Telegram

Create a bot with BotFather, connect it in CommuneAI, and approve the group where it may answer.

Set up the bot

1. In Telegram, open the verified BotFather account and send /newbot. Follow its prompts for a bot name and username, then copy the bot token. Keep it private; it controls your bot.
2. In CommuneAI Community → Telegram, enter a display name and that token, then choose Start Telegram setup. CommuneAI connects the bot, not your personal Telegram account.
3. Follow the provided group link to add the bot, or send the shown one-time command in a group where it is already present. The command is visible to group members and expires after 15 minutes. Confirm the detected group in CommuneAI.
4. Ensure the bot can send messages in that group. In Directed mode, enable Mention trigger in Settings. With Group Privacy enabled, test by replying to an existing message from the bot; Telegram may not deliver an ordinary @botname mention to it.
5. To receive ordinary mentions in Directed mode, or unaddressed questions in Smart mode, use BotFather's /mybots or /setprivacy to disable Group Privacy for this bot, then remove and re-add it to the group so the change takes effect. Leave privacy enabled if replies to existing bot messages are sufficient.

Privacy and reply modes

Turning off Group Privacy lets the bot receive more group messages; do it only for groups where that behavior is wanted. Silent mode never posts replies. See Telegram's official privacy-mode guide for current BotFather controls.