Setting up the Telegram Bot
Updated June 14, 2026
Overview
The Telegram Bot integration makes your AI agent available on Telegram — users can DM the bot or @mention it in groups to get instant answers. It also doubles as an escalation channel: when the AI can't resolve a conversation, it posts an alert in a designated team Telegram group with Forward Reply and Resolve inline buttons, letting your team relay replies directly to the customer from Telegram.
Step 1 — Create a Telegram bot via @BotFather
Create the bot
Open Telegram and start a conversation with @BotFather. Send /newbot, follow the prompts to choose a name and username (must end in bot), and copy the token it gives you. It looks like 123456789:AAF....
Enable group privacy off (for @mentions in groups)
By default, Telegram bots only see messages that start with / in groups. To receive @mentions, send /setprivacy to @BotFather, select your bot, and choose Disable. This lets the bot read all group messages so it can detect @mentions. Without this, the @mention mode will not work in groups.
Step 2 — Connect the bot in Inquiru
Paste the bot token
Go to Integrations, scroll to the Telegram Bot section, and click Connect Bot. Paste your bot token and confirm. Inquiru validates the token with Telegram and registers a webhook automatically — no manual webhook setup needed.
One bot per workspace
Like the Slack workspace, one Telegram bot token is shared across your whole Inquiru workspace. All Telegram integrations you create use this single bot.
Step 3 — Create the Telegram Bot integration
Create the integration
Go to Integrations → Connect and select Telegram Bot. Choose a response mode and assign an AI agent. No additional credentials are needed.
Response modes
- DMs + @mentions — responds to both private chats and @mentions in groups (recommended)
- DMs only — only responds in private chats
- @mentions only — only responds when @mentioned in a group or supergroup
Restricting @mentions to specific chats
By default the bot responds to @mentions in any group it's a member of. To limit this, enter specific Telegram chat IDs (negative integers for groups, e.g. -1001234567890) separated by commas. Leave blank to allow all groups.
Step 4 — Add the bot to groups
For DM mode
Users can DM the bot directly — they just search for it by username in Telegram and start a private chat. Share the bot's @username with your team or customers.
For @mention mode
Add the bot to any group or supergroup where you want it to respond. Open the group → Group info → Add members → search for your bot's username. The bot must be a member of the group to receive @mentions.
Finding a group's chat ID
To find a group's chat ID, add your bot to the group, send a message, then check https://api.telegram.org/bot<token>/getUpdates. The chat.id field in the response is the chat ID — a negative integer like -1001234567890.
Step 5 — Verify
Test DM mode
Find your bot by its username and send it a question. Within a few seconds it should reply with a substantive answer from your AI agent. The conversation also appears in Inquiru under Conversations (channel: Telegram).
Test @mention mode
In a group where the bot is a member, type @yourbotname how do I reset my password?. The bot replies, quoting your original message so the context is clear.
Step 6 — View the Telegram report
Go to Reports → Telegram to see how many conversations were resolved by the AI vs escalated, with a daily breakdown over your selected date range. The tab only appears when you have an active Telegram integration.