# Reach Them on Telegram

Bring your AI employee into Telegram, the app on your phone you already check all day. Message the bot directly or add it to a group and mention it. It replies right there, with the same memory it has in the web app.

## TL;DR

Create a bot with Telegram's BotFather, copy the token it gives you, then connect it from the Communications page and pick the employee who answers. DM the bot or add it to a group and mention it. Memory is shared with web chat, so a conversation that starts on Telegram continues anywhere else.

## How It Works

Each employee gets its own Telegram bot. When you message the bot, or mention it in a group, Telegram hands the message to the employee, the employee does the work, and the reply lands back in the same chat.

- **Same employee, every surface.** Memory, tasks, skills, and tools are shared across web chat, Telegram, and every other channel.
- **DMs are always on.** A direct message to the bot always gets a reply.
- **Quiet in groups.** In a group the bot only replies when you mention it or reply to one of its messages. It never jumps into unrelated chatter.
- **Cross-channel awareness.** A conversation started in the web app is in the employee's memory when you message them on Telegram.

## What You Can Do

| Action | How it looks in Telegram |
|---|---|
| **DM the employee** | Open a chat with your bot and type. The conversation continues with full memory. |
| **Mention in a group** | Add the bot to a group, then `@yourbot what is the latest revenue number?`. The reply lands in the group. |
| **Reply to keep going** | Reply to one of the bot's messages in a group to keep talking without mentioning it again. |
| **Hand off from web chat** | Start on the web app, finish on your phone in Telegram. Memory carries over. |
| **Disconnect** | Click Disconnect on the Communications page. The bot stops responding immediately. |

## How to Set It Up

**1. Create a bot with BotFather**

In Telegram, open BotFather, send `/newbot`, and pick a name and a username. BotFather replies with a token that looks like `123456789:AA...`. That token is the key to your bot.

**2. Connect it from the Communications page**

Go to Settings, Communications, open the Telegram panel. Pick the employee who will answer, paste the token, and click Connect. The token is validated and stored encrypted, and the channel turns on right away.

**3. Start talking**

Open a chat with your bot and say hi. To use it in a team group, add the bot to the group and mention it. Each employee you connect gets its own bot, kept separate per chat.

## The Typing Signal

While the employee is working, you see Telegram's "typing..." indicator in the chat, the same signal you see when a person is replying. When the answer is ready it arrives as a normal message, so you always know your message landed.

## Tips and Tricks

- **DMs are private.** A direct message stays between you and the employee, the same way Telegram DMs work between people.
- **Be specific in groups.** In a busy group, a concrete ask like `@yourbot summarize the deal pipeline for Q3` works better than a vague one.
- **One bot per employee.** Connect a separate bot for each employee you want on Telegram. They stay cleanly separate.
- **Use the web app for big work.** Long-running tasks, file uploads, and the full execution timeline are still best in the web workspace. Telegram is for quick interactions and updates on the go.

## What It Costs

| Cost | What it covers |
|---|---|
| **Token credits** | Same as web chat. Billed per call the employee makes. |
| **Runtime credits** | 1 credit per minute of processing time. |
| **Workflow credits** | 1 credit per Telegram message the employee handles. |

There is no per-message Telegram fee. You pay only for the work the employee does.

## Is It Safe

- **Verified delivery.** Every incoming message is checked to confirm it genuinely came from Telegram before any work runs. Forged requests are rejected.
- **Tenant isolation.** A bot is bound to one workspace. Messages from one bot never reach another customer's employee.
- **Token encryption.** Your bot token is encrypted at rest and only used at the moment of a reply.
- **Channel gate.** The Communications page toggle is the master switch. Disable it and the bot stops responding immediately.
- **Soft disconnect.** Disconnecting stops the bot from receiving or sending anything, and you can reconnect later with memory intact.

## Good to Know

- **Each employee has its own bot.** Unlike a single shared assistant, every employee you connect runs as its own named Telegram bot.
- **Text first.** Replies arrive as plain text. Sending files or voice notes through Telegram is not supported yet, use the web app for those.
- **Reconnects keep memory.** Disconnect, then reconnect later. The same bot re-binds to the same employee with memory intact.

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Does the bot read every message in a group?**
A: No. In a group it only acts when you mention it or reply to one of its messages. Everything else in the group is ignored.

**Q: Will the employee remember Telegram conversations later in web chat?**
A: Yes. Memory is shared across channels for the same employee. Anything important from Telegram is there the next time you talk on the web app.

**Q: Can two employees share one bot?**
A: No. Each bot answers as exactly one employee. To put another employee on Telegram, create a second bot and connect it the same way.

**Q: What happens if I disconnect?**
A: The bot goes quiet immediately. Your conversation history stays saved, and reconnecting restores everything without losing memory.