# Connect and test a Telegram bot for Hermes Create a Telegram bot, provide its token and numeric owner ID through the documented xCloud controls, and confirm a private test message reaches Hermes. Canonical: https://xcloud.host/use-cases/playbooks/hermes-telegram-test/ Published: 2026-10-01 · Updated: 2026-10-01 · Technical review: 2026-10-01 Evidence: Source reviewed; no production deployment test claimed Editorial owner: xCloud editorial Intent: Connect and verify a Telegram bot for an xCloud Hermes Agent For: administrator, team-owner ## Requirements and responsibilities - Assign a named team owner for this task and confirm that all needed service accounts, sources and data are within the approved scope. Never place credentials or private keys in agent prompts. Sources: [xCloud Telegram setup for Hermes](https://xcloud.host/docs/create-a-telegram-bot-and-connect-it-with-hermes/); [xCloud Hermes Agent deployment guide](https://xcloud.host/docs/how-to-deploy-hermes-agent-with-xcloud/) - Confirm the managed Hermes service is running and use only xCloud controls documented for this task; any upstream Hermes CLI, file or scheduled-job procedure needs an authorized operator and is not evidence of an xCloud panel feature. Sources: [xCloud Telegram setup for Hermes](https://xcloud.host/docs/create-a-telegram-bot-and-connect-it-with-hermes/); [xCloud Hermes Agent deployment guide](https://xcloud.host/docs/how-to-deploy-hermes-agent-with-xcloud/) ## Illustrative situation Illustrative scenario: one named operator needs a private Telegram route to verify the agent, with the numeric user ID restricting the intended audience. ## Choose the approach - Use the documented Telegram bot with one owner ID for private verification; if no Telegram route is needed, keep access to the documented terminal route. Sources: [xCloud Telegram setup for Hermes](https://xcloud.host/docs/create-a-telegram-bot-and-connect-it-with-hermes/); [xCloud Hermes Agent deployment guide](https://xcloud.host/docs/how-to-deploy-hermes-agent-with-xcloud/) ## Dashboard and application procedure ### 1. Create a bot **Where:** Telegram → BotFather **Permissions:** Telegram account authorized to create the bot **Inputs:** Bot name and username **Action:** Use BotFather to create a bot and copy its token into a secure secret manager; do not place it in a guide, ticket or chat. **Expected result:** BotFather returns a bot token and the bot is available in Telegram. **Verify:** Store the token securely and verify it is not present in shell history or shared notes. **If it fails:** If the token may have been exposed, revoke/rotate it through BotFather before proceeding. Capability: Review the task result and retain human control Sources: [xCloud Telegram setup for Hermes](https://xcloud.host/docs/create-a-telegram-bot-and-connect-it-with-hermes/) ### 2. Find the owner ID **Where:** Telegram user-ID lookup flow in xCloud’s linked setup instructions **Permissions:** The intended Telegram owner **Inputs:** Numeric Telegram user ID **Action:** Open the xCloud-linked user-ID lookup method, retrieve the intended owner’s numeric Telegram ID, and compare it with the correct Telegram account. Store the number securely for the next setup step. **Expected result:** The configured ID identifies the intended account, not a guessed or copied bot ID. **Verify:** Confirm the numeric ID belongs to the intended person before saving it. **If it fails:** If the ID cannot be confirmed, do not use a guessed value; repeat the official lookup process. Capability: Review the task result and retain human control Sources: [xCloud Telegram setup for Hermes](https://xcloud.host/docs/create-a-telegram-bot-and-connect-it-with-hermes/) ### 3. Configure the hosted channel **Where:** Hermes server → Channels, or deployment form **Permissions:** Authorized Hermes administrator **Inputs:** Bot token and numeric user ID **Action:** Enter both values in the documented Telegram fields and save. xCloud supports Telegram as its documented built-in channel. **Expected result:** The Channels view shows the Telegram configuration saved. **Verify:** Reopen Channels to verify configured state without copying the token into notes. **If it fails:** If configuration fails, check token validity and ID accuracy; do not broaden access as a workaround. Capability: Operate documented Hermes controls in the xCloud dashboard Sources: [xCloud Hermes Agent deployment guide](https://xcloud.host/docs/how-to-deploy-hermes-agent-with-xcloud/); [xCloud Telegram setup for Hermes](https://xcloud.host/docs/create-a-telegram-bot-and-connect-it-with-hermes/) ### 4. Start a private test **Where:** Telegram bot chat **Permissions:** The allowed user ID configured above **Inputs:** Owner sends \`/start\` and the exact harmless marker \`channel-check-\\` to the configured bot **Action:** The owner opens the bot chat, sends \`/start\`, then sends \`channel-check-\\` as a harmless test. Observe whether Hermes replies in that same configured conversation; do not ask Hermes to message itself or initiate a separate delivery. **Expected result:** The configured bot replies to the owner’s test marker in the expected Telegram conversation. **Verify:** The human owner confirms the reply arrived from the expected bot and did not reach an unapproved recipient. **If it fails:** If no response arrives, inspect Hermes Channels and Logs before changing credentials. Capability: Review the task result and retain human control Sources: [xCloud Telegram setup for Hermes](https://xcloud.host/docs/create-a-telegram-bot-and-connect-it-with-hermes/) ### 5. Record the access boundary **Where:** Team runbook / secret manager **Permissions:** Channel owner **Inputs:** Bot owner, allowed user ID, rotation owner **Action:** Document the bot owner, where the token is stored, who may rotate it and the approved audience; exclude the token value. **Expected result:** The team can identify who owns channel access and secret rotation. **Verify:** A second authorized administrator can locate the instructions without seeing the secret in plaintext. **If it fails:** If ownership is unclear, pause additional invitations until an owner and access policy are named. Capability: Review the task result and retain human control Sources: [xCloud Telegram setup for Hermes](https://xcloud.host/docs/create-a-telegram-bot-and-connect-it-with-hermes/) ## Maintenance - Review bot ownership and allowed Telegram user ID; rotate an exposed token through BotFather. Sources: [xCloud Telegram setup for Hermes](https://xcloud.host/docs/create-a-telegram-bot-and-connect-it-with-hermes/); [xCloud Hermes Agent deployment guide](https://xcloud.host/docs/how-to-deploy-hermes-agent-with-xcloud/) ## Recovery decisions - If the bot stops responding, inspect Channels and Logs, verify the token and numeric user ID, and rotate the token if exposed. Sources: [xCloud Telegram setup for Hermes](https://xcloud.host/docs/create-a-telegram-bot-and-connect-it-with-hermes/); [xCloud Hermes Agent deployment guide](https://xcloud.host/docs/how-to-deploy-hermes-agent-with-xcloud/) ## AI handoff Configure the needed provider, channel, credentials and permissions separately. This guide does not imply xCloud has preconfigured upstream tools or scheduled jobs. ### Supported scope - **Review the task result and retain human control** (app; manual): Human acceptance and follow-up; no external write is implied. Checkpoint: Verify the source/output and actual side effects before sharing or acting. Sources: [Hermes security guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/security); [Hermes daily briefing tutorial](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/guides/daily-briefing-bot); [Hermes automate with cron patterns](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/guides/automate-with-cron) - **Operate documented Hermes controls in the xCloud dashboard** (dashboard; manual): Manual xCloud interface. Use only deployment, Providers, Channels, Workspace and Updates controls documented by xCloud; do not infer extra dashboard capabilities. Checkpoint: Confirm the intended Hermes server and current visible control before saving a change. Sources: [xCloud Hermes Agent deployment guide](https://xcloud.host/docs/how-to-deploy-hermes-agent-with-xcloud/); [xCloud Telegram setup for Hermes](https://xcloud.host/docs/create-a-telegram-bot-and-connect-it-with-hermes/); [xCloud Hermes Workspace setup guide](https://xcloud.host/docs/how-to-set-up-hermes-workspace-with-xcloud/) ### Copyable agent brief ```text When the configured owner sends `/start` or a harmless `channel-check-` message in this Telegram conversation, reply with a brief acknowledgement that repeats the marker exactly. Do not send messages proactively, add recipients, or reveal the bot token. ``` ### Manual checkpoints - The bot token and numeric user ID are entered by the authorized owner in documented xCloud setup/Channels fields; never include them in a task prompt. - Review the task-specific acceptance check and inspect actual output, configuration or run history before relying on it. ## Feature coverage - **Documented Hermes task path** (covered): Steps identify whether an action uses documented xCloud controls, upstream operator configuration or human review. Steps: step-1, step-2, step-3, step-4, step-5 - **Task-specific acceptance check** (covered): The final step validates this guide’s stated result. Steps: step-5 ## Sources - [xCloud Telegram setup for Hermes](https://xcloud.host/docs/create-a-telegram-bot-and-connect-it-with-hermes/) — reviewed 2026-10-01 - [xCloud Hermes Agent deployment guide](https://xcloud.host/docs/how-to-deploy-hermes-agent-with-xcloud/) — reviewed 2026-10-01 - [Hermes security guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/security) — reviewed 2026-10-01 - [Hermes daily briefing tutorial](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/guides/daily-briefing-bot) — reviewed 2026-10-01 - [Hermes automate with cron patterns](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/guides/automate-with-cron) — reviewed 2026-10-01 - [xCloud Hermes Workspace setup guide](https://xcloud.host/docs/how-to-set-up-hermes-workspace-with-xcloud/) — reviewed 2026-10-01 ## Continue [Review xCloud Hermes deployment options](https://xcloud.host/docs/how-to-deploy-hermes-agent-with-xcloud/) - [Deploy Hermes and verify the first model-backed task](https://xcloud.host/use-cases/playbooks/hermes-first-model-chat/)