3. Send an image

curl -s -X POST
-F "chat_id=${TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID}"
-F "photo=@/path/to/image.png"
-F "caption=My screenshot"
"https://api.telegram.org/bot${TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN}/sendPhoto"


## Setup

### 1. Get Telegram Bot Token

1. Message [@BotFather](https://t.me/BotFather) on Telegram
2. Send `/newbot` or `/mybots` for existing
3. Copy the API token (format: `123456789:ABC...`)

### 2. Get Chat ID

**For personal messages:**
- Message [@userinfobot](https://t.me/userinfobot)
- It will reply with your ID

**For groups:**
- Add [@RawDataBot](https://t.me/RawDataBot) to your group
- It will reply with the chat ID (starts with `-100`)

### 3. Configure Environment

```bash
# Option A: Export in shell (temporary)
export TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN="your_token"
export TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID="your_chat_id"

# Option B: Create .env file (recommended)
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your values
source .env

Security: .env is gitignored — never commit secrets!

4. Auto-Load .env (Optional but Recommended)

For OpenClaw sessions: Add to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:

# Auto-load telegram-direct-send env vars
if [ -f "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/telegram-direct-send/.env" ]; then
    source "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/telegram-direct-send/.env"
fi

For skill directory only: Create a wrapper script send-image.sh:

#!/bin/bash
# Load env vars from skill directory
SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
if [ -f "$SCRIPT_DIR/.env" ]; then
    source "$SCRIPT_DIR/.env"
fi

# Now use the vars
curl -s -X POST \
  -F "chat_id=${TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID}" \
  -F "photo=@$1" \
  -F "caption=${2:-Image}" \
  "https://api.telegram.org/bot${TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN}/sendPhoto"

Then: chmod +x send-image.sh && ./send-image.sh ./photo.png "My caption"

Usage Examples

Send image with caption

curl -s -X POST \
  -F "chat_id=${TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID}" \
  -F "photo=@./screenshot.png" \
  -F "caption=Screenshot from $(date)" \
  "https://api.telegram.org/bot${TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN}/sendPhoto"

Send as document (no compression)

curl -s -X POST \
  -F "chat_id=${TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID}" \
  -F "document=@/path/to/image.png" \
  -F "caption=Original quality" \
  "https://api.telegram.org/bot${TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN}/sendDocument"

Send with inline keyboard

curl -s -X POST \
  -F "chat_id=${TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID}" \
  -F "photo=@./image.png" \
  -F "caption=Choose:" \
  -F "reply_markup={\"inline_keyboard\":[[{\"text\":\"Yes\",\"callback_data\":\"yes\"},{\"text\":\"No\",\"callback_data\":\"no\"}]]}" \
  "https://api.telegram.org/bot${TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN}/sendPhoto"

API Reference

Endpoint	Purpose
`sendPhoto`	Send image (compressed)
`sendDocument`	Send file (no compression)
`sendMessage`	Text only
`sendMediaGroup`	Multiple images

Troubleshooting

Error	Solution
`chat not found`	Check `TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID`
`bot was blocked`	User must `/start` the bot
`file too large`	Use `sendDocument`

Why This Skill Exists

OpenClaw issue #63137: Images sent via read tool render in agent context but never reach Telegram mobile clients. This skill bypasses OpenClaw's gateway entirely.

Publishing Notes

.env.example shows required variables
.gitignore excludes .env
No hardcoded secrets
Users configure via env or .env file

telegram-direct-send

Telegram Direct Send

Quick Start