What it is and why
Antispam and moderation bots (Rose, Combot and others) keep a community chat clean: a captcha at the door (which cuts off spam bots), spam and link filters, rule-based automatic moderation, and activity stats (Combot). Reach for them when you run an open chat or community on Telegram — without moderation it drowns in spam and ads fast. The bot handles it automatically, 24/7.
How to set it up (step by step)
- Pick an official bot (Rose, Combot) — double-check the @username and add it from a trusted source.
- Add it to the chat and grant admin rights — only the ones it needs (deleting messages, banning/muting members; do not hand over anything extra).
- Captcha at the door. Turn on new-member verification (a button or a small task) — it filters out automated spammers.
- Filters. Set up blocking of links, forwards and stop-words, plus anti-flood (a limit on message frequency).
- Rules and warnings. A warn → mute → ban system for violations, and a welcome message with the rules.
- Stats (Combot): watch activity, growth and chat engagement.
- Fine-tune it for your community — do not overtighten, or you will start banning real people.
Ready-made recipe
A clean community chat around a product: a newcomer passes the captcha on entry (spam bots get filtered out) → sees the welcome message with the rules → antispam filters cut promotional links and flooding automatically → offenders go through warn → mute → ban by the rules → Combot shows activity rising while spam drops → the moderators are left with real conversation only. The community around the product stays healthy without manual cleanup.
What it costs (honestly)
How it works: the basic features (captcha, filters, moderation) are usually free; the advanced parts (Combot's extended stats and analytics) sit on paid plans. Exact terms depend on the bot and they change.
When it fits / when it doesn't
- Fits: an open chat or community on Telegram; you need spam protection and automatic moderation; you want activity stats; a growing community.
- Doesn't fit: a closed micro-chat that needs no moderation; you are not willing to grant a bot admin rights; full privacy of members' messages is critical.
Risks and responsibility (Telegram specifics)
- Minimum rights: the bot needs admin rights in the chat — grant only what is necessary (delete/ban/mute), nothing extra, so that a compromised bot can do limited damage.
- Verify that the bot is the official one before granting rights over your chat — this is a third-party service with control over your community.
- The bot can see every message in the chat — keep your members' privacy in mind and do not use dubious bots in chats with sensitive information.
- 152-FZ: if the bot collects member data (stats, contacts), the personal-data requirements apply.
- Some features are paid-plan only. See the section disclaimer.
🤖 Prompt helper
You are a Telegram community moderator. The chat is about "{topic}", roughly {N} members, and the problem is {spam/flooding/ads}. Help me: (1) set up the captcha and antispam filters (Rose/Combot) step by step with the minimum rights the bot needs; (2) design a system of rules and penalties (warn/mute/ban); (3) write the welcome message with the rules; (4) put together a security checklist for granting a bot rights. Without banning real people.