Add the Telegram MCP server to Claude Code

Config last verified Jun 1, 2026

The exact config to run Telegram in Claude Code — paste it in, restart, and the tools load.

Prerequisites

Claude Code installed.
TELEGRAM_API_ID — Your Telegram API ID from my.telegram.org.
TELEGRAM_API_HASH — Your Telegram API hash from my.telegram.org.
TELEGRAM_SESSION_STRING — Telethon session string authorizing your Telegram user account.

Setup

1. Open `~/.claude.json`

2. Add this configuration

Add to ~/.claude.json

~/.claude.json

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "telegram": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from",
        "git+https://github.com/chigwell/telegram-mcp",
        "telegram-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TELEGRAM_API_ID": "<TELEGRAM_API_ID>",
        "TELEGRAM_API_HASH": "<TELEGRAM_API_HASH>",
        "TELEGRAM_SESSION_STRING": "<TELEGRAM_SESSION_STRING>",
        "TELEGRAM_EXPOSED_TOOLS": "<TELEGRAM_EXPOSED_TOOLS>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Or via CLI

bash

claude mcp add telegram -- uvx --from git+https://github.com/chigwell/telegram-mcp telegram-mcp

3. Restart Claude Code and confirm the Telegram tools load.

Gotchas

Claude Code stores MCP servers under an "mcpServers" object in ~/.claude.json. It also reads a project-scoped .mcp.json and supports adding servers from the command line with "claude mcp add". Each entry must declare either a "type" or a "command"; Claude Code refuses an entry that has neither. Remote servers connect natively over Streamable HTTP with OAuth.

← Back to the Telegram MCP server