Complete Setup Guide for Lovable Status Bot

This guide will walk you through getting all the required information to set up your .env file.

🤖 Step 1: Create a Telegram Bot and Get Token

1.1 Open Telegram and Find BotFather

Open Telegram app (mobile or desktop)
In the search bar, type: @BotFather
Click on the verified BotFather (has a blue checkmark ✓)

1.2 Create Your Bot

Send the message: /newbot
BotFather will ask for a bot name. Example: Lovable Status Monitor
Then choose a username ending in 'bot'. Example: lovable_status_bot

1.3 Save Your Token

BotFather will respond with:

Done! Congratulations on your new bot. You will find it at t.me/lovable_status_bot.

Use this token to access the HTTP API:
1234567890:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz1234567890

Keep your token secure and store it safely!

SAVE THIS TOKEN! This is your TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN

📢 Step 2: Create a Telegram Channel and Get Channel ID

2.1 Create a Channel

In Telegram, click the menu (☰) or "New Message" icon
Select "New Channel"
Choose a name: Example: Lovable Status Updates
Choose if it's public or private
If public, create a username like @lovable_status

2.2 Add Your Bot as Admin

Go to your channel
Click channel name at the top → "Administrators"
Click "Add Administrator"
Search for your bot username (e.g., @lovable_status_bot)
Give it permissions to post messages

2.3 Get Your Channel ID

For PUBLIC Channels:

Your channel ID is simply: @your_channel_username Example: @lovable_status

For PRIVATE Channels:

Send any message to your channel

Open this URL in your browser (replace YOUR_BOT_TOKEN):

https://api.telegram.org/bot1234567890:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz1234567890/getUpdates

Look for your channel in the JSON response:

{
  "channel_post": {
    "chat": {
      "id": -1001234567890,
      "title": "Lovable Status Updates",
      "type": "channel"
    }
  }
}

Your channel ID is the number (including the minus sign): -1001234567890

🔧 Step 3: Create Your .env File

3.1 Copy the template

cd /home/ben/Documents/ben\ is\ a\ dev/lovable\ alerts/lovable-status-bot
cp .env.example .env

3.2 Edit the .env file

nano .env
# or use your favorite editor

3.3 Fill in your values:

# Replace with your actual bot token from Step 1.3
TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=1234567890:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz1234567890

# Replace with your channel ID from Step 2.3
# For public channel:
TELEGRAM_CHANNEL_ID=@lovable_status
# OR for private channel:
TELEGRAM_CHANNEL_ID=-1001234567890

# These can stay as defaults
RSS_FEED_URL=https://status.lovable.dev/feed.rss
CHECK_INTERVAL_MINUTES=5
DATABASE_PATH=lovable_status.db
LOG_LEVEL=INFO

✅ Step 4: Test Your Setup

Test if your bot can send messages:

# Install dependencies first
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Run a quick test
python3 -c "
from telegram import Bot
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

bot = Bot(token=os.getenv('TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN'))
try:
    bot.send_message(
        chat_id=os.getenv('TELEGRAM_CHANNEL_ID'),
        text='✅ Bot setup successful! Ready to monitor Lovable status.'
    )
    print('✅ Test message sent successfully!')
except Exception as e:
    print(f'❌ Error: {e}')
"

If you see the test message in your channel, you're ready to go!

🚀 Step 5: Run the Bot

Option A: Docker (Recommended)

docker-compose up -d

Option B: Direct Python

python main.py

🆘 Troubleshooting

"Unauthorized" Error

Check your bot token is correct (no extra spaces)
Make sure you copied the entire token

"Chat not found" Error

Ensure bot is admin in the channel
For private channels, use the numeric ID with minus sign
For public channels, use @username format

Bot Not Posting

Check logs: docker-compose logs or check lovable_status_bot.log
Verify the RSS feed is accessible: curl https://status.lovable.dev/feed.rss

📝 Quick Checklist

Need help? Check the logs first, then verify each step above!

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