StudyChime can send matching Prolific study alerts to Telegram using a Telegram bot.

To use Telegram alerts, you need two values:

a bot token
a chat ID

The bot token tells StudyChime which Telegram bot to use. The chat ID tells StudyChime where to send the alert.

For help deciding whether a bot chat fits your routine, first review the Prolific Telegram notifications overview.

Before you start

You will need:

StudyChime installed
a Telegram account
access to Telegram on desktop, web, or mobile
permission to create a Telegram bot using BotFather

If you want alerts in a Telegram group, you will also need permission to add the bot to that group.

Create a Telegram bot

Open Telegram.
Search for BotFather.
Start a chat with BotFather.
Send the command /newbot.
Follow the prompts to choose a bot name.
Choose a bot username.

The bot username usually needs to end in bot, for example:

StudyChimeAlerts_bot

BotFather will then give you a bot token.

Keep this token private. Anyone with the bot token may be able to control your bot.

Start the bot

Before StudyChime can send alerts to you, you need to start the bot.

Open the Telegram bot you just created.
Click Start or send a message such as hello.

Telegram bots cannot usually start a conversation with you first. You need to start the chat before the bot can send you alerts.

Get your chat ID

StudyChime needs your Telegram chat ID so it knows where to send alerts.

The exact way to find a chat ID can vary, but a common approach is:

Send a message to your new bot.
Open this URL in your browser, replacing YOUR_BOT_TOKEN with your bot token:

https://api.telegram.org/botYOUR_BOT_TOKEN/getUpdates
Look for a chat object in the response.
Copy the id value from that chat object.

For example, the response may include something like:

{
  "ok": true,
  "result": [
    {
      "update_id": 5xxxxxx5,
      "message": {
        "message_id": 1234,
        "from": {...},
        "chat": {
          "id": 123456789,
          "first_name": "...",
          "last_name": "...",
          "username": "@username",
          "type": "private"
        },
        "date": 18348979,
        "text": "/start"
      }
    }
  ]
}

In that example, the chat ID is:

123456789

If you are setting up alerts for a group, the group chat ID may be a negative number.

Add Telegram details to StudyChime

Open StudyChime from the Chrome toolbar.
Open Settings.
Open Alerts.
Find Telegram.
Paste your Telegram bot token into the Bot token field.
Paste your Telegram chat ID into the Chat ID field.
Enable Telegram alerts.
Select Save alert settings.

You can also configure Telegram during Quick start if you select it at the alert chooser. Chrome requests Telegram permission only when you configure or test this destination.

Send a test alert

After saving your Telegram settings:

Click Send Telegram test in Settings → Alerts.
Open Telegram.
Confirm that a StudyChime test message appears in the chat.

If the test message appears, Telegram alerts are configured correctly.

What Telegram alerts can include

Telegram alert messages can include study details visible on your Prolific studies page, such as:

study title
reward
hourly rate
estimated completion time
places
study link when available

StudyChime only sends Telegram alerts when Telegram alerts are enabled and a study matches your alert settings.

Keep alert destinations private

Only send StudyChime alerts to private destinations you control.

StudyChime alerts may include study details visible on your own Prolific studies page, such as title, reward, hourly rate, estimated time, places, and links. Do not forward alerts to public communities, shared study feeds, public Discord channels, public Telegram groups, or third-party websites.

StudyChime is designed for private personal alerts, not public sharing or pooling of Prolific study data.

Free and Premium limits

The free version of StudyChime includes 15 external alerts per rolling 24-hour period. Each alert stops counting towards the quota exactly 24 hours after it was sent.

Discord, Telegram, and Pushover alerts all count towards this external alert quota.

Your Telegram bot token and chat ID remain in Chrome extension storage on your device and are sent only to Telegram when StudyChime delivers an alert. Chrome requests Telegram access when you enable this destination and can remove that optional permission when you disable it.

Premium removes the rolling 24-hour external alert limit.

If Telegram alerts are not working

Check the following:

the bot token was copied correctly
the chat ID was copied correctly
you have started a chat with the bot
Telegram alerts are enabled in StudyChime
StudyChime settings were saved
StudyChime can send a test alert
you have not reached the 15-alert limit for the current rolling 24-hour period

If you see an error when sending a test alert, check the bot token and chat ID first. A common issue is using the bot’s own ID instead of your personal chat ID or group chat ID.

Using Telegram groups

To send alerts to a Telegram group:

Add your bot to the group.
Send a message in the group.
Use the getUpdates method to find the group chat ID.
Copy the group chat ID into StudyChime.
Send a test alert.

Group chat IDs are often negative numbers. Copy the full value exactly.

Changing the Telegram destination

To send alerts somewhere else, update the chat ID in StudyChime settings.

For example, you can switch from a private chat to a group by replacing the private chat ID with the group chat ID.

After changing the chat ID, send another test alert.

Removing Telegram alerts

To stop Telegram alerts:

Open StudyChime settings.
Open Alerts.
Disable Telegram alerts or remove the bot token and chat ID.
Select Save alert settings.

You can also revoke the bot token in BotFather if you no longer want the token to be usable.

Security note

Treat your Telegram bot token like a password.

Do not post it publicly, include it in screenshots, or share it with people who should not be able to control your bot.

If your bot token is exposed, revoke it using BotFather and generate a new token.

Set Up Prolific Telegram Alerts.