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_CONNECTIONSwith toolkittelegram - •Always call
RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLSfirst 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_TOOLSresponds - •Call
RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONSwith toolkittelegram - •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 content - •
parse_mode: 'HTML' or 'MarkdownV2' for formatting - •
disable_notification: Send silently without notification sound - •
reply_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 ID - •
photo: 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 located - •
message_id: ID of the message to edit or delete - •
text: 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 forwarding - •
chat_id: Destination chat for forwarding - •
message_id: Message to forward - •
offset: Update offset for GET_UPDATES - •
limit: 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 withcommandanddescription - •
callback_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.