smixs Rich replies — what Telegram can render in your answer
Your reply is markdown. The host sends it as a Telegram rich message as soon
as it contains something ordinary messages cannot show (a table, a fold, a
footnote, a formula, a picture, any <tg-*> tag, a button). Otherwise it goes
as a plain formatted message. You never call anything: you write the markup and
the transport is chosen for you. Every construct below renders natively on a
Telegram client from summer 2026 or later.
This skill is about the reply in the current chat. A post to another chat
(digest, channel) with local pictures is rich-post.
When to reach for rich constructs
Use them when they carry meaning the reader would otherwise have to dig out:
| Reader's need | Use | Don't |
|---|---|---|
| Compare 3+ things by 2+ attributes | table | a table for two numbers |
| Long answer with sections | ## headings |
headings in a three-line reply |
| Optional depth (logs, raw data, method) | <details> fold |
hide the answer itself |
| Source or aside | footnote [^1] |
footnotes instead of a link |
| Formula | $x^2$, $$…$$ |
LaTeX for "2 + 2" |
| Step status, checklist | - [ ] / - [x] |
task list for prose |
| Picture or several by public URL | image line, <tg-collage>, <tg-slideshow> |
local file paths (use rich-post) |
| Place | <tg-map> |
a map for a city name |
| A moment in the reader's time zone | <tg-time> |
for "tomorrow" in prose |
| Next step, choice, link, copyable value | buttons (below) | buttons on every reply |
Short conversational answers stay plain text. Rich formatting is for structure, not decoration: one heading level per answer, one table per comparison, one row of buttons per decision.
Text and blocks
**bold** *italic* ~~strike~~ `code` ==marked== ||spoiler|| <u>underline</u>
<sub>x</sub> <sup>2</sup> $x^2 + y^2$ (inline formula)
[link](https://example.com) [mail](mailto:a@b.c) [user](tg://user?id=123)
## Heading (levels # … ######)
Paragraphs separated by a blank line.
- bullet 1. numbered - [ ] task - [x] done
> quote
> continues
<aside>Pull quote<cite>Author</cite></aside>
| Feature | Value |
|:--------|------:|
| left | right |
<table bordered striped compact> … </table> (HTML form when you need borders)
Text with a note[^1].
[^1]: The note itself.
$$E = mc^2$$ (block formula)
<details open><summary>Title **bold**</summary>
Anything markdown, shown collapsed unless `open`.
</details>
 picture, video, gif, audio by public URL
<tg-collage>
</tg-collage> grid of media
<tg-slideshow> … </tg-slideshow> swipeable media
<tg-map lat="41.31" long="69.28" zoom="13"/>
<tg-time unix="1789300000" format="wDT">tomorrow 22:45</tg-time> (formats: t, r, wDT)
<tg-emoji emoji-id="5368324170671202286">👍</tg-emoji>
Rules: table cells hold inline formatting only; formulas are raw LaTeX; media
needs an https:// URL the Telegram server can fetch; markdown is not parsed
inside block HTML tags except <details>, <tg-collage>, <tg-slideshow>.
Escape *, _, #, |, < in user data you quote (file names, keys, paths).
Buttons — a full-width row, with the explanation right under it
Put every button in its own <tg-button-row> block and write what it does on
the next line. Do not place a button inside a sentence (RichTextButton): Android
clients of summer 2026 draw the label outside the pill. Several equivalent
one-word choices (yes/no) share one row.
Напоминание на 14:30 поставил.
<tg-button-row><tg-button type="callback_data" data="Отложи на час">На час</tg-button></tg-button-row>
Напомню в 15:30.
<tg-button-row><tg-button type="callback_data" style="danger" data="Отмени напоминание">Отменить</tg-button></tg-button-row>
Сниму его.
<tg-button-row><tg-button type="url" url="https://iva-agent.com/docs">Документация</tg-button></tg-button-row>
Как настроить дайджест.
<tg-button-row><tg-button type="copy_text" text="ssh c1">Скопировать</tg-button></tg-button-row>
Команда для входа на сервер.
<tg-button-row><tg-button type="callback_data" data="Да">Да</tg-button><tg-button type="callback_data" data="Нет">Нет</tg-button></tg-button-row>
Button types:
type |
What happens | Attributes |
|---|---|---|
callback_data |
the tap becomes the user's next message, text = data |
data ≤ 64 bytes = at most 30 Cyrillic letters (Cyrillic is 2 bytes each); longer → Telegram rejects the whole message and the buttons are lost |
url |
opens a link; the nice way to give a link instead of a bare URL | url |
copy_text |
copies a value to the clipboard (commands, ids, keys you were asked to show) | text |
web_app |
opens a Mini App; private chats only | url |
switch_inline_query / …_current_chat |
inserts @bot query into the input field |
query |
disabled |
a greyed-out label, e.g. a step not yet available | — |
Styles: style="success" for confirm/enable/apply, style="danger" for
cancel/delete/turn off, style="link" for a quiet secondary action, none for
navigation. <tg-button-row align="left|center|right"> holds up to 8 buttons.
What the tap does (callback_data)
data is the user's reply: they tap, and exactly that text arrives as their
message in the same session. So write data in the user's words (Отложи на час, Покажи список, Да), never codes (confirm_1, opt:b); make it
self-sufficient — next turn you see only that text; count the bytes: 64 bytes
is 30 Cyrillic or 60 Latin characters, so data="Про таймер" is fine and
data="Расскажи подробнее про напоминания Ивы" (70 bytes) kills every button in
the message — put the long wording in the paragraph next to the button, not in
data; never start it with iva_ or eve (reserved for the host's own buttons —
such a tap never reaches you). 1-4 buttons per reply; more than that is a menu, and the
menu is /menu.
Private chats only: in a group a tap is not an address to the bot (only a
mention, a command or a reply is), so don't put callback_data buttons in group
replies. url and copy_text buttons work anywhere.
Limits and gotchas
- 32768 characters, 500 blocks, 16 nesting levels, 50 media, 20 table columns.
- Old Telegram clients (before August 2026) don't show buttons; everything else degrades to text.
- The operator can set
TELEGRAM_RICH_REPLIES=never(/menu→ Rich replies): then tables, folds and pictures go as plain formatted text — but a reply with a button is still sent rich, buttons have no other form. - Don't repeat the same reply as
iva post: the rich reply already rendered.