FAQ & troubleshooting

Frequently asked questions

Where do I get a bot token?

Message @BotFather on Telegram, send /newbot, and follow the prompts. BotFather replies with the token — paste it into the plugin and it's validated on save.

How do I find my chat ID?

You don't have to. Add your bot to the chat (for channels: as an administrator), send any message there, then use Detect chats — the plugin lists every chat the bot has recently seen. See Bots & chats for details.

Can one form notify several chats?

Yes. A connection accepts any number of chats, and you can create any number of connections per form. See Connections & routing.

Does it work with supergroup topics (threads)?

Yes — set the optional thread ID on the chat and messages land in that specific topic.

Does it change how CF7 sends email?

No. Telegram delivery runs in addition to normal CF7 mail and never interrupts it. If Telegram is unreachable, your form and its email flow are unaffected.

Troubleshooting

Messages aren't arriving

Check the activity log on the dashboard first — it records every attempt with the exact error Telegram returned. Common causes:

  • The bot isn't in the chat (or was removed). Re-add it; for channels it must be an administrator with posting rights.
  • Private chat never started. For a private chat, you must press Start in the bot conversation once — bots can't message a user first.
  • The connection is disabled or points at a deleted bot or chat.
  • Wrong thread ID on a supergroup topic — the message is rejected or lands in the general topic.

If the log shows no entries at all for a submission, no enabled connection matched that form.

"Detect chats" doesn't show my chat

Telegram only exposes recent updates. Send a fresh message in the target chat, then detect again. For channels, make sure the bot is an administrator.

HTML shows up as raw tags

The template's parse mode is set to plain text. Switch it to HTML — and use only the tags Telegram supports.

Privacy & external services

The plugin talks to exactly one external service: the Telegram Bot API (api.telegram.org). Data is sent only when:

  • a form is submitted and an active connection routes it to a bot — the rendered message (form field values plus whatever special tags your template uses, such as page URL or submitter IP) goes to the configured chats;
  • you save a bot in the admin — the token is sent for validation;
  • you explicitly trigger an admin action — detecting chats or sending a test message.

Nothing is sent without a configured bot and an active connection or an explicit admin action. Telegram's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy apply to data handled by Telegram.