pi-telegram-multi

A Telegram DM bridge for pi that supports multiple authorized Telegram accounts and multiple bots - one bot assigned per pi session.

With it you can drive several coding-agent sessions in parallel from Telegram:

• Multi-account: allowlist multiple Telegram users so several accounts can message the same bot.
• Multi-bot: register multiple bots and assign a separate bot to each pi session, so each session is controlled through its own bot.
• Multi-session: run several pi sessions at once, each owned by a different bot and managed independently.

Use it when you want, for example:

• one bot for a work pi session and another for personal work
• two pi sessions running at once, each controlled through a different bot
• multiple trusted Telegram accounts that can message the same bot

This independent extension is based on badlogic/pi-telegram.

Install

Install globally for your user:

pi install git:github.com/musichen/pi-telegram-multi

Install only for the current project:

pi install -l git:github.com/musichen/pi-telegram-multi

Try it for one pi run without installing it:

pi -e git:github.com/musichen/pi-telegram-multi

Update installed pi packages later with:

pi update --extensions

Extensions run with your full system permissions. Review the source before installing it.

Create Telegram bots

1. Open @BotFather.
2. Run /newbot once for each bot you want to use.
3. Choose each bot's name and username.
4. Copy each bot token.

First bot

Start pi and configure the first bot:

/telegram-setup

Paste the token when prompted, then connect it:

/telegram-connect

From Telegram, open that bot's DM and send /start. The first account to do this is authorized automatically.

Add another bot

For every additional bot, run this in any pi session:

/telegram-add

Paste the new bot's token. The extension asks Telegram's official getMe API for the bot username and creates a configuration automatically:

~/.pi/agent/telegram-<bot-username>.json

For example, two configured bots create:

~/.pi/agent/telegram-codyagent1_bot.json
~/.pi/agent/telegram-codyagent2_bot.json

The existing legacy telegram.json file is renamed automatically on startup once its saved bot username is available.

Connect two pi sessions to two bots

Open two terminals and start pi in each.

Terminal 1

pi

/telegram-connect

? Connect Telegram bot
❯ @codyagent1_bot (telegram-codyagent1_bot.json)
  @codyagent2_bot (telegram-codyagent2_bot.json)

Select @codyagent1_bot.

Terminal 2

pi

/telegram-connect

? Connect Telegram bot
  @codyagent1_bot (telegram-codyagent1_bot.json)
❯ @codyagent2_bot (telegram-codyagent2_bot.json)

Select @codyagent2_bot, then DM it in Telegram and send /start from the account that should control it.

Each bot must be connected to only one pi session at a time. Telegram's polling API is not designed for two sessions to poll the same bot concurrently.

Check a session's assignment with:

/telegram-status

bot: @codyagent2_bot | config: telegram-codyagent2_bot.json | allowed users: 123456789 | polling: running

Allow multiple Telegram accounts for one bot

Each bot config has an allowlist. Add every trusted Telegram numeric user ID to allowedUserIds:

{
  "allowedUserIds": [123456789, 987654321]
}

Keep the existing botToken, botId, botUsername, and lastUpdateId fields in that config file. Existing configurations using the original single-user form remain supported and are migrated automatically:

{
  "allowedUserId": 123456789
}

After editing the allowlist, reconnect the bot:

/telegram-disconnect
/telegram-connect

Use numeric Telegram user IDs, not usernames. Usernames can change. You can obtain an account ID from a bot such as @userinfobot.

Fixed bot assignment for scripts

Normally /telegram-connect displays a menu when multiple configured bots exist. For a script or fixed assignment, start pi with a specific configuration:

PI_TELEGRAM_CONFIG="$HOME/.pi/agent/telegram-codyagent1_bot.json" pi

That pi process always uses @codyagent1_bot and bypasses the selection menu.

Commands

/telegram-setup       Configure the current bot
/telegram-add         Add another bot from its token
/telegram-connect     Select and connect a configured bot
/telegram-disconnect  Stop polling in the current pi session
/telegram-status      Show the assigned bot, config, and connection state

License and attribution

This project is released under the MIT License. It is derived from pi-telegram by Mario Zechner and retains its license and attribution.