Using Telegram to Manage your Haveno Account

Receive real-time notifications and interact with your Haveno instance via Telegram, from order alerts to status updates and commands on demand. Some less technical users may find this easier or more convenient than using haveno on the mobile.

What We’ll Cover in This Guide

Receive real-time notifications and interact with your Haveno instance via Telegram - from trade alerts to system status updates and beyond.

Introduction

The Haveno Telegram Bot allows you to connect your personal Telegram account to your Haveno app, so you can receive instant alerts and even send commands directly to your Haveno instance via Telegram.

This is especially useful if you:

• Want to monitor trade activity remotely
• Need real-time notifications about deposits, completed trades, or system status
• Prefer to interact with the Haveno daemon without opening the desktop interface
• This is the only way currently to recieve real-time notifications on iOS, the build in notifications system works fine on every other device (iOS does not allow long running background tasks from client to server)

Once configured, the bot will be able to send you a range of updates, including:

• New trade offers
• Order matches
• Disputes and arbitration alerts
• Wallet balance changes
• System status, such as Tor or Monero sync events

And more, depending on your Haveno setup.

Requirements

Before you begin, make sure you meet the following requirements:

1. Installed Haveno (Desktop App or Docker Deployment)

You can use either of the following methods to run Haveno:

Option A: Haveno Multi-Platform Desktop App (Recommended)

Download and install the official Haveno App from:
👉 https://haveno.com

This version includes:

• A user-friendly graphical interface
• Automatic installation and management of the Haveno daemon
• Built-in support for Telegram bot configuration via the Settings screen

🧭 Tip: Open Settings → scroll to the "Telegram" section.
Paste your bot credentials and configure notifications directly in the UI — no manual editing required.

Option B: Docker Compose Deployment (For Advanced/Headless Use)

Alternatively, you can run Haveno via our Docker-based deployment stack, which:

• Starts the Haveno daemon in a containerized environment
• Allows you to configure Telegram integration via environment variables

This option is more suitable for:

• Headless or remote servers
• Privacy-focused users who don’t want a GUI
• Early adopters who are comfortable with command line tools

However:

⚠️ Telegram integration via Docker is currently limited.
While notifications can be enabled via environment variables, command functionality and rich UI config are still under development in this mode.

🧪 Our Recommendation

We strongly recommend using the Desktop App first to ensure your Telegram bot is working correctly, especially if you’re new to Haveno.

3. Telegram Account

You must have an active Telegram account to:

• Create a bot via @BotFather
• Receive messages from your bot
• Optionally send commands back to the bot

If you don’t have Telegram yet:
👉 Download Telegram

4. Internet Access

The bot and the Haveno app require an internet connection to:

• Send/receive messages via Telegram’s servers
• Access the Monero network over Tor

Make sure your firewall or proxy allows outbound connections.

Perfect — here’s the next section of the guide that explains how to create the Telegram bot, retrieve the token, and prepare it for use in the Haveno App configuration screen.

Step-by-Step: Creating Your Telegram Bot

To send yourself notifications and allow interaction with Haveno through Telegram, you'll need to create a Telegram bot using @BotFather and then connect it to your Haveno App.

Follow these steps carefully:

3.1 Start a Conversation with @BotFather

1. Open the Telegram app.
2. In the search bar, type '@BotFather' and open the verified account.
3. Click Start or send the /start command.

3.2 Create Your New Bot

Once in the chat with @BotFather, do the following:

1. Send the command:

   /newbot
   

2. You’ll be prompted to choose a name for your bot.

   • This can be anything, like Haveno Alert Bot.

3. You’ll then choose a username — this must:

   • End in bot (e.g., haveno_alert_bot)
   • Be unique (if the name is taken, try a variation)

4. Once complete, you’ll receive a message that contains:

   • ✅ Your Bot Token — a long string that looks like:

     123456789:AAE_ExAmPlEtOkEn_AbCdEfGhIjKlMnOp
     

⚠️ Important: Copy this token and store it somewhere safe. You will need it in the Haveno App.

3.3 Optional: Customize Your Bot (Profile, Description, Icon)

You can send other commands to @BotFather to give your bot some polish:

The Haveno app does however already set these configurations, so unless you're doing something really fancy, just skip this completely.

Getting Your Telegram Chat ID

You’ll need your Telegram Chat ID so Haveno knows where to send the notifications.

4.1 Using the Bot’s /start Command (Recommended)

1. In Telegram, open a chat with your newly created bot (search using its username).
2. Click Start or type /start.

If your Haveno Telegram bot is correctly configured, it will respond with something like:

Welcome! Your chat ID is: 123456789

Copy this number. You’ll need it for the config.

4.2 Alternative: Use @userinfobot

1. Open Telegram.
2. Search for '@userinfobot' and start it.
3. It will respond with your user ID like:

   Your Telegram ID: 123456789
   

This is your chat ID. Copy it and proceed to configuration.

Configuring the Telegram Bot in the Haveno App

Once you have:

• ✅ Your Telegram bot token from @BotFather
• ✅ Your Telegram chat ID (from /start or @userinfobot)

You’re ready to configure the bot in the Haveno App.

5.1 Open the Telegram Configuration Panel

1. Launch the Haveno App from your system.
2. Click to open the Menu drawer by clicing the icon in the top left corner).
3. Click Settings from the menu.
4. Scroll to find the section labeled "Telegram", this is presented as a separate card or section in the UI at the bottom and looks like this:

5.2 Fill In the Telegram Details

You should see input fields like:

Once you’ve filled in the Bot Token and Chat ID, click Save or Apply (depending on your Haveno App version).

5.3 Test the Bot Connection

• Click the "Send Test Notification" button (if available), or
• Trigger a known event in Haveno (e.g. create a test trade or view wallet sync)

If configured correctly, your Telegram bot will send you a message like:

🧪 Test Notification: Telegram bot setup successful.

⚠️ Never share your bot token publicly. Treat it like a password.

Notifications You Will Receive

The Telegram bot is designed to send you automated alerts whenever important events occur in your Haveno instance. These events are based on data from the Haveno daemon and surfaced in real-time via gRPC.

Here’s a table of default supported notifications:

6.1 Notification Table

Commands You Can Send to the Bot

Besides notifications, the bot also supports a set of basic Telegram commands. These let you control your Haveno instance remotely in a safe and simplified way, ideal for mobile monitoring or headless operation.

7.1 Command Table

7.2 Command Response Examples

/balance

💰 Your XMR Wallet: 3.271 available, 0.029 locked

/offers

🔍 Available Offers:

1. Sell 0.5 XMR @ 120 USD/XMR (Offer ID: abc123)
2. Buy 0.25 XMR @ 119 USD/XMR (Offer ID: def456)

/canceloffer abc123

⚠️ Are you sure you want to cancel Offer abc123? (Reply: /yes or /no)

/shutdown

⚠️ Daemon shutdown initiated. Bye 👋

🔐 Permission Note
If command access is enabled in the Haveno Telegram settings, these commands will be allowed only from the authorized chat ID. Messages from any other user will be ignored or logged as suspicious.

Here’s a complete Security & Privacy Tips section tailored to your Telegram bot integration and Haveno setup, written with clarity and realism for non-technical users, but with enough teeth to actually protect them.

Additional Security & Privacy Tips

Using Telegram to interface with Haveno adds convenience — but also introduces serious security considerations. If someone gains access to your bot token, chat ID, or Haveno instance, they could monitor your trades, manipulate your offers, or shut your node down.

Follow these tips to stay protected:

1. Use a Strong App Password (Even If It’s Optional)

When launching Haveno for the first time, you'll be offered to set an app password.

• ✅ Recommended: Set one, this protects access to your wallet, keys, and Telegram configuration.
• ❌ If you skip it: Anyone with access to your computer could read or modify your Telegram token and bot settings from the local config files.

You can still set a password later via the Settings screen.

2. Never Share Your Bot Token

Your Telegram bot token (e.g. 123456789:ABCdef...) is like a master key to send messages as your bot.

• Never paste it in chat messages
• Never upload it to GitHub or other public repositories
• If you think it's been exposed, go to @BotFather and run /revoke to generate a new one

3. Rotate Tokens and Reset Passwords Regularly (If Exposed)

If at any point you suspect your:

• Telegram bot token
• Haveno app password
• Device itself

Or has been compromised, assume full compromise and:

1. Revoke your bot token via @BotFather
2. Update your Haveno password
3. Check and reconfigure your offers
4. Reinstall Haveno if needed

4. Be Wary of Command Abuse

Even though Haveno’s command interface via Telegram is limited and hardened:

• Avoid enabling destructive commands (/shutdown, /canceloffer) unless necessary
• If you’re running in a shared environment, use the app password to prevent UI access

Common Issues & Suggestions