telegram-post

Telegram Post

Create and schedule posts to Telegram channels and groups using the Publora MCP server. Supports rich markdown formatting, photos, videos, and message delivery options.

Prerequisites

Plans: Works on the free Starter plan. Current limits and pricing: publora.com/pricing.

Getting Started

1. Create account at publora.com/register (free)
2. Create Telegram bot:
   • Message @BotFather on Telegram
   • Send /newbot and follow instructions
   • Save the bot token
3. Add bot to your channel:
   • Add the bot as administrator to your channel/group
   • Grant can_post_messages permission
4. Connect in Publora at Dashboard with the bot token and the channel:
   • Public channel: @username or t.me/username
   • Private channel: its -100… chat ID, or the t.me/c/… link of any message in it (Copy Link on the message)
   • Invite links (t.me/+…) are rejected: the Bot API cannot identify a channel from them
5. Get API key at app.publora.com/dashboard/api
6. Connect your agent to the MCP server at https://mcp.publora.com, authenticating with Authorization: Bearer sk_YOUR_API_KEY. In Claude Code:

claude mcp add publora --transport http https://mcp.publora.com \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer sk_YOUR_API_KEY"

Claude Desktop, Cursor, Codex, OpenClaw and the claude.ai connector each need a different config file or flow: see client setup for the exact path and snippet.

REST API Fallback

If the MCP server is unavailable or returns errors, use the REST API directly:

Base URL: https://api.publora.com/api/v1

Authentication: Use x-publora-key header (NOT Authorization: Bearer):

Platform ID Format: telegram-{chat_id} where {chat_id} is the channel/group numeric ID from /platform-connections. A bot connection's chat ID is negative (-100…), so the ID has a double dash. Copy it verbatim; never rebuild it.

Example IDs: telegram--1001234567890, telegram--1002345678901

📖 Full API documentation: docs.publora.com

Platform Limits (Bot API)

Critical: Bot API has much lower limits than regular Telegram users. Videos over 50 MB and captions over 1,024 characters will fail.

Markdown Formatting

Telegram uses its own markdown flavor with single asterisks for bold:

Note: This differs from standard Markdown where **double asterisks** make bold.

Available Tools

create_post

Create a new Telegram post.

Parameters:

• platforms: Array with your Telegram connection ID (e.g., ["telegram--1001234567890"])
• content: Message text (supports markdown)
• scheduledTime: ISO 8601 UTC datetime. Optional: omit it and the post is created as a draft. Send a future time to schedule. A time five or more minutes in the past is rejected with SCHEDULED_TIME_IN_PAST, so for immediate posting use the current time plus a minute.
• mediaUrls: up to 10 public https image or video URLs. Publora downloads them server-side and attaches them before validation, so media and scheduling happen in one call. This is the one-shot alternative to the draft then get_upload_url then complete_media flow. Ingestion is rate-limited to 60 URLs per hour.

get_upload_url

Get presigned URL for media uploads.

complete_media

Finalize a file uploaded through get_upload_url, after the presigned PUT succeeds. Optional, because scheduling also finalizes pending media, but calling it early surfaces format and probe errors before publish. Not needed for media attached with mediaUrls.

Parameters:

• mediaId: the id returned by get_upload_url

list_connections

List your connected accounts with their platform IDs. Call this first and copy the IDs verbatim; they are never guessable. A private channel has no public username: its username is null, so match it by displayName (the channel title).

list_posts / get_post / update_post / delete_post

Manage scheduled and draft posts. update_post also patches content and platforms on a draft or scheduled post, so fixing a typo or retargeting no longer means delete and recreate. delete_media and prune_media_reference clean up uploaded files.

Post Options (via REST API)

Telegram-specific options available via REST API platformSettings.telegram:

Caption-above-media is not settable: showCaptionAboveMedia is not an accepted key and sending it returns 400 PLATFORM_SETTING_UNKNOWN.

Note: platformSettings is accepted by the MCP create_post and update_post tools as well as over REST. The schema is strict: a mistyped platform or key is rejected with a validation error rather than silently dropped.

Examples

Simple Channel Post

Formatted Announcement

Post with Image

Important: Caption must be under 1,024 characters when posting with media.

Scheduled Post

Important Restrictions

1. Caption limit is 1,024 chars: When posting with media (images/videos), text is sent as a caption limited to 1,024 characters. Text-only messages allow 4,096 characters.

2. Video max 50 MB: Bot API limits videos to 50 MB (not 4 GB like regular users). Large videos will fail.

3. Bot must be admin: Your bot needs administrator role with can_post_messages permission. This is verified at connection time and re-checked by POST /test-connection/{platformId}, not before each post.

4. No mixed media: A single post cannot contain both images and videos.

5. Caption overflow: If caption exceeds 1,024 chars on a media post, it's sent as a separate reply message instead of being truncated.

Best Practices

Content

1. Use formatting: Bold headlines, italic emphasis improves readability
2. Link previews: Great for articles; disable for cleaner announcements
3. Emoji usage: Common and expected on Telegram
4. Post length: No penalty for longer posts on text-only messages

Timing

• Global audience: Telegram users are worldwide; consider timezone posts
• Best times: 8-10 AM, 12-2 PM, 7-9 PM in target regions
• Frequency: Channels can post more frequently (5-10/day)

Engagement

• Enable comments in channel settings for discussions
• Use polls for engagement
• Pin important announcements

Troubleshooting