Telegram MCP Server

Telegram MCP server for two-way bot communication with session management

Local serverstdio

What is the Telegram MCP server?

Telegram MCP server is a locally run integration for AI assistants that speak the Model Context Protocol. Telegram MCP server for two-way bot communication with session management.

What you get

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects Claude Code to Telegram via a bot.

What the assistant can call

Once Telegram is connected, these are the calls the assistant has available:

  • send_message — Send a text message
  • send_photo — Send a photo (URL, file ID, or local path)
  • get_updates — Read incoming messages (cursor-based, session-filtered)
  • list_chats — List all known chats
  • set_session — Set a name/emoji prefix and register a Telegram command for this session

Setting it up

telegram-mcp-bot on npm is all you need. Most clients run it directly, so configuration is a few lines and a restart.

Configuration and credentials

You will need one environment variable: TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN. The server will not start without them, which is usually why the tools fail to appear on a first run. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

Choosing this one

Among the team communication options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. Telegram's toolset — send_message, send_photo, get_updates and 2 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by hatipaksunger; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.

Before you rely on it

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the telegram mcp server does with a few real requests.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
send_messageSend a text message
send_photoSend a photo (URL, file ID, or local path)
get_updatesRead incoming messages (cursor-based, session-filtered)
list_chatsList all known chats
set_sessionSet a name/emoji prefix and register a Telegram command for this session

How to install the Telegram MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "telegram-1": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "telegram-mcp-bot"],
      "env": {
        "TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKENCredential the server authenticates with.Yes

Example prompts to try

  • Use Telegram to send message.
  • Use Telegram to send photo.
  • Use Telegram to get updates.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Telegram to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 5 tools (send_message, send_photo, get_updates, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Telegram directly.