Last updated: July 12, 2026
TL;DR
This guide shows you how to connect a custom Telegram bot to your AI assistant using Invent. You'll create the bot with Telegram's BotFather, get a secure token, link it in the Invent platform, and manage all your Telegram conversations directly from Invent. For the underlying details, see Telegram's official Bot API documentation.
Create your first Telegram Bot for your AI Assistant
Bringing your AI assistant to Telegram lets it answer your users, community, or customers right where they already chat. Here is the full setup, start to finish.
Prefer to watch? See the step-by-step YouTube tutorial for the whole flow.
Step 1: Connect Telegram on Invent
Once you’ve created your assistant on Invent, go to Channels and select Telegram.
You’ll be asked to provide two things:
- A Bot name (for example: Gigi)
- A Token (you’ll get this from Telegram’s official BotFather)
Connect your Telegram bot to Invent Assistants by entering your bot token. Optionally, give the connection a name, then test or create the connection.
Step 2: Get your Telegram Token
- Open the Telegram app and search for BotFather, it’s the verified account with a blue checkmark and over 3 million monthly users.
- Send the command /newbot.
- BotFather will first ask for your bot’s display name, you can type any name you like.
- Next, it’ll ask for a unique username that ends with “_bot”, for example gigi_bot.
- If the username is already taken, try variations until you get one that works.
- Once accepted, BotFather will send you a long alphanumeric token (this is encircled in orange on the image), this is the key that links your bot to Invent.
Copy this token and paste it into the Token field on Invent. Then click Create connection.
A Telegram chat with BotFather showing the process of creating a new bot called "InventAssistants_bot," including the bot name, username selection, and the token needed to integrate the bot with other platforms. The API token is emphasized as sensitive and should be kept secure.
Important: Keep your Telegram Bot Token safe
Your Telegram Bot Token authorizes full control over your bot. If someone else gets access to this token, they can impersonate your bot, access conversations, or even launch attacks in your name. Never share your token publicly, in screenshots, code repositories, or documentation.
Best practices for protecting your Token:
- Treat your token as confidential, only paste it into trusted, secure fields (such as the Invent integration screen).
- Never commit it to public code repositories (GitHub, GitLab, etc.) or share it over email or chat.
- Store tokens in secure environments (use secrets managers or environment variables, not plain text files or shared documents).
- If you believe your token was leaked or exposed, immediately revoke through BotFather with the command /mybots, select yours and click on API Token -> Revoke current token and replace it in all connected services.
- Avoid pasting tokens in browser address bars, forums, or support tickets, they can be logged or indexed accidentally.
Keeping your token private ensures your bot and user data stay protected. If in doubt, regenerate your token and update your Invent configuration.
BotFather in Telegram provides quick access to manage your bot "InventAssistants_bot," including viewing the API token, in case you need to revoke it or connect it as a channel on Invent.
Step 3: Test your Bot
After connecting, BotFather will give you a link to your newly created bot (for example, “t.me/gigi_bot” - this is underlined in orange on the same message from the BotFather where you got the Token).
- Click on that link and press Start to begin chatting.
- You can also update your bot’s profile picture and description in the bot’s Telegram “Info” section.
Step 4: Manage conversations on Invent
All your Telegram conversations will appear in Invent’s Inbox, where you can review and respond to messages powered by your AI assistant.
And that’s it, your Telegram bot is live and ready to help your business, community, or users directly on Telegram.
FAQs
Is Telegram a good channel for business communication?
Yes. Telegram works well for support and community because your customers already chat there. Invent connects Telegram alongside WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Slack, and more, so all business conversations land in one unified inbox.
How do I set up a chatbot on other messaging apps?
The setup follows the same pattern across messaging apps:
- Create your AI assistant on the Invent platform (After Sign in, go to "Dashboard" and click on "Assistants" option on the side menu, then click on "Create Assistant")
- Navigate to the Channels upper tab.
- Select your desired messaging platform (Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram, etc.)
- Follow the platform-specific connection steps to link your bot.
- All conversations automatically flow into Invent's unified inbox where your AI assistant responds. (See all advanced settings for more details).
What is the best platform to create a Telegram bot without coding?
For a no-code build, you want the bot connection, the AI, and the inbox in one place. Invent covers all three: you connect the token from BotFather, add your knowledge base, and the assistant answers on Telegram with long-term memory, multilingual support, and 24/7 availability, without writing a line of code.
What should a Telegram bot for customer support include?
For real support automation, look for these pieces (all included on Invent):
- Unified inbox for managing all Telegram conversations alongside other channels
- AI-powered responses that answer from your own knowledge base and data sources
- Live agent handoff when human intervention is needed
- Long-term memory that remembers customer details across conversations
- Built to scale, with usage-based pricing, no per-seat fees, and generous limits per plan
How do I add payments to a Telegram bot?
For payment processing specifically, you would add a Stripe action and connect your Stripe account to your Telegram bot created on Invent.
Do I need to hire a developer to build a Telegram bot?
Not anymore. Instead of outsourcing development, you can create and deploy a fully functional Telegram bot yourself with Invent's no-code interface: faster deployment, complete control over your bot, and pay-as-you-go pricing without hidden fees.
Ready to automate your support or community?
- Try building your own bot with Invent now.
- Watch the full video tutorial if you haven’t yet.
Keep exploring the Invent blog for more guides on AI automation, no-code solutions, and messaging best practices.
"Requests stopped living in random chats. The bot pulled the right fields, pushed them into Invent, and pinged the owner automatically. My team spent less time asking 'what's the status?' because the bot posted clean updates back in the thread. Users liked it too. They got confirmation right away, plus a simple menu instead of guessing what to type."
Ihor Lavrenenko, SEO Manager, Pesty Marketing
Learn by Example
Want to see a complete, real-world assistant built step-by-step?
Explore Invent’s Learn by Example guide for a full yoga studio booking assistant using Google Sheets, Calendar, Stripe, and WhatsApp.
