Telegram

Telegram is a great way to reach your Selu agents from virtually any device. You’ll create a Telegram bot and connect it to Selu — the whole process takes about five minutes.

Step 1: Create a Telegram bot

1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather.
2. Send /newbot and follow the prompts to name your bot.
3. BotFather will give you a bot token — a long string that looks like 123456:ABC-DEF1234ghIkl-zyx57W2v1u123ew11. Copy it and keep it safe.

Tip

Pick a descriptive bot name like “My Selu Assistant” so it’s easy to find in your chat list.

Step 2: Connect to Selu

1. Open Selu and go to Pipes.
2. Click Add Pipe and select Telegram.
3. Paste your bot token — Selu verifies it automatically.
4. Pick the chat where the bot should listen for messages.
5. Save your pipe.

Step 3: Start chatting

Find your bot in Telegram by searching for the username you chose during setup. Send it a message, and your Selu agent will reply.

Tool approvals in Telegram

When your agents need permission to use tools, Telegram handles approvals through normal chat replies:

Approval flow

1. Agent needs to use a tool with Ask policy
2. You receive a message: “Before I continue: [tool action description]. Reply to approve this action.”
3. Reply with “yes”, “approve”, “ok” or similar to allow the tool
4. Reply with “no”, “deny”, “cancel” to block it

Smart reply matching

Telegram’s reply system ensures your approval reaches the right tool request:

• Reply to specific messages: Use Telegram’s reply feature (long-press → Reply) to respond to specific approval requests
• Simple replies when clear: If you have only one pending approval, any chat message with “yes” or “no” will work
• Multiple approvals: When several tools need approval, reply directly to each approval message to avoid confusion

Tip

Telegram’s threading makes tool approvals smooth and predictable.

Configuration

Privacy

By default, your bot only sees messages that are sent directly to it or that mention it with @botname. In group chats, you can disable privacy mode via BotFather (/setprivacy) if you want the agent to see all messages.

Webhook

Selu uses webhook mode to receive messages from Telegram with low latency. Your Selu instance needs to be reachable over HTTPS with a valid SSL certificate for this to work.

Troubleshooting

• Bot not responding — Double-check the bot token in your pipe settings. If you regenerated the token in BotFather, update it in Selu too.
• Webhook errors — Make sure your Selu instance is reachable over HTTPS. Telegram requires a valid SSL certificate for webhooks.

Approval issues

If tool approvals aren’t working properly:

1. Use Telegram’s reply feature — Long-press the approval message and tap “Reply” rather than just sending a new message
2. Check for multiple pending approvals — If several tools need permission, make sure you’re replying to the right approval request
3. Use clear approval words — Simple responses like “yes”, “no”, “approve”, “deny” work best

Threading and reply matching

If your approval replies aren’t being recognized:

1. Always use Telegram’s Reply button when you see multiple approval requests
2. Check conversation history — Make sure you’re in the same chat where the approval was requested
3. Avoid complex responses — Stick to simple “yes/no” replies for approvals rather than explanations
4. One approval at a time — If you’re testing multiple tools, wait for each approval to complete before trying the next

Caution

Telegram bots in group chats may have different reply behaviors. For the most predictable approval experience, use the bot in a direct message.