Telegram

GolemBot connects to Telegram via Long-Polling — no public URL required. The bot responds to private messages and group @mentions.

Prerequisites

• A Telegram account
• Node.js ≥ 18

Install the SDK

npm install grammy

Create a Bot

1. Open Telegram and message @BotFather.
2. Send /newbot and follow the prompts. You'll receive a Bot Token in the format 123456:ABCdef....
3. To use the bot in groups, send /setprivacy → select your bot → Disable (allows the bot to read group messages).

Configure golem.yaml

name: my-assistant
engine: claude-code

channels:
  telegram:
    botToken: ${TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN}   # 123456:ABCdef...

Set environment variables before running:

export TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=123456:ABCdef...
golem gateway

How It Works

Chat type	Behavior
Private chat	Always responds
Group @mention (@YourBot message)	Strips @botname, then responds
Group message without @mention	Ignored

Each conversation (private chat or group) maintains its own session context.

Message Limits

Telegram messages are split at 4,096 characters per chunk if the response is longer.