Schedule and automate Telegram channel and group posts with Zernio API - Text, images, videos, media albums, silent messages, and bot management

Quick Reference

Property	Value
Text limit	4,096 characters (text messages)
Caption limit	1,024 characters (media captions)
Images per album	10
Videos per album	10
Mixed media	Yes (images + videos in same album)
Image formats	JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP
Image max size	10 MB (auto-compressed)
Video formats	MP4, MOV
Video max size	50 MB (auto-compressed)
Scheduling	Yes
Inbox (DMs)	Yes (add-on, full featured)
Inbox (Comments)	No
Analytics	No (Telegram limitation)

Telegram requires @ZernioScheduleBot to be an administrator in your channel or group with post permissions. This is the number one setup failure. Also: posts in groups show as sent by "ZernioScheduleBot", not by you. In channels, posts show as the channel name.

Additional requirements:

Bot-based integration (not OAuth). Uses @ZernioScheduleBot
The bot must be added as an admin with post permissions before you can publish
Channels: posts appear as the channel name and logo (correct behavior)
Groups: posts appear as "ZernioScheduleBot" (cannot be changed)

Quick Start

Post to a Telegram channel or group:

const { post } = await zernio.posts.createPost({
  content: 'Hello from Zernio API! Check out our latest update.',
  platforms: [
    { platform: 'telegram', accountId: 'YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID' }
  ],
  publishNow: true
});
console.log('Posted to Telegram!', post._id);

result = client.posts.create(
    content="Hello from Zernio API! Check out our latest update.",
    platforms=[
        {"platform": "telegram", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    publish_now=True
)
post = result.post
print(f"Posted to Telegram! {post['_id']}")

curl -X POST https://zernio.com/api/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "Hello from Zernio API! Check out our latest update.",
    "platforms": [
      {"platform": "telegram", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    "publishNow": true
  }'

Content Types

Text Message

Send a formatted text message with HTML, Markdown, or MarkdownV2:

const { post } = await zernio.posts.createPost({
  content: '<b>Important Update!</b>\n\nCheck out our <a href="https://example.com">new feature</a>.',
  platforms: [{
    platform: 'telegram',
    accountId: 'YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID',
    platformSpecificData: {
      parseMode: 'HTML'
    }
  }],
  publishNow: true
});

result = client.posts.create(
    content='<b>Important Update!</b>\n\nCheck out our <a href="https://example.com">new feature</a>.',
    platforms=[{
        "platform": "telegram",
        "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID",
        "platformSpecificData": {
            "parseMode": "HTML"
        }
    }],
    publish_now=True
)

curl -X POST https://zernio.com/api/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "<b>Important Update!</b>\n\nCheck out our <a href=\"https://example.com\">new feature</a>.",
    "platforms": [{
      "platform": "telegram",
      "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID",
      "platformSpecificData": {
        "parseMode": "HTML"
      }
    }],
    "publishNow": true
  }'

Photo Message

Send a single image with an optional caption:

const { post } = await zernio.posts.createPost({
  content: 'Check out this photo!',
  mediaItems: [
    { type: 'image', url: 'https://example.com/image.jpg' }
  ],
  platforms: [
    { platform: 'telegram', accountId: 'YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID' }
  ],
  publishNow: true
});

result = client.posts.create(
    content="Check out this photo!",
    media_items=[
        {"type": "image", "url": "https://example.com/image.jpg"}
    ],
    platforms=[
        {"platform": "telegram", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    publish_now=True
)

curl -X POST https://zernio.com/api/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "Check out this photo!",
    "mediaItems": [
      {"type": "image", "url": "https://example.com/image.jpg"}
    ],
    "platforms": [
      {"platform": "telegram", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    "publishNow": true
  }'

Video Message

Send a single video with an optional caption:

const { post } = await zernio.posts.createPost({
  content: 'Watch our latest video!',
  mediaItems: [
    { type: 'video', url: 'https://example.com/video.mp4' }
  ],
  platforms: [
    { platform: 'telegram', accountId: 'YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID' }
  ],
  publishNow: true
});

result = client.posts.create(
    content="Watch our latest video!",
    media_items=[
        {"type": "video", "url": "https://example.com/video.mp4"}
    ],
    platforms=[
        {"platform": "telegram", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    publish_now=True
)

curl -X POST https://zernio.com/api/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "Watch our latest video!",
    "mediaItems": [
      {"type": "video", "url": "https://example.com/video.mp4"}
    ],
    "platforms": [
      {"platform": "telegram", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    "publishNow": true
  }'

Document Message

Send any file type as a document:

const { post } = await zernio.posts.createPost({
  content: 'Here is the report.',
  mediaItems: [
    { type: 'document', url: 'https://example.com/report.pdf' }
  ],
  platforms: [
    { platform: 'telegram', accountId: 'YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID' }
  ],
  publishNow: true
});

result = client.posts.create(
    content="Here is the report.",
    media_items=[
        {"type": "document", "url": "https://example.com/report.pdf"}
    ],
    platforms=[
        {"platform": "telegram", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    publish_now=True
)

curl -X POST https://zernio.com/api/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "Here is the report.",
    "mediaItems": [
      {"type": "document", "url": "https://example.com/report.pdf"}
    ],
    "platforms": [
      {"platform": "telegram", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    "publishNow": true
  }'

Media Album

Send up to 10 items in a single album. Images and videos can be mixed:

const { post } = await zernio.posts.createPost({
  content: 'Our latest product gallery!',
  mediaItems: [
    { type: 'image', url: 'https://example.com/image1.jpg' },
    { type: 'image', url: 'https://example.com/image2.jpg' },
    { type: 'video', url: 'https://example.com/video.mp4' },
    { type: 'image', url: 'https://example.com/image3.jpg' }
  ],
  platforms: [
    { platform: 'telegram', accountId: 'YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID' }
  ],
  publishNow: true
});

result = client.posts.create(
    content="Our latest product gallery!",
    media_items=[
        {"type": "image", "url": "https://example.com/image1.jpg"},
        {"type": "image", "url": "https://example.com/image2.jpg"},
        {"type": "video", "url": "https://example.com/video.mp4"},
        {"type": "image", "url": "https://example.com/image3.jpg"}
    ],
    platforms=[
        {"platform": "telegram", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    publish_now=True
)

curl -X POST https://zernio.com/api/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "Our latest product gallery!",
    "mediaItems": [
      {"type": "image", "url": "https://example.com/image1.jpg"},
      {"type": "image", "url": "https://example.com/image2.jpg"},
      {"type": "video", "url": "https://example.com/video.mp4"},
      {"type": "image", "url": "https://example.com/image3.jpg"}
    ],
    "platforms": [
      {"platform": "telegram", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    "publishNow": true
  }'

Media Requirements

Images

Property	Requirement
Max per album	10
Formats	JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP
Max file size	10 MB (auto-compressed)
Max resolution	10,000 x 10,000 px

Videos

Property	Requirement
Max per album	10
Formats	MP4, MOV
Max file size	50 MB (auto-compressed)
Max duration	No limit
Codec	H.264 recommended

Platform-Specific Fields

All fields go inside platformSpecificData for the Telegram platform entry:

Field	Type	Default	Description
`parseMode`	string	`"HTML"`	Text formatting mode: `"HTML"`, `"Markdown"`, or `"MarkdownV2"`
`disableWebPagePreview`	boolean	`false`	Prevents link preview generation for URLs in the message
`disableNotification`	boolean	`false`	Sends the message silently (recipients get no notification sound)
`protectContent`	boolean	`false`	Prevents the message from being forwarded or saved by recipients

const { post } = await zernio.posts.createPost({
  content: '<b>Important Update!</b>\n\nCheck out our <a href="https://example.com">new feature</a>.',
  platforms: [{
    platform: 'telegram',
    accountId: 'YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID',
    platformSpecificData: {
      parseMode: 'HTML',
      disableWebPagePreview: false,
      disableNotification: true,
      protectContent: true
    }
  }],
  publishNow: true
});

result = client.posts.create(
    content='<b>Important Update!</b>\n\nCheck out our <a href="https://example.com">new feature</a>.',
    platforms=[{
        "platform": "telegram",
        "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID",
        "platformSpecificData": {
            "parseMode": "HTML",
            "disableWebPagePreview": False,
            "disableNotification": True,
            "protectContent": True
        }
    }],
    publish_now=True
)

curl -X POST https://zernio.com/api/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "<b>Important Update!</b>\n\nCheck out our <a href=\"https://example.com\">new feature</a>.",
    "platforms": [{
      "platform": "telegram",
      "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID",
      "platformSpecificData": {
        "parseMode": "HTML",
        "disableWebPagePreview": false,
        "disableNotification": true,
        "protectContent": true
      }
    }],
    "publishNow": true
  }'

Connection

Zernio provides a managed bot (@ZernioScheduleBot) for Telegram integration. No need to create your own bot -- just add Zernio's bot to your channel or group.

Option 1: Access Code Flow (Recommended)

This is the easiest way to connect a Telegram channel or group.

Step 1: Generate an Access Code

const { code, botUsername, instructions } = await zernio.connect.getConnectUrl({
  platform: 'telegram',
  profileId: 'YOUR_PROFILE_ID'
});
console.log(`Your access code: ${code}`);
console.log(`Bot to message: @${botUsername}`);

result = client.connect.get_connect_url(
    platform="telegram",
    profile_id="YOUR_PROFILE_ID"
)
print(f"Your access code: {result.code}")
print(f"Bot to message: @{result.bot_username}")

curl -X GET "https://zernio.com/api/v1/connect/telegram?profileId=YOUR_PROFILE_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Response:

{
  "code": "ZERNIO-ABC123",
  "expiresAt": "2025-01-15T12:30:00.000Z",
  "expiresIn": 900,
  "botUsername": "ZernioScheduleBot",
  "instructions": [
    "1. Add @ZernioScheduleBot as an administrator in your channel/group",
    "2. Open a private chat with @ZernioScheduleBot",
    "3. Send: ZERNIO-ABC123 @yourchannel (replace @yourchannel with your channel username)",
    "4. Wait for confirmation - the connection will appear in your dashboard",
    "Tip: If your channel has no public username, forward a message from it along with the code"
  ]
}

Step 2: Add the Bot to Your Channel/Group

For Channels:

Go to your channel settings
Add @ZernioScheduleBot as an Administrator
Grant permission to Post Messages

For Groups:

Add @ZernioScheduleBot to the group
Make the bot an Administrator (required for posting)

Step 3: Send the Access Code

Open a private chat with @ZernioScheduleBot
Send your access code with your channel: ZERNIO-ABC123 @yourchannel
For private channels without a username, forward any message from the channel to the bot along with the code

Step 4: Poll for Connection Status

const checkStatus = async (code) => {
  const status = await zernio.connect.checkTelegramConnection({ code });
  return status;
};

const pollConnection = async (code) => {
  while (true) {
    const status = await checkStatus(code);
    if (status.status === 'connected') {
      console.log(`Connected to ${status.chatTitle}!`);
      console.log(`Account ID: ${status.account._id}`);
      return status.account;
    }
    if (status.status === 'expired') {
      throw new Error('Access code expired. Generate a new one.');
    }
    await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 3000));
  }
};

import time

def check_status(code):
    return client.connect.check_telegram_connection(code=code)

def poll_connection(code):
    while True:
        status = check_status(code)
        if status['status'] == 'connected':
            print(f"Connected to {status['chatTitle']}!")
            print(f"Account ID: {status['account']['_id']}")
            return status['account']
        if status['status'] == 'expired':
            raise Exception('Access code expired. Generate a new one.')
        time.sleep(3)

curl -X PATCH "https://zernio.com/api/v1/connect/telegram?code=ZERNIO-ABC123" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Status Response (Pending):

{
  "status": "pending",
  "expiresAt": "2025-01-15T12:30:00.000Z",
  "expiresIn": 542
}

Status Response (Connected):

{
  "status": "connected",
  "chatId": "-1001234567890",
  "chatTitle": "My Channel",
  "chatType": "channel",
  "account": {
    "_id": "64e1f0a9e2b5af0012ab34cd",
    "platform": "telegram",
    "username": "mychannel",
    "displayName": "My Channel"
  }
}

Option 2: Direct Connection (Power Users)

If you already know your chat ID and the Zernio bot is already an administrator in your channel/group:

const { account } = await zernio.connect.connectTelegram({
  profileId: 'YOUR_PROFILE_ID',
  chatId: '-1001234567890'
});
console.log('Connected:', account._id);

result = client.connect.connect_telegram(
    profile_id="YOUR_PROFILE_ID",
    chat_id="-1001234567890"
)
print(f"Connected: {result['account']['_id']}")

curl -X POST https://zernio.com/api/v1/connect/telegram \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "profileId": "YOUR_PROFILE_ID",
    "chatId": "-1001234567890"
  }'

Response:

{
  "message": "Telegram channel connected successfully",
  "account": {
    "_id": "64e1f0a9e2b5af0012ab34cd",
    "platform": "telegram",
    "username": "mychannel",
    "displayName": "My Channel",
    "isActive": true,
    "chatType": "channel"
  }
}

Finding Your Chat ID

For Public Channels:

Use the channel username with @ prefix: @mychannel

For Private Channels:

Forward a message from the channel to @userinfobot
The bot will reply with the numeric chat ID (starts with -100)

For Groups:

Add @userinfobot to your group temporarily
It will display the group's chat ID (negative number)
Remove the bot after getting the ID

Text Formatting

HTML Mode (Default)

<b>bold</b>
<i>italic</i>
<u>underline</u>
<s>strikethrough</s>
<code>inline code</code>
<pre>code block</pre>
<a href="https://example.com">link</a>

Markdown Mode

*bold*
_italic_
[link](https://example.com)
`inline code`

MarkdownV2 Mode

*bold*
_italic_
__underline__
~strikethrough~
||spoiler||
`inline code`

Note: MarkdownV2 requires escaping special characters: _, *, [, ], (, ), ~, `, >, #, +, -, =, |, {, }, ., !

Channel vs Group Posts

Destination	Author Display
Channel	Channel name and logo
Group	Bot name (ZernioScheduleBot)

When posting to a channel, the post appears as if sent by the channel itself. When posting to a group, the post shows as sent by the Zernio bot.

Analytics

Telegram does not provide analytics through its Bot API. View counts for channel posts are only visible within the Telegram app. For messaging metrics, use Telegram's native channel statistics (available for channels with 500+ subscribers).

What You Can't Do

Create polls or quizzes via Zernio
Schedule messages natively through Telegram (use Zernio scheduling instead)
Manage channel administrators
See message analytics (Telegram platform limitation)
Pin messages
Create channel invite links

Common Errors

Error	Cause	Fix
"Bot is not a member of the channel"	`@ZernioScheduleBot` is not added to the channel/group or is not an admin	Add the bot as an administrator and grant post permissions
"Message is too long"	Text exceeds 4,096 characters or caption exceeds 1,024 characters	Shorten the content or split into multiple messages
"Wrong file identifier/HTTP URL specified"	Media URL is inaccessible, uses HTTP, or redirects	Use a direct HTTPS URL that is publicly accessible with no redirects
"Can't parse entities"	Invalid HTML/Markdown syntax or unescaped special characters	Check tag closure in HTML mode; escape special characters in MarkdownV2
Media not displaying	Unsupported format or file exceeds size limit	Verify format is supported and size is within limits (10 MB images, 50 MB videos)
"Access code expired"	Code was not used within 15 minutes	Generate a new access code with `GET /v1/connect/telegram`

Inbox

Requires Inbox add-on — Build: +$10/mo · Accelerate: +$50/unit · Unlimited: +$1,000/mo

Telegram supports DMs with full attachment support.

Direct Messages

Feature	Supported
List conversations	Yes
Fetch messages	Yes
Send text messages	Yes
Send attachments	Yes (images, videos, documents)
Edit messages	Yes (text and inline keyboard)
Inline keyboards	Yes (buttons with callback data or URLs)
Reply keyboards	Yes (one-time custom keyboards)
Reply to message	Yes (via `replyTo` message ID)
Archive/unarchive	Yes

Attachment Support

Type	Supported	Max Size
Images	Yes	10 MB
Videos	Yes	50 MB
Documents	Yes	50 MB

Bot Commands

Manage the bot command menu shown in Telegram chats. Commands appear in the "/" menu when users interact with the bot.

See Account Settings for the GET/PUT/DELETE /v1/accounts/{accountId}/telegram-commands endpoints.

Webhooks

Subscribe to message.received to get notified when new DMs arrive. Messages are stored locally via webhooks.

Notes

Bot-based - Uses bot tokens, not OAuth
Messages are stored locally when received via webhooks
Incoming callback data from inline keyboard taps is available in message metadata.callbackData

See Messages API Reference for endpoint details.

Connect Telegram Account - Access code connection flow
Create Post - Post creation and scheduling
Upload Media - Image and video uploads
Messages - Inbox conversations and DMs
Account Settings - Bot commands configuration

Quick Reference

Property	Value
Text limit	4,096 characters (text messages)
Caption limit	1,024 characters (media captions)
Images per album	10
Videos per album	10
Mixed media	Yes (images + videos in same album)
Image formats	JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP
Image max size	10 MB (auto-compressed)
Video formats	MP4, MOV
Video max size	50 MB (auto-compressed)
Scheduling	Yes
Inbox (DMs)	Yes (add-on, full featured)
Inbox (Comments)	No
Analytics	No (Telegram limitation)

Before You Start

Additional requirements:

Bot-based integration (not OAuth). Uses @ZernioScheduleBot
The bot must be added as an admin with post permissions before you can publish
Channels: posts appear as the channel name and logo (correct behavior)
Groups: posts appear as "ZernioScheduleBot" (cannot be changed)

Quick Start

Post to a Telegram channel or group:

const { post } = await zernio.posts.createPost({
  content: 'Hello from Zernio API! Check out our latest update.',
  platforms: [
    { platform: 'telegram', accountId: 'YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID' }
  ],
  publishNow: true
});
console.log('Posted to Telegram!', post._id);

result = client.posts.create(
    content="Hello from Zernio API! Check out our latest update.",
    platforms=[
        {"platform": "telegram", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    publish_now=True
)
post = result.post
print(f"Posted to Telegram! {post['_id']}")

curl -X POST https://zernio.com/api/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "Hello from Zernio API! Check out our latest update.",
    "platforms": [
      {"platform": "telegram", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    "publishNow": true
  }'

Content Types

Text Message

Send a formatted text message with HTML, Markdown, or MarkdownV2:

const { post } = await zernio.posts.createPost({
  content: '<b>Important Update!</b>\n\nCheck out our <a href="https://example.com">new feature</a>.',
  platforms: [{
    platform: 'telegram',
    accountId: 'YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID',
    platformSpecificData: {
      parseMode: 'HTML'
    }
  }],
  publishNow: true
});

result = client.posts.create(
    content='<b>Important Update!</b>\n\nCheck out our <a href="https://example.com">new feature</a>.',
    platforms=[{
        "platform": "telegram",
        "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID",
        "platformSpecificData": {
            "parseMode": "HTML"
        }
    }],
    publish_now=True
)

curl -X POST https://zernio.com/api/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "<b>Important Update!</b>\n\nCheck out our <a href=\"https://example.com\">new feature</a>.",
    "platforms": [{
      "platform": "telegram",
      "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID",
      "platformSpecificData": {
        "parseMode": "HTML"
      }
    }],
    "publishNow": true
  }'

Photo Message

Send a single image with an optional caption:

const { post } = await zernio.posts.createPost({
  content: 'Check out this photo!',
  mediaItems: [
    { type: 'image', url: 'https://example.com/image.jpg' }
  ],
  platforms: [
    { platform: 'telegram', accountId: 'YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID' }
  ],
  publishNow: true
});

result = client.posts.create(
    content="Check out this photo!",
    media_items=[
        {"type": "image", "url": "https://example.com/image.jpg"}
    ],
    platforms=[
        {"platform": "telegram", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    publish_now=True
)

curl -X POST https://zernio.com/api/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "Check out this photo!",
    "mediaItems": [
      {"type": "image", "url": "https://example.com/image.jpg"}
    ],
    "platforms": [
      {"platform": "telegram", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    "publishNow": true
  }'

Video Message

Send a single video with an optional caption:

const { post } = await zernio.posts.createPost({
  content: 'Watch our latest video!',
  mediaItems: [
    { type: 'video', url: 'https://example.com/video.mp4' }
  ],
  platforms: [
    { platform: 'telegram', accountId: 'YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID' }
  ],
  publishNow: true
});

result = client.posts.create(
    content="Watch our latest video!",
    media_items=[
        {"type": "video", "url": "https://example.com/video.mp4"}
    ],
    platforms=[
        {"platform": "telegram", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    publish_now=True
)

curl -X POST https://zernio.com/api/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "Watch our latest video!",
    "mediaItems": [
      {"type": "video", "url": "https://example.com/video.mp4"}
    ],
    "platforms": [
      {"platform": "telegram", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    "publishNow": true
  }'

Document Message

Send any file type as a document:

const { post } = await zernio.posts.createPost({
  content: 'Here is the report.',
  mediaItems: [
    { type: 'document', url: 'https://example.com/report.pdf' }
  ],
  platforms: [
    { platform: 'telegram', accountId: 'YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID' }
  ],
  publishNow: true
});

result = client.posts.create(
    content="Here is the report.",
    media_items=[
        {"type": "document", "url": "https://example.com/report.pdf"}
    ],
    platforms=[
        {"platform": "telegram", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    publish_now=True
)

curl -X POST https://zernio.com/api/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "Here is the report.",
    "mediaItems": [
      {"type": "document", "url": "https://example.com/report.pdf"}
    ],
    "platforms": [
      {"platform": "telegram", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    "publishNow": true
  }'

Media Album

Send up to 10 items in a single album. Images and videos can be mixed:

const { post } = await zernio.posts.createPost({
  content: 'Our latest product gallery!',
  mediaItems: [
    { type: 'image', url: 'https://example.com/image1.jpg' },
    { type: 'image', url: 'https://example.com/image2.jpg' },
    { type: 'video', url: 'https://example.com/video.mp4' },
    { type: 'image', url: 'https://example.com/image3.jpg' }
  ],
  platforms: [
    { platform: 'telegram', accountId: 'YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID' }
  ],
  publishNow: true
});

result = client.posts.create(
    content="Our latest product gallery!",
    media_items=[
        {"type": "image", "url": "https://example.com/image1.jpg"},
        {"type": "image", "url": "https://example.com/image2.jpg"},
        {"type": "video", "url": "https://example.com/video.mp4"},
        {"type": "image", "url": "https://example.com/image3.jpg"}
    ],
    platforms=[
        {"platform": "telegram", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    publish_now=True
)

curl -X POST https://zernio.com/api/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "Our latest product gallery!",
    "mediaItems": [
      {"type": "image", "url": "https://example.com/image1.jpg"},
      {"type": "image", "url": "https://example.com/image2.jpg"},
      {"type": "video", "url": "https://example.com/video.mp4"},
      {"type": "image", "url": "https://example.com/image3.jpg"}
    ],
    "platforms": [
      {"platform": "telegram", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    "publishNow": true
  }'

Media Requirements

Images

Property	Requirement
Max per album	10
Formats	JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP
Max file size	10 MB (auto-compressed)
Max resolution	10,000 x 10,000 px

Videos

Property	Requirement
Max per album	10
Formats	MP4, MOV
Max file size	50 MB (auto-compressed)
Max duration	No limit
Codec	H.264 recommended

Platform-Specific Fields

All fields go inside platformSpecificData for the Telegram platform entry:

Field	Type	Default	Description
`parseMode`	string	`"HTML"`	Text formatting mode: `"HTML"`, `"Markdown"`, or `"MarkdownV2"`
`disableWebPagePreview`	boolean	`false`	Prevents link preview generation for URLs in the message
`disableNotification`	boolean	`false`	Sends the message silently (recipients get no notification sound)
`protectContent`	boolean	`false`	Prevents the message from being forwarded or saved by recipients

const { post } = await zernio.posts.createPost({
  content: '<b>Important Update!</b>\n\nCheck out our <a href="https://example.com">new feature</a>.',
  platforms: [{
    platform: 'telegram',
    accountId: 'YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID',
    platformSpecificData: {
      parseMode: 'HTML',
      disableWebPagePreview: false,
      disableNotification: true,
      protectContent: true
    }
  }],
  publishNow: true
});

result = client.posts.create(
    content='<b>Important Update!</b>\n\nCheck out our <a href="https://example.com">new feature</a>.',
    platforms=[{
        "platform": "telegram",
        "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID",
        "platformSpecificData": {
            "parseMode": "HTML",
            "disableWebPagePreview": False,
            "disableNotification": True,
            "protectContent": True
        }
    }],
    publish_now=True
)

curl -X POST https://zernio.com/api/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "<b>Important Update!</b>\n\nCheck out our <a href=\"https://example.com\">new feature</a>.",
    "platforms": [{
      "platform": "telegram",
      "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID",
      "platformSpecificData": {
        "parseMode": "HTML",
        "disableWebPagePreview": false,
        "disableNotification": true,
        "protectContent": true
      }
    }],
    "publishNow": true
  }'

Connection

Zernio provides a managed bot (@ZernioScheduleBot) for Telegram integration. No need to create your own bot -- just add Zernio's bot to your channel or group.

Option 1: Access Code Flow (Recommended)

This is the easiest way to connect a Telegram channel or group.

Step 1: Generate an Access Code

const { code, botUsername, instructions } = await zernio.connect.getConnectUrl({
  platform: 'telegram',
  profileId: 'YOUR_PROFILE_ID'
});
console.log(`Your access code: ${code}`);
console.log(`Bot to message: @${botUsername}`);

result = client.connect.get_connect_url(
    platform="telegram",
    profile_id="YOUR_PROFILE_ID"
)
print(f"Your access code: {result.code}")
print(f"Bot to message: @{result.bot_username}")

curl -X GET "https://zernio.com/api/v1/connect/telegram?profileId=YOUR_PROFILE_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Response:

{
  "code": "ZERNIO-ABC123",
  "expiresAt": "2025-01-15T12:30:00.000Z",
  "expiresIn": 900,
  "botUsername": "ZernioScheduleBot",
  "instructions": [
    "1. Add @ZernioScheduleBot as an administrator in your channel/group",
    "2. Open a private chat with @ZernioScheduleBot",
    "3. Send: ZERNIO-ABC123 @yourchannel (replace @yourchannel with your channel username)",
    "4. Wait for confirmation - the connection will appear in your dashboard",
    "Tip: If your channel has no public username, forward a message from it along with the code"
  ]
}

Step 2: Add the Bot to Your Channel/Group

For Channels:

Go to your channel settings
Add @ZernioScheduleBot as an Administrator
Grant permission to Post Messages

For Groups:

Add @ZernioScheduleBot to the group
Make the bot an Administrator (required for posting)

Step 3: Send the Access Code

Open a private chat with @ZernioScheduleBot
Send your access code with your channel: ZERNIO-ABC123 @yourchannel
For private channels without a username, forward any message from the channel to the bot along with the code

Step 4: Poll for Connection Status

const checkStatus = async (code) => {
  const status = await zernio.connect.checkTelegramConnection({ code });
  return status;
};

const pollConnection = async (code) => {
  while (true) {
    const status = await checkStatus(code);
    if (status.status === 'connected') {
      console.log(`Connected to ${status.chatTitle}!`);
      console.log(`Account ID: ${status.account._id}`);
      return status.account;
    }
    if (status.status === 'expired') {
      throw new Error('Access code expired. Generate a new one.');
    }
    await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 3000));
  }
};

import time

def check_status(code):
    return client.connect.check_telegram_connection(code=code)

def poll_connection(code):
    while True:
        status = check_status(code)
        if status['status'] == 'connected':
            print(f"Connected to {status['chatTitle']}!")
            print(f"Account ID: {status['account']['_id']}")
            return status['account']
        if status['status'] == 'expired':
            raise Exception('Access code expired. Generate a new one.')
        time.sleep(3)

curl -X PATCH "https://zernio.com/api/v1/connect/telegram?code=ZERNIO-ABC123" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Status Response (Pending):

{
  "status": "pending",
  "expiresAt": "2025-01-15T12:30:00.000Z",
  "expiresIn": 542
}

Status Response (Connected):

{
  "status": "connected",
  "chatId": "-1001234567890",
  "chatTitle": "My Channel",
  "chatType": "channel",
  "account": {
    "_id": "64e1f0a9e2b5af0012ab34cd",
    "platform": "telegram",
    "username": "mychannel",
    "displayName": "My Channel"
  }
}

Option 2: Direct Connection (Power Users)

If you already know your chat ID and the Zernio bot is already an administrator in your channel/group:

const { account } = await zernio.connect.connectTelegram({
  profileId: 'YOUR_PROFILE_ID',
  chatId: '-1001234567890'
});
console.log('Connected:', account._id);

result = client.connect.connect_telegram(
    profile_id="YOUR_PROFILE_ID",
    chat_id="-1001234567890"
)
print(f"Connected: {result['account']['_id']}")

curl -X POST https://zernio.com/api/v1/connect/telegram \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "profileId": "YOUR_PROFILE_ID",
    "chatId": "-1001234567890"
  }'

Response:

{
  "message": "Telegram channel connected successfully",
  "account": {
    "_id": "64e1f0a9e2b5af0012ab34cd",
    "platform": "telegram",
    "username": "mychannel",
    "displayName": "My Channel",
    "isActive": true,
    "chatType": "channel"
  }
}

Finding Your Chat ID

For Public Channels:

Use the channel username with @ prefix: @mychannel

For Private Channels:

Forward a message from the channel to @userinfobot
The bot will reply with the numeric chat ID (starts with -100)

For Groups:

Add @userinfobot to your group temporarily
It will display the group's chat ID (negative number)
Remove the bot after getting the ID

Text Formatting

HTML Mode (Default)

<b>bold</b>
<i>italic</i>
<u>underline</u>
<s>strikethrough</s>
<code>inline code</code>
<pre>code block</pre>
<a href="https://example.com">link</a>

Markdown Mode

*bold*
_italic_
[link](https://example.com)
`inline code`

MarkdownV2 Mode

*bold*
_italic_
__underline__
~strikethrough~
||spoiler||
`inline code`

Note: MarkdownV2 requires escaping special characters: _, *, [, ], (, ), ~, `, >, #, +, -, =, |, {, }, ., !

Channel vs Group Posts

Destination	Author Display
Channel	Channel name and logo
Group	Bot name (ZernioScheduleBot)

When posting to a channel, the post appears as if sent by the channel itself. When posting to a group, the post shows as sent by the Zernio bot.

Analytics

What You Can't Do

Create polls or quizzes via Zernio
Schedule messages natively through Telegram (use Zernio scheduling instead)
Manage channel administrators
See message analytics (Telegram platform limitation)
Pin messages
Create channel invite links

Common Errors

Error	Cause	Fix
"Bot is not a member of the channel"	`@ZernioScheduleBot` is not added to the channel/group or is not an admin	Add the bot as an administrator and grant post permissions
"Message is too long"	Text exceeds 4,096 characters or caption exceeds 1,024 characters	Shorten the content or split into multiple messages
"Wrong file identifier/HTTP URL specified"	Media URL is inaccessible, uses HTTP, or redirects	Use a direct HTTPS URL that is publicly accessible with no redirects
"Can't parse entities"	Invalid HTML/Markdown syntax or unescaped special characters	Check tag closure in HTML mode; escape special characters in MarkdownV2
Media not displaying	Unsupported format or file exceeds size limit	Verify format is supported and size is within limits (10 MB images, 50 MB videos)
"Access code expired"	Code was not used within 15 minutes	Generate a new access code with `GET /v1/connect/telegram`

Inbox

Requires Inbox add-on — Build: +$10/mo · Accelerate: +$50/unit · Unlimited: +$1,000/mo

Telegram supports DMs with full attachment support.

Direct Messages

Feature	Supported
List conversations	Yes
Fetch messages	Yes
Send text messages	Yes
Send attachments	Yes (images, videos, documents)
Edit messages	Yes (text and inline keyboard)
Inline keyboards	Yes (buttons with callback data or URLs)
Reply keyboards	Yes (one-time custom keyboards)
Reply to message	Yes (via `replyTo` message ID)
Archive/unarchive	Yes

Attachment Support

Type	Supported	Max Size
Images	Yes	10 MB
Videos	Yes	50 MB
Documents	Yes	50 MB

Bot-based - Uses bot tokens, not OAuth
Messages are stored locally when received via webhooks
Incoming callback data from inline keyboard taps is available in message metadata.callbackData

See Messages API Reference for endpoint details.

Connect Telegram Account - Access code connection flow
Create Post - Post creation and scheduling
Upload Media - Image and video uploads
Messages - Inbox conversations and DMs
Account Settings - Bot commands configuration

Telegram API

On this page

Telegram API

On this page