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What is this?

Bot settings controls how your bot greets people and what it offers inside Telegram. It has four tabs: Welcome message, Bot commands, Inline mode, and Groups. Open it from Telegram → Bot settings in the sidebar. You need a connected bot first — see Connect a Telegram Bot. [SCREENSHOT: telegram-bot-settings — The Bot settings page with the Welcome message, Bot commands, Inline mode, and Groups tabs]

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What can I do here?

  • Send a welcome message when someone starts the bot
  • Add commands that appear in the bot’s menu in Telegram
  • Turn on inline mode so people can call your bot from any chat
  • Turn group chats on or off
All four tabs share one Save settings button. Changing a tab and saving saves everything you’ve edited. You need permission to edit Telegram settings.

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How to use it

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Welcome message

The message sent when someone sends /start — usually the first thing a new person does.
  1. Open the Welcome message tab.
  2. Type your message. You can use {{first_name}} to greet the person by name, for example Hi {{first_name}}! How can we help?
  3. Click Save settings.
If you have an automation with a Command received trigger for /start, that automation answers instead and this message is skipped. See Telegram Triggers.

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Bot commands

Commands are shortcuts people tap in Telegram, such as /pricing or /help. They appear in the bot’s menu.
  1. Open Bot commands and click Add command.
  2. Type the command without the slash — lowercase letters, numbers, and underscores only, up to 32 characters — for example pricing.
  3. Add a description (up to 256 characters). Telegram shows it next to the command.
  4. Click Save settings. The menu is updated in Telegram.
You can add up to 100 commands. Remove one with the bin button. Commands only appear in the menu. To make one do something, create an automation that starts with Command received.

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Inline mode

Inline mode lets people type @yourbot in any chat, pick a result, and send it — handy for sharing prices, links, or FAQs.
  1. In Telegram, message @BotFather, send /setinline, choose your bot, and give it a short prompt. Do this first.
  2. Back here, open Inline mode and turn on Enabled.
  3. Click Add result and fill in a Title, a Description, and the Message sent when picked. You can add up to 50.
  4. Click Save settings.
When someone types @yourbot and some words, the results are filtered to match. People who use inline mode aren’t added as contacts. With inline mode off, the bot shows no results.

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Groups

Turn Enabled on to show groups your bot is added to in the Inbox and let the bot moderate them. It’s on by default. See Groups.

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Troubleshooting / Technical Notes

  • The welcome message doesn’t send. Check an automation isn’t already handling /start, and that you saved.
  • Commands don’t show in Telegram. Save settings and reopen the chat. Command names must be lowercase letters, numbers, and underscores.
  • Inline mode shows nothing. Turn it on in BotFather with /setinline, then enable it here and add at least one result.
  • Save settings is disabled. You don’t have permission to edit Telegram settings.
  • “Connect a Telegram bot first.” No bot is connected yet — use the button to go to Channels.
Last modified on September 26, 2026