Connect n8n to Telegram

This recipe puts your n8n app behind a Telegram bot. LangBot receives messages from Telegram, runs them through a pipeline, and sends the answer back, so you do not write any platform code.

n8n runs the workflow; LangBot handles the chat platform, sessions and delivery and calls your workflow through a webhook for every message.

What you need

• A running LangBot instance: LangBot Cloud (no server needed) or a self-hosted deployment with Docker or uvx langbot.
• A n8n account or instance that LangBot can reach over the network.
• A bot token from @BotFather (send /newbot and pick a username ending in bot).

Networking

Telegram uses long polling: LangBot only needs outbound access to api.telegram.org. No public webhook URL is required, so a laptop or home server works.

1. Prepare n8n

1. Start the workflow with a Webhook or On chat message trigger. Set Response Mode to Streaming if you want streamed replies.
2. Answer with an AI Agent node (streaming) or a Respond to Webhook node whose response key matches LangBot's output key.
3. Click Active to enable the workflow and copy its production webhook URL.

2. Create a pipeline

Open Pipelines in the LangBot WebUI, create a pipeline (or edit the default one) and set AI as follows. If the runner is not listed, install the official runner plugin from Plugins or the LangBot Space marketplace.

3. Create the Telegram bot

1. Under Bots, create a bot and select the Telegram adapter (the new adapter in LangBot 4.11, not the deprecated legacy one).
2. Paste the token, enable Markdown and streaming if you want them, then enable and save the bot.

4. Bind and test

Open the bot, select the pipeline you created, save and make sure the bot is enabled.

Press Start in a private chat with the bot and send a message. In groups, the message must match the pipeline's trigger rules (for example, mention the bot or reply to it).

Troubleshooting

• Empty replies: the key in Respond to Webhook must match the output key configured in LangBot.
• The test URL only works while the n8n editor is listening; use the production URL of an active workflow.
• Only one running instance may poll a token. If replies are missing, make sure the same bot is not enabled in another LangBot instance or script.
• Check Monitoring in the WebUI: every message, pipeline run and error is recorded there.

FAQ

Do I need a server with a public IP for Telegram?

No. Telegram uses long polling: LangBot only needs outbound access to api.telegram.org. No public webhook URL is required, so a laptop or home server works.

Does the Telegram bot support streaming replies?

Yes. Enable streaming on the bot; the AI back end must also stream. See the platform feature matrix for details.

Can the same n8n setup serve other platforms too?

Yes. A pipeline can be bound to many bots, so one configuration can answer on several platforms at once.

Related guides

• Full Telegram setup guide
• Full n8n runner guide
• Other AI back ends on Telegram: Dify · Coze · Langflow · DeepSeek · OpenAI (ChatGPT models)
• n8n on other platforms: Discord · Slack · Lark (Feishu) · DingTalk · WeCom (internal app) · WeCom Intelligent Bot