# Connect Telegram to SetLuca

Create a Telegram bot, paste one token, and SetLuca replies to every DM the way you write. Setup takes about a minute, and auto-send is on by default.

> About a minute from start to first reply.

## What SetLuca does on Telegram

It can:

- Read the direct messages people send your bot
- Write a reply to every one of them, the way you write
- Send it on its own with auto-send, which is on by default, or hold it for your approval when you switch Telegram to review
- Read the photos and documents a lead sends

It cannot:

- Message anyone who has not written to your bot first
- Read your personal Telegram account or any group you are in
- Post, forward, or add anyone to a channel

## Before you start

About a minute, once you have these.

- A Telegram account on your phone or desktop
- A name and a username for the bot; the username has to end in 'bot'

## The steps

1. **Open BotFather.** In Telegram, search for @BotFather and start a chat with it. BotFather is Telegram's own bot for making bots.
2. **Create the bot.** Send /newbot. BotFather asks for a display name (what leads see, so use your business name) and then a username ending in bot, for example lucasetter_bot.
3. **Copy the token.** BotFather replies with a token that looks like 123456789:AAF-long-string. That whole line is the token. Treat it like a password.
4. **Paste it into SetLuca.** In SetLuca, go to the Connect a channel step (or Settings -> Channels), pick Telegram, and paste the token. SetLuca checks it with Telegram and registers the webhook for you.
5. **Send yourself a test DM.** Open your new bot in Telegram and send it a message the way a lead would. It shows up in SetLuca, and the reply goes out within seconds. Switch Telegram to review if you want to approve each reply first.

## What it costs

Telegram charges nothing for bots. No per-message fee, no volume tier, no billing account to set up.

See every [SetLuca plan](/pricing) and its limits.

## If something goes wrong

### Why does SetLuca say the token was rejected?

SetLuca checks the token with Telegram before connecting, and Telegram turned it down. Copy it again from your chat with BotFather and paste the whole line, including the digits before the colon. A trailing space is the usual culprit. If you generated a new token with /revoke, only the newest one works.

### Why does SetLuca say the bot is already connected somewhere else?

A bot can belong to one SetLuca workspace at a time, so SetLuca will not take over a bot another workspace already uses. Create a fresh bot instead: send /newbot to BotFather, give it the display name leads will see and a username ending in bot, then paste the new token into SetLuca.

### The bot is connected, so why does nothing arrive?

Telegram does not always deliver a bot the messages you send it from the account that owns it, so a test from your own account can look like a failure. Message the bot from a second Telegram account, the way a lead would. It shows up in SetLuca, and the reply goes out within seconds.

Still stuck? Email support@setluca.com and tell us which step you are on.

## What connecting gives us

- SetLuca never posts, follows, or comments. It reads DMs and replies to them.
- Every reply is written the way you write and passes a critic check first. Auto-send is on by default; switch a channel to review to approve each reply before it goes out.
- Your DMs stay inside SetLuca. Never sold, never shared with other customers, never used to train outside models.
- Disconnect any time from Settings -> Channels. Access ends the moment you do.

Auto-send is on by default. Switch any channel to review and its replies wait for your approval. More on account protection: [Trust and account safety](/trust).