Unique Bot Authorization for Different Telegram Chats

Each bot in Telegram has only one unique token, and it’s impossible to create multiple tokens for a single bot, each of which would be restricted to a specific chat. However, there are alternative ways to implement chat-specific restrictions through the bot’s code and access control.

Table of Contents

• Telegram Bot API Restrictions
• Alternative Authorization Approaches
• Practical Implementation
• Method Comparison
• Security Recommendations

Telegram Bot API Restrictions

According to the official Telegram documentation, each bot receives one unique token when created through @BotFather. This is the primary authentication information that provides full access to the bot’s functions.

Your bot token is its unique identifier — keep it safe and share it only with people who require direct access to the bot. [source]

Research shows that the Telegram API does not provide a mechanism for generating multiple tokens for a single bot or restricting tokens to specific chats. A bot token works globally for all chats where the bot is added.

Alternative Authorization Approaches

Although you cannot create tokens with a limited scope, there are effective alternative methods for implementing chat-specific authorization:

1. Filtering by chat_id

The most common approach is to check the chat_id before performing operations:

async def restrict_access(update: Update, context: ContextTypes.DEFAULT_TYPE):
    allowed_chats = ['chat_1', 'chat_3', 'chat_5']  # IDs of allowed chats
    
    if update.effective_chat.id not in allowed_chats:
        await update.message.reply_text("Access to this chat is denied")
        return
    
    # Main bot logic
    await update.message.reply_text("Action completed")

2. Setting chat permissions

The Telegram API allows bots to set access permissions for chat members through methods:

• set_chat_permissions() - setting default permissions
• restrict_chat_member() - restricting a specific member

The bot must be an administrator in the group or supergroup and have the appropriate rights to manage members. [source]

3. Storing authorization states

Storing authorization information in a database linked to chat_id:

# Example storage structure
{
    "chat_1": {
        "authorized": True,
        "permissions": ["read", "write"],
        "last_access": "2025-06-23T10:30:00Z"
    },
    "chat_2": {
        "authorized": False
    }
}

Practical Implementation

Example using python-telegram-bot

from telegram import Update
from telegram.ext import ApplicationBuilder, CommandHandler, MessageHandler, filters

# Configuration
AUTHORIZED_CHATS = {
    'chat_1': True,
    'chat_2': False,
    'chat_3': True
}

async def check_chat_access(update: Update, context):
    chat_id = str(update.effective_chat.id)
    
    if chat_id not in AUTHORIZED_CHATS or not AUTHORIZED_CHATS[chat_id]:
        await update.message.reply_text("Access denied")
        return False
    return True

async def start_command(update: Update, context):
    if not await check_chat_access(update, context):
        return
    
    await update.message.reply_text("Bot started in authorized chat")

async def message_handler(update: Update, context):
    if not await check_chat_access(update, context):
        return
    
    await update.message.reply_text("Your message has been processed")

def main():
    application = ApplicationBuilder().token("YOUR_BOT_TOKEN").build()
    
    application.add_handler(CommandHandler("start", start_command))
    application.add_handler(MessageHandler(filters.ALL & ~filters.COMMAND, message_handler))
    
    application.run_polling()

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

Using Webhook with Authorization Check

from flask import Flask, request, jsonify

app = Flask(__name__)

AUTHORIZED_CHATS = {'chat_1': True, 'chat_3': True}

@app.route('/webhook', methods=['POST'])
def webhook():
    data = request.json
    chat_id = str(data['message']['chat']['id'])
    
    if chat_id not in AUTHORIZED_CHATS or not AUTHORIZED_CHATS[chat_id]:
        return jsonify({'status': 'access_denied'}), 403
    
    # Process message
    return jsonify({'status': 'ok'}), 200

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(host='0.0.0.0', port=5000)

Method Comparison

Security Recommendations

1. Token storage: Never store tokens in plain text or in code. Use environment variables or secret management systems.

2. Regular rotation: Periodically change tokens through @BotFather if you suspect a leak.

3. IP restriction: If possible, restrict access to your bot’s API to specific IP addresses.

4. Logging: Keep logs of all access attempts from unauthorized chats.

5. Multi-factor authentication: For critical functions, use additional verification methods.

Conclusion

1. No multiple tokens: The Telegram API does not support creating multiple tokens for a single bot with scope limited to specific chats.

2. Effective alternatives: For implementing chat-specific restrictions, use chat_id checking, setting access permissions through the API, or storing authorization states.

3. Recommended approach: For most cases, simple filtering by chat_id before performing operations is sufficient, providing a balance between implementation simplicity and reliable protection.

4. Scalability: For complex scenarios with multiple chats and different access rules, it’s recommended to use a combination of filtering and state storage in a database.

Sources

1. Bots: An introduction for developers - Telegram APIs
2. Telegram Bot API - Chat Permissions
3. How To Limit Access To A Telegram Bot - Stack Overflow
4. ChatPermissions - python-telegram-bot Documentation
5. How to implement access control for a Telegram bot - Advanced Web Machinery