✈️ Telegram Quickstart

Create a Telegram bot and connect it to Infinibot in 3 minutes.

⚡ Quick Setup (3 minutes)

Step 1: Create Bot with BotFather

1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
2. Send /newbot
3. Choose a name (display name, e.g., "My Assistant")
4. Choose a username (must end in bot, e.g., myassistant_bot)
5. Copy the token BotFather gives you

It looks like: 123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz

Step 2: Add Token to Infinibot

Option A: Environment variable

export TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN="123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz"

Option B: Config file (~/.infinibot/config.json)

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "enabled": true,
      "botToken": "123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz"
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Restart Gateway

infinibot gateway restart

Step 4: Message Your Bot! ✅

Find your bot on Telegram and send a message.

First message triggers pairing - you'll get a code. Approve it:

infinibot pairing approve telegram <code>

🤖 BotFather Settings (Optional)

Customize your bot with these BotFather commands:

Enable group message visibility:

By default, bots only see messages that @mention them in groups.

To see all group messages:

1. Message @BotFather
2. Send /setprivacy
3. Select your bot
4. Choose Disable

⚠️ After changing privacy, remove and re-add the bot to existing groups.

👥 Groups Setup

Add your bot to a group, then configure:

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "groups": {
        "*": {
          "requireMention": true
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Options:

• requireMention: true - Bot only responds when @mentioned
• requireMention: false - Bot responds to all messages

🔒 Security: Who Can DM?

Pairing mode (default):

Unknown users get a code. Approve manually:

infinibot pairing list telegram
infinibot pairing approve telegram <code>

Allowlist mode:

Only specific users can DM:

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "dmPolicy": "allowlist",
      "allowFrom": ["123456789"]
    }
  }
}

(Use Telegram user IDs - get yours from @userinfobot)

✅ Verify Connection

# Check status
infinibot status

# Send a test message (use user ID or @username)
infinibot message send --channel telegram --target "123456789" --message "Hello!"

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Bot not responding

1. Check gateway is running: infinibot gateway status
2. Check token is valid: infinibot status
3. Check pairing: infinibot pairing list telegram

"Unauthorized" error

Your token is invalid or revoked. Get a new one from @BotFather.

Bot doesn't see group messages

1. Check privacy mode: /setprivacy with BotFather → Disable
2. Remove and re-add bot to the group
3. Or make the bot a group admin

Can't find user ID

Message @userinfobot on Telegram - it replies with your user ID.

📖 Full Documentation

For webhooks, multiple accounts, and advanced features:

📖 Complete Telegram Guide →