Telegram CLI

Fast Telegram CLI for reading, searching, and sending messages.

When to Use

Use this skill when the user:

•Asks to check Telegram messages or inbox
•Wants to search Telegram for a topic/keyword
•Wants to send a Telegram message to someone
•Asks about a Telegram group, contact, or chat
•Wants to see unread messages
•Needs to look up group members or admins

Install

bash

npm install -g @cyberdrk/tg

Or from source:

bash

cd ~/Code/cyberdrk305/telegram && npm install && npm run build && npm link

Authentication

First-time setup requires API credentials from https://my.telegram.org/apps

bash

tg auth

Commands

Reading

bash

tg inbox                               # Unread messages summary
tg chats                               # List all chats
tg read "ChatName" -n 50               # Read last 50 messages
tg read "ChatName" --since "1h"        # Messages from last hour
tg read @username -n 20                # Read DM with user
tg search "query" --chat "ChatName"    # Search within chat
tg search "query" --all                # Search all chats

Writing

bash

tg send @username "message"            # Send DM
tg send "GroupName" "message"          # Send to group
tg reply "ChatName" 12345 "response"   # Reply to message ID

Contacts & Groups

bash

tg contact @username                   # Get contact info
tg members "GroupName"                 # List group members
tg admins "GroupName"                  # List admins only
tg groups --admin                      # Groups where you're admin

Status

bash

tg whoami                              # Show logged-in account
tg check                               # Verify session

Output Formats

All commands support --json for structured output suitable for processing:

bash

tg inbox --json                        # JSON format
tg read "Chat" --json                  # JSON with messages array
tg chats --json                        # JSON with chat list

Examples

Check inbox:

bash

tg inbox

Read recent messages from a chat:

bash

tg read "MetaDAO Community" -n 20

Search for a topic:

bash

tg search "futarchy" --chat "MetaDAO"

Send a message:

bash

tg send @username "Hello, checking in!"

Notes

•Chat names can be partial matches (e.g., "MetaDAO" matches "MetaDAO Community")
•Usernames must start with @ (e.g., @username)
•Messages are returned in reverse chronological order (newest first)
•The --since flag accepts formats like "1h", "30m", "7d"