Telegram | tota

Use tota from anywhere via a private Telegram bot. All messages stay 1:1 — tota never joins groups.

Setup

Open @BotFather in Telegram → /newbot → copy the token
Paste the token during tota setup or via tota doctor
Send /start to your bot in Telegram — you'll receive a pairing code
The CLI shows a prompt — paste the code to complete pairing

Access model

tota uses a role-based access model for Telegram. The first user to pair becomes an Admin.

Role	Capabilities
Admin	Full access — all tools, approve/reject other users, change roles
Member	Chat and use tools, subject to permission prompts
Pending	Sent `/start` but not yet approved. Sees a "waiting for approval" message

Manage users from the CLI:

/telegram               # open Telegram management menu
/telegram pending       # list pending access requests
/telegram approve <id>  # approve a pending user
/telegram reject <id>   # reject a pending user
/telegram remove <id>   # revoke an approved user
/telegram promote <id>  # promote member → admin
/telegram demote <id>   # demote admin → member
/telegram reset         # clear all access, start fresh

⚠️

/telegram reset clears all access. All users — including admins — must send /start and re-pair. Use it only if you want to start from scratch.

Features

Streaming — Responses stream in real time (toggle with /stream)
Markdown rendering — Code blocks, bold, and lists render natively in Telegram
Image support — Send a photo and tota describes it (if your provider supports vision)
Full in-chat commands — All /commands work in Telegram just like the CLI
Persistent daemon — tota stays connected even after closing your terminal