TelegramBotAPI-examples/EphemeralMessagesBot/README.md

EphemeralMessagesBot

Demonstrates ephemeral messages: group messages that Telegram shows only to one receiver.

Behavior

• /ephemeral replies with a Reveal a secret inline button. The command is registered with Telegram as an ephemeral command.
• Pressing the button (reveal callback data) sends a personal message visible only to the user who pressed it. After three seconds the bot edits the message, then deletes it three seconds later.
• When the bot receives an ephemeral content message, it sends two ephemeral replies: one through the general reply API and one through the explicit replyToEphemeral API.
• Updates and basic bot information are printed to standard output.

Setup

Create a bot token, keep it secret, and add the bot to a group. The bot must be allowed to send messages there; this example does not request or validate group permissions itself. Use a Telegram environment that supports ephemeral messages.

Run

From the repository root, pass the token as the first application argument:

./gradlew :EphemeralMessagesBot:run --args="BOT_TOKEN"

Optional, case-sensitive arguments may follow the token:

• debug enables formatted library logging on standard output.
• testServer connects the bot to Telegram's test server.

For example:

./gradlew :EphemeralMessagesBot:run --args="BOT_TOKEN debug testServer"

The token is required; starting without it fails before polling begins. Stop the bot with Ctrl+C.