Telegram welcome bot and anti-spam setup
Short answer: add a moderation bot (for example Rose or Combot), make it admin with rights to delete messages and restrict members, then turn on welcome message + captcha, link and keyword filters, and flood limits. That trio stops most spam. Add a shared spammer list (Combot's CAS or Rose federations) if your group is public.
The layers of group anti-spam
- Join gate: captcha or join requests stop bots before they post.
- Known spammers: shared lists ban accounts already caught elsewhere (Combot's free CAS; Rose federations).
- Content rules: block links, invite links, forwarded posts or keywords from new members.
- Behaviour: flood limits and raid mode for sudden waves of joins.
- Humans: a report command and a clear rules message.
Step by step with Rose
- Add @MissRose_bot to the group and promote it to admin.
- Enable welcome messages and set the text (rules, where to ask questions).
- Enable captcha; the default "button" mode is the gentlest. Rose's docs note captcha requires welcome messages enabled.
- Lock URLs or invite links for everyone or add blocklist patterns for typical spam phrases.
- Set antiflood and keep antiraid ready.
Step by step with Combot
Add @combot, open its web dashboard, enable captcha and welcome messages, configure spam filters and warnings, and CAS is applied to known spammers. Analytics show joins and leaves so you can spot raids.
Feature comparison
| Combot | Rose | GroupHelp | ChatKeeper | TGDesk (planned) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome + captcha | Yes | Yes (button, text, math, text2) | Yes | Yes (button, captcha, form, subscription on paid plans) | Yes |
| Keyword filters / bans | Spam filters, warnings, bans | Locks, blocklists, filters, antiflood, antiraid | Banned words, anti-flood, warnings, anti-porn | Filters, triggers, face control | Keyword mute/ban/delete rules |
| Shared anti-spam list | CAS (free) | Federations | Not listed | Antispam system | Planned |
| Scheduled posts | Free, up to 30 per chat | Not listed | Recurring/scheduled messages | Periodic messages, posting | Yes |
| Analytics | 32 days free, 100 Pro, 1 year Business | Not listed | Statistics | Yes, more on paid plans | Member analytics dashboard |
| AI | Answers when mentioned; $1 per 1,000 tokens | Not listed | Not listed | AI digest, negativity level, language detection (paid) | AI summaries, AI moderation, AI FAQ from your knowledge base |
| Where you manage it | Web dashboard + commands | Commands in Telegram | Commands/menus in Telegram | Web dashboard | Desktop dashboard, next to your accounts' inbox |
| Price | Free core; Pro $9.99/mo; Business $900/yr | Free | Free; Pro by donation (from €1.50 for 5 groups) | Free tier; paid from $4.99 | Not announced; coming soon |
Sources (October 2026): combot.org, cas.chat, MissRose docs, GroupHelp guide, chatkeeper.app, ChatKeeper plans.
A welcome message that works
- One line about what the group is for.
- Three rules at most, including "no ads or DMs to members".
- Where to get help (a pinned FAQ or an admin).
- For multilingual groups, a short line in each main language.
TGDesk group & channel tools (in development)
TGDesk is adding bot-based group and channel management to its desktop workspace, so the people who answer customers on several Telegram accounts can also run their communities from the same place. Planned features:
- Welcome messages and captcha for new members.
- Keyword rules: mute, ban, delete or warn on words, links and patterns.
- Anti-spam: flood limits, new-member restrictions, raid protection.
- Visual admin dashboard for all your groups and channels on desktop.
- Member analytics: joins, leaves, activity.
- Scheduled posts for groups and channels.
- AI group summaries of long discussions.
- AI moderation that flags likely spam and abuse for review.
- AI FAQ answers from your own knowledge base.
These tools work through an official Telegram bot you add as admin. TGDesk is a paid desktop app, coming soon; pricing is not announced and there is no download yet. It is not affiliated with Telegram or the bots named here.
Related: Telegram group management bots compared.
FAQ
How do I add a welcome message to a Telegram group?
Add a group bot such as Rose or Combot, make it an admin, and enable welcome messages in its settings or with its command. Telegram's own group settings do not include a custom welcome message.
Does a captcha stop all spam?
No. Captcha stops automated joins. Add keyword or link filters, flood limits and, if available, a shared spammer list such as Combot's CAS.
Will captcha annoy real members?
A one-tap button captcha with a clear welcome text is barely noticeable. Use stricter modes only during raids.
Can I approve members before they see the group?
Yes. Use an invite link with join requests (admin approval); Rose can send the captcha to the requester and approve them automatically.
Coming soon — paid launch, no public download yet