Tgcli

What it does

tgcli is a command-line interface for interacting with Telegram using your personal account (MTProto protocol), not the bot API. It allows you to synchronize messages, search through conversations, send text and files, and optionally run a background sync service (MCP) for persistent connectivity. The tool supports archiving backfill and real-time message synchronization.

When to use it

• Archiving Telegram Conversations: Retrieve and store old messages from specific channels or chats for backup or analysis.
• Searching for Specific Content: Quickly find messages containing certain keywords within a channel or conversation archive.
• Sending Messages Programmatically: Automate sending text messages to contacts or channels, useful for notifications or reminders.
• Managing Telegram Data Offline: Access and manage your Telegram data even with intermittent internet connectivity by utilizing the optional MCP server.

Key capabilities

• Authentication using api_id and api_hash credentials from my.telegram.org.
• Message synchronization (backfill and real-time).
• Searching messages within chats and channels.
• Sending text messages to contacts or channels.
• Downloading media files.
• Optional MCP server for persistent background sync.
• Configuration options via tgcli config.

Example prompts

• tgcli messages list --chat @username --limit 10: Lists the last 10 messages from a specific chat.
• tgcli send text --to @username --message "Hello, this is automated!": Sends a message to a contact.
• tgcli sync --follow --chat @channel: Synchronizes messages for a specified channel and continues syncing in real-time.

Tips & gotchas

• You'll need to obtain your api_id and api_hash from my.telegram.org/apps before using the tool.
• The configuration store is located in your OS app-data directory; use the TGCLI_STORE environment variable to override its location if needed.