Connect a Telegram channel
Choose your channel directly in Telegram. Public and private channels connect without looking up a Chat ID.
Sources → your website → Telegram → Settings
Connecting a channel leaves publishing paused. Check your settings, then enable automatic publishing.
What to do
- Prepare your own botOpen the official BotFather. Use /newbot to create a bot, or /mybots → your bot → API Token to get an existing token. You must be an owner or admin in Retteu and an administrator of the Telegram channel.
BotFather ↗ - Check the bot in RetteuAdd Telegram to your source and open its channel settings. Paste the token into “Your bot token” and select “Check bot”. Enter the token only in Retteu; do not send it in a chat.
- Choose the channel in TelegramSelect “Choose channel in Telegram”. In the Retteu helper, select “Choose channel” and pick your channel from the list. If asked, add your own bot as a channel administrator and allow it to post messages.
- Confirm the connectionReturn to Retteu. Check the channel name and bot username, then select “Connect channel”. The Retteu helper is not added to your channel.
- Save your settings and enable publishingThe channel connects with publishing paused. Check the design, language and selection rules, then save them. Enable automatic publishing in the workspace when ready. A previously active channel shows “Resume”.
How connection works
- 1Your bot
A token from BotFather
- 2Channel selection in Telegram
Your admin access and the bot’s posting permission are checked
- 3Confirmation in Retteu
Connected · publishing paused
Check the result
Retteu shows the correct channel and connected bot. Publishing stays paused until you enable it. Eligible new articles are then processed under your saved rules. The latest published post appears in the preview and history.
If the channel will not connect
Missing permissions
Check that you administer the Telegram channel, your bot can post messages, and you are an owner or admin in Retteu. Then select “Check again”.
Connection expired
Start the connection again in Retteu. Existing channels and their settings stay unchanged.
Channel already connected
Open the existing connection in Retteu. You do not need to create another source or connect the same channel again.
If you need manual entry
Settings also offer manual channel entry. Use @username for a public channel. A private channel needs a numeric Chat ID, not a t.me/+… invite link. For a message link such as t.me/c/1234567890/42, the channel ID is -1001234567890; the final 42 is the message number. The main connection flow above does not require these details.