sergei-mikhailov-tg-channel-reader

# tg-channel-reader

Read posts and comments from Telegram channels using MTProto (Pyrogram or Telethon).
Works with any public channel and private channels the user is subscribed to.
Supports fetching discussion replies (comments) for individual posts.

> **Security notice:** This skill requires `TG_API_ID` and `TG_API_HASH` from [my.telegram.org](https://my.telegram.org). The session file grants full Telegram account access — store it securely and never share it.

---

## Exec Approvals

> **Just installed via `clawhub install`?** Complete Setup & Installation (below) first — the skill needs `pip install`, credentials, and a session file before exec approvals matter.

OpenClaw blocks unknown CLI commands by default. The user must approve `tg-reader` commands before they can run. If the command hangs or the user says nothing is happening — exec approval is likely pending.

### Quick setup (recommended)

Run from the skill directory — checks prerequisites, installs pip packages if needed, and prints the approval commands to run:

```bash
cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/sergei-mikhailov-tg-channel-reader
bash setup-tg-reader.sh
```

### Manual CLI approval

```bash
openclaw approvals allowlist add --gateway "$(which tg-reader)"
openclaw approvals allowlist add --gateway "$(which tg-reader-check)"
openclaw approvals allowlist add --gateway "$(which tg-reader-telethon)"
```

### Alternative: approve on first use

1. **Control UI** — open `http://localhost:18789/`, find the pending approval for `tg-reader`, click **"Always allow"**. [Docs](https://docs.openclaw.ai/web/control-ui)
2. **Messenger** (Telegram, Slack, Discord) — the bot sends an approval request with an `<id>`. Reply: `/approve <id> allow-always`. Other options: `allow-once`, `deny`.

The approval prompt appears in the **Control UI or as a bot message** — not in the agent's conversation. This is a common source of confusion.

---

## When to Use

- User asks to "check", "read", or "monitor" a Telegram chann...

# sergei-mikhailov-tg-channel-reader

> OpenClaw skill for reading Telegram channels via MTProto (Pyrogram or Telethon)

An [OpenClaw](https://openclaw.ai) skill that lets your AI agent fetch and summarize posts from any Telegram channel — public or private (if you're subscribed).

## Features

- Fetch posts from one or multiple channels in one command
- Flexible time windows: `24h`, `7d`, `2w`, or specific date
- JSON output with views, forwards, and direct links
- Secure credential storage via env vars or config file
- Works with any public channel — no bot admin required

## Why Use This Skill Instead of Web Monitoring?

OpenClaw can monitor Telegram channels via web scraping, but this skill uses **MTProto** — the same official protocol used by the Telegram app itself. Here's why it matters:

| | Web monitoring | This skill (MTProto) |
|---|---|---|
| **Reliability** | Breaks when Telegram updates its web UI | Always works — official protocol |
| **Speed** | Slow (browser rendering) | Fast — direct API calls |
| **Private channels** | Public only | Any channel you're subscribed to |
| **Data richness** | Text only | Views, forwards, links, dates |
| **Rate limits** | Frequent blocks & captchas | Soft limits, sufficient for personal use |
| **Agent integration** | Requires extra parsing | Clean JSON, ready for agent to analyze |

**Bottom line:** if you follow Telegram channels regularly and want your agent to summarize them, this skill is faster, more reliable, and gives you richer data than web monitoring.

## Install via ClawHub

```bash
npx clawhub@latest install sergei-mikhailov-tg-channel-reader
```

Then install Python dependencies:

```bash
cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/sergei-mikhailov-tg-channel-reader
pip install pyrogram tgcrypto telethon
pip install -e .
```

> **Linux users:** if you get `externally-managed-environment` error, use a virtual environment:
> ```bash
> python3 -m venv ~/.venv/tg-reader
> ~/.venv/tg-reader/bin/pip install pyrogram tgcry...