Scrape data from Telegram

What I mean by scraping Telegram

Scraping Telegram means a bot reads the posts from a public channel into a sheet. The message text, any links, the view count, the date. Point it at a public channel's web page and it gathers the recent posts, so watching a channel for mentions or tracking what it publishes becomes a row in a spreadsheet instead of an afternoon of scrolling.

Public channels are public, member lists are not

There is a clear line on Telegram, and it matters. Public channels are broadcasts, anyone can open them on the web and read the posts, so reading them into a sheet is fair. Group member lists, private chats, and people's contact details are a different thing entirely. Harvesting members to message or add elsewhere is how Telegram spam works, and it is not something to build.

So stay on the broadcast side. Telegram also has an official API if you want a sturdier route into your own channels and bots. The browser is for the simple case, reading the public posts of a public channel for monitoring or research, at a reasonable pace. Public posts, yes. People, no.

Who this is for

This is for the person monitoring public Telegram channels, not the people in them. A researcher tracking what a channel posts, a marketer watching for mentions, an analyst gathering announcements over time. Public broadcasts, into a sheet. If you are looking to harvest members or scrape private chats, this is not the tool. No-coders and coders both, since you can build it without code and drop into code when you want.

How I'd approach it

Use the web preview of a public channel as your source. Point the bot at it, read the recent posts, the text, the links, the view counts, and write them to a sheet. To watch over time, run it on a schedule and keep only what is new. Stay on public channels, take the posts not the people, and keep the pace steady.

Public channel, posts only, on a schedule. I would lay out the first draft with Build with description.

Scrape Telegram from a description

Describe the channel and fields in plain words in the Chrome extension and it builds the steps for you. Give it a few short lines, check what it made, and run it. Explore no-code.

Scrape Telegram in code

Build with code. If you would rather script it yourself, this is the path. Explore code

import { chromium } from "playwright";

const browser = await chromium.connectOverCDP(
  `wss://cdp-lb.axiom.ai/?token=${process.env.AXIOM_API_KEY}`
);

try {
  const context = browser.contexts()[0];
  const page = context.pages()[0] ?? await context.newPage();

  // The public web preview of a public channel
  await page.goto("https://t.me/s/somechannel");
  await page.waitForSelector(".tgme_widget_message");

  // Read the recent public posts
  const posts = await page.$$eval(".tgme_widget_message", els =>
    els.map(el => ({
      text: el.querySelector(".tgme_widget_message_text")?.textContent.trim(),
      date: el.querySelector("time")?.getAttribute("datetime"),
      views: el.querySelector(".tgme_widget_message_views")?.textContent.trim(),
    }))
  );

  console.log(posts); // write these to your sheet
} finally {
  await browser.close();
}

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Build with a Claude skill

Build no-code or code bots with a skill.

Add the Claude skill and describe the public channel you want to watch. It builds the bot for you, no-code or code, reading posts into a sheet.

Install the skillLearn more

What can you scrape?

Public channel posts, into a sheet. A couple of lines to stay on the right side of.

What I'd watch out for

Telegram splits sharply into public and private, so the line is what matters most. Here is what I would watch for.

Posts, not people

Reading a public channel's posts is fine. Gathering its members, their usernames, or their contact details is not, and it is the start of spam. Take what the channel broadcasts, never who is in it.

Use the public web preview

A public channel has a web page at the t.me/s address that loads its posts without the app. Point the scraper there, and you are reading what is already open to everyone.

Consider the API for your own channels

If you run the channel, Telegram's official API is a sturdier route than scraping the page. Use the browser for reading public channels, the API for your own.

Keep the pace steady

There is no need to rush a public page. Space out the requests, pick what you read with the selector tool, and take long histories in chunks.