How to integrate Telegram MCP with Claude Code

Framework Integration Gradient
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Introduction

Manage your Telegram directly from Claude Code with zero worries about OAuth hassles, API-breaking issues, or reliability and security concerns.

You can do this in two different ways:

  1. Via Rube - Direct and easiest approach
  2. Via Composio SDK - Programmatic approach with more control

Why Rube?

Rube is a universal MCP server with access to 850+ SaaS apps. It ensures just-in-time tool loading so Claude can access the tools it needs, a remote workbench for programmatic tool calling and handling large tool responses out of the LLM context window, ensuring the LLM context window remains clean.

Connect Telegram to Claude Code with Rube

1. Get the MCP URL

Copy and paste the below command in Claude Code to add Rube MCP.

Terminal

2. Authenticate Rube

Run /mcp to view Rube

bash
/mcp
Run /mcp to view Rube in Claude Code
Click on Rube to authenticate
Authentication flow complete

3. Ensure it's connected

Run /mcp again to verify the connection. Now, do whatever you want with Claude Code and Telegram.

Rube connected successfully

Supported Tools & Triggers

Tools
Answer Callback QueryUse this method to send answers to callback queries sent from inline keyboards.
Delete MessageDelete a message, including service messages, with certain limitations.
Edit MessageEdit text messages sent by the bot.
Export Chat Invite LinkGenerate a new primary invite link for a chat; any previously generated primary link is revoked.
Forward MessageForward messages of any kind.
Get Chat InfoGet up to date information about the chat (current name of the user for one-on-one conversations, current username of a user, group or channel, etc.
Get Chat AdministratorsGet a list of administrators in a chat.
Get Chat HistoryGet chat history messages.
Get Chat Members CountGet the number of members in a chat.
Get Bot InfoGet basic information about the bot using the bot api getme method.
Get UpdatesUse this method to receive incoming updates using long polling.
Send DocumentSend general files (documents) to a telegram chat using the bot api.
Send LocationSend point on the map location to a telegram chat using the bot api.
Send MessageSend a text message to a telegram chat using the bot api.
Send PhotoSend photos to a telegram chat using the bot api.
Send PollSend a native poll to a telegram chat using the bot api.
Set Bot CommandsUse this method to change the list of the bot's commands.

What is the Telegram MCP server, and what's possible with it?

The Telegram MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Telegram account. It provides structured and secure access to your chats and bot functionality, so your agent can send messages, manage conversations, retrieve chat data, and interact with users or groups on your behalf.

  • Automated message sending and editing: Let your agent send new messages or edit existing ones in any chat where your bot is present, making real-time communication a breeze.
  • Chat and group management: Effortlessly manage group chats by retrieving chat details, getting administrators, exporting invite links, or counting group members.
  • Advanced chat history and message handling: Ask your agent to fetch chat history, forward messages between chats, or delete messages for streamlined moderation and record-keeping.
  • Bot and user interaction: Enable the agent to answer callback queries from inline keyboards and fetch basic bot information for smarter, context-aware responses.

Connecting Telegram via Tool Router

Tool Router is the underlying tech that powers Rube. It's a universal gateway that does everything Rube does but with much more programmatic control. You can programmatically generate an MCP URL with the app you need (here Telegram) for even more tool search precision. It's secure and reliable.

How the Tool Router works

The Tool Router follows a three-phase workflow:

  1. Discovery: Searches for tools matching your task and returns relevant toolkits with their details.
  2. Authentication: Checks for active connections. If missing, creates an auth config and returns a connection URL via Auth Link.
  3. Execution: Executes the action using the authenticated connection.

Step-by-step Guide

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:
  • Claude Pro, Max, or API billing enabled Anthropic account
  • Composio API Key
  • A Telegram account
  • Basic knowledge of Python or TypeScript

Install Claude Code

bash
# macOS, Linux, WSL
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

# Windows PowerShell
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

# Windows CMD
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd

To install Claude Code, use one of the following methods based on your operating system:

Set up Claude Code

bash
cd your-project-folder
claude

Open a terminal, go to your project folder, and start Claude Code:

  • Claude Code will open in your terminal
  • Follow the prompts to sign in with your Anthropic account
  • Complete the authentication flow
  • Once authenticated, you can start using Claude Code
Claude Code initial setup showing sign-in prompt
Claude Code terminal after successful login

Set up environment variables

bash
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your_composio_api_key_here
USER_ID=your_user_id_here

Create a .env file in your project root with the following variables:

  • COMPOSIO_API_KEY authenticates with Composio (get it from Composio dashboard)
  • USER_ID identifies the user for session management (use any unique identifier)

Install Composio library

pip install composio-core python-dotenv

Install the Composio Python library to create MCP sessions.

  • composio-core provides the core Composio functionality
  • python-dotenv loads environment variables from your .env file

Generate Composio MCP URL

import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

COMPOSIO_API_KEY = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
USER_ID = os.getenv("USER_ID")

composio_client = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY)

composio_session = composio_client.create(
    user_id=USER_ID,
    toolkits=["telegram"],
)

COMPOSIO_MCP_URL = composio_session.mcp.url

print(f"MCP URL: {COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}")
print(f"\nUse this command to add to Claude Code:")
print(f'claude mcp add --transport http telegram-composio "{COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}" --headers "X-API-Key:{COMPOSIO_API_KEY}"')

Create a script to generate a Composio MCP URL for Telegram. This URL will be used to connect Claude Code to Telegram.

What's happening:

  • We import the Composio client and load environment variables
  • Create a Composio instance with your API key
  • Call create() to create a Tool Router session for Telegram
  • The returned mcp.url is the MCP server URL that Claude Code will use
  • The script prints this URL so you can copy it

Run the script and copy the MCP URL

python generate_mcp_url.py

Run your Python script to generate the MCP URL.

  • The script connects to Composio and creates a Tool Router session
  • It prints the MCP URL and the exact command you need to run
  • Copy the entire claude mcp add command from the output

Add Telegram MCP to Claude Code

bash
claude mcp add --transport http telegram-composio "YOUR_MCP_URL_HERE" --headers "X-API-Key:YOUR_COMPOSIO_API_KEY"

# Then restart Claude Code
exit
claude

In your terminal, add the MCP server using the command from the previous step. The command format is:

  • claude mcp add registers a new MCP server with Claude Code
  • --transport http specifies that this is an HTTP-based MCP server
  • The server name (telegram-composio) is how you'll reference it
  • The URL points to your Composio Tool Router session
  • --headers includes your Composio API key for authentication

After running the command, close the current Claude Code session and start a new one for the changes to take effect.

Verify the installation

bash
claude mcp list

Check that your Telegram MCP server is properly configured.

  • This command lists all MCP servers registered with Claude Code
  • You should see your telegram-composio entry in the list
  • This confirms that Claude Code can now access Telegram tools

If everything is wired up, you should see your telegram-composio entry listed:

Claude Code MCP list showing the toolkit MCP server

Authenticate Telegram

The first time you try to use Telegram tools, you'll be prompted to authenticate.

  • Claude Code will detect that you need to authenticate with Telegram
  • It will show you an authentication link
  • Open the link in your browser (or copy/paste it)
  • Complete the Telegram authorization flow
  • Return to the terminal and start using Telegram through Claude Code

Once authenticated, you can ask Claude Code to perform Telegram operations in natural language. For example:

  • "Send a welcome message to new group members"
  • "Forward latest announcement to all admins"
  • "Get total member count of my group"

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Telegram and Claude Code:

import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

COMPOSIO_API_KEY = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
USER_ID = os.getenv("USER_ID")

composio_client = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY)

composio_session = composio_client.create(
    user_id=USER_ID,
    toolkits=["telegram"],
)

COMPOSIO_MCP_URL = composio_session.mcp.url

print(f"MCP URL: {COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}")
print(f"\nUse this command to add to Claude Code:")
print(f'claude mcp add --transport http telegram-composio "{COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}" --headers "X-API-Key:{COMPOSIO_API_KEY}"')

Conclusion

You've successfully integrated Telegram with Claude Code using Composio's MCP server. Now you can interact with Telegram directly from your terminal using natural language commands.

Key features of this setup:

  • Terminal-native experience without switching contexts
  • Natural language commands for Telegram operations
  • Secure authentication through Composio's managed MCP
  • Tool Router for dynamic tool discovery and execution

Next steps:

  • Try asking Claude Code to perform various Telegram operations
  • Add more toolkits to your Tool Router session for multi-app workflows
  • Integrate this setup into your development workflow for increased productivity

You can extend this by adding more toolkits, implementing custom workflows, or building automation scripts that leverage Claude Code's capabilities.

How to build Telegram MCP Agent with another framework

FAQ

What are the differences in Tool Router MCP and Telegram MCP?

With a standalone Telegram MCP server, the agents and LLMs can only access a fixed set of Telegram tools tied to that server. However, with the Composio Tool Router, agents can dynamically load tools from Telegram and many other apps based on the task at hand, all through a single MCP endpoint.

Can I use Tool Router MCP with Claude Code?

Yes, you can. Claude Code fully supports MCP integration. You get structured tool calling, message history handling, and model orchestration while Tool Router takes care of discovering and serving the right Telegram tools.

Can I manage the permissions and scopes for Telegram while using Tool Router?

Yes, absolutely. You can configure which Telegram scopes and actions are allowed when connecting your account to Composio. You can also bring your own OAuth credentials or API configuration so you keep full control over what the agent can do.

How safe is my data with Composio Tool Router?

All sensitive data such as tokens, keys, and configuration is fully encrypted at rest and in transit. Composio is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and follows strict security practices so your Telegram data and credentials are handled as safely as possible.

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