Skip to the page
Conch
DocsGitHub

Talk to me here

Telegram

The easiest. Make a bot, paste its key, say hello.

  • About 2 minutes
  • A bot of your own
  • No public address
  • Groups only if you turn them on
  • Nobody gets in unless you let them

Connect it

In Conch, open Apps, choose Talk to me here, then Telegram. The page walks you through these, and works out the answers for you.

  1. Make your bot. In Telegram, open BotFather and send /newbot. It asks for a name and a username; Conch suggests both. If the username is taken, change the number. It has to end in "bot".
  2. Paste its key. BotFather replies with a key. Copy it, or the whole message, and paste it anywhere on Conch's page. Conch checks it with Telegram and connects. There is no Save button.
  3. Say hello. Open the link Conch shows, or scan its QR code, and press START in Telegram. That first message tells Conch the bot is yours.
  1. You:
    /newbot
  2. BotFather:
    Alright, a new bot. How are we going to call it?
  3. You:
    Conch for Ada
  4. BotFather:

    Done! Congratulations on your new bot.

    Use this token to access the HTTP API:
    123456789:AAH-example…

Your first hello

The link opens your bot in Telegram with one button, START. Press it and the bot greets you by name. The link works once, for ten minutes.

  1. Conch for Ada:
    I’m Conch. I run on your computer through Conch and can do everything there. I’m private: only people who were let in can talk to me.
START

Choose a model and settings

Open the bot’s command menu and choose /settings. You can inspect the current model, select another provider or model, and set effort and permissions without sending a message to the assistant. Tap a choice, then Save change. /status shows what is selected. See Choose how Conch works here for preferences, defaults and other settings.

Good to know

  • Answers arrive as they're written. Telegram shows the reply as a draft while your assistant works, with its own Stop button.
  • One program per bot. Telegram lets only one program read a bot's messages. If another has yours, Conch says so, waits, and retries every minute.
  • A leftover webhook from another tool is removed for you.
  • In a group, add the bot like any member. It shows on its page in Conch, off; turn it on there, and it answers when someone writes @yourbot or replies to it. See In a group.