Telegram Channel Settings: A Complete Setup Guide
By Bot It Out Team
Your Bot It Out agent can communicate through Telegram using a standard Telegram bot. This guide covers every configuration option — from creating your bot and setting DM access controls to group chat policies, forum topics, streaming, and per-group overrides.
How Telegram Works on Bot It Out
Unlike WhatsApp (which links a phone number via QR code), Telegram uses bots. You create a bot through Telegram's BotFather, get a bot token, and paste that token into your Bot It Out dashboard. The agent then sends and receives messages through that bot.
Each bot token connects one Telegram bot to one agent package on your instance. If you have multiple packages and want each to have its own Telegram presence, you create a separate bot for each.
The Telegram integration supports direct messages, group chats, forum topics (threads), channels, polls, reactions, and media — giving your agent a rich set of ways to interact.
Step 1: Create Your Bot with BotFather
If you don't already have a Telegram bot, here's how to create one:
- Open Telegram and search for **@BotFather**
- Send the command **/newbot**
- BotFather will ask for a display name — this is what users see in chats (e.g., "Acme Support")
- Then it asks for a username — this must end in "bot" (e.g., "acme_support_bot")
- BotFather responds with your **bot token** — a string that looks like `123456789:ABCdefGHI-jklMNOpqrSTUvwxYZ`
Keep your bot token secret. Anyone with the token can control your bot. If you think it's been compromised, use /revoke in BotFather to generate a new one.
Tip: While you're in BotFather, use these commands to polish your bot's profile:
- /setdescription — the text users see before they start a conversation
- /setabouttext — short bio shown on the bot's profile
- /setuserpic — upload your company logo or an avatar for the bot
Step 2: Connect the Bot to Your Instance
- Go to your instance dashboard on Bot It Out
- Select the agent package you want to connect
- Open the **Channels** tab
- Under Telegram, paste your bot token
- Choose your DM access mode (see below)
- Click **Save**
The agent connects to Telegram within a few seconds. You can verify by opening your bot in Telegram and sending a message.
DM Access Policies
The DM policy controls who can send direct messages to your bot. There are two options.
### Open to Everyone
Anyone who finds your bot on Telegram can message it and get a response. No verification, no restrictions. Users just search for your bot's username, hit Start, and begin chatting.
Best for:
- Public-facing customer support bots
- Marketing or lead generation bots
- Demo agents you want people to try
- Community bots shared in public groups or channels
Keep in mind: Open mode means anyone on Telegram can use your agent's tokens. If your agent uses an expensive AI model, monitor usage to avoid unexpected costs.
### Allowlist Only
Only Telegram users whose numeric user IDs are on your allowlist can interact with the bot in DMs. Messages from anyone else are silently ignored — the bot won't respond or acknowledge them.
You enter user IDs as a comma-separated list: `123456789, 987654321`
How to find a Telegram user ID:
- Send a message to **@userinfobot** on Telegram — it replies with your numeric ID
- Or use **@RawDataBot** in a group to see member IDs
- User IDs are numeric (e.g., `123456789`), not the same as usernames (e.g., `@john_doe`)
Best for:
- Personal assistant bots (just your own ID)
- Internal company bots for a known team
- Private agents serving specific clients
- Any scenario where you want tight access control
Group Chat Settings
Telegram group chats have their own set of controls, independent of DM settings. You can have DMs open but groups restricted, or vice versa.
### Group Policy
Disabled — The bot does not respond in any group chat. Even if added to a group, it stays silent. This is the default.
Allowlist — Only messages from specific Telegram user IDs trigger the bot in groups. Other group members are ignored. Useful when you want the bot in a group but only certain people should be able to use it.
Open — Anyone in the group can trigger the bot.
### Require Mention
When group chat is enabled, you can control how the bot gets activated:
Require Mention: On — The bot only responds when directly @mentioned by its username or when someone replies to one of its messages. It sees all messages in the group (if BotFather privacy is disabled) but stays quiet unless explicitly called on. This is the less intrusive option and works well in active groups.
Require Mention: Off — The bot reads every message in the group and responds when it thinks it's relevant. Uses more tokens but useful for groups where the bot should proactively participate.
Important — Disable BotFather Privacy Mode:
For the bot to see group messages at all, you must disable BotFather's privacy mode. Without this, the bot cannot receive group messages regardless of your settings. Here's how:
- Open Telegram and message **@BotFather**
- Send **/setprivacy**
- Select your bot's username when prompted
- Choose **Disable**
- **Remove the bot from the group and add it back** — the privacy change only takes effect for newly joined groups
This is required for both "Mention Only" and "Always Active" modes. If you skip this step, the bot will silently ignore all group messages.
### Per-Group Overrides
You can configure different settings for specific groups. Each group can have its own:
- requireMention — override the global require-mention setting for this group
- allowFrom — restrict which user IDs can trigger the bot in this specific group
This is useful when your bot is in multiple groups with different needs. For example, you might want the bot to respond to anyone in your public community group but only to admins in your internal team group.
Group IDs in Telegram are negative numbers (e.g., `-1003357398238`). You can find a group's ID by adding @RawDataBot to the group — it will post the group's chat ID.
Forum Topics (Threads)
Telegram supports forum-style groups where conversations are organized into topics (threads). Your bot fully supports this:
- The bot can respond within specific topics, keeping conversations organized
- It can create new topics when needed
- Each topic acts as a separate conversation thread
Forum topics are especially useful for support bots where different customers or issues get their own thread, or for team workspaces where different projects are discussed in separate topics.
To enable forum mode in a Telegram group: Group Settings → Topics → Enable.
Streaming
The streaming setting controls how the bot sends responses:
Streaming: Off — The bot composes the full response and sends it as a single message. This is the default and works best for most use cases. The user sees a clean, complete message.
Streaming: On — The bot sends the response progressively as it's being generated, editing the message in real-time. This gives faster perceived response times for long answers, but can feel jittery in groups and uses more Telegram API calls.
Recommendation: Keep streaming off unless your agent generates very long responses and you want users to see partial results immediately.
What Your Bot Can Do
The Telegram integration supports the full range of Telegram bot capabilities:
- Direct messages — one-on-one conversations with users
- Group chats — respond in standard groups
- Forum topics — participate in topic-based discussions
- Channels — post to Telegram channels
- Reactions — react to messages with emoji
- Polls — create and respond to polls
- Media — send and receive images, documents, audio, and video
- Message editing — edit previously sent messages
- Message deletion — delete bot messages when needed
Common Configuration Examples
Here are some practical setups to match different use cases:
Personal AI Assistant
- DM Policy: Allowlist (your Telegram user ID only)
- Group Policy: Disabled
- Why: Only you interact with it. No group exposure.
Customer Support Bot
- DM Policy: Open
- Group Policy: Disabled
- Why: Customers find your bot via a link or your website, message it, and get help immediately. Zero friction.
Team Workspace Bot
- DM Policy: Allowlist (team member IDs)
- Group Policy: Allowlist (same IDs), Require Mention: On
- Why: Only your team can use it. In group chats, the bot responds when called with @mention.
Community Helper Bot
- DM Policy: Open
- Group Policy: Open, Require Mention: On
- Why: Anyone can DM the bot or @mention it in the group. It stays quiet unless called on, keeping group noise low.
Proactive Group Monitor
- DM Policy: Disabled (or Allowlist for admins)
- Group Policy: Open, Require Mention: Off
- Why: The bot lives in the group, reads every message, and responds proactively when relevant. Good for moderation or Q&A bots.
Multi-Group Support Desk
- DM Policy: Open
- Group Policy: Allowlist, Per-Group Overrides
- Per-Group: Public group → Open, anyone can trigger. Internal group → Allowlist, admins only.
- Why: Different groups get different levels of access.
One Bot Per Package
Each Telegram bot token is connected to one agent package. If your instance runs multiple packages — say a support agent and a sales agent — create a separate bot for each:
- @acme_support_bot → Support package
- @acme_sales_bot → Sales package
This gives each agent its own identity, conversation history, and Telegram profile. Users message the right bot for the right purpose.
Sharing Your Bot
Once your bot is live, there are several ways to share it:
Direct link: `https://t.me/your_bot_username` — opens the bot in Telegram. Share this on your website, in emails, or on social media.
QR code: Generate a QR code for the `t.me` link. Great for printed materials, business cards, or event displays.
Add to groups: Invite the bot to any Telegram group. Configure group policy and require-mention settings to control how it behaves in each group.
Telegram vs. WhatsApp: Key Differences
| | Telegram | WhatsApp |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Bot token from BotFather | QR code scan from phone |
| Identity | Bot with username | Phone number |
| DM access | Open or allowlist | Open, allowlist, pairing code, or disabled |
| Group policy | Open, allowlist, or disabled | Open, allowlist, or disabled |
| Group activation | Require mention on/off | Mention only or always active |
| Per-group overrides | Yes — different settings per group | No |
| Forum topics | Full support | Not available |
| Streaming | Configurable | Not available |
| Multiple agents | One bot per package | One phone number per instance |
| Cost | Free | Free (need a SIM/number) |
| Reactions & polls | Supported | Not available |
Telegram is richer in group features — forum topics, per-group overrides, reactions, polls, and streaming. WhatsApp has more DM access control options (pairing codes) and custom mention patterns. Both are fully supported on Bot It Out.
Changing Settings
You can update your Telegram bot token, DM policy, or group settings at any time from the dashboard. Changes take effect within a few seconds after the gateway restarts.
To disconnect Telegram entirely, remove the channel configuration from your package's Channels tab. This stops the agent from responding on Telegram, but doesn't delete your bot on Telegram's side — you can reconnect it later with the same token, or use /deletebot in BotFather to remove it permanently.
Troubleshooting
Bot doesn't respond after setup:
- Verify the bot token is correct — it should match what BotFather gave you
- Make sure you clicked **Start** in the Telegram chat with your bot (Telegram requires this before a bot can message you)
- Check that your instance is running (status should be "running" in the dashboard)
Bot responds to everyone, but I set it to allowlist:
- Double-check the user IDs. Telegram user IDs are numeric, not usernames. Use @userinfobot to verify.
- Make sure there are no extra spaces or invalid characters in the ID list.
Bot works in DMs but not in a group:
- Check that group policy is not set to "disabled"
- Make sure BotFather privacy mode is disabled: send **/setprivacy** to @BotFather, select your bot, choose **Disabled**
- If require-mention is on, make sure you're @mentioning the bot or replying to its messages
Bot doesn't respond in forum topics:
- Ensure the bot has been added to the group and has permission to post in topics
- Check that BotFather privacy is disabled — this applies to topics too
Bot responds to everything in the group:
- Enable "Require Mention" to make the bot only respond when @mentioned
- Or switch to allowlist group policy to restrict which users can trigger it