---
title: "How to Make a Telegram Bot with BotFather (2026 Guide)"
canonical_url: "https://chatthing.ai/blog/make-a-telegram-bot-with-botfather"
last_updated: "2026-11-04T22:38:02.991Z"
meta:
description: "Create a Telegram bot with BotFather in five minutes, no code needed. Step-by-step with screenshots, plus how to make your bot answer questions with AI."
"og:description": "Create a Telegram bot with BotFather in five minutes, no code needed. Step-by-step with screenshots, plus how to make your bot answer questions with AI."
"og:title": "How to make a Telegram bot with BotFather - Blog - Chat Thing"
"twitter:description": "Create a Telegram bot with BotFather in five minutes, no code needed. Step-by-step with screenshots, plus how to make your bot answer questions with AI."
"twitter:title": "How to make a Telegram bot with BotFather - Blog - Chat Thing"
---
[← Back to blog](https://chatthing.ai/blog)**Blog**# **How to make a Telegram bot with BotFather**
Zef
4 Nov 2026
~ 5 min read
---
---
### **On this page**
1. [What you need](#what-you-need)
2. Part 1: create your bot with BotFather
1. Step 1: start a chat with BotFather
2. [Step 2: send /newbot](#step-2-send-newbot)
3. [Step 3: choose a name](#step-3-choose-a-name)
4. [Step 4: choose a username](#step-4-choose-a-username)
5. [Step 5: copy your token](#step-5-copy-your-token)
3. [Part 2: make your bot answer questions](#part-2-make-your-bot-answer-questions)
1. [Step 6: turn on the Telegram channel](#step-6-turn-on-the-telegram-channel)
2. [Step 7: add your bot's details](#step-7-add-your-bots-details)
3. [Step 8: test it](#step-8-test-it)
4. [Make your bot look finished](#make-your-bot-look-finished)
5. [If your bot doesn't reply](#if-your-bot-doesnt-reply)
6. [Common questions](#common-questions)
7. [Before you share it](#before-you-share-it)
Telegram bots are created with BotFather, Telegram's own bot for making and managing bots. It takes about five minutes, costs nothing and doesn't need any code.
A new bot can't do anything yet, though. Message it and nothing comes back until something is connected to it. This guide covers both parts: creating the bot with BotFather, then connecting it to a Chat Thing agent so it answers questions from your own content.
The screenshots are from **Telegram Web** in October 2026, using a demo bot for a made-up bakery.
## What you need
- **A Telegram account.** The phone app, the desktop app and [Telegram Web](https://web.telegram.org) all work.
- **About five minutes** to create the bot.
- **A Chat Thing agent**, if you want the bot to answer questions. If you haven't built one yet, [build your first agent](https://chatthing.ai/docs/get-started/build-your-first-bot). Connecting to Telegram needs a Standard plan or above.
## Part 1: create your bot with BotFather
### Step 1: start a chat with BotFather
Open [t.me/BotFather](https://t.me/BotFather) and click **Start**. If you search for it inside Telegram instead, look for the blue tick next to the name, because lookalike accounts turn up in the results.
### Step 2: send /newbot
Type `/newbot` and send it. BotFather asks what you want to call your bot.
### Step 3: choose a name
Send the name people will see at the top of the chat, such as `Harbour Light Bakery`. It doesn't need to be unique, and spaces are fine.
### Step 4: choose a username
Send a username. It's how people find your bot, and it becomes its link: `harbourlightbakery_bot` gives you `t.me/harbourlightbakery_bot`.
It has to be unique across Telegram and end in `bot`. With Telegram Premium, it can also end in `agent`, `ai`, `app` or `game`. If the username is taken, BotFather asks you to try another.
### Step 5: copy your token
BotFather replies with a link to your bot and a long token. Copy the token and keep it somewhere safe, because you'll need it in step 7.
Treat the token like a password. Anyone who has it can control your bot, so don't paste it into a public document or a screenshot. If it does get out, send `/revoke` to BotFather to replace it. The old token stops working straight away.
That's your bot created. You can message it now, but it won't reply, because nothing is listening to it yet.
## Part 2: make your bot answer questions
You can write your own code to run a bot, or connect it to a service that does the work. We'll connect it to Chat Thing, so your bot answers from your website, documents and other content, with no code.
Your Telegram bot is the account people message. Your Chat Thing agent is what writes the replies.
### Step 6: turn on the Telegram channel
Open your agent in Chat Thing, go to the **Channels** tab and turn on the **Telegram** card. The **Telegram channel settings** page opens.
### Step 7: add your bot's details
1. In **Bot user name**, enter the username you chose in step 4.
2. In **Authentication token**, paste the token from step 5.
3. Click **Save**. You'll see **Channel settings updated**.
### Step 8: test it
Use the `t.me` link under the token field to open your bot, then click **Start**. Your agent sends its welcome message.
Now ask something your customers would ask.
The conversation also appears in [Conversations](https://chatthing.ai/docs/manage/conversations) in Chat Thing, so you can see what people ask.
## Make your bot look finished
A new bot has a default picture and an empty profile. BotFather can change that:
- `/setuserpic` sets the profile picture.
- `/setdescription` sets the text people see before they click **Start**.
- `/setabouttext` sets the short text on the bot's profile.
Send the command, choose your bot and follow the prompts. To see all your bots and their settings, send `/mybots`.
## If your bot doesn't reply
1. **Check the token.** Paste it into **Authentication token** again and click **Save**. If you've used `/revoke`, only the newest token works.
2. **Check the username.** **Bot user name** must match the username you gave BotFather.
3. **Look for "This bot is currently unavailable".** That means the Telegram channel is switched off. Turn the **Telegram** card back on in the **Channels** tab.
4. **Silent in a group but fine in a private chat?** Telegram's privacy setting is the likely cause. See the group question under [Common questions](#common-questions).
There's more in the [Telegram channel docs](https://chatthing.ai/docs/channels/telegram).
## Common questions
**Is it free to make a Telegram bot?** Yes. BotFather is free, and so is running a bot on Telegram. To have it answer with Chat Thing, you need a Standard plan or above.
**Do I need to know how to code?** No. Creating a bot with BotFather only takes a few messages, and connecting it to Chat Thing only takes a token. You'd only need code if you wanted to build the bot's replies yourself.
**Can I change the name later?** Yes. Send `/mybots`, choose your bot and open its settings. A display name is easy to change. A username is more trouble, because any links you've shared use it.
**How do I delete a bot?** Send `/deletebot` to BotFather and choose the bot. Deleting it can't be undone.
**Can I add my bot to a group?** Yes, but change one setting first, because Telegram hides most group messages from bots by default. Send `/setprivacy` to BotFather, choose your bot and send `Disable`. Then add the bot to the group. If it's already in the group, remove it and add it again so the change applies. People need to start their message with the bot's username, such as `@harbourlightbakery_bot Do you sell sourdough?`. The exception is a small private group, where the bot answers every message.
**Can my bot handle voice notes and photos?** Not with Chat Thing yet. The Telegram channel answers text messages, so it ignores anything else.
## Before you share it
Ask your agent the ten questions your customers ask most, and check the answers against your own content. Our [launch checklist](https://chatthing.ai/docs/get-started/launch-checklist) covers the rest, including what the agent should say when it doesn't know.
If you don't have an agent yet, you can [build one free](https://app.chatthing.ai/app/auth/register) and upgrade when you're ready to connect it to Telegram.
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