Bot Admin Methods¶

Some Api methods operate on the bot itself rather than a specific chat — fetching bot info, managing webhooks, setting commands, or configuring the bot profile. Think of them as bot-level settings, not chat-level messages.

Most accept an optional bot_token parameter to act on behalf of another bot. Handy for multi-bot setups. Dangerous if you hard-code tokens. Don't do that.

What are admin methods?¶

Methods that configure or query the bot account — not individual chats:

Category	Examples
Bot identity	`getMe`, `getUpdates`
Webhooks	`setWebhook`, `deleteWebhook`, `getWebhookInfo`
Commands & profile	`setMyCommands`, `setMyDescription`, `setMyProfilePhoto`
Managed bots (Bot API 9.0+)	`getManagedBotToken`, `replaceManagedBotToken`

Full parameter details: Telegram Bot API docs.

New to TBL?

Bot, chat, and user are globals available in every command. Secrets like API keys go in dashboard ENV vars — see process.env.

How `bot_token` works¶

`bot_token` passed?	Behavior
No	Uses the current bot's token (normal case)
Yes	Uses the provided token for that single call

// Current bot — no token needed
let me = await Api.getMe()

// Another bot — token from dashboard ENV
let other = await Api.getMe({ bot_token: process.env.PARTNER_BOT_TOKEN })

Security

Store tokens in dashboard environment variables. Never hard-code tokens or expose them to users.
The bot_token field is consumed internally and is not sent to Telegram as a request parameter.

Try it — copy-paste examples¶

Validate a bot token¶

let res = await Api.getMe({ bot_token: process.env.STORED_TOKEN })

if (res.ok) {
  Bot.sendMessage("Token valid — bot @" + res.result.username)
} else {
  Bot.sendMessage("Token is invalid or revoked.")
}

Set commands on the current bot¶

await Api.setMyCommands({
  commands: [
    { command: "start", description: "Start the bot" },
    { command: "help", description: "Show help" }
  ]
})

Configure webhook for another bot¶

await Api.setWebhook({
  bot_token: process.env.SECONDARY_BOT_TOKEN,
  url: "https://example.com/webhook/secondary",
  allowed_updates: ["message", "callback_query"]
})

Get webhook status¶

let info = await Api.getWebhookInfo()

if (info.ok) {
  Bot.inspect(info.result)
}

Methods that support `bot_token`¶

Bot identity and webhooks¶

Method	Description
`Api.getMe`	Get bot user object (`id`, `username`, `can_join_groups`, etc.)
`Api.getUpdates`	Fetch pending updates (polling mode)
`Api.setWebhook`	Set webhook URL (requires `url`)
`Api.deleteWebhook`	Remove webhook
`Api.getWebhookInfo`	Get current webhook status

Bot commands and profile¶

Method	Description
`Api.setMyCommands`	Set bot command menu (requires `commands` array)
`Api.deleteMyCommands`	Clear bot commands
`Api.getMyCommands`	Get current command list
`Api.getMyName`	Get bot display name
`Api.setMyDescription`	Set bot description
`Api.getMyDescription`	Get bot description
`Api.setMyShortDescription`	Set short description
`Api.getMyShortDescription`	Get short description
`Api.setMyProfilePhoto`	Set bot profile photo (`photo` with `type: "static"` or `"animated"`)
`Api.removeMyProfilePhoto`	Remove bot profile photo
`Api.setChatMenuButton`	Configure the menu button
`Api.setMyDefaultAdministratorRights`	Set default admin rights for groups/channels
`Api.getMyDefaultAdministratorRights`	Get default admin rights

Managed bots (Bot API 9.0+)¶

Method	Description
`Api.getManagedBotToken`	Get token for a managed bot (requires `user_id`)
`Api.replaceManagedBotToken`	Replace managed bot token (requires `user_id`)
`Api.getManagedBotAccessSettings`	Get access settings (requires `user_id`)
`Api.setManagedBotAccessSettings`	Update access settings (requires `user_id`, `is_access_restricted`)

Gifts¶

Method	Description
`Api.getAvailableGifts`	List gifts available for sending

Methods without `bot_token` support¶

Most chat-facing methods (sendMessage, editMessageText, answerCallbackQuery, etc.) always use the current bot's token. To call Telegram with a different token, use one of the admin methods above.

Api.call() does not accept bot_token — only the built-in admin methods listed here do.

Important notes¶

Always store alternate tokens in dashboard ENV variables
Use await and check res.ok when the result matters
Case-sensitive: Api.getMe, not Api.getme