Telegram Automation

1---
2name: telegram-automation
3description: "Automate Telegram tasks via Rube MCP (Composio): send messages, manage chats, share photos/documents, and handle bot commands. Always search tools first for current schemas."
4requires:
5  mcp: [rube]
6---
7 
8# Telegram Automation via Rube MCP
9 
10Automate Telegram operations through Composio's Telegram toolkit via Rube MCP.
11 
12## Prerequisites
13 
14- Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)
15- Active Telegram connection via `RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS` with toolkit `telegram`
16- Always call `RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS` first to get current tool schemas
17- Telegram Bot Token required (created via @BotFather)
18 
19## Setup
20 
21**Get Rube MCP**: Add `https://rube.app/mcp` as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.
22 
23 
241. Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming `RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS` responds
252. Call `RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS` with toolkit `telegram`
263. If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to configure the Telegram bot
274. Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows
28 
29## Core Workflows
30 
31### 1. Send Messages
32 
33**When to use**: User wants to send text messages to a Telegram chat
34 
35**Tool sequence**:
361. `TELEGRAM_GET_ME` - Verify bot identity and connection [Prerequisite]
372. `TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT` - Get chat details and verify access [Optional]
383. `TELEGRAM_SEND_MESSAGE` - Send a text message [Required]
39 
40**Key parameters**:
41- `chat_id`: Numeric chat ID or channel username (e.g., '@channelname')
42- `text`: Message text content
43- `parse_mode`: 'HTML' or 'MarkdownV2' for formatting
44- `disable_notification`: Send silently without notification sound
45- `reply_to_message_id`: Message ID to reply to
46 
47**Pitfalls**:
48- Bot must be a member of the chat/group to send messages
49- MarkdownV2 requires escaping special characters: `_*[]()~>#+-=|{}.!`
50- HTML mode supports limited tags: `<b>`, `<i>`, `<code>`, `<pre>`, `<a>`
51- Messages have a 4096 character limit; split longer content
52 
53### 2. Send Photos and Documents
54 
55**When to use**: User wants to share images or files in a Telegram chat
56 
57**Tool sequence**:
581. `TELEGRAM_SEND_PHOTO` - Send an image [Optional]
592. `TELEGRAM_SEND_DOCUMENT` - Send a file/document [Optional]
60 
61**Key parameters**:
62- `chat_id`: Target chat ID
63- `photo`: Photo URL or file_id (for SEND_PHOTO)
64- `document`: Document URL or file_id (for SEND_DOCUMENT)
65- `caption`: Optional caption for the media
66 
67**Pitfalls**:
68- Photo captions have a 1024 character limit
69- Document captions also have a 1024 character limit
70- Files up to 50MB can be sent via bot API
71- Photos are compressed by Telegram; use SEND_DOCUMENT for uncompressed images
72 
73### 3. Manage Chats
74 
75**When to use**: User wants to get chat information or manage chat settings
76 
77**Tool sequence**:
781. `TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT` - Get detailed chat information [Required]
792. `TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT_ADMINISTRATORS` - List chat admins [Optional]
803. `TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT_MEMBERS_COUNT` - Get member count [Optional]
814. `TELEGRAM_EXPORT_CHAT_INVITE_LINK` - Generate invite link [Optional]
82 
83**Key parameters**:
84- `chat_id`: Target chat ID or username
85 
86**Pitfalls**:
87- Bot must be an administrator to export invite links
88- GET_CHAT returns different fields for private chats vs groups vs channels
89- Member count may be approximate for very large groups
90- Admin list does not include regular members
91 
92### 4. Edit and Delete Messages
93 
94**When to use**: User wants to modify or remove previously sent messages
95 
96**Tool sequence**:
971. `TELEGRAM_EDIT_MESSAGE` - Edit a sent message [Optional]
982. `TELEGRAM_DELETE_MESSAGE` - Delete a message [Optional]
99 
100**Key parameters**:
101- `chat_id`: Chat where the message is located
102- `message_id`: ID of the message to edit or delete
103- `text`: New text content (for edit)
104 
105**Pitfalls**:
106- Bots can only edit their own messages
107- Messages can only be deleted within 48 hours of sending
108- In groups, bots with delete permissions can delete any message
109- Editing a message removes its 'edited' timestamp history
110 
111### 5. Forward Messages and Get Updates
112 
113**When to use**: User wants to forward messages or retrieve recent updates
114 
115**Tool sequence**:
1161. `TELEGRAM_FORWARD_MESSAGE` - Forward a message to another chat [Optional]
1172. `TELEGRAM_GET_UPDATES` - Get recent bot updates/messages [Optional]
1183. `TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT_HISTORY` - Get chat message history [Optional]
119 
120**Key parameters**:
121- `from_chat_id`: Source chat for forwarding
122- `chat_id`: Destination chat for forwarding
123- `message_id`: Message to forward
124- `offset`: Update offset for GET_UPDATES
125- `limit`: Number of updates to retrieve
126 
127**Pitfalls**:
128- Forwarded messages show the original sender attribution
129- GET_UPDATES returns a limited window of recent updates
130- Chat history access may be limited by bot permissions and chat type
131- Use offset to avoid processing the same update twice
132 
133### 6. Manage Bot Commands
134 
135**When to use**: User wants to set or update bot command menu
136 
137**Tool sequence**:
1381. `TELEGRAM_SET_MY_COMMANDS` - Set the bot's command list [Required]
1392. `TELEGRAM_ANSWER_CALLBACK_QUERY` - Respond to inline button presses [Optional]
140 
141**Key parameters**:
142- `commands`: Array of command objects with `command` and `description`
143- `callback_query_id`: ID of the callback query to answer
144 
145**Pitfalls**:
146- Commands must start with '/' and be lowercase
147- Command descriptions have a 256 character limit
148- Callback queries must be answered within 10 seconds or they expire
149- Setting commands replaces the entire command list
150 
151## Common Patterns
152 
153### Chat ID Resolution
154 
155**From username**:
156```
1571. Use '@username' format as chat_id (for public channels/groups)
1582. For private chats, numeric chat_id is required
1593. Call GET_CHAT with username to retrieve numeric ID
160```
161 
162**From GET_UPDATES**:
163```
1641. Call TELEGRAM_GET_UPDATES
1652. Extract chat.id from message objects
1663. Use numeric chat_id in subsequent calls
167```
168 
169### Message Formatting
170 
171- Use `parse_mode: 'HTML'` for `<b>bold</b>`, `<i>italic</i>`, `<code>code</code>`
172- Use `parse_mode: 'MarkdownV2'` for `*bold*`, `_italic_`, `` `code` ``
173- Escape special chars in MarkdownV2: `_ * [ ] ( ) ~ > # + - = | { } . !`
174- Omit parse_mode for plain text without formatting
175 
176## Known Pitfalls
177 
178**Bot Permissions**:
179- Bots must be added to groups/channels to interact
180- Admin permissions needed for: deleting messages, exporting invite links, managing members
181- Bots cannot initiate conversations; users must start them first
182 
183**Rate Limits**:
184- 30 messages per second to the same group
185- 20 messages per minute to the same user in groups
186- Bulk operations should implement delays between calls
187- API returns 429 Too Many Requests when limits are hit
188 
189**Chat Types**:
190- Private chat: One-on-one with the bot
191- Group: Multi-user chat (bot must be added)
192- Supergroup: Enhanced group with admin features
193- Channel: Broadcast-only (bot must be admin to post)
194 
195**Message Limits**:
196- Text messages: 4096 characters max
197- Captions: 1024 characters max
198- File uploads: 50MB max via bot API
199- Inline keyboard buttons: 8 per row
200 
201## Quick Reference
202 
203| Task | Tool Slug | Key Params |
204|------|-----------|------------|
205| Verify bot | TELEGRAM_GET_ME | (none) |
206| Send message | TELEGRAM_SEND_MESSAGE | chat_id, text, parse_mode |
207| Send photo | TELEGRAM_SEND_PHOTO | chat_id, photo, caption |
208| Send document | TELEGRAM_SEND_DOCUMENT | chat_id, document, caption |
209| Edit message | TELEGRAM_EDIT_MESSAGE | chat_id, message_id, text |
210| Delete message | TELEGRAM_DELETE_MESSAGE | chat_id, message_id |
211| Forward message | TELEGRAM_FORWARD_MESSAGE | chat_id, from_chat_id, message_id |
212| Get chat info | TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT | chat_id |
213| Get chat admins | TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT_ADMINISTRATORS | chat_id |
214| Get member count | TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT_MEMBERS_COUNT | chat_id |
215| Export invite link | TELEGRAM_EXPORT_CHAT_INVITE_LINK | chat_id |
216| Get updates | TELEGRAM_GET_UPDATES | offset, limit |
217| Get chat history | TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT_HISTORY | chat_id |
218| Set bot commands | TELEGRAM_SET_MY_COMMANDS | commands |
219| Answer callback | TELEGRAM_ANSWER_CALLBACK_QUERY | callback_query_id |
220