mcp-telegram-bot-server

🧠 Telegram Bot MCP Server

A powerful Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for seamless Telegram Bot API integration with intelligent message splitting, comprehensive error handling, and NPX support.

✨ Key Features

• 🔄 Intelligent Message Splitting: Automatically handles Telegram's 4096 character limit while preserving word boundaries and formatting
• 🛡️ Comprehensive Error Handling: Detailed error reporting with context, error codes, and debugging information
• 📦 NPX Support: Run directly with npx telegram-bot-mcp-server - no installation required
• 🔧 Easy Integration: Simple MCP client configuration for AI assistants
• 📝 Rich API Coverage: Complete Telegram Bot API functionality including messaging, user management, and bot configuration

🚀 Quick Start

Option 1: NPX (Recommended)

# Run directly without installation
npx telegram-bot-mcp-server

Option 2: NPM Installation

# Install globally
npm install -g telegram-bot-mcp-server

# Or install locally
npm install telegram-bot-mcp-server

📋 Prerequisites

1. Node.js 18+: Download here
2. Telegram Bot Token: Get one from @BotFather

Getting Your Bot Token

1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
2. Start a conversation and run: /newbot
3. Follow the prompts to name your bot
4. Copy the API token provided

🔧 MCP Client Configuration

Add this configuration to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, etc.):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "telegram_bot": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["telegram-bot-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "TELEGRAM_BOT_API_TOKEN": "your_bot_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Alternative Configurations

Using global installation:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "telegram_bot": {
      "command": "telegram-bot-mcp-server",
      "env": {
        "TELEGRAM_BOT_API_TOKEN": "your_bot_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Using local installation:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "telegram_bot": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["./node_modules/.bin/telegram-bot-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "TELEGRAM_BOT_API_TOKEN": "your_bot_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

🛠️ Available Tools

📨 Messaging Tools

send-message

Send text messages with automatic splitting for long content.

• Features: Intelligent message splitting, word boundary preservation
• Input: chatId (string), text (string)
• Auto-splitting: Messages over 4096 characters are automatically split

send-photo

Send photos with captions, handling long captions automatically.

• Features: Long caption splitting, multiple message support
• Input: chatId (string), media (string), text (optional string)

---

🖼️ send-photo

Send a photo with an optional caption.

• Input:
  • chatId: Target chat ID or username
  • media: File ID, URL, or uploaded file
  • text (optional): Caption for the photo

---

🔨 kick-chat-member

Ban a user from a group, supergroup, or channel.

• Input:
  • chatId: Target chat
  • userId: User to ban

---

♻️ un-ban-chat-member

Unban a previously banned user from a chat.

• Input:
  • chatId: Target chat
  • userId: User to unban

---

🧾 get-chat

Fetch full chat metadata and details.

• Input:
  • chatId: Target chat

---

👥 get-chat-member-count

Get the total number of members in a group or channel.

• Input:
  • chatId: Target chat

---

🔍 get-chat-member

Get detailed info about a specific member in a group or channel.

• Input:
  • chatId: Target chat
  • userId: Target user

---

✏️ set-my-short-description

Update your bot's short description (shown in the profile and shares).

• Input:
  • short_description: New short description (max 120 chars)

---

📄 get-my-short-description

Fetch the current short description of the bot.

---

📝 set-my-commands

Set the list of commands that appear in the Telegram UI.

• Input:
  • commands: Array of { command, description }

---

📋 get-my-commands

Get the current list of commands configured for the bot.

---

🧑‍💻 set-my-name

Update the name of the bot.

• Input:
  • name: New bot name

---

🙋 get-my-name

Retrieve the current name of the bot.

---

📘 set-my-description

Update the full description of the bot (shown in empty chats).

• Input:
  • description: New bot description (max 512 chars)

👥 User Management Tools

kick-chat-member / un-ban-chat-member

Manage chat members with detailed error reporting.

• Features: Ban/unban users, comprehensive error handling
• Input: chatId (string), userId (number)

get-chat / get-chat-member / get-chat-member-count

Retrieve detailed chat and member information.

• Features: Complete chat data, member details, member counts
• Input: chatId (string), userId (number, for member info)

🤖 Bot Configuration Tools

get-me

Test bot authentication and retrieve bot information.

• Features: Authentication validation, bot details
• Input: None required

set-my-name / get-my-name

Configure and retrieve bot name.

• Input: name (string, 0-64 characters)

set-my-description / get-my-description

Configure and retrieve bot description.

• Input: description (string, 0-512 characters)

set-my-short-description / get-my-short-description

Configure and retrieve bot short description.

• Input: short_description (string, 0-120 characters)

set-my-commands / get-my-commands

Configure and retrieve bot commands.

• Input: commands (array of command objects)

🆕 New Features

Intelligent Message Splitting

• Automatic Detection: Detects when messages exceed 4096 characters
• Smart Splitting: Preserves word boundaries and formatting
• Sequential Delivery: Sends parts in order with part indicators
• Photo Captions: Handles long photo captions by splitting across messages

Enhanced Error Handling

• Detailed Errors: Includes error codes, descriptions, and context
• Telegram API Errors: Captures and formats Telegram-specific errors
• Network Issues: Handles connection and timeout errors
• Debug Information: Comprehensive logging for troubleshooting

NPX Support

• Zero Installation: Run directly with npx telegram-bot-mcp-server
• CLI Interface: Built-in help and version commands
• Environment Validation: Checks for required bot token
• Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux

🔍 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"No bot token" Error

❌ Error: Missing Telegram Bot Token

Solution: Set the TELEGRAM_BOT_API_TOKEN environment variable:

export TELEGRAM_BOT_API_TOKEN="your_token_here"
npx telegram-bot-mcp-server

"Something went wrong" Errors (Legacy)

This has been replaced with detailed error messages. Update to the latest version for better error reporting.

NPX Command Not Found

Solution: Ensure Node.js 18+ is installed:

node --version  # Should be 18.0.0 or higher
npm --version   # Should be included with Node.js

Permission Errors

Solution: On Unix systems, you may need to use sudo for global installation:

sudo npm install -g telegram-bot-mcp-server

Debug Mode

Set NODE_ENV=development for additional debug information:

NODE_ENV=development npx telegram-bot-mcp-server

📚 Usage Examples

Basic Message Sending

// Through MCP client
await sendMessage({
  chatId: "@username",
  text: "Hello! This is a test message."
});

Long Message Handling

// Messages over 4096 characters are automatically split
await sendMessage({
  chatId: "123456789",
  text: "Very long message content..." // Will be split automatically
});

Photo with Long Caption

await sendPhoto({
  chatId: "123456789",
  media: "https://example.com/photo.jpg",
  text: "Very long caption..." // Will be split if needed
});

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature-name
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Commit your changes: git commit -am 'Add feature'
6. Push to the branch: git push origin feature-name
7. Submit a pull request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

💬 Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Telegram API Docs: Official Documentation
• MCP Protocol: Model Context Protocol

☕ Support the Project

If you find this project helpful, consider supporting the developer: