Hermes on Telegram in a group

Env settings go in ~/.hermes/.env; restart the gateway after changes.

1. Bot token

@BotFather → /newbot (or /token for an existing bot), then:

TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=<token>

2. Disable privacy mode

By default a bot only receives @mentions in groups; turn-taking must see everything. @BotFather → /setprivacy → pick the bot → Disable, then remove the bot from the group and re-add it (the change only applies to a fresh membership).

3. Authorization — who gets replies

Separate layer from turn-taking: unauthorized senders are rejected (Unauthorized user in the logs) even though the bot sees the message.

• DM (e.g. testing the bot 1:1 first): the user messages the bot, gets a code, approve it with hermes pairing approve telegram <CODE>.
• Group: authorize the whole chat instead of pairing every member:

  TELEGRAM_GROUP_ALLOWED_CHATS=<chat_id1>,<chat_id2>   # * = all groups
  

  Find the chat_id in the logs: tt inbound: chat=<chat_id> (groups are negative). ⚠️ Each group has its own chat_id — a forum (topics) group is a different chat than a plain one, and converting changes the ID. Append each new group and restart; symptom of a missing entry: Unauthorized user even though "the other group works".

4. Restart and verify

Restart the Hermes gateway (however you run it). Look for ✓ telegram connected and tt inbound / tt decide / tt forward.

Diagnosis: "the bot doesn't reply in the group"

Log symptom	Cause
No tt inbound for the message	Privacy mode still on (step 2), or bot not in the group
Unauthorized user: <id>	Sender/chat not authorized (step 3)
tt decide ... stay_silent	Expected — turn-taking speaks selectively
tt respond ... DROPPED (superseded)	Message burst; only the newest gets a reply