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Glossary

Telegram bot

Also called: Telegram Bot API · Telegram chatbot

A Telegram bot is a Telegram account run by software rather than a person, created with @BotFather and controlled through the Bot API with a secret token.

Anyone can create a bot by messaging @BotFather in Telegram, sending /newbot and choosing a name and a username that ends in “bot”. BotFather returns a token, and whoever holds the token controls the bot, so it should be kept like a password.

Bots have firm limits: a bot can’t message a person who never started a chat with it, and the Bot API caps file sizes. A bot works well as a public support address; a Telegram business account suits teams whose customers already write to a person’s number.

How Risti does it

In Risti, open the Telegram bot card in Settings › Apps › Marketplace, paste the token into Bot token and press Connect bot. It takes about 2 minutes; see Connect a Telegram bot.

Customers start the chat. Only private chats arrive; groups are ignored. Files up to 25 MB go out, incoming files over 20 MB don’t open, and messages hold up to 4,096 characters. Edits and deletions reach the customer (deletion within 48 hours), and customers see “typing…” while you write.