Products

Flow FrameworkOpen-source, one codebase for every chat Unified APIiMessage, WhatsApp and Telegram Flow CloudHosting, tests and observability

Ships to

WhatsAppiMessageTelegramChatGPTClaudeMuseInstinctMCPCLI
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Telegram AI bots

Build a Telegram AI bot that actually does things.

The Telegram Bot API takes minutes to start. Hosting, memory, tools, files and retries take weeks. Flow gives you all of it, and the same agent runs on WhatsApp and iMessage.

Start building free Flow Framework on GitHub

Bring a BotFather token. Flow handles the webhook.

What you can build

Telegram allows what others don’t:
companions, communities and more.

Companions

Character and companion bots

Telegram allows AI companions on its Bot API. Give one memory, a voice and the right moments to check in.

Learning

A tutor in your chats

Daily lessons and voice practice.

Fintech

Account answers on demand

Balances and card controls for signed-in users.

Wellness

Gentle daily check-ins

Reminders in each person’s time zone, never at 3am.

Brand examples are illustrations of what could be built, not those companies' products.

The usual way vs. Flow

The Bot API is quick.
Everything around it isn’t.

Building it yourself~3 weeks

  1. BotFather token, webhook or polling 1 hr
  2. Hosting and deploys 1–2 days
  3. Agent loop, tools, memory 1 week
  4. Voice notes, files, rate limits 3–5 days
  5. Tests and logs 3–5 days

The Bot API keeps no conversation history: memory is yours to build. And it only runs on Telegram.

With Flow Frameworkan afternoon

  1. Create the project1 min
  2. Write your tools1–2 hrs
  3. Paste your bot token, go live10 min
tools/streak.ts
import { tool } from "@flow-engineer/flow";
import { z } from "zod";

export default tool({
  name: "get_streak",
  description: "Use when the learner asks about their streak.",
  input: z.object({ userId: z.string() }),
  run: async ({ userId }) => api.streaks.get(userId),
});

How Flow works

Write it once. Ship it to Telegram and everywhere else.

  • Tools, not plumbingYou write what the agent can do. Flow handles webhooks, retries, ordering, media and each channel’s formatting.
  • Memory per customerEach customer’s conversation is kept between chats, so they can pick up where they left off.
  • Tested before it’s liveScenario tests with simulated users run before every release, and every turn is traced after.

Get started

How to build a Telegram AI bot with Flow.

  1. Create a Flow project

    Run npx @flow-engineer/flow new my-agent, or ask Claude Code or Codex to set it up. You get one folder: the agent’s instructions, its tools, its skills and its tests.

  2. Write what it can do as tools

    Each job is a TypeScript function with a typed input that calls your API: check an order, book a slot, find a deal. No protocol code.

  3. Test it on simulated users

    Run npx @flow-engineer/flow test. Simulated users try the scenarios that matter, including people who change their mind or ask for something your agent should refuse.

  4. Connect your bot

    Create a bot with @BotFather and give Flow its token. Flow sets the webhook and delivers each chat’s messages in order.

  5. Go live

    Share the t.me link. Add WhatsApp and iMessage from the same project.

terminal
$ npx @flow-engineer/flow new my-agent
$ cd my-agent
$ npx @flow-engineer/flow test
✓ 24 scenarios passing

Guide

Telegram AI bots, explained.

How do I create a Telegram bot?

Message @BotFather on Telegram, send /newbot, pick a name and username, and you get a token. That token lets your code receive messages (by webhook or long polling) and reply through the Bot API.

How do I connect ChatGPT or Claude to a Telegram bot?

Your bot passes each message to a model and sends back the answer. To make it useful, give the model tools that call your systems and keep each user’s history. Flow does both: you write tools, pick the model and paste the token.

Is the Telegram Bot API free?

Yes. Telegram does not charge for the Bot API or for messages. You pay for hosting and model calls.

Webhook or polling?

Polling is simplest for a laptop; webhooks are what production bots use, since Telegram pushes each update to your server. Flow uses webhooks and keeps each chat’s messages in order.

Can a Telegram bot message users first?

Only after the user has started the chat with the bot. After that, it can send reminders and follow-ups.

Telegram vs WhatsApp for an AI bot

Telegram is open, free and allows companion bots; WhatsApp reaches more people in many countries but restricts general-purpose assistants. With Flow you don’t choose: one project runs on both.

FAQ

Telegram questions,
answered.

Is the Telegram Bot API free?

Yes. Telegram charges nothing for bots or messages. You pay for hosting and the model.

How do I get a Telegram bot token?

Message @BotFather, send /newbot, choose a name and username, and it replies with the token.

Can my Telegram bot remember users?

The Bot API keeps no history. Flow keeps each user’s conversation between chats for you.

Can it handle voice notes and photos?

Yes. Voice notes are transcribed and photos and files are read before the agent answers.

Can a Telegram bot message users first?

Once a user has started the chat, yes: reminders and follow-ups in their time zone.

Can I use the same bot on WhatsApp?

Yes. The same Flow project ships to Telegram, WhatsApp and iMessage, and to ChatGPT and Claude.

Ship your Telegram bot today.

One open-source TypeScript project. The same agent on WhatsApp, iMessage, ChatGPT, Claude and more.

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