> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ocoya.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Telegram

> Connect a Telegram channel or group, what you can post, and how long captions on media are handled.

A Telegram connection is one **channel** or one **group**. Ocoya posts through the Ocoya bot, which you add to that chat as an admin. There is no Telegram sign-in and nothing to copy into Ocoya.

## Before you start

You need to be an admin of the channel or group, with permission to add admins.

## Connect Telegram

Connecting takes two steps: add the Ocoya bot to your chat as an admin, then send it a message Ocoya gives you. There is no Telegram sign-in.

Start in Ocoya: select **Channels** in the left sidebar, then **Connect channel**, and pick **Telegram**. Keep the window open while you work in Telegram.

### Step 1: Add the Ocoya bot as an admin

The window offers two ways to do this. Both give the same result.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Manually">
    Works everywhere: the Telegram phone app, the desktop app, and Telegram Web.

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Open the chat's admin settings">
        In Telegram, open your channel or group and go to **Manage** → **Administrators** → **Add Admin**.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Find the bot">
        Search for the bot username shown in the Ocoya window, for example **@ocoya\_bot**, and select it.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Save">
        In a channel, leave **Post messages** on. Turn on **Delete messages** too, so the bot can remove the connect message for you. Then save.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Telegram app">
    One click, but only works when the **Telegram desktop app** is installed on the computer you're using. Telegram Web shows the chat picker but ignores what you pick.

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Choose the kind of chat">
        In the Ocoya window, select **Telegram app**, then **Add to channel** or **Add to group**.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Pick the chat">
        The Telegram app opens and asks which chat to add the bot to. The right permissions are already ticked. Confirm.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Step 2: Send the connect message

Copy the `/connect` message from the Ocoya window and send it in the same channel or group. Within a few seconds the bot deletes the message, the Ocoya window closes, and the chat appears on your Channels page.

The connect message works for 15 minutes. If it expires, select **Get a new code**.

## How posts appear

In a **channel**, posts appear under the channel's own name and picture, the same as posts you write yourself. In a **group**, they appear as messages from the Ocoya bot.

To stop Ocoya posting, disconnect the chat in Ocoya or remove the bot from the chat.

## What you can post

| Post type                 | Supported                     |
| ------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Text post                 | Yes, no image needed          |
| Images                    | Yes, up to 10                 |
| Video                     | Yes, up to 10                 |
| Images and video together | Yes, up to 10 in one album    |
| GIF                       | Yes, one per post, on its own |

## Telegram's limits

|                  | Limit            |
| ---------------- | ---------------- |
| Post text        | 4,096 characters |
| Caption on media | 1,024 characters |
| Images           | 10 MB each       |
| Video and GIF    | 50 MB each       |

## Long captions on media

Telegram allows only 1,024 characters under a photo or video. When your caption is longer, Ocoya posts the media first and the text straight after it, as a reply to the media. Subscribers see the two together.

## Common problems

**"The message stayed in the chat and nothing connected."** The bot isn't in the chat, or it isn't an admin. In a channel it needs **Post messages**. Add it again using the **Manually** steps above, then send the message again.

**"Nothing happens when I select Add to channel or Add to group."** Those buttons need the Telegram desktop app installed. Use the **Manually** steps instead. They work in Telegram Web too.

**"The bot says the code expired."** Codes last 15 minutes. Close the Ocoya window, start again, and send the new message.

**"The /connect message didn't disappear."** The bot doesn't have **Delete messages**. The chat is still connected; delete the message yourself.

**"Posts stopped appearing."** Someone removed the bot or took away its permission to post. Ocoya marks the channel as needing attention. Add the bot back and send a new connect message. See [Reconnect a channel](/help/reconnect-a-channel).

## Related

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Character and media limits" icon="ruler" href="/help/channel-limits">
    Every network's limits in one table.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Why didn't my post publish?" icon="triangle-alert" href="/help/post-didnt-publish">
    Diagnosing a post a network refused.
  </Card>
</Columns>