How to Use Guest Bots in Telegram Chats
Invoke specialized AI assistants and productivity tools in any private or group conversation with strict message-scoped isolation and zero member data exposure.
Inviting a bot into a group chat traditionally raised security and privacy concerns: would the bot log sensitive group discussions, harvest member usernames, or read unprompted private chatter? Telegram's Guest Bots architecture provides the ultimate solution. Users can now invoke any supported bot inside groups, channels, or 1-on-1 private chats simply by mentioning its @username. The guest bot receives only the single message it was tagged in and its immediate replies, remaining completely blind to other messages and group rosters.
On-Demand Mention Invocation
No need to invite or add the bot as a permanent group member. Simply type @botusername to summon its capabilities whenever you need them.
Message-Scoped Sandboxing
The bot only receives the specific text payload and attachments where it was tagged. Past messages and subsequent group discussions are completely invisible.
Roster Blindness
Guest Bots cannot view who else belongs to the group, preventing scraping of member profiles, phone numbers, or activity timestamps.
Guest Bot Permission & Scope Sandbox
Observe what data a Guest Bot can access versus what Telegram's security sandbox strictly hides.
• The sender's public ID and first name (Bob)
• Any direct thread reply made to its calculation
• The list of group members or administrators
• Any messages sent before or after the mention
Technical Architecture: Ephemeral Scoped Webhook Updates
In Telegram's MTProto Layer schema, a Guest Bot interaction does not register the bot in the chat's ChatParticipants vector. Instead, when a message contains an entity of type messageEntityMention matching a verified Guest Bot username, Telegram's core dispatcher filters the message payload and delivers an isolated UpdateNewMessage to the bot's webhook. The payload's chat object contains a restricted ephemeral chat descriptor that prevents the bot from invoking methods such as getChatMembersCount or getChatAdministrators.
| Security Dimension | Standard Permanent Group Bot | Telegram Guest Bot |
|---|---|---|
| Group Membership | Permanent participant in member roster | Non-member (Zero footprint in chat list) |
| Message Visibility | Can see all messages (if privacy mode is off) | Strictly limited to mentioned message & direct replies |
| Member List Access | Can query chat administrators and members | Access Denied (Throws 403 Forbidden) |
| Invocation Method | Commands (/start, /calc) or passive listening | Direct @mention tag inside any conversation |
| 1-on-1 Chat Access | Requires user to open a private chat with bot | Can be tagged inside personal 1-on-1 chats with friends |
How to Use & Configure Guest Bots
Invoking a Guest Bot in Any Conversation
Inside any private chat or group, type @botusername followed by your prompt or query (e.g., @translatebot translate to French: Let's meet tomorrow). Send the message. The bot processes the query and replies directly underneath your bubble.
Enabling Guest Mode for Your Bot (Developers)
If you develop bots, message @BotFather, execute /mybots, choose your bot, navigate to Bot Settings > Guest Mode, and enable it. Your bot can now be summoned in any chat without permanent membership.
Replying to Continue the Ephemeral Context
To continue interacting with the guest bot, swipe right or tap Reply on the bot's response. The bot can read subsequent replies within that specific message thread until the task is complete.
