Add the Telegram MCP server to Claude Desktop

Config last verified Jun 1, 2026

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

Prerequisites

Claude Desktop 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 `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`

On Windows the file lives at %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json.

2. Add this configuration

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.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>"
      }
    }
  }
}

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

Gotchas

Claude Desktop reads MCP servers from an "mcpServers" object, but the config file is stdio-only: it cannot dial a remote URL directly. To reach a remote server you bridge it locally by running "npx mcp-remote <url>" as the command. Native remote Connectors exist on paid plans, but not through this config file, so the bridge is the portable path.

← Back to the Telegram MCP server