---
name: telegram-setup
description: Connect a Telegram bot to the Vellum Assistant gateway with automated webhook registration and credential storage
compatibility: "Designed for Vellum personal assistants"
metadata:
  emoji: "🤖"
  vellum:
    display-name: "Telegram Setup"
    activation-hints:
      - "Telegram bot setup, webhook configuration, or BotFather token"
      - "User wants to connect Telegram to the assistant"
    avoid-when:
      - "User wants to send/receive Telegram messages (use messaging skill instead)"
---

You are helping your user connect a Telegram bot to the Vellum Assistant gateway. Walk through each step below.

## Value Classification

| Value          | Type       | Storage method                              | Secret? |
| -------------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------- | ------- |
| Bot Token      | Credential | `credential_store` prompt                   | **Yes** |
| Bot Username   | Config     | `assistant config set telegram.botUsername` | No      |
| Webhook Secret | Credential | `assistant credentials set`                 | **Yes** |

- **Bot Token** is a secret. Always collect via `credential_store` prompt - never accept it pasted in plaintext chat.
- **Bot Username** is derived from the token via the Telegram API and stored as config.

# Setup Steps

## Step 1: Collect Bot Token Securely

Tell the user: **"You'll need a Telegram bot token from @BotFather. Open Telegram, message @BotFather, and use /newbot to create one."**

Collect the token through the secure credential prompt:

- Call `credential_store` with `action: "prompt"`, `service: "telegram"`, `field: "bot_token"`, `label: "Telegram Bot Token"`, `description: "Enter the bot token you received from @BotFather"`, `placeholder: "123456:ABC-DEF1234ghIkl-zyx57W2v1u123ew11"`.

## Step 2: Validate Token and Configure Bot

```bash
BOT_TOKEN=$(assistant credentials reveal --service telegram --field bot_token)
GETME_RESPONSE=$(curl -sf "https://api.telegram.org/bot${BOT_TOKEN}/getMe")
BOT_USERNAME=$(echo "$GETME_RESPONSE" | jq -r '.result.username')
assistant config set telegram.botUsername "$BOT_USERNAME"
```

If the `curl` call fails, the token is invalid - ask the user to re-enter (repeat Step 1).

## Step 3: Set Up Webhook Routing

Use the unified webhooks CLI to get a callback URL. This handles both platform-managed and self-hosted assistants automatically:

```bash
CALLBACK_URL=$(assistant webhooks register telegram --source "$BOT_USERNAME")
```

If the command fails because no public base URL is configured (self-hosted only), load the `public-ingress` skill to walk the user through setting one up, then retry the command.

### Generate Webhook Secret

Check to see if one already exists:

```bash
assistant credentials inspect --service telegram --field webhook_secret
```

If not, generate and set one:

```bash
assistant credentials set --service telegram --field webhook_secret "$(uuidgen)"
```

### Register Webhook with Telegram

After registering the platform route (or obtaining a public ingress URL), you **must** also tell Telegram to send updates to that URL. The gateway may do this automatically on restart, but its safest to also register explicitly:

```bash
BOT_TOKEN=$(assistant credentials reveal --service telegram --field bot_token)
WEBHOOK_SECRET=$(assistant credentials reveal --service telegram --field webhook_secret)
curl -s "https://api.telegram.org/bot${BOT_TOKEN}/setWebhook?url=${CALLBACK_URL}&secret_token=${WEBHOOK_SECRET}"
```

### Verify Webhook

Confirm Telegram has the correct URL registered:

```bash
WEBHOOK_INFO=$(curl -sf "https://api.telegram.org/bot${BOT_TOKEN}/getWebhookInfo")
echo "$WEBHOOK_INFO" | jq .
REGISTERED_URL=$(echo "$WEBHOOK_INFO" | jq -r '.result.url')
```

Compare `REGISTERED_URL` to `CALLBACK_URL`. If they don't match, the webhook was not set correctly. Retry the `setWebhook` call. **Do not report success until `getWebhookInfo` confirms the correct URL and shows no `last_error_message`.**

## Step 4: Register Bot Commands

```bash
BOT_TOKEN=$(assistant credentials reveal --service telegram --field bot_token)
curl -sf -X POST "https://api.telegram.org/bot${BOT_TOKEN}/setMyCommands" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"commands":[{"command":"new","description":"Start a new conversation"},{"command":"help","description":"Show available commands"}]}'
```

Non-critical - warn on failure but don't block setup.

## Step 5: Test Your Connection

Now let's test the connection by verifying the user can receive your messages. This confirms everything works and links the user's Telegram identity for future message delivery.

Load the **guardian-verify-setup** skill:

- Call `skill_load` with `skill: "guardian-verify-setup"`.

If the user explicitly wants to skip this step, proceed to Step 6, but let them know they can always verify later by saying "verify me on Telegram".

## Step 6: Report Success

Summarize:

- Bot verified and credentials stored
- Webhook registered and verified with Telegram (show the confirmed URL)
- Bot commands registered: /new, /help
- Guardian identity: {verified | skipped}

# Clearing Credentials

To disconnect Telegram:

```bash
assistant credentials delete --service telegram --field bot_token
assistant credentials delete --service telegram --field webhook_secret
assistant config set telegram.botUsername ""
```