Turn a bot from @BotFather into a shared Telegram line your whole team answers.
Updated October 14, 2026 · For owners and admins
On this page
In short
You connect a Telegram bot to Risti by pasting its token into Settings › Apps › Marketplace › Telegram bot. You get the token from @BotFather in Telegram. It takes about 2 minutes, and every private chat with the bot then arrives in your shared inbox, where your team replies together.
Before you start
Telegram on your phone or computer.
A bot token from @BotFather, or a few minutes to make a new bot.
The Owner or Admin role in Risti.
Open @BotFather
In Telegram, open @BotFather and send /newbot.
Name your bot
Pick the name customers will see, then a username that ends in “bot”, such as acme_support_bot.
Copy the token
BotFather replies with the bot’s token. Copy it.
Open the Telegram bot card
In Risti, go to Settings › Apps › Marketplace, find Telegram bot under Messaging and press Connect.
Paste the token
Paste it into Bot token and press Connect bot. The bot then appears under Installed apps.
Tip. Need a new token later? Use Replace token in the account page’s menu.
Choose the teams
On the bot’s page, open Routing and tap the teams that get these conversations. With no team picked, chats go to your organization’s default team.
Send a test message
Write to the bot from your own Telegram account. The chat arrives in the inbox, and while you reply the customer sees “typing…”.
Telegram bot@acme_support_botConnected
What happens next
Customers start the chat. A bot can’t write first to someone who never messaged it, and group chats are ignored.
You can send files up to 25 MB. Incoming files over 20 MB don’t open, a limit of the Telegram Bot API.
Edits and deletions reach the customer, and you can delete a reply within 48 hours. A message holds up to 4,096 characters.
A bot is a separate identity that customers start chats with. A Telegram account signs in as your own number, like another device, and takes Telegram voice calls in the browser. You can connect both.
Can the bot answer in Telegram groups?
No. Risti takes private chats only, and messages in groups are ignored.
Can I message a customer first through the bot?
No. A bot can’t write first to someone who never messaged it. Customers start the chat, then your team replies.
How large can files be?
Files you send can be up to 25 MB. Files customers send that are over 20 MB don’t open, because of a Telegram Bot API limit.