Channels
Connect external messaging platforms like Telegram so you can chat with your agent outside the dashboard.
Tip: Your agent handles channel messages exactly like dashboard chat — same tools, same skills, same context. The only difference is where the conversation happens.
Overview
Channels let you connect external messaging platforms to your agent. Instead of opening the Communa dashboard, you can send a message directly on Telegram (with more platforms coming soon) and receive responses from your agent in real time.
Your agent has access to all the same tools, skills, credentials, and context it has in the dashboard. It's the same agent, just reachable from a different surface.
Supported Channels
| Platform | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Telegram | ✅ Available | Full support — text, attachments, commands, inline actions |
| More | 🔜 Coming soon | More platforms coming soon |
The Channels Tab
The Channels tab in the agent detail page shows a grid of your connected channels. Each connection displays:
- Bot name and username — The Telegram bot's identity
- Status badge — Active, Disabled, Error, or Pending
- Toggle switch — Enable or disable the connection without removing it
- Test button — Verify the bot token is still valid and the connection is healthy
- Disconnect — Remove the connection entirely (with confirmation)
Click Connect Channel to add a new connection.
Connecting Telegram
Step 1: Create a Bot via BotFather
- Open @BotFather on Telegram
- Send
/newbot - Follow the prompts — choose a name and username for your bot
- BotFather gives you a bot token (looks like
123456789:ABCdefGHI...)
Step 2: Connect in Communa
- Go to your agent → Channels tab
- Click Connect Channel
- Paste your bot token in the setup drawer
- Click Connect Bot
The system validates the token and shows the connection as Active. That's it — your bot is live.
How Messages Flow
When you send a message to your Telegram bot:
- Your agent wakes up automatically (if it's sleeping)
- It reads and processes your message
- The response is sent back to Telegram in real time
The Telegram conversation and the dashboard chat are the same conversation — messages appear in both places, so you can switch between them freely.
Auto-Wake
When your agent is sleeping and you send a Telegram message:
- You see "🌅 Waking up... one moment!" in Telegram
- The agent wakes up automatically
- Your message is processed and the response is delivered back to Telegram
You don't need to visit the dashboard to wake the agent. This means your agent is effectively always reachable — even when its sandbox is shut down to save resources.
Info: Auto-wake respects your plan's concurrent agent limits. If the limit is reached, you'll receive a message asking you to stop another agent or upgrade.
Sending Attachments
You can send files to your bot and they'll be processed automatically:
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Photos | Images (largest resolution is selected) |
| Documents | PDFs, spreadsheets, text files, any file type |
| Videos | Video files |
| Voice messages | Audio recordings |
| Audio files | Music and audio files |
| Stickers | WebP images, animated stickers |
Attachments are automatically downloaded, included in the agent's context, and visible in the agent's Files tab.
Stopping the Agent
Two ways to stop an active task from Telegram:
/stop Command
Type /stop in the chat. If the agent is actively processing a task, it will be cancelled and you'll see "⏹ Task stopped."
Inline Stop Button
The first message of each agent response includes an inline ⏹ Stop button. Tap it to cancel the active session. The button is automatically removed when the task completes.
Bot Commands
Your Telegram bot automatically registers these commands (visible when typing / in the chat):
| Command | What It Does |
|---|---|
/start | Sends a welcome message introducing the bot |
/stop | Cancels the currently active task |
/help | Shows a brief help message |
Managing Connections
Enable / Disable
Use the toggle switch on a connection card to temporarily disable a channel without removing it. Disabled connections stop receiving messages from Telegram. Re-enable anytime to resume.
Test Connection
Click Test to verify the bot token is still valid and the connection is working. Useful for debugging if messages stop flowing.
Disconnect
Click the Disconnect button (trash icon) to permanently remove a connection. This removes the connection and deletes the stored bot token. A confirmation dialog prevents accidental disconnects.
Status Meanings
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Active | Connection is live — messages are being received and processed |
| Disabled | Connection is paused — messages are not processed |
| Error | Something went wrong (invalid token, connection failure) — check and reconnect |
| Pending | Connection is being set up |
Security
Channel connections are designed with security in mind:
- Bot tokens are encrypted and never exposed in logs, API responses, or to the agent
- Message verification — Incoming messages are verified to prevent tampering
- Deduplication — Duplicate messages are automatically filtered to prevent double-processing
Long Messages
Telegram has a 4,096-character limit per message. When the agent's response exceeds this, it's automatically split into multiple messages to maintain readability.
Tips & Best Practices
- Test with /start first — After connecting, send
/startto your bot to verify everything is working - Give channel-aware instructions — Add to your agent's custom instructions: "When responding via Telegram, keep messages concise and well-formatted for mobile reading"
- Check the Files tab — Attachments sent via Telegram are stored in your agent's file storage and visible in the Files tab
- Use the dashboard for complex tasks — Channels are great for quick interactions; for tasks that require watching the desktop preview, use the dashboard
- Monitor from the dashboard — Channel messages appear in the dashboard chat in real-time, so you can observe conversations as they happen
- Combine with scheduling — An agent can handle Telegram messages during the day and run scheduled queue processing at night
What's Next?
- Chat & Sandbox — The dashboard workspace for direct agent interaction
- Mail — Agent email and inter-agent communication
- Queue — Task queues and automated processing
- Agent Settings — Configure agent behavior and preferences