How to Build a Telegram ChatGPT Bot with Make.com

In this guide, you will learn step by step how to use make.com to create a smart Telegram chatbot powered by OpenAI. The scenario will let you send messages from Telegram to an AI model and receive natural language replies directly in your chat.

This walkthrough is based on the official tutorial from make.com's ChatGPT Telegram bot guide, adapted into a concise how-to article.

What You Need Before Using Make.com

Before building the automation in make.com, prepare a few required accounts and keys:

• A free or paid make.com account
• A Telegram account and the Telegram app
• An OpenAI account with an API key
• Basic familiarity with creating bots in Telegram using BotFather

If you are new to automation or want help designing more advanced workflows beyond this tutorial, you can also consult specialists at Consultevo for strategy and implementation guidance.

Create a Telegram Bot for Your Make.com Scenario

The first step is to create a Telegram bot that will talk to your make.com scenario.

1. Open the Telegram app and search for BotFather.

2. Start a chat and send the command /newbot.

3. Follow BotFather's prompts to choose a name and a unique @username for your bot.

4. When finished, BotFather will display an HTTP API token. Copy this token; you will use it to connect Telegram to make.com.

Your Telegram bot is now created and ready to be wired into an automation scenario.

Set Up the Scenario in Make.com

Now you can build the core workflow in make.com that will receive messages from Telegram, send them to OpenAI, and post a reply back into Telegram.

Create a New Scenario on Make.com

1. Log in to your make.com dashboard.

2. Click Create a new scenario.

3. You will see a blank canvas where you can add modules for Telegram and OpenAI.

Add the Telegram Trigger Module in Make.com

The scenario should start every time someone sends a message to your Telegram bot.

1. On the scenario canvas, click the big plus icon to add a module.

2. Search for Telegram Bot and choose it.

3. Select the trigger action that listens for new messages (e.g., Watch messages or similar, depending on the current Telegram app label in make.com).

4. Click Add or Connect to create a new Telegram connection.

5. Paste the Telegram bot token you copied from BotFather and complete the authorization.

Once connected, the Telegram module in make.com can receive user messages in real time.

Connect the OpenAI Module in Make.com

Next, you will add an OpenAI module so the scenario can send the user's question to an AI model and retrieve a response.

1. Click the plus icon to add a second module after the Telegram trigger.

2. Search for OpenAI and choose the appropriate module for chat completions (for example, Chat Completion or similar, based on the version shown in make.com).

3. Create a new OpenAI connection by pasting your API key.

4. Select the model you want to use (for example, GPT-4 or GPT-3.5, depending on availability in make.com).

5. In the prompt or messages field, map the text or content of the incoming Telegram message from the first module.

You can also provide a system prompt that sets the personality or behavior of your chatbot, such as: "You are a helpful assistant that answers questions clearly and concisely."

Return the AI Response to Telegram via Make.com

After the OpenAI module generates a reply, you need a third module in make.com to send that reply back to the user on Telegram.

1. Add another module after the OpenAI step.

2. Choose the Telegram Bot app again and select an action to send a message (for example, Send a text message or reply).

3. In the Chat ID or Recipient field, map the chat identifier from the original Telegram trigger module.

4. In the Text field, map the response text coming from the OpenAI module.

When the scenario runs, it will now complete a full loop:

• User sends a message in Telegram.
• make.com receives it via the Telegram trigger.
• make.com sends the text to OpenAI.
• OpenAI returns a reply.
• make.com posts the reply back to the same Telegram chat.

Refining Prompts and Memory in Make.com

The original tutorial on make.com explains how you can enhance the behavior of your Telegram bot with better prompts and optional memory.

Improve the System Prompt in Make.com

To make your bot more useful:

• Describe its role clearly (support bot, tutor, creative writer, etc.).
• Specify the tone (formal, friendly, concise).
• List any constraints (no sensitive data, brief answers, language preference).

Editing the system prompt in the OpenAI module inside make.com lets you shape the responses without changing any code.

Add Simple Conversation Context in Make.com

For more advanced setups, you can store a short history of previous user messages and responses. In make.com this often involves:

• Saving recent messages to a data store or variable.
• Feeding that stored context into the next OpenAI request as part of the prompt.

Keeping just a few turns of context improves continuity while still controlling token usage and costs.

Test and Activate Your Make.com Scenario

When all three core modules (Telegram trigger, OpenAI, Telegram reply) are configured, you can test the integration directly in make.com.

1. Switch the scenario to Run once mode.

2. Send a message to your Telegram bot from the app.

3. Watch the scenario execution log in make.com to confirm that each module runs successfully.

4. If everything works, switch the scenario toggle to On so it runs automatically in the background.

Your Telegram AI assistant is now live and powered by your make.com automation.

Next Steps with Make.com Automations

Once you have a working Telegram chatbot, you can extend your scenario inside make.com by:

• Logging questions and answers to Google Sheets or a database.
• Routing different commands to different OpenAI prompts.
• Integrating with CRM, help desk, or knowledge-base tools.
• Adding filters and routers in make.com to branch logic by user or keyword.

By combining Telegram, OpenAI, and powerful workflow features in make.com, you can build a wide range of AI-powered assistants without writing custom backend code.

Need Help With Make.com?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your Make scenarios, work with ConsultEvo — certified workflow and automation specialists.

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