Telegram News Skill (Read-Only) Reads Telegram channels and groups for financial news and market research using tdl , a Telegram CLI tool. This skill is read-only. It is designed for financial research: reading channel messages, monitoring financial news channels, and exporting message history. It does NOT support sending messages, joining/leaving channels, or any write operations. Step 1: Ensure tdl Is Installed Current environment status: !(command -v tdl && tdl version 2>&1 | head -3 || echo "TDL_NOT_INSTALLED") 2>/dev/null If the status above shows a version number, tdl is installed — skip to Step 2. If TDL_NOT_INSTALLED , install tdl based on the user's platform: Platform Install Command macOS / Linux curl -sSL https://docs.iyear.me/tdl/install.sh | sudo bash macOS (Homebrew) brew install telegram-downloader Linux (Termux) pkg install tdl Linux (AUR) yay -S tdl Linux (Nix) nix-env -iA nixos.tdl Go (any platform) go install github.com/iyear/tdl@latest Ask the user which installation method they prefer. Default to Homebrew on macOS, curl script on Linux. Step 2: Ensure tdl Is Authenticated Current auth status: !(tdl chat ls --limit 1 2>&1 >/dev/null && echo "AUTH_OK" || echo "AUTH_NEEDED") 2>/dev/null If AUTH_OK , skip to Step 3. If AUTH_NEEDED , guide the user through login. Login requires interactive input — the user must enter their phone number and verification code manually. Login methods Method A: QR Code (recommended — fastest) tdl login -T qr A QR code will be displayed in the terminal. The user scans it with their Telegram mobile app (Settings > Devices > Link Desktop Device). Method B: Phone + Code tdl login -T code The user enters their phone number, then the verification code sent to their Telegram app. Method C: Import from Telegram Desktop If the user has Telegram Desktop installed and logged in: tdl login This imports the session from the existing desktop client. The desktop client must be from the official website , NOT from the App Store or Microsoft Store. Namespaces By default, tdl uses a default namespace. To manage multiple accounts: tdl login -n work -T qr

Login to "work" namespace

tdl chat ls -n work

Use "work" namespace for commands

Important login notes Login is a one-time operation. The session persists on disk after successful login. If login fails, ask the user to check their internet connection and try again. Never ask for or handle Telegram passwords/2FA codes programmatically — always let the user enter them interactively. Step 3: Identify What the User Needs Match the user's request to one of the read operations below. User Request Command Key Flags List all chats/channels tdl chat ls -o json , -f "FILTER" List only channels tdl chat ls -f "Type contains 'channel'" -o json Export recent messages tdl chat export -c CHAT -T last -i N --all , --with-content Export messages by time range tdl chat export -c CHAT -T time -i START,END --all , --with-content Export messages by ID range tdl chat export -c CHAT -T id -i FROM,TO --all , --with-content Export from a topic/thread tdl chat export -c CHAT --topic TOPIC_ID --all , --with-content Search for a channel by name tdl chat ls -f "VisibleName contains 'NAME'" -o json Chat identifiers The -c flag accepts multiple formats: Format Example Username (with @) -c @channel_name Username (without @) -c channel_name Numeric chat ID -c 123456789 Public link -c https://t.me/channel_name Phone number -c "+1 123456789" Saved Messages -c "" (empty) Step 4: Execute the Command Listing chats

List all chats

tdl chat ls

JSON output for processing

tdl chat ls -o json

Filter for channels only

tdl chat ls -f "Type contains 'channel'"

Search by name

tdl chat ls -f "VisibleName contains 'Bloomberg'" Exporting messages Always use --all --with-content to get text messages (not just media):

Last 20 messages from a channel

tdl chat export -c @channel_name -T last -i 20 --all --with-content -o /tmp/tdl-export.json

Messages from a time range (Unix timestamps)

tdl chat export -c @channel_name -T time -i 1710288000,1710374400 --all --with-content -o /tmp/tdl-export.json

Messages by ID range

tdl chat export -c @channel_name -T id -i 100,200 --all --with-content -o /tmp/tdl-export.json Key rules Check auth first — run tdl chat ls --limit 1 before other commands to verify the session is valid Always use --all --with-content when exporting messages for reading — without these flags, tdl only exports media messages Use -o FILE to save exports to a file, then read the JSON — this is more reliable than parsing stdout Start with small exports — use -T last -i 20 unless the user asks for more Use filters on chat ls to help users find the right channel before exporting NEVER execute write operations — this skill is read-only; do not send messages, join channels, or modify anything Convert timestamps — when the user gives dates, convert to Unix timestamps for the -T time filter Working with exported JSON After exporting, read the JSON file and extract the relevant information:

Export messages

tdl chat export -c @channel_name -T last -i 20 --all --with-content -o /tmp/tdl-export.json

Read and process the export

cat /tmp/tdl-export.json The export JSON contains message objects with fields like id , date , message (text content), from_id , views , and media metadata. Step 5: Present the Results After fetching data, present it clearly for financial research: Summarize key messages — highlight the most relevant news or market updates Include timestamps — show when each message was posted Group by topic — if multiple channels, organize by theme (macro, earnings, crypto, etc.) Flag actionable information — note breaking news, price targets, earnings surprises Provide channel context — mention which channel/group each message came from For channel lists , show channel name, member count, and type Step 6: Diagnostics If something isn't working: Error Cause Fix not authorized or session errors Not logged in or session expired Run tdl login -T qr to re-authenticate FLOOD_WAIT_X Rate limited by Telegram Wait X seconds, then retry CHANNEL_PRIVATE No access to channel User must join the channel in their Telegram app first tdl: command not found tdl not installed Install using Step 1 Reference Files references/commands.md — Complete tdl command reference for reading channels and exporting messages Read the reference file when you need exact command syntax or detailed flag documentation.