# Channels > Part of the NocoDB documentation (Agents). Index of all pages: https://nocodb.com/llms.txt. Any docs page is available as Markdown by adding `.md` to its URL. URL: https://nocodb.com/docs/agents/channels Last updated: 2026-10-29 Connect a NocoDB agent to a Telegram channel so people can message it outside NocoDB, and choose which messages it answers and who can reach it. A channel lets people message a NocoDB agent from a chat platform, outside NocoDB. The agent reads the message, does the work, and answers in the same conversation. NocoDB agents support **Telegram** channels: direct messages, groups and replies. ## Before you begin * To connect or change a channel, you need the **Creator** role or higher in the project. * You need a Telegram bot. To create one, message [@BotFather](https://t.me/BotFather) in Telegram. Copy the bot token that it gives you. * One bot can serve one agent only. Create a separate bot for each agent. ## Connect a Telegram channel 1. Open the agent. 2. In the top bar, click **Settings**. 3. Go to **Channels**. 4. Click **Connect a channel**. 5. Click **Telegram**. The integration form opens. 6. Type an **Integration name**. 7. In **Telegram connection**, select a connection. To create one, select **New connection** and fill in these fields: * **Connection name**: a name for the connection. * **Bot token**: the token from @BotFather. * **Bot username**: the username of the bot, without the @. NocoDB uses it to find mentions in groups. Click **Test connection**. Then click **Create integration** to save the connection. 8. Click **Create integration**. NocoDB adds the channel to the agent and registers it with Telegram. 9. Click **Test connection** on the channel. A Telegram channel in the Channels section with its Respond to setting, webhook URL and Test connection To reuse a channel integration that is already in the workspace, click **Connect a channel**. Then select the integration under **Use existing credentials**. ## Choose which messages the agent answers Each channel has a **Respond to** setting: | Option | The agent answers | | ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Only when mentioned** | Messages that @mention the bot, and the conversation that follows. This is the default. | | **Every message** | Every message on the channel. Use this for a direct message or a room for the agent only. | | **Only a command** | Only messages that start with the **Command**. The default command is `/ask`. | ## Channel settings | Setting | Description | | --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Allowed senders** | The Telegram user IDs that can message the agent. To add an ID, type it. Then press **Enter**. When the list is empty, anyone on the channel can message the agent. | | **Keep answering in threads it joined** | The agent continues to answer in a thread where it answered before. On by default. | | **Ignore other bots** | The agent does not answer messages from other bots. On by default. | | **Webhook URL** | The address where Telegram sends the messages. NocoDB registers it with Telegram automatically. It shows here so that you can check it. | Anyone who can message the bot can use the agent, within the [access](/docs/agents/tools-and-access) of the agent. For a bot in a group or a public chat, set **Allowed senders**. ## Channel status A dot on each channel shows its status: | Status | Meaning | | ------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Receiving messages** | The channel works. | | **Not receiving messages yet** | Telegram has not confirmed delivery yet. Messages do not arrive. Click **Reconnect**. | | **Registration failed** | NocoDB could not register the channel with Telegram when you saved it. The error shows under the channel. Check the bot token. Then click **Reconnect**. | | **Paused** | The switch of the channel is off. The channel does not receive messages. | ## Turn a channel on or off Each channel has its own switch, next to its status. Turn the switch off to stop the channel. The channel stays on the agent. The other channels of the agent continue to work. Turn it on again to register the channel with Telegram again. When you turn the whole agent off, all its channels stop. See [Turn an agent on or off](/docs/agents/manage-agents#turn-an-agent-on-or-off). To register the channel again, open the menu of the channel. Then click **Reconnect**. **Reconnect** also turns the channel on. To remove the channel from the agent, click **Disconnect**. ## Good to know * Each conversation from a channel is a session of the agent. Members find it under **Automatic** in the [session list](/docs/agents/chat-with-agent#find-a-session). * The agent answers in the channel. [Results go to](/docs/agents/triggers#choose-where-results-go) does not apply to channel messages. * Each answer uses [credits](/docs/product/workspaces/credits). * A message to a [coding agent](/docs/agents/coding-agent) on a channel does not start a coding session. ## Related * [Chat with an agent](/docs/agents/chat-with-agent) * [Tools and access](/docs/agents/tools-and-access) * [Create a connection](/docs/product/integrations/create-connection) --- ## Related pages - [Agents](https://nocodb.com/docs/agents.md): NocoDB agents are AI agents that work in a project: they read and change your tables, documents and code, answer in chat, and run on their own on a trigger. - [AI Agents](https://nocodb.com/docs/agents/ai-agents.md): NocoDB is a no-code AI agent builder for business: AI agents that work on your tables and documents, answer in chat, and run agentic workflows on triggers. - [Create an AI Agent](https://nocodb.com/docs/agents/create-agent.md): How to create an AI agent in NocoDB: describe the job in a setup chat or pick a template, then review and turn it on. NocoAI can also build it. - [AI Agent Use Cases and Templates](https://nocodb.com/docs/agents/use-cases.md): AI agent use cases and examples for sales, customer service, marketing, operations and project management: 13 NocoDB templates to start from. - [Instructions and Files](https://nocodb.com/docs/agents/instructions.md): Write the instructions of a NocoDB agent as a brief for a teammate, mention tables and documents with @, and attach files that the agent reads on every run. - [Tools and Access](https://nocodb.com/docs/agents/tools-and-access.md): Set the AI agent tools of a NocoDB agent: what it can read and change in tables, records, documents and the web, its project role and its managed machine. - [AI Agent Skills](https://nocodb.com/docs/agents/skills.md): Turn on AI agent skills in NocoDB: reusable instructions from the project, workspace or organization catalog that an agent loads when a task needs them. - [Triggers and Results](https://nocodb.com/docs/agents/triggers.md): Build an AI agent workflow in NocoDB with triggers: a schedule, record changes, comments, forms or webhooks. Send the results to chat, email or Slack.