How to Set Up a Telegram Bot
Create and configure a Telegram bot with BotWave. BotFather token, webhook setup, and group commands.
BotWave runs Telegram bots through @BotFather, the official Telegram tool for creating bots. The whole setup takes about three minutes: ask @BotFather for a bot token, paste it into BotWave, and your Telegram bot has all 150+ commands. Same dashboard, same anti-spam, same AI features as the WhatsApp side.
Prerequisites
- A Telegram account (any account, not your phone number specifically).
- A BotWave account at botwave.online.
- About 3 minutes.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Open @BotFather in Telegram
Search for @BotFather, tap it, and start the chat. Send /newbot to create a new bot.
/newbot - 2
Pick a bot name and username
BotFather asks for a display name (anything you like) and a username (must end in "bot", e.g. mygroupmod_bot). The username is what people @-mention to find the bot.
- 3
Copy the bot token
BotFather replies with an HTTP API token that looks like 123456789:AAH8gXk... Treat this token like a password, anyone with it can fully control your bot.
Tip: You can rotate the token later via /token in BotFather if it ever leaks.
- 4
Paste the token into BotWave
In BotWave → Sessions → New Telegram Bot, paste the token and click Connect. The dashboard validates the token and starts the bot immediately.
- 5
Configure bot privacy in BotFather (optional)
Send /setprivacy → choose your bot → DISABLE. This lets the bot see all messages in groups (needed for anti-spam to work). Keep it ENABLED if you only want the bot to react when @-mentioned.
/setprivacy - 6
Add the bot to a group
Open any Telegram group → group settings → Add member → search the bot username → Add. Promote to admin if you want moderation features.
- 7
Send /help to test
Type /help in the group or DM the bot directly. You should get the full command list.
/help
Expected result
Your Telegram bot is live with 150+ commands, moderates groups, answers AI queries, makes stickers, runs polls, and shares config and analytics with your WhatsApp bot if you have one.
Power-user tips
- Set a bot description and "about" text via BotFather → /setdescription → /setabouttext. These show in the bot's profile and help your bot get discovered via Telegram search.
- Configure /setcommands in BotFather with a short list so Telegram's autocomplete UI works nicely.
- For inline bots (where users @yourbot in any chat), send /setinline to BotFather. BotWave supports inline mode for the !sticker and !ai commands.
Common pitfalls
- If /setprivacy is left ENABLED (the default), the bot only sees messages where it is @-mentioned. Anti-spam and welcome messages will not fire. Disable it for group moderation use cases.
- Bot tokens leaked publicly will be scraped within hours, never commit one to a public repo or paste it into a screenshot.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a Telegram bot and a Telegram userbot?
A bot uses the Bot API and acts as a separate "@yourbot" account. It cannot start conversations with users who have not /start-ed it and has restricted permissions in groups by design. A userbot uses the regular MTProto API and acts as a real user account, full freedom, but you must use your own (or a burner) phone number to authenticate. BotWave supports both.
Why does my bot not see messages in groups?
Set /setprivacy to DISABLED in @BotFather. By default Telegram bots only see commands directed at them with @-mentions; with privacy disabled the bot sees all group messages, which is required for anti-spam and analytics.
Can the same BotWave account run WhatsApp and Telegram bots simultaneously?
Yes. Each session is independent, but they share the same dashboard, the same configuration interface, and the same usage-quota pool. Most plans include both platforms at no extra cost.
Ready to put this into practice?
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