Better-TG-CLI: frequently asked questions
Better-TG-CLI is an open-source Telegram CLI and MCP server that AI agents use on your own account. These are the questions people ask most.
What is Better-TG-CLI?
An unofficial, open-source (MIT) Telegram client for your own account, made for AI agents. It is a CLI (telegram, about 60 commands), an MCP server (telegram mcp) and an agent skill for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Claude Desktop and Gemini CLI. It speaks MTProto, Telegram’s own client protocol, at the current API layer.
Is it a Telegram bot?
No. It logs in as you, like Telegram Desktop, and sees exactly what you see. A bot cannot read your chats; this can.
Will Telegram ban my account?
Using your own account from a third-party client is allowed by the Telegram API terms. What gets accounts limited is behaviour that looks like a bot: bulk messaging, mass joins or invites, spam, and new accounts doing a lot at once. Use it the way you would use Telegram yourself; the skill tells agents to avoid these patterns.
Can an agent send messages on its own?
Not by design. After login the profile is in mode ask: before each write the agent shows you the exact action and runs it only after your yes. telegram write-access off makes it read-only. This relies on the agent following its instructions: an agent with a shell on your user account could read the session and act as you.
Do I need my own Telegram API keys?
No. Get a free login key at better-tg-cli.com/login (one email, up to 3 computers), or create your own keys at my.telegram.org and run telegram auth.
Where is my session stored, and who sees my messages?
The session is kept in the macOS Keychain, the Linux Secret Service, Windows DPAPI or 1Password. The CLI talks to Telegram directly and has no analytics. Whatever your agent reads is also seen by the company behind that agent.
Does reading mark messages as read?
No. read, inbox and search leave chats unread; only telegram mark-read marks them.
Can it read channel comments, threads and forum topics, and press bot buttons?
Yes: telegram read --thread opens the replies or comments under a post, telegram topics lists forum topics and telegram read --topic reads one, and telegram click presses buttons in bot messages.
Does it work on Windows?
Yes, experimentally: scoop install better-tg-cli or npm. Secrets are stored with Windows DPAPI.
Can I use it from ChatGPT, Grok Bot or another cloud agent?
Cloud agents cannot start a program on your computer, so run the MCP server over HTTP (telegram mcp --http) with a bearer token and reach it through a tunnel.