telegram-setup

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

1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
2. Send /newbot command
3. Follow the prompts to set a name and username
4. 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