Resources · Make integration

Telegram Bot Make integrationAutomate Telegram Bot with Make.

A bot that answers, posts and tidies up on its own is two modules away. The Telegram Bot Make integration puts 33 modules behind your bot token: one trigger, 29 actions, three searches. Here you connect the account, then build a first scenario, the automation Make runs for you.

Try the Telegram Bot integration on MakeSee the 33 modules

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What you can automate

What can the Telegram Bot Make integration actually do?

It hands Make 33 modules for Telegram Bot. A module is one brick of the chain: a trigger that starts it, an action that does something, a search that goes looking. With them Make reads what lands in your chats and replies, forwards, pins, sends a file or pulls the list of admins, without a line of code.

Three shapes cover most of what gets built here. The support bot: Watch Updates catches the question, Send a Text Message or a Reply answers, Pin a Message keeps the opening hours at the top of the chat. The alert channel: the scenario posts the report of the day with Send a Document/Image, and the team reads it where it already talks. The paid community: Create a Chat Invite Link hands each customer their own link, List Administrators in a Chat says who can still moderate.

Better to know now what stays out of reach. Delete a Message only touches messages sent less than 48 hours ago, and nothing brings them back. Forward a Message moves things around inside Telegram only, so a message that has to reach an inbox needs another app's module in the same scenario. List Updates and List Chats refuse to run while a Telegram webhook exists, and Watch Updates works through exactly that.

Telegram throttles bots too: past one message a second in the same chat, past 20 a minute in a group, or a bulk send above roughly 30 a second, and 429 errors start coming back. For a big wave of notifications, Telegram's own advice is to spread it over 8 to 12 hours.

The same app lives on the other side of the fence: n8n has a Telegram node, and the choice is mostly about how you like to work, which the n8n vs Make comparison lays out next to the Telegram Bot n8n integration page. If what worries you is how many operations a chatty bot burns, one operation being one run of one module on one item, Make pricing has the numbers.

Connect

How do you connect Telegram Bot to Make?

  1. 01

    Create the bot and copy its token

    Bots come out of BotFather. Open https://telegram.me/BotFather, type /newbot, give your bot a username, and BotFather answers with a token. Copy it somewhere safe. You need a Telegram account on the desktop app, which means a mobile number.

  2. 02

    Paste the token into Make

    Add any Telegram Bot module to a scenario and click Create a connection, the link between your account and Make that every module of this app reuses afterwards. Name it in Connection name if you like, paste the token into Token, then click Save.

  3. 03

    Invite the bot into the chat

    A bot sees nothing until it is a member. Right click the channel name, open View channel info, click the add member icon, type the bot name, click INVITE, then make it admin and save. Without those rights the moderation modules do nothing.

First scenario

Your first scenario: a bot that answers on its own

GoalWhen someone writes to your bot, Make picks the message up and sends a reply into the same chat.

  1. 01

    Open a new scenario

    From the Scenarios page, create a new scenario and click the + to drop in the first module. Nothing runs yet, the editor is a canvas you can leave half finished and come back to.

  2. 02

    Put Watch Updates first

    Search Telegram Bot by name, pick Watch Updates, then click Create a webhook before Create a connection. That is the order Make expects on an instant module.

  3. 03

    Add the reply

    Click the + on the right of the trigger and pick Send a Text Message or a Reply. The fields of the second module can read what the first one caught, so the answer can quote the message it replies to.

  4. 04

    Test with Run once

    Run once executes the scenario a single time. Click it, write to your bot from your phone, then read the bundles, the items each module received, by clicking the bubble above it.

  5. 05

    Switch it on

    The clock on the first module sets the pace of scenarios Make has to go and check itself. Watch Updates is instant, Telegram calls Make, so all that is left is flipping the scenario on.

Triggers

What starts a Telegram Bot scenario

1 module starts a scenario when something happens in Telegram Bot. A scheduled trigger is checked by Make on the scenario's schedule; an instant one is called by Telegram Bot as soon as it happens.

Telegram Bot1Watch Updates

Watch Updates

Instant trigger

In Make“Triggers when there is a new update from your Telegram Desktop application.”

Watch Updates is the way into every scenario that reacts to Telegram Bot. It hands Make each new update your bot receives, one at a time, so the rest of the chain has something to work with.

How it fires
instant, the app calls Make through a webhook as soon as it happens, so there is no interval to set and nothing to go and poll.
When to use it
a support bot where someone writes a question and expects an answer before they close the app.
Watch out
on this module Make asks for Create a webhook before Create a connection, and List Updates cannot run while that webhook exists.
Modules

What Telegram Bot can do inside Make

Telegram Bot gives you 32 modules in 6 groups. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

Messages

6 modules

Only a message sent less than 48 hours ago can be deleted.

Telegram Bot1

Send a Text Message or a Reply

Action

In Make“Sends a text message or a reply to your Telegram Desktop application.”

Send a Text Message or a Reply writes into a chat, or hangs its answer under the message it responds to so the thread stays readable.

When to use it
the quick acknowledgement a customer gets while a human is still reading the question.
Watch out
stay under one message a second in the same chat and 20 a minute in a group, or Telegram sends back 429 errors.
Telegram Bot2

Edit a Text Message

Action

In Make“Edits text or game messages.”

Rather than stack another message, Edit a Text Message rewrites the one already posted, so the channel keeps one line instead of twelve. Readers watch the text change in place.

When to use it
a stock level, a seat counter, a build status. Anything that gets updated more often than it gets read.
Watch out
it acts on a message the scenario can point back to, so put it after the module that sent it.
Telegram Bot3

Forward a Message

Action

In Make“Forwards messages of any kind. This module can be used to forward messages only within Telegram.”

Forward a Message takes a message of any kind and drops it into another chat, exactly as it was written.

When to use it
a question posted in an open group that the support channel needs to see without anyone retyping it.
Watch out
it never leaves Telegram. To land the same content in an inbox or a ticket tool, add that app's module behind it.
Telegram Bot4

Delete a Message

Action

In Make“Deletes a message. A message can only be deleted if it was sent less than 48 hours ago.”

Delete a Message wipes a message from the chat. No undo, no copy left behind.

When to use it
a one time code or an access link that has no business staying in a group's history.
Watch out
Telegram only allows deletion on a message sent less than 48 hours ago, so a cleanup that runs long after the fact finds nothing left to remove.
Telegram Bot5

Pin a Message

Action

In Make“Pins a message.”

Pin a Message sticks a message to the top of the chat, where people who just arrived look first.

When to use it
the rules of a community group, or the link to a live session, pinned by the same scenario that just announced it.
Telegram Bot6

Unpin a Message

Action

In Make“Unpins a message.”

Unpin a Message releases the pinned message, which stays in the history like any other.

When to use it
as soon as the thing being announced is over, so the top of the channel is not still selling a finished webinar.

Media

13 modules
Telegram Bot7

Send an Audio File

Action

In Make“Sends an audio file to your Telegram Desktop application.”

Send an Audio File drops an audio file into the chat, playable without leaving Telegram.

When to use it
a recorded briefing posted in the team channel for the people who listen while travelling rather than reading on a screen.
Watch out
an audio file is not a voice note, Send a Voice Message is the module for that one.
Telegram Bot8

Send a Document/Image

Action

In Make“Sends a document or an image to your Telegram Desktop application.”

Send a Document/Image pushes a file into the chat: a PDF, a spreadsheet, an image. It arrives as an attachment to open or keep.

When to use it
the invoice generated earlier in the scenario, delivered in the client's chat instead of an email that lands in spam.
Watch out
on the Free plan Make handles files up to 5 MB, so a heavy export needs a paid plan or a link instead.
Telegram Bot9

Send an Album

ActionIn the docs only

Send an Album shows up in the module list of the app with no description in the documentation, which is worth knowing before anything is built on it.

When to use it
when several pictures belong together and you want to compare it against Send an Album (Media Group) on the same set.
Watch out
put it through Run once and read the output before anything depends on it.
Telegram Bot10

Send a Photo

Action

In Make“Sends a photo to your Telegram Desktop application.”

Send a Photo puts an image in the chat as a visible picture, not as a file to download first.

When to use it
the chart an earlier module produced, posted where the team already talks rather than in a dashboard nobody opens.
Telegram Bot11

Send a Sticker

Action

In Make“Sends a .webp sticker to your Telegram Desktop application.”

Send a Sticker posts a sticker in the .webp format Telegram uses for them.

When to use it
the small nod a community bot gives when someone finishes a step, where a full sentence would feel heavy.
Watch out
the format is part of the deal, so a PNG has to go out through Send a Photo instead.
Telegram Bot12

Send a Video

Action

In Make“Sends a video file to your Telegram Desktop application.”

Send a Video uploads a video file into the chat and the Telegram client plays it right there.

When to use it
the short screen recording that answers a recurring question, sent by the bot the moment it comes up again.
Telegram Bot13

Send a Video Note

Action

In Make“As of v.4.0, Telegram clients support rounded square mp4 videos of up to 1 minute long. Use this method to send video messages.”

Send a Video Note posts the round video bubble Telegram clients have accepted since v.4.0: a square mp4 of one minute at most.

When to use it
a face and a voice at the end of an onboarding sequence, which reads nothing like another wall of text.
Watch out
past the minute you are outside what the doc describes, so reach for Send a Video.
Telegram Bot14

Send a Voice Message

Action

In Make“Sends a voice message”

Send a Voice Message leaves a voice note in the chat, the kind people listen to at double speed with one thumb.

When to use it
a written answer turned into audio by an earlier module, for a channel where reading is not convenient.
Telegram Bot15

Edit a Media Message

Action

In Make“Edits photo or video messages.”

Edit a Media Message swaps the photo or the video inside a message already posted, which keeps its place in the conversation.

When to use it
a wrong visual, replaced by the right one without a second message apologising for the first.
Telegram Bot16

Edit a Message Caption

Action

In Make“Edits a caption of a message.”

Edit a Message Caption changes the text under a photo or a file, leaving the media itself untouched.

When to use it
a price or a date under a product photo that moved after the post went out.
Watch out
the caption is all it touches, and swapping the picture itself is the job of Edit a Media Message.
Telegram Bot17

Send an Invoice

Action

In Make“Sends an invoice.”

Send an Invoice posts an invoice inside the chat, in Telegram, without sending the person somewhere else.

When to use it
a paid community or a small order closed in a conversation that already happens here.
Watch out
the documentation says nothing beyond the fact that it sends one, so test the whole path with Run once before promising anyone a checkout.
Telegram Bot18

Send Media by URL or ID

Action

In Make“Sends a file (document, photo, video, audio, ...) by HTTP URL or by ID that exists on the Telegram servers.”

Send Media by URL or ID sends a document, a photo, a video or an audio file that already exists somewhere: an HTTP address, or the ID of a file Telegram servers already hold.

When to use it
a catalogue image hosted on your own site, posted without a download and an upload in between.
Watch out
the address has to be reachable, and an ID only counts for a file Telegram already has.
Telegram Bot19

Download a File

Action

In Make“Downloads a file from the Telegram server.”

Download a File pulls a file off the Telegram servers into the scenario, where the next module can store it or read it.

When to use it
the receipt a colleague photographs and sends to the bot, on its way to the accounting folder.
Watch out
the Free plan caps files at 5 MB and transfer at 512 MB, which a steady drip of photos eats through fast.

Chats and Updates

5 modules
Telegram Bot22

List Updates

Search

In Make“Retrieves a list of updates from the Telegram server. By default, updates starting with the earliest unconfirmed update are returned. If you want to list more, you need to set the offset. This module cannot be used with webhooks. To use this module, you must switch off and remove all your Telegram webhooks.”

List Updates reads the updates waiting on the Telegram server and returns them as bundles, starting from the earliest one still unconfirmed. The offset is what lets you go further back.

When to use it
a catch up scenario on what happened while nothing was listening.
Watch out
it will not run while a Telegram webhook is in place, and all of them have to be switched off and removed first.
Telegram Bot23

List Chats

Search

In Make“List available Telegram chats. By default, chats starting with the earliest unconfirmed update are returned. If you want to list more, you need to set the offset. This module cannot be used with webhooks. To use this module, you must switch off and remove all your Telegram webhooks.”

List Chats returns the chats the bot can see, as bundles: none, one, or many, and the rest of the scenario has to cope with all three.

When to use it
checking where the bot actually sits before a broadcast goes out.
Watch out
same rule as List Updates, an active Telegram webhook blocks it, and the offset decides how far the list goes.

Members

5 modules
Telegram Bot25

List Administrators in a Chat

Search

In Make“Use this modules to get a list of administrators in a chat.”

List Administrators in a Chat returns who holds admin rights in a chat, one bundle per person.

When to use it
before a moderation scenario acts, to confirm the bot is not about to try something it has no right to do.
Telegram Bot26

Get the Number of Members in a Chat

Action

In Make“Use this module to get the number of members in a chat. Returns Int on success.”

Get the Number of Members in a Chat gives back a single number, the count of people in the chat, ready for the next module to store or compare.

When to use it
a growth figure written into a sheet every time the scenario runs, without anyone opening Telegram to look.
Telegram Bot27

Kick a Chat Member

Action

In Make“Use this method to kick a user from a group, a supergroup or a channel. The bot must be an administrator in the chat for this to work and must have the appropriate admin rights.”

Kick a Chat Member removes someone from a group, a supergroup or a channel.

When to use it
a spam account spotted by an earlier step, out before the second message.
Watch out
the bot has to be an administrator with the matching rights, otherwise the module fails instead of acting.
Telegram Bot28

Promote a Chat Member

Action

In Make“Use this method to promote or demote a user in a supergroup or a channel. The bot must be an administrator in the chat for this to work and must have the appropriate admin rights.”

Promote a Chat Member raises someone to admin in a supergroup or a channel, or takes the role back.

When to use it
a moderator who gets rights when the agreement starts and loses them when it ends.
Watch out
here too the bot needs admin rights of its own before it can hand any out.
Telegram Bot29

Restrict a Chat Member

Action

In Make“Use this method to restrict a user in a supergroup.”

Restrict a Chat Member narrows what a member can do in a supergroup, short of showing them the door.

When to use it
a cooling off period after a thread heats up, rather than a kick that is awkward to undo.

Other

2 modules
Telegram Bot30

Make an API Call

Action

In Make“Performs an arbitrary authorized API call.”

Make an API Call sends an authorized request to any endpoint of the Telegram Bot API, through the connection already in place.

When to use it
the day the scenario needs something none of the other modules covers, instead of stopping the build there.
Watch out
nothing guides you here, so keep it for the one step that needs it and leave the ready made modules everywhere else.
Telegram Bot31

Answer an Inline Query

Action

In Make“Sends answer to an inline query.”

Answer an Inline Query returns the answer owed to an inline query your bot received.

When to use it
a bot built to hand back a result on demand, when that result has to come from a scenario and not from a fixed list.

Other modules

1 module
Telegram Bot32

Send an Album (Media Group)

Action

In Make“Sends a group of photos or videos as an album.”

Send an Album (Media Group) posts several photos or videos at once, grouped into one album instead of a burst of separate messages.

When to use it
the pictures of one property, one product or one site visit, arriving together.
Watch out
the app also lists Send an Album, with no description in the doc; this is the one whose behaviour is written down.
Need help

Need help automating Telegram Bot with Make?

A person reads every message.

FAQ

Questions people ask next

01Is the Telegram Bot Make integration free?
Yes, from the Free plan. Telegram Bot is a standard app, so it is there without paying Make, and on the Telegram side nothing has to be bought to run a bot. What gets limited is Make itself: 2 active scenarios, 15 minutes minimum between two scheduled runs, 5 minutes of execution per run, files up to 5 MB and 512 MB of transfer. Paid plans bring the interval down to 1 minute, lift the ceiling on active scenarios and give 40 minutes of execution. Usage is counted in operations, one run of one module on one item.
02What do you need to connect Telegram Bot to Make?
Three things. A Telegram account on the desktop app, which Telegram ties to a mobile number. A bot created in BotFather with the /newbot command, which gives you a username and a token. And that token, pasted into the Token field when Make creates the connection. The documentation asks for nothing else. If the bot is meant to work in a group or a channel, add it there as a member and make it an administrator, because without those rights the modules that kick, promote or restrict refuse to act.
03Does the trigger react in real time?
Yes. Watch Updates is an instant trigger: Telegram calls Make through a webhook as soon as an update reaches your bot, with no wait for a next pass. In exchange, the scenario has to be switched on to catch anything, and the webhook lives as long as it is. One consequence worth keeping in mind: List Updates and List Chats cannot run while a Telegram webhook is in place, so the scenario that reads history is best built apart from the one that listens.
04What if a module is missing or a limit gets in the way?
Make an API Call solves the first half. It sends an authorized request to any endpoint of the Telegram Bot API with the same connection, so whatever the other modules do not cover stays reachable from inside the scenario. Limits are another matter. A message older than 48 hours cannot be deleted, full stop. The quotas come from Telegram: one message a second in a chat, 20 a minute in the same group, around 30 a second on a bulk send, then 429 errors. Telegram advises spreading a big wave over 8 to 12 hours.
05Make or n8n for a Telegram bot?
It depends on what matters to you. Make draws the scenario as a chain of bubbles, which helps when a colleague has to pick the bot up without a handover, and the Telegram Bot app brings 33 modules covering messages, media, invite links and moderation with no code. n8n also has a Telegram node and leaves more room for people who happily write a bit of JavaScript and host the thing themselves. Both do the job for a reply bot. Take the one your team will still understand in six months.
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