Build your first bot

A five-minute walkthrough — from an empty canvas to a bot that replies.

Let’s build a bot that greets the user on /start.

1. Create a bot

Pick or create a project on the left, then create a bot (or click Create a bot in Telegram to attach a real one — see Install & log in). You can also start from a template for a ready-made flow.

2. Add a trigger

Drag a Command block from the palette onto the canvas and set its command to /start. A trigger is where a conversation begins — it’s the entry point of the flow. The first trigger is marked as the Start block.

3. Add an action

Drag a Message block onto the canvas and type your greeting, e.g. Hi {{user.first_name}} 👋. The {{user.first_name}} part is a template — it’s replaced with the user’s name at runtime.

4. Connect them

Draw an arrow from the Command block to the Message block (drag from one handle to the other, or Ctrl-select both and right-click → Link). The arrow means “do this next”.

5. Test it

Click Test to open the offline sandbox and type /start — the bot replies instantly, no deploy needed. When you’re happy, click Run (runs locally while the app is open) or Deploy (runs 24/7 on the server, paid). See Test, Run & Deploy.