Telegram Bot API

Setup

On first use, read setup.md for integration guidelines.

When to Use

User needs to interact with the Telegram Bot API. Building bots, sending messages, handling updates, setting up webhooks, creating keyboards, or managing bot commands.

Architecture

Memory lives in ~/telegram-bot-api/. See memory-template.md for structure.

~/telegram-bot-api/
├── memory.md          # Bot tokens, preferences, defaults
├── bots/              # Per-bot configurations
│   └── {botname}.md   # Token, webhook URL, defaults
└── templates/         # Reusable message templates

Quick Reference

Topic	File
Setup process	setup.md
Memory template	memory-template.md
All API methods	methods.md
Message formatting	formatting.md
Keyboards & buttons	keyboards.md
Webhooks & polling	webhooks.md
Media handling	media.md
Error codes	errors.md

Core Rules

1. API Base URL

All requests go to:

https://api.telegram.org/bot{TOKEN}/{METHOD}

Never expose the token in logs or user-visible output.

2. Required Parameters by Method

Method	Required	Optional (common)
sendMessage	chat_id, text	parse_mode, reply_markup, disable_notification
sendPhoto	chat_id, photo	caption, parse_mode
sendDocument	chat_id, document	caption, thumbnail
getUpdates	—	offset, limit, timeout
setWebhook	url	certificate, max_connections
deleteWebhook	—	drop_pending_updates
getMe	—	—

3. Parse Mode Selection

Format	Use when	Escape chars
MarkdownV2	Rich formatting needed	_*[]()~\>#+-=
HTML	Complex nesting, safer	<>&
None	Plain text only	None

Default to HTML — fewer escape issues than MarkdownV2.

4. Chat ID Types

Type	Format	Example
User	Positive integer	123456789
Group	Negative integer	-123456789
Supergroup/Channel	-100 prefix	-1001234567890

5. Rate Limits

Scope	Limit
Same chat	1 msg/sec
Different chats	30 msg/sec
Groups	20 msg/min per group
Bulk notifications	Use sendMessage with different chat_ids

When hitting 429 errors, use exponential backoff starting at retry_after seconds.

6. Message Length Limits

Type	Limit
Text message	4096 chars
Caption	1024 chars
Callback data	64 bytes
Inline query	256 chars

Split long messages at sentence boundaries, not mid-word.

7. Keyboard Best Practices

Inline keyboards (in message):

• Max 8 buttons per row
• Max 100 buttons total
• Use callback_data for bot actions
• Use url for external links

Reply keyboards (below input):

• Use for frequent options
• one_time_keyboard: true to hide after use
• resize_keyboard: true for better mobile UX

Common Traps

• Forgetting to escape MarkdownV2 → Message fails silently or partially. Use HTML instead, or escape all special chars.
• Using wrong chat_id format → Groups need negative IDs. Supergroups/channels need -100 prefix.
• Not handling 429 errors → Bot gets temporarily blocked. Always implement retry logic.
• Exposing bot token → Anyone can control your bot. Never log or display tokens.
• Sending too fast to groups → 20 msg/min limit. Queue messages with delays.
• Large file uploads → 50MB limit for sendDocument. Use URL method for larger files.
• Webhook not HTTPS → Telegram requires valid SSL certificate.

External Endpoints

Endpoint	Data Sent	Purpose
https://api.telegram.org/bot{TOKEN}/*	Messages, media, commands	All bot operations

No other data is sent externally. Bot token is required for all requests.

Security & Privacy

Data that leaves your machine:

• Messages and media sent via the Bot API
• Bot token in every request (required by Telegram)

Data that stays local:

• Bot configurations in ~/telegram-bot-api/
• Message templates

This skill does NOT:

• Store message content long-term
• Access user data beyond what Telegram provides
• Make requests to endpoints other than api.telegram.org

Trust

By using this skill, data is sent to Telegram's Bot API servers. Only install if you trust Telegram with your bot's messages.

Related Skills

Install with clawhub install <slug> if user confirms:

• api — REST API best practices
• http — HTTP protocol essentials
• json — JSON parsing and manipulation

Feedback

• If useful: clawhub star telegram-bot-api
• Stay updated: clawhub sync