Telegram Chat Mirror

Copy a Telegram chat’s full history into another chat as new messages (not forwards), then mirror live posts. Built for channels that block forwarding or when you want a clean destination feed.

Run: python3 -u telegram_mirror.py -i · Configure: .env.example

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Contents

Section	What it covers
Quick start	Install, .env, first run
Interactive menu (-i)	Terminal prompts in order
Features	Behaviour summary
CLI flags	Command-line options
Environment variables	TG_* and related
Diagnostics	diagnose.py
Security & legal	Secrets and ToS

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Quick start

From the telegram-chat-mirror project directory:

pip install -r requirements.txt
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env — required keys are listed inside the file
python3 -u telegram_mirror.py -i

telegram_mirror.py loads .env from the same folder if present (it does not override variables already set in your shell).

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Interactive menu (-i)

Pass -i or --interactive on a real terminal (TTY). You will see English prompts in this order:

Step	Prompt	What to do
A	Source chat ID (TG_SOURCE_CHAT…) only if IDs missing from .env	Paste numeric ID (often -100…)
B	Target chat ID… only if missing	Same
C	Change source/target IDs? [y/N]: only if both were already in .env	n = keep
D	1) Standard 2) Reset all history 3) Live only 4) Re-login then Choice [1]:	Pick mode
E	After 4) Re-login, maybe Also reset copy progress? [y/N]:	Optional

Then Telegram may send a login code to TG_PHONE.

No TTY (cron / systemd):

TG_NON_INTERACTIVE=1 python3 -u telegram_mirror.py

flowchart LR
  A[Run with -i] --> B{IDs in .env?}
  B -->|No| C[Prompt source & target]
  B -->|Yes| D[Optional: change IDs?]
  C --> E[Pick mode 1-4]
  D --> E
  E --> F[Connect & backfill / listen]

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Features

• Backfill then live listener; progress in last_id.txt next to the session file
• Interactive English menu + CLI flags for automation
• Media caption and text length limits (1024 / 4096) handled
• Optional TG_FOOTER suffix per message
• No API secrets in source — use .env (see .env.example)

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CLI flags

Flag	Meaning
-i, --interactive	Menu (needs TTY)
--reset-progress	Copy full history again
--skip-history	Only new messages after connect
--relogin	Delete session files before login
--source ID / --target ID	Override chats for this run

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Environment variables

Variable	Required	Purpose
TG_API_ID	yes	my.telegram.org
TG_API_HASH	yes	Same
TG_PHONE	yes	E.164
TG_SOURCE_CHAT	yes*	Source chat ID
TG_TARGET_CHAT	yes*	Target chat ID
TG_FOOTER	no	Suffix; unset = none
TG_SESSION_DIR	no	Session + last_id.txt directory
TG_NON_INTERACTIVE	no	1 / true / yes = no prompts
RESET_PROGRESS / SKIP_HISTORY / FORCE_NEW_LOGIN	no	Same as matching flags

*Or --source / --target, or -i and enter IDs when asked.

Chat IDs

Use user-client IDs (e.g. @RawDataBot). Supergroups/channels are usually -100…. Your account must join the target and be allowed to post.

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Diagnostics

python3 diagnose.py

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Security & legal

• Never commit .env, *.session, or last_id.txt. See SECURITY.md.
• Respect Telegram ToS, channel rules, and copyright. You are responsible for how you use this tool.

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Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md.