Connect DotCraft to Telegram

Connect a Telegram bot to DotCraft as a channel with a BotFather token. No public URL is needed.

Quick setup

1. Open Telegram and start a chat with @BotFather.

2. Send /newbot and follow BotFather's prompts.

3. Copy the bot token.

4. Open the target workspace in DotCraft Desktop.

5. Open Channels, select Telegram, then select Connect.

   

6. Paste the bot token, then review the optional proxy and timeout settings.

   

7. Save the channel and turn it on.

8. Send a message to the Telegram bot.

Desktop should show the Telegram channel as connected once it reaches Telegram.

Platform setup details

Telegram setup lives mostly in BotFather:

1. Use /setdescription, /setabouttext, and /setuserpic if you want the bot profile to look finished.
2. Add the bot to a group if DotCraft should answer there.
3. Review BotFather privacy mode for group chats.

With Telegram privacy mode enabled, the bot may only receive commands, replies, and messages that mention it. If you need DotCraft to see every group message, change the bot privacy setting in BotFather.

Test the connection

1. Send hello in a direct chat with the bot.
2. Confirm DotCraft replies.
3. Send /help to confirm commands are registered.
4. Send /new, then send another message and confirm it starts a fresh conversation.
5. In a group, mention or reply to the bot if privacy mode is enabled.

What works after setup

• DotCraft answers direct messages and group messages that Telegram delivers to the bot.
• /new starts a fresh DotCraft conversation and /help lists the available commands. The workspace's own slash commands also appear in the Telegram command menu.
• Approval and user-input prompts use Telegram inline buttons when possible.
• File and image delivery are available through channel delivery tools.
• Only one DotCraft instance can use the same bot token at a time.

Standalone adapter

Run the Telegram adapter yourself only when Desktop is not managing the channel process.

cd sdk/typescript
npm run build --workspace @dotcraft/channel-telegram
npx dotcraft-channel-telegram --workspace /path/to/workspace

The standalone ExternalChannels registration is in the channel configuration reference.

Related docs

• Channel configuration reference — every field, default, and registration shape for the Telegram config file.
• Channel adapters — the adapter base class, its message flow, and the handler contract.