Skip to content
AskVault Docs
Try Free →

How to connect Telegram to AskVault in 30 seconds

Written by , Founder, AskVault · Reviewed by Aashiq
Last updated: · 3 min read

Why Telegram is faster than every other channel

Telegram lets developers create bots with literally one Telegram message. You don't need a business account. You don't need to verify a phone number. You don't need to configure a webhook URL on a separate dashboard. You message a special account called @BotFather, follow three prompts, and Telegram gives you a bot token.

AskVault takes it from there. Paste the token; we call setWebhook on Telegram's API to register our endpoint; you're live.

The 30-second timer is accurate.

Setup, step by step

  1. Open Telegram and find @BotFather. Search for BotFather in Telegram's search bar (the verified account has a blue checkmark). Click Start.
  2. Send /newbot. BotFather asks for a display name. Type whatever you want (e.g., "Acme Support Bot").
  3. Send a username for the bot. Must end in bot and be unique on Telegram (e.g., AcmeSupport_bot). BotFather will tell you if it's taken.
  4. Copy the token BotFather replies with. It looks like 1234567890:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrSTUvwxYZ. This is your bot token. Don't share it; treat it like a password.
  5. Paste into AskVault. Open the AskVault dashboard, go to Deploy > Telegram, paste the token, click Connect.

AskVault validates the token by calling Telegram's getMe endpoint. If it works (your bot's display name and username come back), AskVault calls setWebhook to register our message-receiving URL. Your bot is now wired to AskVault's brain.

Test it. Open Telegram on your phone, search for your bot's username, click Start, send a question. The AI agent replies in seconds.

Customizing the bot

A few useful tweaks once it's live.

Set a bot description (one-time, via BotFather). Send /setdescription to BotFather, pick your bot, type the description users see when they first open the chat. Example: "Hi! I'm Acme's AI support bot. Ask me anything about our products, pricing, or shipping."

Set bot commands. Send /setcommands to BotFather to expose slash commands. Useful ones for an AI support bot: start (introduction), help (how to use the bot), human (escalate to a real person), contact (get the email or phone).

Bot avatar. Send /setuserpic to BotFather and upload your logo. Square PNG, at least 512x512 pixels.

Inline keyboard for suggested questions. AskVault automatically appends an inline keyboard to bot replies showing 2-4 related questions. The customer can tap one instead of typing. Customize the suggestions in Settings > AI Config > Suggested Questions.

Identity verification on Telegram

Telegram's user identity isn't verified in the way Slack's is (Telegram users are pseudonymous). If you need authenticated chat (the bot knows it's a real logged-in customer), you have two patterns:

  • Lightweight verification. Send the customer a one-time code via email or SMS, have them send the code to the bot to link their Telegram chat to their account.
  • Telegram Login Widget. Embed Telegram's official login widget on your website. When a customer authenticates, your backend gets a verified Telegram user_id which you can then store and use for AskVault audience tagging.

For most public-facing support use cases, neither is necessary. The bot answers from public knowledge base content and there's nothing sensitive to gate.

Groups and channels

By default a Telegram bot can only reply to direct messages. If you want it in a group (e.g., your community support channel), three more steps:

  1. Add the bot to the group via Telegram's group settings.
  2. In BotFather, send /setjoingroups and enable group joins.
  3. Optionally, send /setprivacy and set privacy mode to Disabled so the bot sees all group messages (not just messages addressed to it). With privacy enabled (default), it only sees @-mentions and replies.

In a group context, AskVault's bot responds to @-mentions and direct replies. Useful for a community channel where members can ping the bot when no one else is responding.

Telegram channels (broadcast-only) work differently. Bots can be added as channel admins to auto-post replies, but the conversational pattern doesn't apply.

Pricing and limits

Telegram itself is free. No per-message fees. No subscription. You're only paying AskVault's per-query cost.

Telegram's API has rate limits: 30 messages per second to different users, and 20 messages per minute to the same group. AskVault respects these limits transparently; you don't need to handle backpressure yourself.

Telegram channel is included on the Growth plan and above. Growth+

Common pitfalls

Bot doesn't reply. Check the AskVault dashboard under Channel Health. If the connection shows as broken, the BotFather token may have been revoked. Get a new token via /token on BotFather and update AskVault.

Bot replies in some chats but not others. Privacy mode is enabled (default). Either send /setprivacy > Disabled to let the bot see all group messages, or instruct users to @-mention the bot.

Multiple bots respond to the same message. You have multiple bots in the same group. Either remove one, or tighten the @-mention requirement.

Webhook conflict. If you previously connected this bot to another tool, that tool's webhook is still registered. Re-connect in AskVault to overwrite the webhook.

FAQ

Does the bot work with Telegram Premium?

Yes. Premium status doesn't affect the bot API.

Can the bot send media (images, PDFs, videos)?

Yes. The bot can send photos, documents, videos, and audio messages. AskVault's responses are text by default; configure media replies under AI Config > Response Formats.

Is there a Telegram Business integration?

Telegram Business is for end-users running a small business off their personal Telegram. It's separate from bot accounts. AskVault uses the regular Bot API which is unaffected.

How is conversation history preserved?

AskVault stores the chat history per Telegram chat ID. The bot has full context across previous turns within the same conversation. View it in Live Chat > Conversations under the Telegram channel filter.

Can a human take over a Telegram conversation?

Yes. Enable the escalate_to_human skill. When triggered, the conversation switches to your AskVault Live Chat inbox. The customer keeps chatting through Telegram; your agent replies via the inbox.

Was this page helpful?