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Telegram node common issues#

Here are some common errors and issues with the Telegram node and steps to resolve or troubleshoot them.

Add a bot to a Telegram channel#

For a bot to send a message to a channel, you must add the bot to the channel. If you haven't added the bot to the channel, you'll see an error with a description like: Error: Forbidden: bot is not a participant of the channel.

To add a bot to a channel:

  1. In the Telegram app, access the target channel and select the channel name.
  2. Label the channel name as public channel.
  3. Select Administrators > Add Admin.
  4. Search for the bot's username and select it.
  5. Select the checkmark on the top-right corner to add the bot to the channel.

Get the Chat ID#

You can only use @channelusername on public channels. To interact with a Telegram group, you need that group's Chat ID.

There are three ways to get that ID:

  1. From the Telegram Trigger: Use the Telegram Trigger node in your workflow to get a Chat ID. This node can trigger on different events and returns a Chat ID on successful execution.
  2. From your web browser: Open Telegram in a web browser and open the group chat. The group's Chat ID is the series of digits behind the letter "g." Prefix your group Chat ID with a - when you enter it in REA Automation.
  3. Invite Telegram's @RawDataBot to the group: Once you add it, the bot outputs a JSON file that includes a chat object. The id for that object is the group Chat ID. Then remove the RawDataBot from your group.

Send more than 30 messages per second#

The Telegram API has a limitation of sending only 30 messages per second. Follow these steps to send more than 30 messages:

  1. Loop Over Items node: Use the Loop Over Items node to get at most 30 chat IDs from your database.
  2. Telegram node: Connect the Telegram node with the Loop Over Items node. Use the Expression Editor to select the Chat IDs from the Loop Over Items node.
  3. Code node: Connect the Code node with the Telegram node. Use the Code node to wait for a few seconds before fetching the next batch of chat IDs. Connect this node with the Loop Over Items node.

Remove the REA Automation attribution from sent messages#

If you're using the node to send Telegram messages, the message automatically gets an REA Automation attribution appended to the end:

This message was sent automatically with REA Automation

To remove this attribution:

  1. In the node's Additional Fields section, select Add Field.
  2. Select Append REA Automation attribution.
  3. Turn the toggle off.

Refer to Send Message additional fields for more information.