Dialog Guard Bot for Telegram Chats

Your group has five thousand members, and every day brings spam, "easy money" links and mass-mailing accounts. Moderating by hand is impossible. Dialog Guard Bot sits in the moderation category: like any chat guard, it exists to help keep order.

The bot has three commands, and one of them is unusual: a link to its source code. Here is what that means and how to approach moderation in a group.

Three commands in the menu

There are few commands, and each is clear at a glance.

• /start. Launches the bot.
• /stats. Shows chat statistics.
• /src. Opens the source code.

The code command points to transparency: if a project is open, you can study how it is built and see how the bot treats data.

Why the bot needs access to a chat

To moderate, a bot has to see messages and have the right to delete them. That is why it is added to the group and made an administrator with the needed permissions.

Grant the minimum. If the bot has to delete messages, that right is enough, and full control over the group is normally not required.

Adding it to a group without mistakes

1. Add the bot. Open the group settings and invite it as a member.
2. Make it an administrator. Turn on only the rights you need, such as deleting messages.
3. Run /start. See how the bot replies and what it offers to configure.
4. Test with a sample message. Confirm it reacts the way you expect.

What to look for in the stats

The /stats command shows data about chats. It tells you where the bot works and how much it has to do.

Look at the numbers regularly: a sudden jump in removals signals a spam wave, while zero activity may mean the bot lost its rights.

Typical threats to a group

• Spam links. Messages promising quick money and inviting people to other chats.
• Phishing. Fake "account check" forms and prizes for entering a code.
• Flooding. Dozens of identical messages in a row.
• Bot joiners. Accounts that arrive in batches.

What moderation cannot replace

A bot removes the obvious, but people set the tone of a group. Write short rules, pin them and explain what earns a warning.

Add live moderators from among the members. The bot handles routine, and disputed cases are better settled by a human.

Keeping the bot itself safe

Any bot with admin rights can do a lot. Find out who makes it, read the code if it is open and do not trust look-alike bots with similar names.

If something goes wrong, remove its rights and delete it from the group: messages stay, and access closes.