> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.callivox.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Telegram

> Create a Telegram bot with BotFather and connect it to Callivox — the fastest channel to set up, in about two minutes.

Telegram is the quickest channel to connect. You create a bot on Telegram, copy the one token it gives you, and paste it into Callivox. There is no webhook to configure and no developer account to register — Callivox wires up the rest for you.

Anyone who messages your bot on Telegram shows up as a conversation in the inbox.

<Frame caption="The Telegram connect dialog asks for a display name and the bot token, nothing else.">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/haconsultancy/8jQZZfLAZM_xjJe7/images/channels/telegram-connect.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=8jQZZfLAZM_xjJe7&q=85&s=edab639970111ede693de40937c4e62c" alt="The Connect channel dialog with Telegram selected, showing the Display name and Bot token fields" width="2880" height="1800" data-path="images/channels/telegram-connect.png" />
</Frame>

## Before you start

You need a Telegram account. That is the whole list.

## Create the bot

<Steps>
  <Step title="Message @BotFather">
    Open Telegram and search for **@BotFather** — the official bot for creating bots. Start a chat with it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Run /newbot">
    Send `/newbot`. BotFather will walk you through two questions.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Give it a name and a username">
    First the display name, which is what people see at the top of the chat — "Acme Support" works well.

    Then the username, which must be unique across Telegram and must end in `bot` — for example `acme_support_bot`. If the name is taken, BotFather asks again.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Copy the token">
    BotFather replies with a token that looks like `1234567890:ABC...`. Copy it.

    <Warning>
      Treat the bot token like a password. Anyone who has it can read and send messages as your bot. Do not paste it into a group chat, a ticket, or a shared document.
    </Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Polish the bot (optional)">
    Still in BotFather, `/setuserpic` sets the bot's profile picture and `/setdescription` sets the text people see before they start the chat. Both are worth doing — they are the first thing a customer sees.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Connect it to Callivox

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the connect dialog">
    Go to **Settings → Channels**, click **+ Connect channel** and pick **Telegram**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Fill in the two fields">
    **Display name** — how the channel appears in your inbox and settings.

    **Bot token** — paste the token from BotFather. The field is masked; use **Show** to check it pasted cleanly. Leaving it empty returns "Bot token is required."
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Connect">
    You will see the toast "Telegram channel connected" and the channel appears in the list as **Active**. Callivox registers the webhook with Telegram automatically, so there is nothing to copy back — no callback URL, no verify token.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send it a message">
    Open your bot in Telegram and send it anything. It should appear in your inbox within seconds.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  The connect dialog reminds you of the whole flow in one line: "Don't have a bot yet? Message @BotFather on Telegram, run `/newbot`, and paste the token it gives you here."
</Tip>

For BotFather's own documentation, see [Telegram's guide to creating a bot](https://core.telegram.org/bots/features#creating-a-new-bot).

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="AI agents" icon="robot" href="/ai-agents/overview">
    Put an AI agent on the channel to answer automatically.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Managing channels" icon="sliders" href="/channels/managing-channels">
    Rename, reconnect and delete channels.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>