Creating the simplest Telegram bot in 10 minutes

Do you want to see your first bot on Telegram that at least says “Hi!” and responds to messages – and yet doesn’t write a line of code yourself?

Let’s do this in one prompt in Codex (or any AI editor with Agent mode).

What to have in advance:

• Installed Codex (or Cursor, Aider, Claude Projects, Continue.dev, etc.)
• Telegram on your phone or computer
• Python installed (3.10+), but even this AI can test and prompt

## Step 1. Create a bot in Telegram and get a token

1. Open Telegram
2. Search for @BotFather
3. Write a team /newbotXX
4. Think of a bot name, like: Мой Первый БотикXX
5. Create a username - required ends in bot: @AlexeyTestBotXX @VibeFirstBotX @SimpleEchoBotX
6. BotFather will send you a token 123456789:AAF1b2C3d4E5f6G7h8I9j0KLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZXX
7. Copy the token and keep it on hand (preferably in the clipboard)

## Step 2. We open Codex and ask you to create a bot with one prompt

1. Launch Codex
2. Create a new blank project: File → New Folder / New Window → Choose or create an empty folder, such as simple-telegram-bot
3. Copy this whole prompt and put it into the AI chat:

Create the simplest Telegram bot in Python for a beginner.

Requirements:
Use the python-telegram-bot library (the newest version with Application and async)
Store the token in the .env file via python-dotenv
- The bot should:
To the /start command, reply: Hello! I'm your first bot, write me something!
Respond to any text message with an echo: "You wrote: [text message]"
- To /help reply: "I can only /start and repeat your messages По"
Run through polling (app.run polling())
When starting, type to the console: "Bot launched!" Text him on Telegram.
- All in one bot file. py
Create .env file from placeholder: BOT TOKEN=your token here
If necessary, create requirements.txt with the right dependencies.
- Code with comments in Russian
Nothing complicated: no keyboards, no photos, no AI, no database.
Create files on the disk right now and open them for me.

After creating the commands to start:
1. pip install -r requirements.txt (or pip install python-telegram-bot python-dotenv)
2. Python bot. py

5. Press Enter/Apply Codex will think and ***** create **

   • bot.py with ready code
   • .env with BOT TOKEN=...
   • possibly requirements.txt

6. When asked permission to create files → permissions (Approve / Yes)

## Step 3. Insert the token and launch it

1. Open the .env file (it has already been created)

2. Replace the line with yours: BOT_TOKEN=123456789:AAF1b2C3d4E5f6G7h8I9j0KLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZXX (insert your real token)

3. Save the file (1-3 steps can also be done through an AI request)

4. Write in the input window of Запусти бота, codex will think, set the dependencies and run the bot, after reporting a successfully completed task.

5. Open Telegram → find your bot by username → write /start Then write any message - the bot must repeat it with the prefix "You wrote: ..."

## Done!

You now have a live Telegram bot, and you haven't written a single line of code with your hands.

What can you do next (also in one prompt):

• Add the /time command so that the bot writes the current time
• “Make the bot respond with random jokes.”
• Add the "Hello" button below the message

Just insert a new prompt form into the input window: Take the current bot and add..