tg-channel-reader

Read posts and comments from Telegram channels using MTProto (Pyrogram or Telethon). Works with any public channel and private channels the user is subscribed to. Supports fetching discussion replies (comments) for individual posts.

Security notice: This skill requires TG_API_ID and TG_API_HASH from my.telegram.org. The session file grants full Telegram account access — store it securely and never share it.

Exec Approvals

Just installed via clawhub install? Complete Setup & Installation (below) first — the skill needs pip install, credentials, and a session file before exec approvals matter.

OpenClaw blocks unknown CLI commands by default. The user must approve tg-reader commands before they can run. If the command hangs or the user says nothing is happening — exec approval is likely pending.

Quick setup (recommended)

Run from the skill directory — checks prerequisites, installs pip packages if needed, and prints the approval commands to run:

cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/sergei-mikhailov-tg-channel-reader
bash setup-tg-reader.sh

Manual CLI approval

openclaw approvals allowlist add --gateway "$(which tg-reader)"
openclaw approvals allowlist add --gateway "$(which tg-reader-check)"
openclaw approvals allowlist add --gateway "$(which tg-reader-telethon)"

Alternative: approve on first use

1. Control UI — open http://localhost:18789/, find the pending approval for tg-reader, click "Always allow". Docs
2. Messenger (Telegram, Slack, Discord) — the bot sends an approval request with an <id>. Reply: /approve <id> allow-always. Other options: allow-once, deny.

The approval prompt appears in the Control UI or as a bot message — not in the agent's conversation. This is a common source of confusion.

When to Use

• User asks to "check", "read", or "monitor" a Telegram channel
• Wants a digest or summary of recent posts
• Asks "what's new in @channel" or "summarize last 24h from @channel"
• Wants to track or compare multiple channels
• Wants channel info (title, description, subscribers) — use tg-reader info

Quick Start

# 1. Run pre-flight diagnostic (fast, no Telegram connection)
tg-reader-check

# 2. Get channel info
tg-reader info @channel_name

# 3. Fetch recent posts
tg-reader fetch @channel_name --since 24h

tg-reader: command not found? Run bash setup-tg-reader.sh from the skill directory (it will install the package), or manually: cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/sergei-mikhailov-tg-channel-reader && pip install .

Commands

tg-reader-check — Pre-flight Diagnostic

Always run before fetching. Fast offline check — no Telegram connection needed.

tg-reader-check
tg-reader-check --config-file /path/to/config.json
tg-reader-check --session-file /path/to/session