Substy supports two types of Telegram notifications: Personal DMs (direct messages sent to your individual Telegram account) and Group Chats (notifications sent to a shared Telegram group). You can use both simultaneously.
Each employee connects their own Telegram account:
Go to Settings > Notifications > Personal.
In the Telegram section, click Connect Telegram.
You'll be redirected to Telegram where you authorize the Substy bot.
Once connected, your Telegram username and chat ID are saved.
You'll now receive notification DMs directly from the bot.
Admins and team leaders can connect Telegram groups for team-wide notifications:
Go to Settings > Notifications > Agency.
In the Telegram section, click Generate Connect Code. A unique code is generated — valid for 30 minutes.
Add the Substy bot to your Telegram group and send the connect code as a message in the group.
The bot confirms the connection and the group appears in your linked groups list.
You can connect multiple Telegram groups (e.g., one per creator, one agency-wide, one for admins). In the Agency Telegram settings, click the remove button next to any group to disconnect it.
Substy Bot (Default): Uses Substy's built-in Telegram bot. No setup required — just connect and go.
Custom Bot: Create a bot via @BotFather on Telegram, copy the bot token, go to Settings > Notifications > Agency > Telegram, select Custom Bot, and paste your bot token. The token is encrypted and stored securely.
In the Agency tab, go to Creator Overrides, select a creator, and choose a different bot type (Substy or Custom) for that creator's notifications.
Telegram messages include the event type, creator name, fan name (when applicable), and a direct link to the conversation in Substy. Messages are formatted in HTML for clean readability.
Not receiving DMs? Make sure you've started a conversation with the bot first — Telegram bots can't message you unless you've initiated contact.
Group not connecting? Ensure the bot has been added to the group and the connect code hasn't expired (30-minute limit).
Wrong bot sending messages? Check the bot type setting in Agency > Telegram.
