Telegram Setup

Telegram is the recommended starting point for MakerClaw. It offers the simplest setup process and works great for personal use and small teams.

Telegram bot integration

What You'll Need

• A Telegram account
• ~5 minutes for setup

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Step 1: Create Your Bot

Open BotFather

1. Open Telegram on your phone or desktop
2. Search for @BotFather (the official Telegram bot for creating bots)
3. Start a conversation with BotFather

Search for @BotFather in Telegram

Create New Bot

1. Send the command /newbot
2. BotFather will ask for a name for your bot (this is the display name)
3. Enter a name like "My Assistant" or "Support Bot"
4. BotFather will ask for a username (must end in "bot")
5. Enter a unique username like "mycompany_support_bot"

Creating a new bot with /newbot command

Copy Your Token

BotFather will respond with your bot's token. It looks like this:

123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz

Important: Keep this token secret! Anyone with this token can control your bot.

Copy the token BotFather provides

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Step 2: Get Your User ID

To restrict who can talk to your employee, you need your Telegram user ID.

Using @userinfobot

1. Search for @userinfobot in Telegram
2. Start a conversation
3. The bot will reply with your user ID (a number like 123456789)
4. Copy this number

Get your user ID from @userinfobot

Tip: You can add multiple user IDs to allow team members to interact with your employee.

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Step 3: Configure in MakersFuel

Add Telegram Channel

1. Go to your employee's configuration page
2. Find the Channels section
3. Click Add Channel or enable Telegram

Enable Telegram in channel configuration

Enter Credentials

Enter your bot token and allowed users

Save Configuration

1. Click Save to apply the configuration
2. Wait for the channel status to show Connected (🟢)

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Step 4: Start Chatting

Find Your Bot

1. In Telegram, search for your bot's username
2. Click on your bot in the search results
3. Click Start or send any message

Start a conversation with your bot

Test It Out

Send a test message to confirm everything is working:

• "Hello, are you there?"
• "What can you help me with?"
• "Tell me about yourself"

Your AI employee responding to messages

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Features

Commands

Commands are automatically registered when your employee starts. Users can see available commands by typing / in the chat.

Message Types

Group Chats

Your bot can work in group chats:

1. Add your bot to a group
2. Make sure the bot has permission to read messages
3. Users can @mention the bot or use commands

Note: In groups, configure whether the bot responds to all messages or only mentions.

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Configuration Options

Allow List

Control who can interact with your employee:

Bot Settings in BotFather

You can customize your bot further:

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Troubleshooting

"Bot not responding"

1. Check token — Ensure the full token is copied correctly
2. Check user ID — Verify you're in the allowed users list
3. Check employee status — Must be "Running"
4. Restart employee — Try pausing and resuming

"Invalid token" error

• Make sure you copied the complete token
• Token format: numbers:letters
• Generate a new token via /token command in BotFather

"User not allowed"

• Verify your user ID is correct
• Add your ID to the allowed users list
• User IDs are numbers only, no @ symbol

Messages not delivering

1. Ensure you clicked "Start" on the bot
2. Check if the bot was blocked accidentally
3. Verify employee is running

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Best Practices

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Next Steps

• Employee Channels Overview — Learn about other channels
• Discord Setup — Add Discord channel
• Tools & Skills — Extend capabilities