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

# Telegram Chats

> Read messages from Telegram groups, channels and direct chats through a personal account.

Telegram Chats reads messages from groups, channels and direct chats through a team member's own Telegram account, so it works in chats where you can't add a bot. To send notifications into Telegram, use [Telegram Notifications](https://docs.cantina.security/clarion/integrations/telegram.md) instead. Every message becomes a [signal](https://docs.cantina.security/clarion/learn/signals.md), and signal rules decide which ones open an issue.

> [!WARNING]
>
> Logging in gives Clarion a session for your whole Telegram account. Clarion stores it encrypted, only reads the chats you pick, and never sends, edits or deletes messages. Use an account dedicated to monitoring when you can.

## Step 1 — Register an API app

1. Sign in at [my.telegram.org](https://my.telegram.org/apps) with the account you'll monitor from.
2. Open **API development tools** and create an app. Any title works.
3. Note the **API ID** (a number) and the **API hash** (32 characters).

## Step 2 — Add the monitor and log in

1. In Clarion, open **Integrations → Telegram Chats** and add a monitor.
2. Enter the **API ID** and **API hash**.
3. Click **Show QR code**, then in Telegram on your phone open **Settings → Devices → Link Desktop Device** and scan it. To use a code instead, choose **Use a phone number instead**; Telegram sends the code to your other devices.
4. If your account has two-step verification, enter the password. Clarion passes it to Telegram once and does not store it.
5. Pick up to 20 chats to read and save the monitor.

Clarion starts reading from each chat's newest message; earlier history is not imported. New messages arrive within a couple of minutes.

## Rules

New monitors start with **Every message in a chat**, which opens an issue for each new message in the chats you picked. To cut the noise in a busy chat, replace it with one of the narrower templates:

| Rule | Opens an issue when |
| - | - |
| Every message in a chat (default) | Any new message arrives in a monitored chat. |
| Credential posted in a chat | A message contains something shaped like an API key, token or private key. Clarion masks it before storing the message. |
| Security keyword in a chat | A message mentions a breach, compromise, phishing, malware or a similar term. |

## Reconnect or disconnect

If you log the session out from Telegram (**Settings → Devices**), the monitor stops and shows **Reconnect account**. **Disconnect**, or deleting the monitor, logs the session out of Telegram as well.


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.