Telegram Auto-Topic
Add
/topic
to the start of any message in a Telegram forum group → a new topic is created from it. The title is figured out from your message automatically — no need to think of one yourself.
Example
1. You send a message starting with
/topic
:
/topic @your_bot I need to look into renewing my passport before March
2. A new forum topic "Passport Renewal Before March" is created with your message quoted inside it. You get a reply linking directly to the new topic.
Prerequisites
- The group must be configured in OpenClaw (
channels.telegram.groups.<CHAT_ID>
) — this is how OpenClaw knows to process messages from it.
- The group must have forum/topics enabled.
- Your bot must be an admin in the group with Manage Topics permission.
Handling /topic
When a message starts with
/topic
:
- Generate a concise 3-7 word title summarising the message.
- Run the script — replace placeholders with actual values from the message context:
scripts/telegram-auto-topic.sh <chat_id> <message_id> "<sender name>" "<title>" "<text after /topic>"
Pass an empty string for the text arg if there's no text (e.g. media-only).
Use the path relative to this skill's directory.
- The script returns JSON with
topic_id
, title
, and link
.
- Reply to the original message with:
Topic created → [<title>](<link>)
- Then send a response to the actual message content in the NEW topic (use message tool with
threadId
from the returned topic_id
). Respond naturally as you would to any message.
- After both replies are sent, respond with NO_REPLY.
How It Works
- You send a message starting with
/topic
- A new forum topic is created — titled from your message automatically
- Your message is quoted in the new topic with your name
- You get a reply with a clickable link to the new topic
- The bot responds to your message in the new topic
Works with media too — photos, videos, or documents with
/topic
in the caption get forwarded into the new topic.
Script Reference
scripts/telegram-auto-topic.sh <chat_id> <message_id> <sender> [title] [text]
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
chat_id
| arg | yes | Supergroup chat ID (negative number) |
message_id
| arg | yes | Original message to quote |
sender
| arg | yes | Display name of original sender |
title
| arg | no | Topic title. Falls back to first ~50 chars of text if omitted |
text
| arg | no | Message body after /topic
. If empty, forwards as media |
Returns JSON:
{"topic_id": 123, "title": "Used title", "link": "https://t.me/c/..."}
Optional configuration
Skip the @bot mention — by default, the bot only responds when mentioned. To use
/topic
without mentioning the bot:
"channels.telegram.groups.<CHAT_ID>": {
"requireMention": false
}
Telegram autocomplete — to get
/topic
in Telegram's command menu, add under
channels.telegram
:
{
"customCommands": [
{
"command": "topic",
"description": "Create a new forum topic from a message"
}
]
}
Limitations
- Attribution: Quoted messages appear as sent by the bot (Telegram API limitation). Sender name is included as attribution text below the quote.
- Media: Forwarded media shows a "Forwarded from" header — best available but not native.
- Forum groups only: Won't work in regular groups or DMs.
- Permissions: Bot needs admin with Manage Topics.
- Title length: Telegram caps topic names at 128 characters.
