Copilot CLI Telegram Bridge

A GitHub Copilot CLI extension that bridges Telegram messages bidirectionally with a CLI session -- send messages from Telegram, get agent responses back.

Prerequisites

• GitHub Copilot CLI installed and working
• Extensions enabled (experimental feature -- run /experimental on)
• A Telegram account
• Node.js 18+ (the extension uses the built-in fetch API)

Install

Plugin install (recommended)

1. In Copilot CLI, run:

   /plugin install examon/copilot-cli-telegram-bridge
   

2. Restart Copilot CLI
3. Run the install skill to copy the extension into place:

   /copilot-cli-telegram-bridge:telegram-install
   

4. Restart Copilot CLI again (the extension loads on startup)

Manual install

1. Clone the repo and copy the extension file:

   git clone https://github.com/examon/copilot-cli-telegram-bridge.git
   mkdir -p ~/.copilot/extensions/copilot-cli-telegram-bridge
   cp copilot-cli-telegram-bridge/extension.mjs ~/.copilot/extensions/copilot-cli-telegram-bridge/

2. Restart Copilot CLI

Create a Telegram Bot

1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
2. Send /newbot
3. Choose a display name and a username (must end in bot)
4. BotFather replies with a token like 123456789:ABCdefGHI... -- copy it

Setup and Connect

1. Register the bot in Copilot CLI:

   /telegram setup mybot
   

2. Paste the bot token when prompted -- the extension validates it against the Telegram API
3. Connect to the bot:

   /telegram connect mybot
   

4. Open Telegram and send any message to your bot
5. The bot replies asking you to check the Copilot CLI terminal for a pairing code
6. Type the 6-character pairing code back to the bot in Telegram (case-insensitive, expires after 5 minutes)
7. Done -- messages now flow both ways between Telegram and your CLI session

Commands

Command	Description
/telegram setup <name>	Register a new bot with a local alias
/telegram connect <name>	Connect this session to the named bot
/telegram connect	List all registered bots with their status
/telegram disconnect	Disconnect from the current bot
/telegram status	Show all bots, availability, and paired users
/telegram remove <name>	Remove a bot from the registry

Multiple Bots

You can register as many bots as you want with /telegram setup. Each Copilot CLI session connects to one bot at a time, but multiple sessions can run different bots simultaneously.

If a new session connects to a bot that another session already holds, the new session takes over and the old one releases gracefully.

Access control is shared -- pairing with any bot grants access to all bots managed by this extension.

Troubleshooting

• Extension not loading -- make sure you enabled the EXTENSIONS feature flag (/experimental in the CLI). Then verify the file exists at ~/.copilot/extensions/copilot-cli-telegram-bridge/extension.mjs
• Bot not responding -- check that the token is valid. Try /telegram disconnect then /telegram connect again
• Pairing code expired -- codes expire after 5 minutes. Send a new message to the bot to get a fresh one
• "Another session has this bot" -- the bot is locked by another CLI session. Connecting again takes it over

Security

Bot tokens are stored in plain text in bots.json (with restricted file permissions -- owner read/write only). Anyone with read access to that file can control your bot. Keep this in mind:

• Do not commit bots.json to version control
• Do not share or back up the extension directory without removing bots.json first
• If a token is compromised, revoke it immediately via @BotFather (/revoke) and register a new one with /telegram setup

Uninstall

1. Disconnect if connected: /telegram disconnect
2. Remove the extension:

   rm -rf ~/.copilot/extensions/copilot-cli-telegram-bridge

3. If installed via plugin:

   /plugin uninstall copilot-cli-telegram-bridge