How to use BotFather to create a Telegram bot
Every Telegram bot is created by another bot: BotFather. It is the official account that hands out bot tokens and lets you configure how your bot behaves. Here is how to use it, start to finish.
1. Open BotFather
Search Telegram for @BotFather and open the chat. Check for the blue verified tick — there are copycat accounts. Send /start to see the list of commands.
2. Create the bot with /newbot
Send /newbot. BotFather asks for two things: a display name (anything you like) and a username that must be unique and end in "bot", for example acme_relay_bot. Once the username is accepted, your bot exists.
3. Copy the token
BotFather replies with an HTTP API token that looks like 123456789:AA-long-secret-string. This token is the password to your bot. Anyone who has it can control the bot, so treat it like a secret and never paste it into a public channel. If it leaks, send /revoke to issue a fresh one.
4. Turn off privacy mode
By default a Telegram bot cannot read ordinary messages in a group — only ones that mention it or reply to it. That is privacy mode, and it is on out of the box. To let your bot see everything in a group, send /setprivacy, choose your bot, and select Disable. Without this step a bot that is meant to relay a group will stay silent.
Handy extra commands
BotFather has a few more settings worth knowing:
- /mybots — list and manage every bot you own
- /setname and /setdescription — change how the bot presents itself
- /setuserpic — give the bot an avatar
- /token — show the current token again
- /deletebot — remove a bot you no longer need
Using your bot with Crosswire
Crosswire is a bring-your-own-bot bridge, so a BotFather bot is exactly what it needs. Sign in with Slack, paste the token from step 3, and Crosswire validates it and registers the webhook for you. Add the bot to your Telegram group and messages start flowing between Slack and Telegram in both directions.