Telegram and WhatsApp

You can chat with Otto from Telegram or WhatsApp. It's the same conversation, memory and tasks as in the Otto app.

Otto replies in the app you wrote from. A message from Telegram gets its answer on Telegram, and a schedule you set up there sends its results there too. Everything also shows in the chat in the Otto app.

Before you start

	Telegram	WhatsApp
You need	A Telegram bot, made with BotFather	A Meta app with the WhatsApp Cloud API and a business number
Works on a laptop	Yes. Otto checks for new messages itself.	Needs a public HTTPS address that reaches Otto
Who can message Otto	Only the Telegram account you pair	Only the number you enter
Files from Otto	Sent as documents	Not sent. Open Otto to get them.
When Otto can write	Any time	Only within 24 hours of your last message

Otto reads the text of your messages. To give Otto a file, attach it in the Otto app.

Set up a channel

Open Channels in the sidebar, then select Connect on Telegram or WhatsApp. Otto checks your details before it saves them, and keeps them encrypted, outside the chat.

In Telegram, open BotFather and send /newbot. Choose a name and a username.
Paste BotFather's reply, or just the token, into BotFather message or token. Select Connect bot.
Scan the code or select Open Telegram, then press Start. The link works for 15 minutes.
Check that the name shown is yours, then select Confirm. Only this account can message Otto.
Select Start conversation and say hello. Otto must be running to reply.

If the link doesn't work for you, select Enter your user ID instead and use the ID that @userinfobot sends you.

In Before you begin, check that you have a Meta app with WhatsApp, a business sender number and a public HTTPS callback. Confirm the WhatsApp terms.
In Choose the numbers, enter the Business phone number ID from Meta and Your WhatsApp number, as digits without +.
In Verify your business app, paste the Business access token and Meta app secret.
In Set up message delivery, enter the Public HTTPS callback and choose a Webhook verification token. Select Verify and save.
In Meta, enter the same callback URL and token, then subscribe the app to messages.

This connects a business number, not your personal WhatsApp inbox.

Configure channels in .env instead

When you run Otto from source, you can set the TELEGRAM_* and WHATSAPP_* values listed in .env.example and restart. The Channels page is easier, because it checks your details and pairs your account.

Private steps happen in the Otto app

Passwords, saved logins and payment approvals never go through a chat app. When a task started on Telegram or WhatsApp needs one, Otto asks you to open Otto. Finish the step there, and the task carries on and replies in the chat app.

sequenceDiagram
  actor You
  participant Chat as Telegram or WhatsApp
  participant App as Otto app
  participant Otto
  You->>Chat: Book the table with my saved login
  Chat->>Otto: Your request
  Otto-->>Chat: Open Otto to continue securely
  You->>App: Finish the private step
  App->>Otto: Done
  Otto-->>Chat: The result

If a website sends you a one-time sign-in code, you can reply with it in the chat where Otto asked. Otto uses it for that sign-in and keeps it out of its chat history. Card security codes work only in the Otto app. See Vault and Payments.

Taking over Otto's browser also needs the Otto app, because chat apps can't show the page.

Commands

These commands answer straight away, without using the model or costing anything.

Send	To get
`/usage`	This month's spending and app actions, with a PDF statement
`/memory`	A short summary of what Otto remembers, with the full export

Telegram receives the PDF and the export as documents. On WhatsApp, open Otto to get them.