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Zexa connects to the Telegram Bot API so you can programmatically send messages to individual users or broadcast updates to Telegram channels. Once your bot is connected, sending a message is as simple as a single API call — no polling or webhook management required on your end.

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Setup

Connect your Telegram bot to Zexa by following these steps:
1

Create a bot via @BotFather

Open Telegram and start a conversation with @BotFather. Use the /newbot command, follow the prompts to name your bot, and copy the bot token that BotFather provides.
2

Open Telegram settings in Zexa

Log in to the Zexa dashboard and navigate to Channels > Telegram.
3

Paste your bot token

Enter the bot token you copied from BotFather and click Save. Zexa will verify the token and activate the connection.
4

Have users start a conversation

Before you can message a user, they must first initiate a conversation with your bot on Telegram (or subscribe to your channel). This gives your bot permission to send them messages and provides you with their chat ID.
You cannot send messages to a Telegram user who has not previously interacted with your bot. This is a Telegram platform restriction, not a Zexa limitation.

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Send a Telegram message via API

Send a POST request to /messages with "channel": "telegram" to deliver a message via your connected bot. 
curl --request POST \
  --url https://api.zexa.ao/v1/messages \
  --header 'Authorization: Bearer <api_key>' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{
    "channel": "telegram",
    "to": "CHAT_ID",
    "from": "my_bot",
    "body": "Your delivery is on its way!"
  }'
A successful request returns a 201 response with the message object: 
{
  "id": "msg_tg8834",
  "status": "queued",
  "channel": "telegram",
  "to": "CHAT_ID",
  "created_at": "2026-06-24T10:10:00Z"
}
The to field for Telegram is the recipient’s chat ID, not a phone number. You can capture the chat ID automatically by handling the first incoming message from a user via a Zexa inbound webhook.

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Supported message formats

Zexa supports the following content types when sending Telegram messages through the API:
  • Plain text — standard unformatted message content.
  • Markdown formatting — use **bold**, _italic_, and `inline code` syntax to style your messages. Telegram renders these natively.
  • Links — include URLs directly in the message body; Telegram auto-previews them by default.
For richer content such as images, files, or inline buttons, refer to the Zexa API documentation.

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Next steps

Webhooks

Receive incoming Telegram messages and capture chat IDs automatically with Zexa webhooks.

Campaigns

Broadcast messages to large subscriber lists across Telegram and other channels with scheduling and reporting.