telegram-table-format

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).