# scrabble/platform/telegram — Telegram validator + bot

The Telegram platform side-service, split into **two binaries** that share the bot
token, so Telegram egress lives off the main host while game login does not depend on
it. See [`docs/ARCHITECTURE.md`](../../docs/ARCHITECTURE.md) §1/§3/§10/§12/§13.

- **`cmd/validator`** (home) — verifies Mini App `initData` and Login Widget data by
  HMAC (the bot token is the secret) and **never calls the Bot API**. It serves the
  validation gRPC API the gateway calls during Telegram auth, on the trusted internal
  network with no VPN. Because it needs no Telegram reachability, **game login stays up
  even when the bot or the bot-link is down**.
- **`cmd/bot`** (remote) — runs the Bot API long-poll (Mini App launch, `/start`
  deep-links, the `/support` info reply) and `sendMessage`, the only component reaching
  the Telegram Bot API. It
  holds **no inbound port**: it dials the gateway over a reverse **mTLS bot-link** and
  executes the send commands the gateway pushes, so its egress can run on a host with
  native Telegram access (a VPN sidecar in the test contour, a separate host in prod).

Both hold the same token. One bot owns the exclusive `getUpdates` long-poll
(`TELEGRAM_OWNS_UPDATES`, exactly one per token, else Telegram returns 409); the
design leaves seams (a gateway bot registry, the `owns_updates` flag, per-command ids)
for running several bots later, not built yet.

## Validator

`ValidateInitData` validates `initData` against the token and returns only the
Telegram user identity (no per-bot service language, no supported-languages set);
`ValidateLoginWidget` verifies Telegram **Login Widget** web sign-in data — HMAC under
`SHA-256(bot_token)`, distinct from initData (`internal/loginwidget`) — for attaching a
Telegram identity to an account from a browser. Both map a rejection to gRPC
`InvalidArgument`.

## Bot

- **Send commands.** The gateway pushes `Notify` (out-of-app push: your_turn,
  game_over, nudge, match_found, and the invitation / friend_request notify sub-kinds),
  `SendToUser` and `SendToGameChannel` (operator broadcasts) down the bot-link. The bot
  renders the message in the command's `language` (the recipient's interface language;
  operator-chosen for broadcasts) with a Mini App launch button and sends it. It replies
  with an `Ack` per command (`delivered` mirrors the former connector semantics —
  false when the kind is not rendered out-of-app or the user never started the bot).
- **Bot chat.** `/start <payload>` (and the chat menu button) reply with a localized
  welcome and a Mini App launch button; a deep-link payload routes the launch to a game /
  invitation / friend code. The welcome is **Russian or English** by the sender's reported
  Telegram language (`Message.from.language_code`, which the Bot API carries on the message
  itself — no separate user-update event — English fallback) and links the game channel and
  discussion chat by their public `@username`, **resolved once at startup** from
  `TELEGRAM_GAME_CHANNEL_ID` / `TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID` via `getChat` (a chat that is unset,
  private, or unreadable degrades that link to a generic noun — "the channel" / "our
  chat" — rather than a dangling "@"). This is otherwise **self-contained**
  — the bot never calls back into the game, so `/start` onboarding works even when the game
  is down.
- **Support command.** `/support` replies with a fixed support-desk info message — the
  operators' working hours and what to include (a description and, when possible,
  screenshots). Like `/start` it answers only in a private chat and is **Russian or
  English** by the sender's reported language, and it is listed in the bot's command menu
  (localized, Russian/English). It is a dedicated command handler, so it intercepts
  `/support` before the support relay below — the command line itself is not forwarded to
  operators, while the user's following description still is.
- **Moderated-chat gating.** When `TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID` names a channel's linked discussion
  group, the bot gates who may write there. The group **allows sending by default** (a
  human setting) and the bot only **restricts** — Telegram intersects the chat default with
  each user's permission, so a per-user grant cannot exceed a deny-by-default group, and the
  gate must mute the ineligible rather than grant the eligible. On a `chat_member` event the
  bot asks the gateway (`ResolveChatEligibility`) and **mutes** a member who is not registered
  or is admin-suspended or `chat_muted`, **un-mutes** an eligible one it had muted, and leaves
  an already-allowed eligible member untouched (it acts only when the state differs, so it is
  idempotent and skips its own change). When an operator blocks/unblocks an account, toggles
  its `chat_muted` role, or a user first registers, the gateway pushes a `ChatGate` command and
  the bot applies it — but only to a member currently in the chat (it probes one user with
  `getChatMember`, since bots cannot list members). The bot must be an **administrator** there
  with the **"Ban users"** right (the Bot API `can_restrict_members`), and it subscribes to
  `chat_member` updates, which Telegram delivers only to a chat admin. The bot also **removes
  the automatic pin** Telegram places on every channel post auto-forwarded into this linked
  chat (the `Message.is_automatic_forward` marker): it unpins only that one message
  (`unpinChatMessage` by id), so a pin set by a human admin — or by the bot for another
  message — is never touched. This needs the **pin-messages** right (`can_pin_messages`) in
  addition to "Ban users"; a startup self-check warns when it is missing.
- **Support relay (optional).** When `TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID` names a private **forum
  supergroup**, the bot runs a direct support channel for users who message it. A user's first
  non-`/start` message opens a dedicated **forum topic** whose first message is an info card (the
  name is a tappable profile mention via a `text_mention` entity — which also stops a name starting
  with `/` from rendering as a command — plus @username, language, premium, id) with a **Block/Unblock** toggle
  and a **Clear** button; each message is then copied into that topic (`copyMessage`, so any content
  — text, media, voice, files — carries over). Any **administrator** of the support chat who writes
  in a user's topic has it copied back to that user; the bot's own posts and non-admins are ignored
  (the loop guard). **Block** drops a user's incoming messages (the topic stays); **Clear** deletes
  the relayed messages, keeping the info card; a topic the operators delete is reopened on the next
  message. State (user→topic map, block list, relayed ids) is a JSON file under
  `TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_STATE_DIR` on a persistent volume — the bot host has no database. The bot must
  be an **administrator** in the group with the **manage-topics** and **delete-messages** rights.
  The relay is bot-local (no backend, no bot-link) and a forwarded message gets no automatic
  reply (the `/support` command above aside).
- **Promo bot (optional).** When `TELEGRAM_PROMO_BOT_TOKEN` is set, the container also
  runs a **second, standalone** bot whose only job is to answer `/start` with a localized
  message and a button that opens the **main** bot's Mini App. The button is a **URL** to
  the main bot's direct link (`TELEGRAM_BOT_LINK`, the same link the UI uses) with
  `?startapp` — a `web_app` button would launch under the promo bot's identity (its token
  would sign the initData), which the main bot's validator rejects. It is fully
  self-contained: no bot-link, no gateway, no game. Its `?startapp` payload
  (`TELEGRAM_PROMO_START_PARAM`, default `verudit_ru-scrabble_en`) is a variant-seed deep
  link the backend decodes to seed a brand-new user's variant preferences (English Scrabble
  alongside the default Erudit). The message body also renders the bot's `@username` as that
  same deep link (an HTML `text_link`), so tapping the mention — not just the button — opens
  the seeded Mini App rather than the bot profile.
- **Rate limiting.** Outbound sends are throttled (`TELEGRAM_SEND_RATE_PER_SECOND`,
  default 25) to respect the Bot API flood limits.
- **Payments (Telegram Stars).** When `TELEGRAM_STARS_OUTBOX_DIR` is set (default `/data`), the
  bot handles the Stars rail. Only the bot reaches Telegram, so it mints the invoice on a
  `CreateInvoice` bot-link command (`createInvoiceLink`, XTR — the link goes back to the Mini App
  for `WebApp.openInvoice`); it gates each `pre_checkout_query` through the bot-link
  (`ValidatePreCheckout`, backed by the backend intake — declining an already-paid reusable
  invoice before the charge); and it records each `successful_payment` in a durable **SQLite
  outbox** (`internal/outbox`, `stars.db` on the writable volume) before forwarding it over the
  bot-link (`ForwardPayment`). The outbox is re-driven on startup and every 30 s, so a gateway or
  backend outage never loses a paid order; crediting is idempotent on `telegram_payment_charge_id`.
  The rail stays inert until a chip pack carries an XTR price (seeded in the admin).

The send commands address a recipient by the identity `external_id` (as in the backend
`identities` table), so a future VK / MAX bot reuses them; only the validator's initData
parsing is Telegram-specific.

## gRPC contracts

- `pkg/proto/telegram/v1`, service `Telegram` — served by the **validator**
  (`ValidateInitData`, `ValidateLoginWidget`). Its `Notify` / `SendToUser` /
  `SendToGameChannel` request shapes are reused as bot-link command payloads; the
  gateway also implements `SendToUser` / `SendToGameChannel` as the backend's admin
  relay.
- `pkg/proto/botlink/v1`, service `BotLink` — the reverse bidi stream the **bot** dials
  on the gateway (`Hello` / `Command` / `Ack`), carrying a `ChatGateCommand` (set a user's
  chat write access) and a `CreateInvoiceCommand` (mint a Stars invoice link, returned in the
  Ack result), plus unary `ResolveChatEligibility` (the bot's join-time query),
  `ValidatePreCheckout` and `ForwardPayment` (the Stars rail) over the same mTLS channel.
  Generated Go is committed under `pkg`.

## Deep-link scheme

Shared verbatim with the UI (`ui/src/lib/deeplink.ts`). A Mini App start parameter is a
one-character kind prefix plus a value:

| Parameter | Destination |
| --- | --- |
| `g<game uuid>` | open that game |
| `i<invitation uuid>` | open that invitation |
| `f<6-digit code>` | redeem that friend code |
| empty / unknown | the lobby |

The bot turns a `/start <payload>` or a notification target into a launch-button URL
`<MiniAppURL>?startapp=<payload>`.

## Configuration

Shared:

| Env var | Default | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN` | — (required) | the bot's API token + initData HMAC secret |
| `TELEGRAM_LOG_LEVEL` | `info` | zap log level |
| `TELEGRAM_SERVICE_NAME` | per binary | OpenTelemetry `service.name` (validator: `scrabble-telegram-validator`, bot: `scrabble-telegram-bot`) |
| `TELEGRAM_OTEL_TRACES_EXPORTER` | `none` | `none`, `stdout` or `otlp` (gRPC; endpoint from `OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_*`) |
| `TELEGRAM_OTEL_METRICS_EXPORTER` | `none` | `none`, `stdout` or `otlp` |

Validator (`cmd/validator`):

| Env var | Default | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `TELEGRAM_VALIDATOR_GRPC_ADDR` | `:9091` | validator gRPC listen address (the gateway dials it) |

Bot (`cmd/bot`):

| Env var | Default | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `TELEGRAM_MINIAPP_URL` | — (required) | Mini App HTTPS origin (BotFather-registered) |
| `TELEGRAM_GATEWAY_ADDR` | — (required) | the gateway bot-link endpoint to dial |
| `TELEGRAM_BOTLINK_SERVER_NAME` | — (required) | the gateway certificate's expected SNI / CN |
| `TELEGRAM_BOTLINK_TLS_CERT` / `_KEY` / `_CA` | — (required) | the bot client cert, its key, and the CA that signs the gateway server cert |
| `TELEGRAM_GAME_CHANNEL_ID` | — | the bot's game channel chat id for `SendToGameChannel` |
| `TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID` | — | the moderated discussion chat id (a channel's linked group); empty disables chat gating |
| `TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID` | — | the support relay's forum supergroup id (topic per user); empty disables the relay |
| `TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_STATE_DIR` | `/data` | directory for the support relay's JSON state (a writable volume) |
| `TELEGRAM_STARS_OUTBOX_DIR` | `/data` | directory for the Telegram Stars payment outbox (`stars.db`, a writable volume); empty disables the Stars rail |
| `TELEGRAM_PROMO_BOT_TOKEN` | — | the optional standalone promo bot's token; empty disables it |
| `TELEGRAM_BOT_USERNAME` | — | the main bot's @username without the @ (promo message); required when the promo bot runs |
| `TELEGRAM_BOT_LINK` | — | the main bot's Mini App link for the promo button (the UI's `VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK`); required when the promo bot runs |
| `TELEGRAM_PROMO_START_PARAM` | `verudit_ru-scrabble_en` | the promo button's `startapp` payload — a variant-seed deep link the backend decodes to seed a brand-new user's variant preferences; empty forwards the user's own `/start` payload |
| `TELEGRAM_OWNS_UPDATES` | `true` | run the exclusive `getUpdates` long-poll (one bot per token) |
| `TELEGRAM_SEND_RATE_PER_SECOND` | `25` | outbound Bot API send cap (0 disables) |
| `TELEGRAM_INSTANCE_ID` | hostname | bot identity reported to the gateway |
| `TELEGRAM_BOTLINK_RECONNECT_DELAY` | `2s` | pause before re-dialing after the stream ends |
| `TELEGRAM_API_BASE_URL` | `https://api.telegram.org` | Bot API host override (mock / self-hosted) |
| `TELEGRAM_TEST_ENV` | `false` | route to the Bot API **test environment** (`/bot<token>/test/METHOD`) |

## Build, test, run

```sh
go build ./platform/telegram/...
go test ./platform/telegram/...          # unit tests use an httptest fake Bot API + an in-process bot-link
go run ./platform/telegram/cmd/validator # needs TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN
go run ./platform/telegram/cmd/bot       # needs the bot env above + mTLS cert files
```

## Deploy

`platform/telegram/Dockerfile` builds both binaries on distroless nonroot with two
targets, `validator` and `bot`. In the test contour (`deploy/docker-compose.yml`) the
**validator** runs on the internal network (no VPN); the **bot** keeps a VPN sidecar
for Telegram egress and dials the gateway bot-link by its internal name. The bot-link
mTLS material is generated by `deploy/gen-certs.sh`. In prod the bot runs on a separate
host with native Telegram access and dials the gateway's published bot-link port with
`PROD_` certificates in production.

A real end-to-end Telegram smoke needs a BotFather bot, its token, a public HTTPS Mini
App origin, and the bot container; the unit tests cover the wire format, templates,
deep-links, the validator handlers and the bot-link client/executor without a live bot.
