Connecting to your agent

Connecting Telegram and other messengers to an autonomous agent: the bot is created without a token, and only the people you specify can message the agent.

An agent is only as useful as it is handy: it’s faster to fire off a task from your phone on the go than to open the workspace. The Connect tab connects messengers where you chat with the agent just like with a person.

Messenger	Notes
Telegram	The main option. You can create the bot right from the platform; no token needed
Discord · Slack · Mattermost	For teams that already work there
IRC · Nostr	For those who know why they need them
WhatsApp	Connects the same way

These are the agent’s channels, not AI Employee channels. Here it’s you who does the talking, not your customers, and they’re configured separately for each agent.

What you’ll need

• A Telegram account — on your phone or in the desktop app.
• Your Telegram ID, if you’re connecting the bot with your own token. To find it, message @userinfobot — it replies with a number.
• Nothing else: no server, domain, or platform token required.

Connect Telegram

Click the Telegram card — a panel with two tabs opens.

Create via us

1. Click “Create Telegram bot”

   The platform opens t.me. Your browser asks for permission to open the Telegram app — allow it.

2. Name the bot

   Telegram opens the Create bot service screen: BOT NAME is how it’s labeled in conversations, and USERNAME is a unique handle that must end in bot. Tap Create.

3. Tap “Start” in the chat with the bot

   A chat with the new bot opens. Be sure to tap Start (the /start command) — without it, the platform can’t reach the bot.

Own token

Use this if you’ve already created a bot with @BotFather.

1. Paste the token

   The Bot token field takes a string like 123456789:AA... from @BotFather. The token goes straight into the agent’s settings, isn’t stored in the conversation, and is never sent back to the browser.

2. Specify who can message the agent

   The Your Telegram ID field takes numeric IDs separated by commas. The Insert my ID button fills in yours automatically. Find other people’s IDs with the same @userinfobot.

3. Click “Connect”

   The Telegram card status changes to Connected.

Who can message the agent

The agent replies only to people whose Telegram IDs are listed in the setting. Anyone else who finds the bot gets silence.

This is the only barrier between your agent and outsiders. The agent has access to your files, email, and command line — don’t add the IDs of people you wouldn’t trust with all of that access. Learn more in Security and Access.

To add a colleague, get their ID via @userinfobot and append it, separated by a comma, in the same field.

Check it

Send the bot “Hi”. A fresh agent replies with an introduction — asks how to address you and suggests a name for itself. An agent that’s already set up replies to the point.

If you haven’t gone through the first run yet, now is the time: whatever you tell it about yourself, it writes to its files.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Cause and fix
The bot doesn’t reply to anything	Start wasn’t tapped in the chat with the bot. Open the chat and tap it
The bot doesn’t reply only to a colleague	Their Telegram ID isn’t in the Your Telegram ID field
”Invalid token”	The token was copied with an extra space or was already revoked in @BotFather — generate a new one
The bot replies, but for the wrong agent	One bot works with one agent. Create a separate bot for your second agent
Replies arrive minutes late	The container was restarted. Check the agent’s status and the Log

FAQ

Can I do without a messenger?

Yes. The Chat button in the workspace opens the same conversation with the agent. Telegram is for your phone: that’s where you’ll give tasks on the go and receive scheduled summaries.

Where do I get my Telegram ID?

Message @userinfobot — it replies with a number. It’s not your @username but the actual digits. You don’t have to look up your own ID: the Insert my ID button fills it in.

Several people in one chat with the agent

Add their IDs separated by commas. Each person messages the agent individually; a shared group chat is a different scenario, and for customer groups there’s the AI Employee.

How do I disconnect a channel?

Open the messenger card on the Connect tab and clear the token field. An empty field disconnects it.

What about the other messengers?

Discord, Slack, Mattermost, IRC, Nostr, and WhatsApp connect the same way: card → connection panel → access credentials. The “who can message” restriction works there too.

What’s next

First Run

Your first conversation with the agent in the connected messenger

Schedule

Summaries that will arrive in this same chat

Security and Access

Who should and shouldn’t get access to the agent

Team

A separate bot for each of the agent’s personas