---
name: telegram-bot-manager
description: Manage and configure Telegram bots for OpenClaw. Use when setting up Telegram integrations, troubleshooting bot connectivity, configuring bot tokens, or managing Telegram channel/webhook settings. Handles bot registration, token validation, and network connectivity checks for api.telegram.org.
---

# Telegram Bot Manager

## Quick Start

### Setup a new Telegram bot

1. **Create bot via BotFather**
   - Message @BotFather on Telegram
   - Use `/newbot` command
   - Follow prompts for bot name and username
   - Copy the bot token (format: `1234567890:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz`)

2. **Configure in OpenClaw**
   - Add token to OpenClaw config
   - Enable Telegram plugin
   - Set up pairing mode for DM access

### Validate bot configuration

```bash
# Test Telegram API connectivity
curl -I https://api.telegram.org

# Check bot token validity
curl -s "https://api.telegram.org/bot<YOUR_TOKEN>/getMe"
```

## Common Workflows

### Troubleshooting connectivity issues

When api.telegram.org is unreachable:

1. **Check network access**
   ```bash
   curl -I -m 10 https://api.telegram.org
   ```

2. **Verify DNS resolution**
   ```bash
   nslookup api.telegram.org
   ```

3. **Test alternative endpoints**
   ```bash
   curl -I https://telegram.org
   ```

### Configuring OpenClaw Telegram integration

See [OPENCLAW_CONFIG.md](references/OPENCLAW_CONFIG.md) for detailed configuration steps.

### Bot token security

- Never commit bot tokens to version control
- Store tokens in environment variables or secure config files
- Rotate tokens if compromised
- Use different tokens for different environments (dev/prod)

## Bot Commands Reference

Common Telegram bot commands for BotFather:

- `/newbot` - Create a new bot
- `/mybots` - Manage your bots
- `/setdescription` - Set bot description
- `/setabouttext` - Set about text
- `/setuserpic` - Set bot profile picture
- `/setcommands` - Set bot commands
- `/token` - Generate new token
- `/revoke` - Revoke current token
- `/setprivacy` - Configure privacy mode

## Webhook vs Polling

### Webhook (Recommended for production)
- Bot receives updates via HTTP POST
- Requires public HTTPS endpoint
- More efficient for high-volume bots

### Polling (Good for development)
- Bot continuously checks for updates
- Simpler setup, no public endpoint needed
- Easier to debug locally

See [WEBHOOK_SETUP.md](references/WEBHOOK_SETUP.md) for webhook configuration.

## Error Handling

### Common errors and solutions

**"Connection timed out"**
- Check firewall rules
- Verify proxy configuration
- Test with different network

**"Invalid token"**
- Verify token format (should contain colon)
- Check for extra spaces or characters
- Regenerate token if needed

**"Bot not responding"**
- Verify bot is not blocked
- Check bot privacy settings
- Ensure bot has proper permissions

## Testing Your Bot

### Manual testing
1. Search for your bot username on Telegram
2. Start a conversation with `/start`
3. Test basic commands

### Automated testing
Use the test script in `scripts/test_bot.py` for automated validation.

## References

- [Telegram Bot API Documentation](https://core.telegram.org/bots/api)
- [BotFather Documentation](https://core.telegram.org/bots#6-botfather)
- [OpenClaw Configuration Guide](references/OPENCLAW_CONFIG.md)


---
Source attribution: kbarbel640-del
Original project: https://github.com/kbarbel640-del/skills/blob/e7e336ac628c3e3bd771aff1aaa469c93778f94a/skills/362224222/telegram-bot-manager/SKILL.md
License: MIT
License information: https://opensource.org/license/mit
Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Mega AI Hub.

## Upstream license notice

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 clawdbot

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.



# Mega AI Hub resource metadata

Creator / publisher: kbarbel640-del
Original project: https://github.com/kbarbel640-del/skills/blob/e7e336ac628c3e3bd771aff1aaa469c93778f94a/skills/362224222/telegram-bot-manager/SKILL.md
Attribution basis: Source repository record

Fields of work: Development & Engineering, Product Management, Customer Support
Roles: DevOps / SRE, Growth Product Manager, Technical Support
Specialties: API
Tools: OpenAI API, Telegram
Country applicability: Country not specified
Classification basis: Source catalog labels
Instruction SHA-256: f8a97132ca894946bf3201d6439edd2da337386934c36523b72fa685f1368873