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A Telegram bot is probably the fastest way to put a neural network in front of people: no website, no app, you just open a chat and type. Below is the full path from an empty folder to a working bot that answers through Claude or GPT using your RuAPI key. There isn’t much code, and it copies whole. We use RuAPI’s OpenAI-compatible protocol: swap the base_url, and the same openai SDK works with Claude, GPT, Gemini, and DeepSeek.
1

Prerequisites

  • A RuAPI key — sk-.... Create it in the Console: Tokens → Create token. Top up your balance in USDT — see top up.
  • Python 3.10+ — check with python --version.
  • A Telegram bot token — we’ll get this in the next step.
2

Create the bot in Telegram

Open a chat with @BotFather in Telegram and send /newbot. BotFather will ask for the bot’s name and a username (it must end in bot). In return it sends an HTTP API token — a string like 123456789:AAH.... Copy it; you’ll need it shortly.
The bot token is a password. Don’t publish it in your code, repository, or screenshots. If you leak it by accident, send BotFather /revoke to get a new one.
3

Install the dependencies

pip install python-telegram-bot openai
python-telegram-bot version 21+ is an async framework for Telegram. openai is the client we’ll point at RuAPI.
4

Write the bot

Create a file called bot.py. This is a fully working minimal bot: on every text message it sends your text to the model and replies with the model’s answer.
bot.py
import os

from openai import OpenAI
from telegram import Update
from telegram.ext import (
    ApplicationBuilder,
    ContextTypes,
    MessageHandler,
    filters,
)

# Read keys from environment variables — never hardcode secrets in code.
TELEGRAM_TOKEN = os.environ["TELEGRAM_TOKEN"]
RUAPI_KEY = os.environ["RUAPI_KEY"]

# OpenAI SDK client pointed at RuAPI (OpenAI-compatible protocol).
client = OpenAI(
    api_key=RUAPI_KEY,
    base_url="https://www.ruapi.ai/v1",
)


async def handle_message(update: Update, context: ContextTypes.DEFAULT_TYPE) -> None:
    user_text = update.message.text

    response = client.chat.completions.create(
        model="claude-opus-4-8",  # exact model names are on the pricing page
        messages=[{"role": "user", "content": user_text}],
    )
    answer = response.choices[0].message.content

    await update.message.reply_text(answer)


def main() -> None:
    app = ApplicationBuilder().token(TELEGRAM_TOKEN).build()
    app.add_handler(MessageHandler(filters.TEXT & ~filters.COMMAND, handle_message))
    app.run_polling()


if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()
The example uses the model claude-opus-4-8. The same key also reaches other models: gpt-5, gemini-3.5-flash, deepseek-v3, and more. Exact names are on the Pricing page of the main site.
5

Run it

Pass both tokens via environment variables and run the script:
export TELEGRAM_TOKEN="123456789:AAH..."
export RUAPI_KEY="sk-YOUR_KEY"
python bot.py
The bot starts quietly and begins listening for messages (run_polling polls Telegram). Find your bot in Telegram by its username, send it anything, and it will answer through the LLM. Press Ctrl+C to stop.
6

Make it better

The minimal bot has no memory and answers every message from a blank slate. A few directions to grow:
  • Conversation history. Store the message history per chat_id (for example, in context.chat_data) and pass the whole list to messages=[...] — then the bot remembers earlier turns.
  • A system prompt. Add {"role": "system", "content": "You are a friendly assistant..."} as the first element to set tone and role.
  • A /start command. Add a CommandHandler("start", ...) with a greeting — it makes the bot feel friendlier.
  • Switch models. Change the model field to switch to GPT or Gemini.
  • Cheaper at scale. If you handle a lot of traffic, move the bot to a more affordable model — gemini-3.5-flash or deepseek-v3. They’re great for chat and spend your balance much more slowly.

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Troubleshooting

Check that the bot token was copied whole, with no stray spaces, and that the script is actually running (run_polling must be active, the terminal window still open). Make sure you’re messaging the exact bot you created with BotFather. Errors print to the terminal — look there.
The problem is with the RuAPI key, not the bot token. Check RUAPI_KEY — it must start with sk-. You can view the key in the Console on the Tokens page.
Your balance ran out. Top it up in USDT — see top up.

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What’s next