Send or forward messages from Telegram

You need a connected interface, a dedicated Telegram bot, and your numeric user ID.

1. Create a dedicated bot with @BotFather: send /newbot, follow the prompts, and retain its token.

2. Obtain your own numeric user ID using Telegram Desktop's data export. Open Settings → Advanced → Export Telegram data, include personal information, and choose JSON. Use personal_information.user_id, not your @username or the bot's ID. Telegram may require another-device confirmation or a waiting period.

3. Prepare the Extension: inkcre/telegram version 0.3.2 on Core Host SDK 0.3.x. Follow the Registry-to-Web installation steps, then use Enable… on the installed Extension to select your online Core Peer.

4. Open Sources and the create-source form. Enter Nickname My Telegram inbox and choose Type extensions.telegram.source.Source. In the Form tab, enter the bot token and your numeric user ID. Leave Download attachments off for the first run, then create the Source.

5. Send a distinctive private message to the bot, then collect once. Saved messages receive a 👍 reaction. Index and search for the text.

6. Schedule collection; */5 * * * * polls every five minutes while Core runs.

Use one bot per Source. This is an inbox, not group/channel history import or a notification destination. Attachments remain metadata-only unless download_attachments is enabled. Telegram retains updates for a limited time; keep another copy if your instance sleeps.

Start with a working instance and a connected CLI. The version below targets Core Host SDK 0.3.x; check the linked release listing for other Host versions. If already installed, inspect inkcre-cli extension get inkcre/telegram before changing it. Keep credential files and command output private.

1. Create a dedicated bot with @BotFather: send /newbot, follow its naming prompts, and retain the token. Obtain your own numeric user ID using Telegram Desktop's data export: open Settings → Advanced → Export Telegram data, include personal information, and choose JSON format. In the exported JSON, use personal_information.user_id, not your @username or the bot's ID. Telegram may require confirmation from another device or a waiting period.

2. Install and enable the Core Extension:

   inkcre-cli extension install inkcre/telegram --version 0.3.2
   inkcre-cli extension enable inkcre/telegram

3. Save telegram.json, replacing the token and example user ID:

   {
     "nickname": "My Telegram inbox",
     "config": {
       "bot_token": "YOUR-BOT-TOKEN",
       "bound_user_id": 123456789,
       "download_attachments": false
     }
   }

   inkcre-cli source create --type extensions.telegram.source.Source --input telegram.json

4. Send a distinctive text message in a private chat with the bot, then collect the Source ID. Successfully saved messages receive a 👍 reaction. After indexing, search for its text.

5. Add a schedule to forward messages without running the CLI each time. */5 * * * * polls every five minutes while Core is awake. Telegram retains updates for a limited time, so a long-sleeping instance should not be your only copy.

Use one bot for one Source. This is a capture inbox, not group/channel history import or a notification destination. Attachments are metadata-only in this example; enable download_attachments when you want their bytes saved too. See the Telegram collector and published releases.

Next: index and search for a known item, then schedule collection.