Channels
Connect Telegram
Paste a bot token from BotFather and your agent starts answering Telegram DMs.
Telegram is the quickest social channel to connect. You create a bot with Telegram's own BotFather, paste its token into OrbitBase, and your agent starts answering anyone who messages the bot. There's no sign-in popup and no app review.
Before you start
You need:
- A bot created with @BotFather in Telegram
- The bot's HTTP API token
- Privacy mode set the way you want it. Your agent only answers one-to-one chats with the bot, so the default setting works for most businesses.
You also need to be a workspace owner or admin, and your plan needs a free messaging channel. See Plans and limits.
Create your bot and connect it
Create a bot in BotFather
In Telegram, open @BotFather and send
/newbot.Name your bot
Choose a display name, then a username. The username must end in "bot", for example
acme_support_bot. This is what customers search for in Telegram.Copy the token
BotFather replies with an HTTP API token. It looks like
123456789:AAE…. Copy the whole token.Open the Telegram connect dialog
In OrbitBase, click Channels in the sidebar, then Connect on the Telegram card.
Paste the token
Paste it into Bot token and click Connect. OrbitBase checks the token with Telegram and sets everything up. When it's done, you'll see "Connected your bot on Telegram".
Your bot token works like a password for your bot. Don't share it or post it publicly. OrbitBase stores it securely and uses it only to send and receive your bot's messages.
Test it
Open your bot in Telegram (search for its username, or use the link BotFather gave you) and send it a message. The agent replies within a few seconds, and the conversation appears in your inbox.
How Telegram behaves
- Direct messages only. The agent answers one-to-one chats with your bot. If someone adds the bot to a group, the agent ignores the group's messages.
- Buttons work. When the agent offers choices, such as meeting times, they appear as tappable buttons under the message.
- Cards become text. Telegram has no cards, so a card's title, details and links go into the message. Product photos are sent as photo messages before the text.
- Plain text. Telegram shows replies as plain text, so OrbitBase removes formatting such as bold markers before sending.
- Typing indicator. Customers see that your bot is typing while the agent writes, and while a teammate types a reply in the inbox.
- Files. Customers can send photos, voice notes and files, and they appear in the conversation. Your team can attach images and files to replies.
Add more bots
You can connect more than one Telegram bot. On the Telegram card, click Add account and paste the new bot's token. Each bot becomes its own channel, and each counts toward your plan's messaging channels.
Replace a token
If you revoke your bot's token in BotFather, or Telegram stops accepting it, the channel shows Not delivering. Click Reconnect and paste a fresh token. It must be for the same bot. Its conversations and their history stay exactly as they are. See Connection health.
Troubleshooting
OrbitBase won't accept my token
Copy the token again from BotFather, making sure you include everything on both sides of the colon and no extra spaces. If you've revoked it, ask BotFather for a new one.
The bot doesn't reply
Check the Channels page. If the bot shows Not delivering, reconnect it. If it shows Connected, check that your agent's auto-reply is on and you have AI replies left. See Auto-reply and limits.