telegram-cli

---

name: node-telegram-cli

description: CLI tool for Telegram via MTProto. Send/read messages, manage groups, search conversations, download media, and automate Telegram workflows. Use when the task involves any Telegram account interaction.

---

Source & Trust

1. Repository: https://github.com/baontq23/node-telegram-cli

2. npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/node-telegram-cli (published with provenance)

3. Credentials are stored securely via OS Keychain (macOS Keychain / Windows Credential Manager / Linux Secret Service), not in plaintext files

Installation

1. Requires Node.js >= 20

2. Install globally: `npm install -g node-telegram-cli`

3. Verify: `ntg --version`

4. Run `ntg login` once — interactive, requires phone number + OTP code from Telegram

Critical Rule: Always Use JSON Mode

1. Add `--json` flag to every command for machine-readable output

2. `--json` is a global flag — place it before or after the subcommand

3. Example: `ntg --json inbox`, `ntg --json search @user "keyword"`

Peer Format

1. `@username` — most reliable, e.g. `@johndoe`

2. Phone number — for contacts without username, e.g. `+84901234567`

3. `me` — your own Saved Messages

4. Chat title — group/channel name in quotes, e.g. `"My Group"`

Read Commands (No Side Effects)

1. `ntg --json inbox` — list recent conversations

2. `ntg --json inbox --unread` — only unread conversations

3. `ntg --json inbox --private` — only private 1-on-1 chats

4. `ntg --json inbox --unread --private` — combine filters

5. `ntg --json inbox --chat <peer> --limit <n>` — messages from a specific chat

6. `ntg --json search <peer> "keyword"` — search in a specific chat

7. `ntg --json global-search "keyword"` — search across all chats

8. `ntg --json chat-info <chat>` — show group/channel info

Write Commands (Has Side Effects)

1. `ntg msg <peer> "text"` — send a text message

2. `ntg msg <peer> "text" --silent` — send silently (no notification sound)

3. `ntg fwd <user> <msgId>` — forward a message by ID

4. `ntg mark-read <peer>` — mark all messages as read

5. `ntg delete-msg <msgId>` — delete a message

6. `ntg send-photo <peer> <file>` — send a photo

7. `ntg send-video <peer> <file>` — send a video

8. `ntg send-file <peer> <file>` — send a text file as plain messages

9. `ntg download <msgId> --chat <peer>` — download media from a message

10. `ntg download <msgId> --chat <peer> --type <type>` — specify media type (photo, video, audio, doc)

11. `ntg view <msgId> --chat <peer>` — download and open with system viewer

12. `ntg clean-downloads` — delete all downloaded media files

Group Management

1. `ntg create-group "Topic" @user1 @user2` — create a new group

2. `ntg chat-add <chat> <user>` — add a user to a group

3. `ntg chat-kick <chat> <user>` — remove a user from a group

4. `ntg chat-rename <chat> "New Name"` — rename a group

5. `ntg chat-set-photo <chat> <file>` — set group photo

Contact Management

1. `ntg add-contact <phone> <firstName> <lastName>` — add a contact

2. `ntg rename-contact <user> <firstName> <lastName>` — rename a contact

JSON Output Schemas

#### Inbox (conversation list)

1. `name` — contact/chat display name

2. `peer` — identifier to use as `<peer>` argument

3. `peerType` — "username" | "phone" | "id"

4. `type` — "user" | "group" | "channel"

5. `unreadCount` — number of unread messages

6. `lastMessage` — text/caption (empty string if media-only)

7. `lastMessageId` — use with `ntg download <id>` for media

8. `mediaType` — "photo" | "video" | "document" | "audio" | "voice" | "sticker" | "location" | "contact" | "poll" | null

9. `date` — ISO 8601 timestamp

#### Chat messages (inbox --chat)

1. `id` — message ID

2. `date` — ISO 8601 timestamp

3. `sender` — sender display name

4. `text` — message text/caption

5. `mediaType` — same values as above

6. `isOutgoing` — true if sent by you

Error Handling

1. Exit code `0` = success

2. Exit code `1` = error (not logged in, peer not found, etc.)

3. If not logged in, commands fail with: "Not logged in. Run ntg login first."

Important Notes

1. Do NOT use `ntg chat <peer>` — it is interactive, blocks stdin, not suitable for automation

2. Session persists until `ntg logout` is called — no re-login needed between commands

3. Downloaded files are saved to `~/.telegram-cli/downloads/`

4. Always specify `--chat <peer>` when downloading media to identify the source chat