To add a bot to a Telegram group, open Telegram, create a new group, add members, and give the group a name. Next, find your connected Telegram bot, select Add to Group or Channel, choose your group, and assign the bot administrator permissions. Finally, send a test message to verify that the bot responds automatically.
This guide explains the complete Telegram group bot setup process, from creating a group to testing automated replies using BotSailor.
What Is Telegram Group Manager in BotSailor?
Telegram Group Manager in BotSailor helps businesses manage group conversations through Telegram bot automation.
By connecting a Telegram bot to a group, businesses can automate supported responses, improve communication with members, and reduce repetitive manual work. This can be useful for customer communities, product support groups, online stores, and business discussion groups.
For example, an apparel business can use a Telegram group management bot to welcome members, respond to common questions, and provide information about products or services, depending on the automation configured in BotSailor.
In this tutorial, we will use a demonstration Telegram group named Sanos Apparel and a bot named Zedzzzz to explain the process.
Prerequisites
Before starting, make sure you have:
- ● An active Telegram account and the Telegram application installed.
- ● Access to your BotSailor account.
- ● A Telegram bot created through BotFather and connected to BotSailor.
- ● Permission to create and manage Telegram groups.
- ● A welcome message or automatic reply configured in BotSailor for testing.
Important: Adding a bot as an administrator does not automatically create a welcome message or reply workflow. The appropriate BotSailor automation must already be configured and enabled.
Step-by-Step Instructions: How to Add a Bot to a Telegram Group
Step 1: Open the Telegram Application
Launch the Telegram application on your smartphone and sign in to your account.
Once Telegram opens, you will see the main Chats screen, where your existing conversations, groups, and channels appear.
Make sure you are using the account that will create and manage your new Telegram group.
Step 2: Open the Three-Dot Menu
On the Telegram Chats screen, locate the three-dot menu (⋮) in the upper-right corner.
Tap the menu to display the available options. As shown in the screenshot, the menu includes:
- ● Night Mode
- ● New Group
- ● Saved Messages
Select New Group to begin creating your Telegram group.
Step 3: Select New Group and Add Members
After selecting New Group, Telegram will display your contact list.
You will see a search field labeled Who would you like to add?
To add members:
- 1 Browse your Telegram contacts or search for specific people.
- 2 Tap the contacts you want to include.
- 3 Confirm your selections.
- 4 Tap the Next arrow to continue.
In our example, we selected four contacts for the Sanos Apparel group.
Adding members creates the initial community where your Telegram bot will later interact with participants.
Step 4: Enter Your Telegram Group Name
After selecting members, Telegram will open the New Group configuration screen.
Enter a suitable name for your group.
For this tutorial, we used:
Group Name: Sanos Apparel
You can also add a group profile picture by tapping the camera icon.
The screen includes an Auto-Delete Messages option, which allows you to configure automatic message deletion after a selected period. In this example, the option is set to Off.
Once everything is ready, tap the blue checkmark to create your Telegram group.
Your group is now created, and you can proceed with the Telegram chatbot integration.
Step 5: Find Your BotSailor Telegram Bot
Now that your Telegram group has been created, the next step is to add your BotSailor bot.
Open Telegram and search for the Telegram bot that you previously created and connected to BotSailor.
In our demonstration, the bot details are:
- ● Bot Name: Zedzzzz
- ● Bot Username: @Zedzzzzbot
Open the bot's profile.
On the bot information screen, locate the Add to Group or Channel option.
Tap this option to start adding your bot to the Telegram group.
Make sure you select the correct bot connected to your BotSailor account.
Step 6: Select Your Telegram Group
After tapping Add to Group or Channel, Telegram will display the available groups and channels where you have permission to add the bot.
Under My Groups, find your newly created group.
In this example, select:
Sanos Apparel
Tap the group name to continue.
Telegram will open the bot permission settings, where you can configure the bot's administrative access.
Step 7: Configure Bot Administrator Permissions
Telegram will display an Add Bot screen showing the available administrator permissions.
For this demonstration, the Manage Group permission is enabled.
Depending on your automation requirements, other permissions may include:
- ● Change Group Info
- ● Delete Messages
- ● Ban Users
- ● Invite Users via Link
- ● Pin Messages
- ● Manage Live Streams
- ● Add New Admins
Enable only the permissions required for your BotSailor features.
For example, if you want your Telegram group management bot to remove spam messages, you may need to enable Delete Messages. If you want to restrict members, enable the relevant user management permission.
After configuring the permissions, tap the checkmark to continue.
Step 8: Confirm Adding the Bot as Administrator
Telegram will display a confirmation window with the heading:
Add bot as admin
The confirmation message asks whether you want to add the selected bot as an administrator of the Sanos Apparel group.
Tap Add as admin to confirm.
Once confirmed, the bot will be added to the group with the selected administrator permissions.
You have now completed the main process of adding a BotSailor bot to a Telegram group.
Step 9: Check the Group Connection in BotSailor
After adding the bot, open your BotSailor dashboard.
Navigate to:
Chatbot Manager → Select Your Telegram Bot → Group Manager
Check whether your Telegram group appears in the available group list.
If the group does not appear immediately, verify that the bot is connected, its webhook is enabled, and the bot has administrator access. Refresh or synchronize the group list where the option is available.
Once the group is connected, you can use the supported Group Manager features, including group activity monitoring, message filtering, member management, and scheduled messaging.
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Step 10: Send a Test Message to Verify the Bot
Finally, open the Sanos Apparel Telegram group and send a test message.
In our example, we sent:
hi
The connected bot, Zedzzzz, automatically replied:
Hello there. Welcome to Sanos Apparel. How can I help you?
Other group members also sent the message hi , and the bot responded with the same welcome message.
This confirms that the Telegram bot was successfully added to the group and that its configured automatic reply was working.
Success Verification
Telegram bot setup checklist
Interactive checklist
0 of 7 verified
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Telegram group created successfully
Members added to the group
BotSailor bot added to the group
Bot promoted to administrator
Required administrator permissions configured
Group connection checked in BotSailor
Automatic reply tested successfully
Expected Output
Based on the provided demonstration screenshot, the final output shows the following:
- ● Telegram Group: Sanos Apparel
- ● Group Members: 6
- ● Connected Bot: Zedzzzz
- ● Administrator Status: Admin
- ● Test Message: hi
- ● Bot Response: Hello there. Welcome to Sanos Apparel. How can I help you?
The screenshot shows that multiple participants triggered the same automated response. This demonstrates successful message handling for the configured hi trigger.
Troubleshooting: Common Telegram Group Bot Problems
Problem | Possible cause and solution |
Bot does not respond to group messages | Verify the bot is connected to BotSailor, the appropriate group reply trigger is enabled, and Telegram privacy settings permit the required messages to be received. |
Bot cannot be added to the group | Check whether you have permission to add bots and whether the bot allows group invitations. |
Bot cannot delete messages | Enable the Delete Messages administrator permission. |
Bot cannot restrict members | Enable the appropriate Ban Users or member restriction permission. |
Telegram group does not appear in BotSailor | Confirm that the webhook is enabled, the bot is an administrator, and the group list has been refreshed. |
Bot responds to some keywords but not others | Check the exact keywords, matching rules, and enabled automation flows. |
Bot is added but automation does not start | Confirm that the required BotSailor automation is published and that its trigger is configured for group messages. |
Note: Telegram bots may operate with privacy mode enabled. If your automation needs to process ordinary group messages, verify the bot's privacy settings in BotFather. Administrator status and properly configured BotSailor triggers are also important.
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Next Steps: Manage Your Telegram Group with BotSailor
After completing the Telegram group bot setup, you can explore the additional features available in BotSailor's Telegram Group Manager.
These include configuring automated welcome messages, creating keyword-triggered replies, filtering unwanted content, managing group subscribers, scheduling announcements, and monitoring group activity.
