Skip to main content

Message your computer from Telegram

You're out, and you want to know whether the build you kicked off actually passed, without opening a laptop or even a browser tab. So you text your computer like it's a person:

did the build in ~/code/api finish? paste the last few lines if it failed

and it answers, because "it" is the full agent running in that workspace.

You need: the quickstart done, an AI model connected, and five minutes for the bot. No tunnel or public URL; Telegram long-polls outward. (Discord, Slack, and Signal work the same way; WhatsApp needs a public webhook. See messaging bots for those.)

The walkthrough​

  1. Create the bot. Message @BotFather on Telegram, send /newbot, name it, and copy the token.

  2. Add it to Computer. In Settings → Admin → Bots, create a bot, choose Telegram, paste the token, and hit Verify.

  3. Lock it to you. Put your numeric Telegram user ID in Allowed senders (a bot like @userinfobot tells you your ID). This is the step people skip and shouldn't: an empty list answers anyone who finds the bot, and bot messages run with full tool approval.

  4. Pick its home. Select the workspace and model the bot starts in, then start it.

  5. Talk to it. Ask the build question. You'll see the reply stream in as the agent works: tool activity lines first, then the answer. Useful commands mid-conversation:

    • /workspace api to switch projects
    • /new for a fresh chat, /stop to cancel a runaway task
    • /model to switch models on the fly

  6. Pick it up later in the browser. Every bot conversation is a real chat in that workspace; it's in the sidebar when you're back at a screen, with the full history.

What makes this work​

The bot isn't a notification shim; it's the same agent loop the web chat uses, with file, terminal, and tool access in the workspace you chose. That's also why the allowed-senders list is non-negotiable, and why a bot pinned to one scoped workspace beats one pointed at your home directory. Ask it read-only questions from the street; save the destructive stuff for when you can see a diff.

Go deeper: Messaging bots · Notifications · Security model

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a warranty, guarantee, or contractual commitment. Open WebUI is provided "as is." See your license for applicable terms.