Telegram bot features overview — Start flow and global commands

Metadata

Field	Value
Institute	Molodetz Institute — Research & Retrieval Division
Subject	tui-framework-design
Document type	Source Dossier
Tier	1
Source title	Telegram bot features overview
Source URL	https://core.telegram.org/bots/features
Source publisher / author	Telegram
Source type	vendor docs
Source date (published)	Unknown — not stated
Date researched	2026-10-11
Researched by	tai (agent), model: Muse Spark, on behalf of retoor
Research method	direct page fetch
Confidence	High
Status	Active

Summary

The official feature-level statement of the bot onboarding contract: a Start button on first open, deep-link parameters carried by /start, and three global commands (/start, /help, /settings) every bot is expected to honor.

Key findings

The first open of a bot conversation shows a Start button rather than a bare input.
/start carries deep-link parameters via t.me/bot?start= links of up to 64 characters.
/start, /help, and /settings are global commands with settled meanings across all bots.

Pros / strengths

Official and concise: the whole onboarding contract in three facts.
The 64-char deep-link limit is an exact implementable constraint.

Cons / limitations / caveats

Feature-overview level: no rendering, layout, or client-behavior detail.
Thin for look-and-feel purposes beyond the Start-button affordance itself.

Relevance to tai

Supplies the bot-conversation opening tai should mirror (a start affordance before free input) and the three global commands tai's own bot/command surface should reserve with their standard meanings.

Changelog

Date	Change
2026-10-11	Initial dossier created.

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