Automate Telegram tasks via Rube MCP (Composio): send messages, manage chats, share photos/documents, and handle bot commands. Always search tools first for current schemas.
Automate Telegram operations through Composio's Telegram toolkit via Rube MCP.
Prerequisites
Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)
Active Telegram connection via RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit telegram
Always call RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS first to get current tool schemas
Telegram Bot Token required (created via @BotFather)
Setup
Get Rube MCP: Add https://rube.app/mcp as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.
Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS responds
Call RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit telegram
If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to configure the Telegram bot
Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows
Core Workflows
1. Send Messages
When to use: User wants to send text messages to a Telegram chat
Tool sequence:
TELEGRAM_GET_ME - Verify bot identity and connection [Prerequisite]
TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT - Get chat details and verify access [Optional]
TELEGRAM_SEND_MESSAGE - Send a text message [Required]
Key parameters:
chat_id: Numeric chat ID or channel username (e.g., '@channelname')
text: Message text content
parse_mode: 'HTML' or 'MarkdownV2' for formatting
disable_notification: Send silently without notification sound
reply_to_message_id: Message ID to reply to
Pitfalls:
Bot must be a member of the chat/group to send messages
MarkdownV2 requires escaping special characters: _*[]()~>#+-=|{}.!
HTML mode supports limited tags: <b>, <i>, <code>, <pre>, <a>
Messages have a 4096 character limit; split longer content
2. Send Photos and Documents
When to use: User wants to share images or files in a Telegram chat
Tool sequence:
TELEGRAM_SEND_PHOTO - Send an image [Optional]
TELEGRAM_SEND_DOCUMENT - Send a file/document [Optional]
Key parameters:
chat_id: Target chat ID
photo: Photo URL or file_id (for SEND_PHOTO)
document: Document URL or file_id (for SEND_DOCUMENT)
caption: Optional caption for the media
Pitfalls:
Photo captions have a 1024 character limit
Document captions also have a 1024 character limit
Files up to 50MB can be sent via bot API
Photos are compressed by Telegram; use SEND_DOCUMENT for uncompressed images
3. Manage Chats
When to use: User wants to get chat information or manage chat settings
Tool sequence:
TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT - Get detailed chat information [Required]
TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT_ADMINISTRATORS - List chat admins [Optional]
TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT_MEMBERS_COUNT - Get member count [Optional]
TELEGRAM_EXPORT_CHAT_INVITE_LINK - Generate invite link [Optional]
Key parameters:
chat_id: Target chat ID or username
Pitfalls:
Bot must be an administrator to export invite links
GET_CHAT returns different fields for private chats vs groups vs channels
Member count may be approximate for very large groups
Admin list does not include regular members
4. Edit and Delete Messages
When to use: User wants to modify or remove previously sent messages
Tool sequence:
TELEGRAM_EDIT_MESSAGE - Edit a sent message [Optional]
TELEGRAM_DELETE_MESSAGE - Delete a message [Optional]
Key parameters:
chat_id: Chat where the message is located
message_id: ID of the message to edit or delete
text: New text content (for edit)
Pitfalls:
Bots can only edit their own messages
Messages can only be deleted within 48 hours of sending
In groups, bots with delete permissions can delete any message
Editing a message removes its 'edited' timestamp history
5. Forward Messages and Get Updates
When to use: User wants to forward messages or retrieve recent updates
Tool sequence:
TELEGRAM_FORWARD_MESSAGE - Forward a message to another chat [Optional]
TELEGRAM_GET_UPDATES - Get recent bot updates/messages [Optional]
TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT_HISTORY - Get chat message history [Optional]
Key parameters:
from_chat_id: Source chat for forwarding
chat_id: Destination chat for forwarding
message_id: Message to forward
offset: Update offset for GET_UPDATES
limit: Number of updates to retrieve
Pitfalls:
Forwarded messages show the original sender attribution
GET_UPDATES returns a limited window of recent updates
Chat history access may be limited by bot permissions and chat type
Use offset to avoid processing the same update twice
6. Manage Bot Commands
When to use: User wants to set or update bot command menu
Tool sequence:
TELEGRAM_SET_MY_COMMANDS - Set the bot's command list [Required]
TELEGRAM_ANSWER_CALLBACK_QUERY - Respond to inline button presses [Optional]
Key parameters:
commands: Array of command objects with command and description
callback_query_id: ID of the callback query to answer
Pitfalls:
Commands must start with '/' and be lowercase
Command descriptions have a 256 character limit
Callback queries must be answered within 10 seconds or they expire
Setting commands replaces the entire command list
Common Patterns
Chat ID Resolution
From username:
1. Use '@username' format as chat_id (for public channels/groups)
2. For private chats, numeric chat_id is required
3. Call GET_CHAT with username to retrieve numeric ID
From GET_UPDATES:
1. Call TELEGRAM_GET_UPDATES
2. Extract chat.id from message objects
3. Use numeric chat_id in subsequent calls
Message Formatting
Use parse_mode: 'HTML' for <b>bold</b>, <i>italic</i>, <code>code</code>
Use parse_mode: 'MarkdownV2' for *bold*, _italic_, `code`