Scan Tool Bot: QR codes

A business card with a QR code sits on your desk, your laptop needs a link for your phone, and the camera app refuses to open the code. Or the reverse: you need a code for a website and guest Wi-Fi in a hurry. Scan Tool Bot takes both jobs right inside Telegram. 📷

Here is what the bot does, how to use it and why other people's QR codes deserve caution.

Two jobs in one chat

The bot scans QR codes and creates them. It starts with /start, and after that you send a photo of a code or the text you want turned into one.

Scanning is handy when only Telegram is within reach and there is no separate app. You can generate a code for a link, a contact or Wi-Fi details, as the bot's reviews describe.

Works in any chat

The bot is open source, and the project description says it supports inline mode. Type the bot's name in the message field of any conversation, and you can create a code without leaving the chat.

Open source means anyone can look at how the bot is built and even host a copy. That adds transparency. 🔍

1. Send /start to the bot.
2. Send a photo with the code to recognise it. The frame should be level and in focus.
3. Read the result before you follow any link.
4. To create a code, send text or an address.
5. Save the image with the finished code and test it with a different phone.

Which codes you will meet

A QR code can hold a link, a contact, text, Wi-Fi connection details and more. There are other barcode types too, like those printed on products. Reviews say the bot copes with them as well, but check this on your own example.

Dangerous QR codes

Scammers stick their own QR codes over real ones: on parking machines, cafe tables, posters. A person scans the code, lands on a fake payment page and loses money.

• Read the address before opening it. It should match the service name.
• Inspect the sticker. If a code is glued over another one, do not scan it.
• Do not enter card details on pages reached from a code in a letter from strangers.
• Do not type SMS codes into a page the scanner opened.

The bot helps by showing the content of a code as text. That is half the job: you see where it leads and decide for yourself. ⚠️

Making a code that scans everywhere

For print, pick high contrast: a dark code on a light background. Do not stretch the image, and leave an empty margin around the code. The shorter the link inside, the simpler the pattern and the more reliably cheap cameras read it.

Before a print run, produce one sample and test it from two different phones. It takes a minute and saves you from nasty surprises. 🖨

Who it is for

People who often swap links between phone and computer, or who make business cards, cafe menus, guest Wi-Fi or posters. The bot is small, but it does the task without registration or extra steps.