Telegram bot automation that answers from your own machine.
Telegram works in both directions in Cronable. A job sends messages through your bot, and a trigger starts a workflow when someone messages it, so a bot can answer questions, run a task on command or send you alerts wherever you are.
A Telegram workflow on the canvas
Each card is one job. A wire means the next job runs when the one before it succeeds, or when it fails.
Reply in chat
Telegram·Idle
After Answer the question (succeeded)
Answer the question
Claude (API)·Running
After Message to the bot (succeeded)
3s
Message to the bot
Telegram watch·Succeeded
On new message
5s ago
Message to the bot
Telegram watch·Succeeded
On new message
5s ago
Answer the question
Claude (API)·Running
After Message to the bot (succeeded)
3s
Reply in chat
Telegram·Idle
After Answer the question (succeeded)
“When someone messages my Telegram bot, answer the question with Claude and reply in the same chat.”
Every Telegram step Cronable ships
Actions
Steps a workflow can take in Telegram.Send a message
Send text to any chat your bot is in, by chat ID, with optional MarkdownV2 or HTML formatting and data from earlier steps.
Triggers
What starts a Telegram workflow.New message to your bot
Telegram watch starts one run per new message, with the text, chat ID and sender passed on. Narrow it to one chat or to a command prefix such as /run. Polling mode works outbound, so nothing on your machine has to be exposed; webhook mode has Telegram push instead.
Telegram workflows worth automating first
An AI bot for your team
Telegram watch picks up each message, Claude answers using the context you give it, and a Telegram job replies in the same chat.
Run a task on command
Set the trigger’s command filter to /backup and the message starts a terminal job on your machine, which replies when it is done.
Alerts on your phone
Any job’s failure handler can be a Telegram message, so a broken backup or a failed payment reaches you wherever you are.
Gap-night alerts for hosts
Each morning, read the next two weeks of Hostaway reservations, find unbooked nights and send yourself a Telegram message to adjust prices.
How you connect
Connecting Telegram
Telegram connects with a bot token from @BotFather. Paste it once.
- 1Message @BotFather in Telegram, create a bot and copy its token.
- 2Store the token as a Telegram credential under Settings → Secrets → Credentials.
- 3Message your bot once from the chat you want to use; the run it starts shows the chat ID to reply to.
Your Telegram automation, on your own machine
Runs on your own machine
Install Cronable as a Mac or Windows app, or on a server you own. Your Telegram jobs, secrets and run history stay on that machine by default.
Built from one sentence
Describe the workflow in plain English and the built-in assistant builds the jobs, the schedule and the failure handling for you to review on the canvas. On every plan, including Free.
Unlimited runs
Plans count the jobs you define, not how often they fire. A job that touches Telegram every hour costs the same as one that runs once a month.
Credentials encrypted locally
Keys and tokens are AES-256-GCM encrypted in a local database, referenced from jobs by name and masked out of logs and run output.
Telegram automation, answered
Can a Telegram message start a workflow?
Yes. The Telegram watch trigger starts a run for each new message to your bot, optionally only from one chat or only for a command like /run. The next step reads the text and the chat ID.
Does my machine need a public URL for Telegram?
No. In polling mode, the default, Cronable fetches updates from Telegram itself, so nothing has to be exposed. Webhook mode, where Telegram pushes to a hook URL, is there if you want it.
Can Cronable send Telegram messages?
Yes. A Telegram job sends a message through your bot to any chat it belongs to, with plain text, MarkdownV2 or HTML formatting.
Where is the bot token stored?
Encrypted in the credential store on your own machine, referenced by name from jobs and masked in run logs.
Why doesn’t my bot see messages in a group?
By default Telegram only shows a bot the commands addressed to it in a group. Turn off privacy mode in @BotFather, or use commands, and the trigger sees them.
Anything you do twice in Telegram is cronable.
If you check the same thing on your phone every day, let the bot check it for you.