in ~/.claude/.env:

TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=your_bot_token_from_botfather
TELEGRAM_CHANNEL_ID=your_channel_id (optional, enables posting without specifying channel)

Tips

• Channel usernames must start with @ (e.g., @mychannel)
• For private channels, use the numeric channel ID instead
• The bot must be an administrator of the channel to post
• Messages support Telegram's markdown formatting
• Maximum message length is 4096 characters
• NEVER add "Posted via Claude Code" or similar signatures to messages
• Always use the same language for summary as in source article