Telegram Automation via Rube MCP
Automate Telegram operations through Composio's Telegram toolkit via Rube MCP.
Prerequisites
- Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)
- Active Telegram connection via
RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit telegram
- Always call
RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS first to get current tool schemas
- Telegram Bot Token required (created via @BotFather)
Setup
Get Rube MCP: Add https://rube.app/mcp as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.
- Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming
RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS responds
- Call
RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit telegram
- If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to configure the Telegram bot
- Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows
Core Workflows
1. Send Messages
When to use: User wants to send text messages to a Telegram chat
Tool sequence:
TELEGRAM_GET_ME - Verify bot identity and connection [Prerequisite]TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT - Get chat details and verify access [Optional]TELEGRAM_SEND_MESSAGE - Send a text message [Required]
Key parameters:
chat_id: Numeric chat ID or channel username (e.g., '@channelname')text: Message text contentparse_mode: 'HTML' or 'MarkdownV2' for formattingdisable_notification: Send silently without notification soundreply_to_message_id: Message ID to reply to
Pitfalls:
- Bot must be a member of the chat/group to send messages
- MarkdownV2 requires escaping special characters:
_*[]()~>#+-=|{}.!
- HTML mode supports limited tags:
<b>, <i>, <code>, <pre>, <a>
- Messages have a 4096 character limit; split longer content
2. Send Photos and Documents
When to use: User wants to share images or files in a Telegram chat
Tool sequence:
TELEGRAM_SEND_PHOTO - Send an image [Optional]TELEGRAM_SEND_DOCUMENT - Send a file/document [Optional]
Key parameters:
chat_id: Target chat IDphoto: Photo URL or file_id (for SEND_PHOTO)document: Document URL or file_id (for SEND_DOCUMENT)caption: Optional caption for the media
Pitfalls:
- Photo captions have a 1024 character limit
- Document captions also have a 1024 character limit
- Files up to 50MB can be sent via bot API
- Photos are compressed by Telegram; use SEND_DOCUMENT for uncompressed images
3. Manage Chats
When to use: User wants to get chat information or manage chat settings
Tool sequence:
TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT - Get detailed chat information [Required]TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT_ADMINISTRATORS - List chat admins [Optional]TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT_MEMBERS_COUNT - Get member count [Optional]TELEGRAM_EXPORT_CHAT_INVITE_LINK - Generate invite link [Optional]
Key parameters:
chat_id: Target chat ID or username
Pitfalls:
- Bot must be an administrator to export invite links
- GET_CHAT returns different fields for private chats vs groups vs channels
- Member count may be approximate for very large groups
- Admin list does not include regular members
4. Edit and Delete Messages
When to use: User wants to modify or remove previously sent messages
Tool sequence:
TELEGRAM_EDIT_MESSAGE - Edit a sent message [Optional]TELEGRAM_DELETE_MESSAGE - Delete a message [Optional]
Key parameters:
chat_id: Chat where the message is locatedmessage_id: ID of the message to edit or deletetext: New text content (for edit)
Pitfalls:
- Bots can only edit their own messages
- Messages can only be deleted within 48 hours of sending
- In groups, bots with delete permissions can delete any message
- Editing a message removes its 'edited' timestamp history
5. Forward Messages and Get Updates
When to use: User wants to forward messages or retrieve recent updates
Tool sequence:
TELEGRAM_FORWARD_MESSAGE - Forward a message to another chat [Optional]TELEGRAM_GET_UPDATES - Get recent bot updates/messages [Optional]TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT_HISTORY - Get chat message history [Optional]
Key parameters:
from_chat_id: Source chat for forwardingchat_id: Destination chat for forwardingmessage_id: Message to forwardoffset: Update offset for GET_UPDATESlimit: Number of updates to retrieve
Pitfalls:
- Forwarded messages show the original sender attribution
- GET_UPDATES returns a limited window of recent updates
- Chat history access may be limited by bot permissions and chat type
- Use offset to avoid processing the same update twice
6. Manage Bot Commands
When to use: User wants to set or update bot command menu
Tool sequence:
TELEGRAM_SET_MY_COMMANDS - Set the bot's command list [Required]TELEGRAM_ANSWER_CALLBACK_QUERY - Respond to inline button presses [Optional]
Key parameters:
commands: Array of command objects with command and descriptioncallback_query_id: ID of the callback query to answer
Pitfalls:
- Commands must start with '/' and be lowercase
- Command descriptions have a 256 character limit
- Callback queries must be answered within 10 seconds or they expire
- Setting commands replaces the entire command list
Common Patterns
Chat ID Resolution
From username:
1. Use '@username' format as chat_id (for public channels/groups)
2. For private chats, numeric chat_id is required
3. Call GET_CHAT with username to retrieve numeric ID
From GET_UPDATES:
1. Call TELEGRAM_GET_UPDATES
2. Extract chat.id from message objects
3. Use numeric chat_id in subsequent calls
Message Formatting
- Use
parse_mode: 'HTML' for <b>bold</b>, <i>italic</i>, <code>code</code>
- Use
parse_mode: 'MarkdownV2' for *bold*, _italic_, `code`
- Escape special chars in MarkdownV2:
_ * [ ] ( ) ~ > # + - = | { } . !
- Omit parse_mode for plain text without formatting
Known Pitfalls
Bot Permissions:
- Bots must be added to groups/channels to interact
- Admin permissions needed for: deleting messages, exporting invite links, managing members
- Bots cannot initiate conversations; users must start them first
Rate Limits:
- 30 messages per second to the same group
- 20 messages per minute to the same user in groups
- Bulk operations should implement delays between calls
- API returns 429 Too Many Requests when limits are hit
Chat Types:
- Private chat: One-on-one with the bot
- Group: Multi-user chat (bot must be added)
- Supergroup: Enhanced group with admin features
- Channel: Broadcast-only (bot must be admin to post)
Message Limits:
- Text messages: 4096 characters max
- Captions: 1024 characters max
- File uploads: 50MB max via bot API
- Inline keyboard buttons: 8 per row
Quick Reference
| Task |
Tool Slug |
Key Params |
| Verify bot |
TELEGRAM_GET_ME |
(none) |
| Send message |
TELEGRAM_SEND_MESSAGE |
chat_id, text, parse_mode |
| Send photo |
TELEGRAM_SEND_PHOTO |
chat_id, photo, caption |
| Send document |
TELEGRAM_SEND_DOCUMENT |
chat_id, document, caption |
| Edit message |
TELEGRAM_EDIT_MESSAGE |
chat_id, message_id, text |
| Delete message |
TELEGRAM_DELETE_MESSAGE |
chat_id, message_id |
| Forward message |
TELEGRAM_FORWARD_MESSAGE |
chat_id, from_chat_id, message_id |
| Get chat info |
TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT |
chat_id |
| Get chat admins |
TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT_ADMINISTRATORS |
chat_id |
| Get member count |
TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT_MEMBERS_COUNT |
chat_id |
| Export invite link |
TELEGRAM_EXPORT_CHAT_INVITE_LINK |
chat_id |
| Get updates |
TELEGRAM_GET_UPDATES |
offset, limit |
| Get chat history |
TELEGRAM_GET_CHAT_HISTORY |
chat_id |
| Set bot commands |
TELEGRAM_SET_MY_COMMANDS |
commands |
| Answer callback |
TELEGRAM_ANSWER_CALLBACK_QUERY |
callback_query_id |
When to Use
This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview.
