The action Telegram

Purpose  

Sends a notification message to a Telegram chat, group or channel and can optionally upload the current file/document as an attachment. Use it to notify a user or team, deliver processed files (PDFs, images, transcripts) or post status updates with the result file directly to Telegram.

Where to add  

Place Telegram Notification after the action that produces the content you want to report or attach (Convert to PDF, Generate Image, Save File, Summarize with AI, etc.).

Main fields and how to configure

• Bot token
  Paste the Bot Token you received from BotFather when you created your Telegram Bot. It typically looks like 123456789:ABCDefGhIjKlmNoPqRstUvWxYz. (Read more below: How to create a Telegram bot and get the token).
• Channel Id
  Enter the target channel identifier where the bot must post. Examples:
  - Channel or supergroup: -1001234567890
  Read more below: How to get the Chat/Channel Id
• Message
  The text to post. Use the Fields button to include dynamic content (filename, date). 
• Send the file with the message
  When enabled, the action will upload the current item (file) and send it as an attachment together with the message.
• Send a test message
  Post a test message (and test upload if the toggle is enabled) so you can validate token, chat id and permissions before running the scenario.

How to create a Telegram bot and get the token (quick)

1. In Telegram start a chat with @BotFather.
   
   
2. Type /newbot and follow the prompts (name, username).  
3. BotFather will return the Bot Token. Copy it and paste into the Rofiles action’s Bot token field.
   
   Note: Learn more on Telegram page: https://core.telegram.org/bots/

How to get the Chat/Channel Id (quick)

1. Add your bot to the target channel. For a channel, add it as admin (permission to post).  
2. Send a test message in that chat (as a human).  
3. Call the Bot API getUpdates endpoint with your bot token (or use a helper bot) to read the chat id returned with the update. Example:
   https://api.telegram.org/bot<YourBotToken>/getUpdates
4. Use the numeric chat id shown and paste it into Channel Id.

Behavior notes, limits and best practices

• Bot permissions: for channels and some group types the bot must be added and may need posting privileges (admin). For private chats, the user must have started the bot first (sent /start) before the bot can message them.
• File uploads: Telegram supports uploading many file types (documents, images, audio, video). The action uploads the current file as a document by default (unless the action has separate photo/video options).
• File size limits: Telegram file size limits may change — historically up to 2 GB for files sent through the API. For very large files prefer sharing a link to a storage location instead of uploading.

Security and privacy

• Messages and uploads are sent via Telegram servers, ensure sending content to Telegram complies with your organization’s policies and regulations. Do not send sensitive data unless permitted.

Troubleshooting

• “Bot can’t send messages” or “Not in chat”: ensure the bot was added to the channel/group and given permission to post; for private users, they must have started the bot.  
• Wrong chat id or no message: verify the id via getUpdates or a helper bot; channel IDs often start with -100 for supergroups/channels.  
• Upload fails: check file size limits and that the bot has files:write capability (Bot API supports uploads by default but server-side limits and timeouts can affect large uploads).  
• Authentication errors: validate the Bot Token exactly as provided by BotFather.  

That’s it, create a bot with BotFather, copy the Bot token into the action, add the bot to the target chat/channel and obtain the numeric chat id, compose the message (use Fields for dynamic content), enable “Send the file with the message” if you want the action to upload the current file, test with Send a test message, and the action will post to Telegram.