Telegram Inline Bots: Type @bot in Any Chat
Inline mode is Telegram's oldest zero-install way to use a bot, and it works in places Guest Mode can't reach: any chat on any client, including a DM with a friend, a channel, or a group no bot could ever be added to. Type @botusername followed by a query anywhere in the message box, and the bot returns a result card you can review and send yourself.
The mechanism is different from Guest Mode. Where Guest Mode fires the moment you send an @-mention as a message, inline mode fires while you're still typing — Telegram queries the bot in the background and shows a card above the keyboard before you've sent anything. You choose to send it or not, and the message that lands in the chat carries a small "via @botusername" note.
Several of the live bots on this site double as inline bots, so the same @-mention works whether you're in a DM or a group.
Steps
- Open any chat. A DM, a group, even a chat where the bot could never be added as a member — inline mode doesn't care whether the bot is a participant.
- Type @ and the bot's username. For example, type @WhisperLockBot in the message box. Telegram recognizes the @username and switches into inline mode automatically.
- Add your query after the username. Keep typing after the bot's name — for WhisperLockBot that's @friend and your text, for example @WhisperLockBot @anna call me when you're free.
- Wait for the card to appear above the keyboard. Telegram fetches the bot's result while you type and shows it as a preview card, before you've sent anything to the chat.
- Tap the card to send it. Tapping sends the result as a message in the current chat, marked "via @botusername" so people can see which bot produced it.
Good to know
- Inline mode has to be turned on for a bot by its owner in BotFather before @-mentioning it does anything — this is a separate switch from Guest Chat Mode, and a bot can have either, both, or neither enabled.
- Because the destination chat isn't known until you actually send the result, an inline card only ever offers to open a private chat with the bot — there's no "add to this group" option the way a Guest Mode reply has.
- WhisperLockBot's inline replies are the real product, not a preview: @WhisperLockBot @friend your secret text posts the actual locked message card, the same one described in the secret-message guides on this site.
- SplitTabsBot and IcebreakerDailyBot work the same way inline as they do in Guest Mode — @SplitTabsBot 120 pizza @anna @ben computes and shows the real split, and @IcebreakerDailyBot returns one ready-to-send conversation-starter question.
- Nothing about using a bot inline installs it anywhere or gives it any standing access to the chat — each send is a one-off message, the same as pasting in text you typed yourself.
FAQ
- What's the difference between inline mode and Guest Mode?
- Inline mode shows you a preview card while you type, in any chat on any client, and you choose to send it. Guest Mode answers a message you've already sent, only in groups the bot hasn't joined, and posts its one reply automatically.
- Do I need to add the bot to my chat first?
- No. Inline mode works precisely because the bot doesn't need to be a member — typing its @username and a query is the entire interaction.
- Why does the message say "via @botusername" after I send it?
- Telegram attributes every inline result to the bot that produced it, so anyone reading the chat can see which bot generated that particular message.
- Does inline mode work in every chat, including channels?
- Yes — inline mode isn't limited to chats a bot could join. It works in DMs, groups, and channels alike, since the bot never needs membership to answer an inline query.