To set up a Telegram AI chatbot for customer service, create a bot with Telegram's @BotFather, copy its Bot Token, and connect that token to an AI agent platform. In AskYura, you install the Telegram app, paste the token and link it to a Web Widget channel, and that channel's bot then answers your Telegram customers 24/7 from your knowledge base. When a customer needs a person, the bot alerts your team, who see the whole conversation in the AskYura inbox.
This guide is for businesses that want AI to answer customers on their own Telegram bot.
If your customers already message you on Telegram, answer them there. A Telegram bot helps:
On its own, though, a bot only sends replies someone programmed. Connect it to an AI agent, and the agent becomes the front-liner that answers first.
These steps follow AskYura's Telegram setup guide. Before you start, you need an AskYura account with a bot that's tested and has an accurate knowledge base and topics.
/newbot.MyStoreSupport_bot. Choose it carefully: Telegram doesn't let you change a bot's username later (Telegram).Keep the token private, because anyone with it can control your bot. If it leaks, send /token to BotFather to generate a new one (Telegram).
Already have a Telegram bot? You can connect it with its token. If it already runs on another tool, try AskYura with a new test bot first.
Each Telegram bot connects to one Web Widget channel, and that channel's bot answers your Telegram conversations. You can use an existing widget, but AskYura recommends a new one just for Telegram, so you can configure and monitor that traffic separately. You don't need to put it on a website.
To create one, go to Settings > Web Widget (or click Create Widget on your dashboard homepage), click Create New Web Widget, fill in the Basic Configuration and Style Configuration, then click Finish and Create Widget.
Then link your bot to this new channel, so it answers the conversations that come in through it (see how in our docs).
Your bot now shows a Connected status. Each Telegram bot can connect to only one channel: if it's already linked to a different one, AskYura blocks the connection.
Message your bot in Telegram. The conversation should appear on the AskYura Chats page, and in its Conversation Information panel, Conversation Source shows Telegram.
If the bot doesn't reply, check that you've linked it to the Web Widget channel you created in Step 2, since it only answers conversations from channels it's linked to (see how in our docs). In the meantime, your team can reply to any Telegram conversation straight from Chats, so customers are never left waiting.
Configure the Notify Human Agent tool on the linked bot, so customers on Telegram can still reach a person. Go to Bots → select your bot → Tools → Preset → Notify Human Agent, then:
Then share your bot's t.me link wherever customers look for help, such as your website and order emails, so they can start the chat.
Answer questions in your voice, 24/7. The agent replies to messages sent to your Telegram bot day or night, from your knowledge base, in your customers' language (70+ languages, detected automatically). You set it up with plain-English instructions on AskYura's no-code AI agent platform: no flowcharts, no code.
Reuse the bot you already set up. The linked channel's bot brings its knowledge base, topics and tools to Telegram, so you don't configure it twice.
Take action, not just answer. Connect your own systems through API Tools, and the agent can check an order, take a booking, process a refund or update a CRM record inside the Telegram chat, wherever your system's API allows it. Set up a tool once, and the bot uses it on both your website and Telegram.
Hand over with the full history. When the bot needs a person, it alerts your team in the dashboard or by email and leaves an internal note saying why. Your team sees the whole conversation, so the customer doesn't have to repeat themselves, and their replies from the AskYura inbox go straight back to the customer in Telegram. Your team can also jump into any conversation at any time.
Here's how four tools connect to Telegram, listed alphabetically, based on each vendor's own pages on October 18, 2026. Plans change, so check before you choose.
| Tool | How it connects to Telegram | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| AskYura | Install the ready-made Telegram app, paste your BotFather token and link it to a Web Widget channel. Telegram chats share the inbox with website chat. | Takes actions through API Tools and hands over to your team with the history. |
| Botpress | Install the Telegram integration from the Hub in Botpress Studio, then paste your BotFather token. | The Free plan includes 100 conversations and 3 seats. |
| Chatwoot | Paste your BotFather token into a Chatwoot inbox. Agents reply from Chatwoot without needing Telegram. | The free Hacker plan covers live chat only, without Captain AI. Startups ($19 per agent/month) includes all channels and 300 Captain AI credits. |
| Quickchat AI | Add its shared bot to a Telegram group in one click, or connect your own BotFather bot. | The Free plan is for personal, non-commercial use. Starter ($9/month) allows commercial use. |
More options: our ManyChat alternatives comparison.
Create a bot with Telegram's @BotFather and copy its Bot Token. In AskYura, install the Telegram app from 3rd Party Apps → Marketplace. Click + New Bot, paste the token, choose the Web Widget channel whose bot should answer, and click Connect Bot. Then message your bot to test it.
No. Telegram bots can't start conversations, so a customer has to message your bot first, and AskYura doesn't send broadcasts, reminders or follow-ups to customers. Share your bot's t.me link on your website and in order emails so customers can reach you.
No. You create the bot in a chat with BotFather and paste its token into AskYura. You set up the AI agent with plain-English instructions, not flowcharts or code. Connecting your own systems through API Tools, for actions like order checks, comes next.
Telegram doesn't charge for bots: its Bot Platform is free for users and developers. AskYura plans differ by daily AI responses and branding, and none of them limit team seats. Telegram is included on every plan, Free included. Free is $0 for 100 AI responses a day. Starter is $25 a month, or $20 billed yearly, for 1,500 a day. Pro is $125 a month, or $100 billed yearly, for 15,000 a day. Enterprise is custom.
Create your AskYura account, get your bot up and running in under 10 minutes, then connect Telegram with the steps above.
