TelegramBot user agent
TelegramBot is the crawler Telegram uses to fetch a URL shared in a chat so it can render the link preview from Open Graph and standard page metadata. It is a preview-generation bot, not a human visit, and identifies itself with a documented TelegramBot user-agent token.
What this means
When a link is posted in a Telegram chat, Telegram fetches the URL to build the inline preview with a title, description, and image, reading Open Graph and standard page metadata.
The preview reflects the metadata TelegramBot read, not a human page view. Telegram also offers an Instant View feature for some sites, but the basic link preview comes from this metadata fetch.
How TelegramBot identifies itself
Telegram's crawler uses the user-agent token TelegramBot. Match on the stable token rather than a version suffix. Telegram's documentation describes link previews and the metadata used to build them.
The user agent is a claim and can be copied. TelegramBot reads server-rendered metadata; tags injected only by client-side JavaScript are typically not seen.
- User-agent token: TelegramBot
- Reads Open Graph / standard meta tags
- Distinct from Telegram Instant View
Debugging a missing preview
If a Telegram link shows no preview, confirm the page returns 200 with valid Open Graph or standard meta tags in the initial HTML, with no redirect or login wall in the way.
Seeing the TelegramBot token in your logs for the shared URL confirms the preview fetch reached your server.
How it appears in analytics and logs
A request whose user agent contains the TelegramBot token means Telegram fetched a URL to build a chat preview. It is triggered by a message and is bot traffic; a short burst when a link is shared is expected, not audience.
Diagnostic use case
Confirm whether TelegramBot fetched a shared page, debug a missing Telegram preview, and keep its requests out of human analytics.
What WebmasterID can help detect
WebmasterID classifies TelegramBot server-side as a social-preview bot and surfaces its fetches on the bot-intelligence view, so preview crawls do not inflate human page views.
Common mistakes
- Counting TelegramBot preview fetches as human visits.
- Relying on JavaScript-injected meta tags TelegramBot does not execute.
- Confusing the basic link preview with Telegram Instant View, which is separate.
Privacy and accuracy notes
TelegramBot detection uses only the user agent. No human identity is attached to the preview fetch. WebmasterID records it as a social-preview bot event, separate from human analytics.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does my Telegram link have no preview?
- TelegramBot could not read valid metadata. Confirm a 200 response with Open Graph or standard meta tags in the initial HTML and no redirect or login wall.
Related pages
- Discordbot user agent
Discordbot is the crawler Discord uses to fetch a URL shared in a channel so it can render the embed preview from Open Graph and oEmbed metadata. It is a link-unfurling bot, not a human visit, and identifies itself with a documented Discordbot user-agent token plus a self-identifying URL.
- WhatsApp preview user agent
When a link is shared in WhatsApp, the app fetches the URL to build the rich link preview from Open Graph metadata. The fetch is identified by a user agent containing the WhatsApp token. It is a preview-generation request, not a human visit.
- Social preview bot user agents
When someone pastes your link into a social or messaging app, a preview bot fetches the page to build a card from your Open Graph and Twitter Card tags. Bots like facebookexternalhit, Twitterbot, Slackbot, Discordbot, and LinkedInBot identify themselves by token. This page covers what they are and why they hit you.
- Bot intelligence
Server-side classification of preview and unfurl crawlers.
Sources and verification notes
- Telegram — Instant View / page previewsTelegram builds previews from page metadata it fetches.
Last reviewed 2026-06-24. Facts are checked against primary/official sources where available; uncertain specifics are marked “Data not yet verified” rather than guessed.