Telegram MCP Setup Wizard

Connect your Telegram account to Claude Code so you can get message digests, search chat history, and draft replies — all from Claude.

Key Concepts (Glossary)

Before we start, here's what the technical terms mean:

• MCP (Model Context Protocol) — the way Claude Code connects to external tools. Think of it as a "plugin system" for Claude.
• Session string — an authentication token that lets the telegram-mcp tool access your Telegram account without you entering a code every time. It is MORE sensitive than a password (see Security section).
• Docker — a tool that runs apps in isolated containers. Like a mini virtual machine. ~1GB download, ~4GB on disk.
• API ID & API Hash — credentials you get from Telegram to register your "app." Free, takes 2 minutes.
• Keychain (macOS) — Apple's built-in encrypted password storage. The security command is its terminal interface.
• Terminal — the black window with a text prompt. On Mac: press Cmd+Space, type "Terminal", press Enter.

How Data Flows (Important)

Be transparent with the user about this:

1. telegram-mcp runs locally on the user's machine and fetches messages from Telegram servers.
2. When Claude processes those messages (summarize, search, draft replies), the message content is sent to Anthropic's API as part of the conversation.
3. The session token itself stays local — it never leaves the machine.

So: credentials = local only. Message content = sent to Anthropic when you ask Claude to process it. This is the same as copy-pasting messages into Claude manually.

Platform Router

Detect the user's OS first. Run:

uname -s  # Darwin = macOS, Linux = Linux, MINGW/MSYS = Windows

• macOS users: Follow the main workflow below.
• Windows users: Direct them to references/windows-setup.md which is a self-contained guide. The instructions below are macOS-focused.

Pre-Flight Check

Run this FIRST to see what's already available:

echo "=== Pre-flight Check ==="
echo "OS: $(uname -s)"
echo "Python: $(python3 --version 2>/dev/null || echo 'NOT FOUND')"
echo "pip: $(pip3 --version 2>/dev/null || echo 'NOT FOUND')"
echo "Docker: $(docker --version 2>/dev/null || echo 'NOT FOUND')"
echo "uv: $(uv --version 2>/dev/null || echo 'NOT FOUND')"
echo "git: $(git --version 2>/dev/null || echo 'NOT FOUND')"
echo "Disk free: $(df -h ~ 2>/dev/null | tail -1 | awk '{print $4}')"
echo "Claude CLI: $(claude --version 2>/dev/null || echo 'NOT FOUND')"

Based on results, choose the lightest path:

• Python 3 available → Option QR (recommended) or Option B (lightest, no Docker needed)
• Docker available → Option C (self-contained)
• Nothing available → Install Python first: brew install python3 or download from python.org

Time Estimates (Honest)

Tell the user upfront which scenario applies to them.

Step-by-Step Workflow

Step 1: Get Telegram API Credentials (~5 min)

Telegram requires every app to register — like getting a key card for a building. This is free.

If Claude in Chrome extension is available, use browser automation:

1. Open my.telegram.org:

   Use tabs_create_mcp to open https://my.telegram.org
   

2. Tell the user:

   "Please enter your phone number (with country code, e.g., +7...) in the browser and click 'Next'. You'll receive a verification code in Telegram — enter it on the page. Let me know when you're logged in."

   Note: The site sometimes shows a CAPTCHA. If browser automation fails, ask the user to complete login manually.

3. After user confirms login, navigate to API tools:

   Use navigate to go to https://my.telegram.org/apps
   

4. Check if app exists using get_page_text:

   • If "App api_id" is visible → extract existing credentials
   • If "Create new application" form is visible → help create new app

5. If creating new app:

   • App title: "Claude Code Integration" (or user's choice)
   • Short name: must be globally unique, 5-32 chars, letters only. Try the user's username + "claude" (e.g., "ivancloud"). If taken, add numbers.
   • Platform: "Desktop"
   • Description: optional

6. Extract credentials: Find "App api_id" (a number) and "App api_hash" (32-char hex string).

If no browser extension, guide the user to do this manually — it's straightforward.

Verification: User should have two values: a numeric API ID and a 32-character API Hash.

Step 2: Generate Session String (~3-5 min)

IMPORTANT: This step requires an interactive terminal. Claude Code's Bash tool does not support interactive input. Instruct the user to open a separate Terminal window and run the commands there. Tell them:

"Open Terminal (Cmd+Space, type 'Terminal', press Enter). You'll run a Python script that asks for your phone number, verification code, and 2FA password if you have one."

IMPORTANT: If the user has 2FA enabled, they must know their 2FA password BEFORE starting. If they've forgotten it, they need to recover it via Telegram Settings first. This step cannot proceed without it.

WARNING: Telegram may silently suppress verification codes. Since February 2023, some accounts never receive SMS or in-app codes when authenticating new sessions — Telegram returns success but the code never arrives. This is a known upstream issue (Telethon #3835, #4041, #4050) with no reliable workaround. If the verification code doesn't arrive within 2 minutes, use Option QR below — QR code login bypasses this problem entirely.

Option QR: QR Code Login (Recommended)

QR code login avoids both the verification code delivery problem and multi-line paste issues. Claude should write a temp script file using the Write tool.

Write this to /tmp/telegram-session-qr.py:

import asyncio, sys

async def main():
    from telethon import TelegramClient
    from telethon.sessions import StringSession
    from telethon.errors import SessionPasswordNeededError

    api_id = int(input('Enter API ID: '))
    api_hash = input('Enter API Hash: ')

    client = TelegramClient(StringSession(), api_id, api_hash)
    await client.connect()

    try:
        import qrcode
        has_qrcode = True
    except ImportError:
        has_qrcode = False
        print('Note: qrcode package not found — printing raw URL instead.')
        print('You can paste the URL into any QR code generator.\n')

    while True:
        qr_login = await client.qr_login()

        if has_qrcode:
            qr = qrcode.QRCode(error_correction=qrcode.constants.ERROR_CORRECT_L)
            qr.add_data(qr_login.url)
            qr.make(fit=True)
            print('\nScan this QR code with Telegram on your phone:')
            print('(Telegram > Settings > Devices > Link Desktop Device)\n')
            qr.print_ascii(invert=True)
        else:
            print(f'\nOpen this URL in a QR code generator and scan with Telegram:')
            print(f'{qr_login.url}\n')
            print('(Telegram > Settings > Devices > Link Desktop Device)')

        try:
            print('\nWaiting for you to scan... (expires in 30s)')
            await qr_login.wait(timeout=30)
            break
        except asyncio.TimeoutError:
            print('\nQR code expired. Generating a new one...')
            continue
        except SessionPasswordNeededError:
            password = input('\n2FA is enabled. Enter your 2FA password: ')
            await client.sign_in(password=password)
            break

    print('\n=== YOUR SESSION STRING (copy everything below) ===')
    print(client.session.save())
    print('=== END SESSION STRING ===')
    await client.disconnect()

asyncio.run(main())

Then instruct the user to run in their separate Terminal:

python3 -m venv /tmp/telegram-session-venv
/tmp/telegram-session-venv/bin/pip install telethon qrcode
/tmp/telegram-session-venv/bin/python /tmp/telegram-session-qr.py

The user scans the QR code in Telegram (Settings > Devices > Link Desktop Device), enters 2FA password if prompted, and gets the session string.

Option B: Python + venv (Lightest — no Docker needed)

Note: Homebrew Python 3.12+ blocks bare pip3 install with a "externally-managed-environment" error (PEP 668). The venv below avoids this.

Claude should write this to /tmp/telegram-session-gen.py using the Write tool:

from telethon.sync import TelegramClient
from telethon.sessions import StringSession

api_id = int(input('Enter API ID: '))
api_hash = input('Enter API Hash: ')

with TelegramClient(StringSession(), api_id, api_hash) as client:
    print('\n=== YOUR SESSION STRING (copy everything below) ===')
    print(client.session.save())
    print('=== END SESSION STRING ===')

Then instruct the user to run in their separate Terminal:

python3 -m venv /tmp/telegram-session-venv
/tmp/telegram-session-venv/bin/pip install telethon
/tmp/telegram-session-venv/bin/python /tmp/telegram-session-gen.py

Option C: Docker

# First pull takes 1-3 min depending on internet speed
docker run -it --rm bayramannakov/telegram-mcp:latest python session_string_generator.py

Note: Docker Desktop must be running. If not installed, it's a ~1GB download and needs ~4GB disk space.

Option D: Python + uv (if uv is available)

# Install uv if needed (prefer Homebrew over curl|sh):
brew install uv
# OR: curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# Clone repo and generate session
git clone https://github.com/chigwell/telegram-mcp.git ~/telegram-mcp
cd ~/telegram-mcp && uv sync
uv run python session_string_generator.py

The user will be prompted for:

1. API ID (from Step 1)
2. API Hash (from Step 1)
3. Phone number (with country code: +7...) — not needed for Option QR
4. Verification code (arrives in Telegram app — check all devices) — not needed for Option QR
5. 2FA password (if enabled)

If the verification code doesn't arrive (Options B/C/D): Wait 2 full minutes. Check ALL Telegram sessions (phone, desktop, web). Do NOT request new codes repeatedly — this triggers rate limiting. If nothing arrives after 2 minutes, cancel (Ctrl+C) and use Option QR instead.

Verification: The output is a long string of ~300-400 characters (letters, numbers, +, /, =). If it's shorter than 100 characters, something went wrong. Ask the user to copy it carefully — trailing whitespace or missing characters will cause silent failures later.

Step 3: Store Credentials in Keychain (~1 min)

On macOS, we use Keychain — Apple's encrypted password storage. The security command is its terminal interface.

Claude should run these commands automatically, substituting the user's actual values:

# Store API ID (the -U flag updates if entry already exists)
security add-generic-password -a "api_id" -s "telegram-mcp" -w "ACTUAL_API_ID" -U

# Store API Hash
security add-generic-password -a "api_hash" -s "telegram-mcp" -w "ACTUAL_API_HASH" -U

# Store Session String (use single quotes to handle special chars)
security add-generic-password -a "session_string" -s "telegram-mcp" -w 'ACTUAL_SESSION_STRING' -U

Verification: Check each value was stored:

echo "API ID stored: $(security find-generic-password -a "api_id" -s "telegram-mcp" -w 2>/dev/null && echo 'OK' || echo 'FAILED')"
echo "API Hash stored: $(security find-generic-password -a "api_hash" -s "telegram-mcp" -w 2>/dev/null && echo 'OK' || echo 'FAILED')"
echo "Session stored: $(security find-generic-password -a "session_string" -s "telegram-mcp" -w 2>/dev/null | head -c 20 && echo '... OK' || echo 'FAILED')"

All three should show "OK".

Step 4: Create Launcher Script & Register MCP Server (~2 min)

Claude should create this script automatically — do NOT ask the user to type or paste a heredoc. Use the Write tool:

Write this file to ~/.local/bin/telegram-mcp-docker:

#!/bin/bash
export TELEGRAM_API_ID=$(security find-generic-password -a "api_id" -s "telegram-mcp" -w 2>/dev/null)
export TELEGRAM_API_HASH=$(security find-generic-password -a "api_hash" -s "telegram-mcp" -w 2>/dev/null)
export TELEGRAM_SESSION_STRING=$(security find-generic-password -a "session_string" -s "telegram-mcp" -w 2>/dev/null)

if [ -z "$TELEGRAM_API_ID" ] || [ -z "$TELEGRAM_API_HASH" ] || [ -z "$TELEGRAM_SESSION_STRING" ]; then
    echo "Error: Telegram credentials not found in Keychain" >&2
    echo "Run the telegram-mcp-setup skill to configure credentials" >&2
    exit 1
fi

# -i keeps stdin open for MCP JSON-RPC protocol
# python -c wrapper redirects print() to stderr — the Docker image's main.py
# has print() calls to stdout before mcp.run_stdio_async() starts, which
# corrupts the JSON-RPC channel. This monkey-patch keeps stdout clean.
docker run --rm -i \
    -e TELEGRAM_API_ID \
    -e TELEGRAM_API_HASH \
    -e TELEGRAM_SESSION_STRING \
    bayramannakov/telegram-mcp:latest \
    python -c "
import builtins, sys
_original_print = builtins.print
def _stderr_print(*args, **kwargs):
    kwargs.setdefault('file', sys.stderr)
    _original_print(*args, **kwargs)
builtins.print = _stderr_print
from main import main
main()
"

Then run:

mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/telegram-mcp-docker

If the user chose Option B or D (Python/venv/uv) instead of Docker, write this script instead:

#!/bin/bash
export TELEGRAM_API_ID=$(security find-generic-password -a "api_id" -s "telegram-mcp" -w 2>/dev/null)
export TELEGRAM_API_HASH=$(security find-generic-password -a "api_hash" -s "telegram-mcp" -w 2>/dev/null)
export TELEGRAM_SESSION_STRING=$(security find-generic-password -a "session_string" -s "telegram-mcp" -w 2>/dev/null)

if [ -z "$TELEGRAM_API_ID" ]; then
    echo "Error: Telegram credentials not found in Keychain" >&2
    exit 1
fi

cd ~/telegram-mcp 2>/dev/null || cd "$(pip3 show telethon 2>/dev/null | grep Location | cut -d' ' -f2)/../.." 2>/dev/null
uv run python main.py 2>/dev/null || python3 -m telegram_mcp 2>/dev/null

Register with Claude Code:

Note: claude mcp add cannot run from inside an active Claude Code session (it will fail or hang). Use the direct config approach below instead.

Claude should register the MCP server by editing ~/.claude.json directly:

1. Read the current config with the Read tool: ~/.claude.json
2. Add telegram-mcp to the mcpServers object (preserve any existing servers):

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "telegram-mcp": {
         "command": "/Users/USERNAME/.local/bin/telegram-mcp-docker",
         "scope": "user"
       }
     }
   }
   

   Replace USERNAME with the actual username (from whoami or $HOME).
3. Write the updated config back with the Write tool.

Fallback: If direct config editing isn't suitable, tell the user to run this in a separate Terminal (not inside Claude Code):

claude mcp add telegram-mcp -s user -- ~/.local/bin/telegram-mcp-docker

Verification:

python3 -c "import json; c=json.load(open('$HOME/.claude.json')); print('telegram-mcp' in c.get('mcpServers',{}))"

Should print True.

Important: If using Docker, Docker Desktop must be running every time the user uses Telegram in Claude Code. If they close Docker Desktop, Telegram tools will silently stop working. Tell the user this.

Step 5: Test Connection (~1 min)

Tell the user:

"Please restart Claude Code (close and reopen the terminal/app). Then ask me to show your Telegram chats."

After restart, test:

Use list_chats to verify the connection works.

Verification: A list of the user's Telegram chats should appear. If not, see Troubleshooting below.

Session String: Understanding the Risks

Be honest with users about what the session string can do. It is more sensitive than a password because:

• A password needs 2FA to be useful. A session string bypasses 2FA — it is a post-authentication token.
• It stays valid indefinitely until the session is explicitly terminated in Telegram.
• There is no notification when someone uses a stolen session string.

If a session string is compromised, an attacker can:

• Read ALL messages in every chat, group, and channel
• Send messages as the user (to clients, partners, anyone)
• Download all shared files, photos, and documents
• Access the full contacts list
• Join/leave groups, create channels
• All of the above silently, without triggering any alert

Current limitation: telegram-mcp provides full account access. There is no read-only mode or per-chat filtering. When Claude reads your chats, it has access to all of them. This is a known limitation.

Complete Revocation Checklist

If the user suspects their session string was compromised, or simply wants to disconnect:

1. Terminate the session in Telegram: Settings > Privacy & Security > Active Sessions > find "Unknown" or the MCP session > Terminate. If unsure which one, use "Terminate All Other Sessions."
2. Delete credentials from Keychain:

   security delete-generic-password -a "api_id" -s "telegram-mcp"
   security delete-generic-password -a "api_hash" -s "telegram-mcp"
   security delete-generic-password -a "session_string" -s "telegram-mcp"
   

3. Remove MCP registration:

   claude mcp remove telegram-mcp
   

4. Delete the launcher script:

   rm ~/.local/bin/telegram-mcp-docker
   

5. Optionally delete Docker image:

   docker rmi bayramannakov/telegram-mcp:latest
   

6. Optionally revoke API credentials at https://my.telegram.org/apps (only if you suspect API ID/Hash were leaked too).

Troubleshooting

Pre-setup Issues

"I don't have Terminal / don't know how to open it" On Mac: press Cmd+Space, type "Terminal", press Enter. A window with a text prompt appears — that's where commands go.

"I don't have Docker or Python" Python is the lighter option. Install via: brew install python3 (if Homebrew is installed) or download from https://python.org. Docker is ~1GB download — only use it if you specifically want it.

"I don't have Homebrew" Install: /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)" Or skip Homebrew entirely — download Python directly from python.org.

"I don't have git" Install Xcode CLI tools: xcode-select --install (this gives you git). Or skip git entirely and use Option A (pip) which doesn't need it.

Setup Issues

CAPTCHA on my.telegram.org The site sometimes shows CAPTCHAs that browser automation can't handle. Have the user complete login manually in the browser, then extract API ID and Hash from the page.

Short name "already taken" when creating app The short name must be globally unique. Try adding numbers: "claudebot123", or use the user's initials + "tgmcp".

Telegram sends code to wrong device The code is sent to ALL active Telegram sessions. If the user's phone is unavailable, check Telegram Desktop, Web, or any other logged-in device. If no device is available, Telegram falls back to SMS after a delay.

2FA password forgotten Cannot proceed without it. User must recover via Telegram Settings > Privacy > Two-Step Verification > Forgot Password (requires recovery email). If no recovery email was set, this is a dead end — consider using a different Telegram account.

Session generation hangs Ctrl+C and retry. If Telegram is rate-limiting the phone number (e.g., too many code requests), the user may need to wait 1-24 hours.

"Could not find the input entity" Chat ID format issue:

• For users: use numeric ID or username without @
• For channels: use username or numeric ID
• For supergroups: prepend -100 to the numeric ID

"Docker daemon is not running" Open Docker Desktop app and wait 1-2 minutes for it to start (whale icon in menu bar stops animating). First launch after install can take longer.

MCP server not appearing after registration

claude mcp remove telegram-mcp
claude mcp add telegram-mcp -s user -- ~/.local/bin/telegram-mcp-docker
claude mcp list

Then restart Claude Code.

Session expired / AUTH_KEY_UNREGISTERED Regenerate session string using the same method from Step 2, then update Keychain:

security add-generic-password -a "session_string" -s "telegram-mcp" -w 'NEW_SESSION_STRING' -U

Security Best Practices

1. Never share session string — it gives full account access, bypassing 2FA
2. Use Keychain — avoid plaintext .env files when possible
3. Use draft mode — always save_draft, never auto-send messages
4. Check active sessions periodically — Telegram > Settings > Privacy > Active Sessions
5. Rotate every 90 days — regenerate session string as hygiene practice
6. Know the data flow — when Claude processes your messages, content goes to Anthropic's API for processing (same as pasting text into Claude manually)
7. Consider a test account first — if you have sensitive business chats, try setup with a secondary Telegram account before connecting your main one

Resources

• telegram-mcp repo: https://github.com/chigwell/telegram-mcp
• Docker image: bayramannakov/telegram-mcp:latest
• Setup article (Russian): https://empatika.com/learn/telegram-ai-setup
• telegram-assistant skill: For workflows (digests, posting, style analysis) after setup

Platform-Specific Guides

• references/macos-setup.md — macOS-specific details (Keychain, Docker, Homebrew)
• references/windows-setup.md — Complete self-contained guide for Windows users
• references/troubleshooting.md — Extended troubleshooting with error scenarios