# Bot Process Control

> Start, stop, or restart the Telegram sync bot process. TRIGGERS - start bot, stop bot, restart bot, bot process, bot status, bot control.

- Skill: `terrylica/bot-process-control` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 4 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add terrylica/bot-process-control`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/terrylica/bot-process-control/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: terrylica (https://skillmd.com/u/terrylica)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/terrylica/bot-process-control

---


# Bot Process Control

Start, stop, restart, and monitor the Telegram sync bot process. Provides lifecycle management for the `bun --watch` bot runner with process verification and log access.

> **Platform**: macOS (Apple Silicon)

> **Self-Evolving Skill**: This skill improves through use. If instructions are wrong, parameters drifted, or a workaround was needed — fix this file immediately, don't defer. Only update for real, reproducible issues.

## When to Use This Skill

- Start or restart the Telegram bot after configuration changes
- Stop the bot before maintenance or debugging
- Check whether the bot is running and healthy
- Tail recent bot logs to diagnose issues
- Recover from multiple-instance or zombie process scenarios

## Requirements

- Bun runtime installed via mise
- Bot source at `~/.claude/automation/claude-telegram-sync/`
- Secrets file at `~/.claude/.secrets/ccterrybot-telegram`
- mise.toml configured in the bot source directory

## Workflow Phases

### Phase 1: Status Check

Show current bot process state using `pgrep`:

```bash
pgrep -la 'bun.*src/main.ts'
```

If no output, the bot is not running. If multiple lines appear, there are duplicate instances that need cleanup.

### Phase 2: Ask User Intent

Use `AskUserQuestion` to determine the desired action:

- **start** - Launch the bot in background with `bun --watch`
- **stop** - Kill the bot process cleanly
- **restart** - Stop then start
- **logs** - Tail recent log output

### Phase 3: Execute Action

In production, launchd manages the bot via a compiled Swift runner binary. The runner uses `bun --watch`, so code changes auto-restart the service.

**Restart** (production — kill bun, Swift runner respawns it):

```bash
pkill -f 'bun.*src/main.ts'
sleep 2
pgrep -la 'bun.*src/main.ts'
```

**Stop** (full — kills both runner and bun):

```bash
pkill -f 'telegram-bot-runner'
pkill -f 'bun.*src/main.ts'
```

**Start** (production — via launchd):

```bash
launchctl kickstart -k gui/$(id -u)/com.terryli.telegram-bot
```

**Start** (ad-hoc — shell session, for debugging):

```bash
cd ~/.claude/automation/claude-telegram-sync && bun --watch run src/main.ts >> /private/tmp/telegram-bot.log 2>&1 &
```

**Logs**:

```bash
tail -50 /private/tmp/telegram-bot.log
# Or structured logs:
tail -50 ~/.local/state/launchd-logs/telegram-bot/stderr.log
```

### Phase 4: Verify

Confirm the process state changed as expected:

```bash
pgrep -la 'bun.*src/main.ts'
```

## TodoWrite Task Templates

```
1. [Check] Show current bot process status with pgrep
2. [Action] Present start/stop/restart/logs options via AskUserQuestion
3. [Execute] Run the selected action command
4. [Verify] Confirm process state changed as expected
5. [Logs] Optionally tail recent logs for confirmation
6. [Done] Report final process status to user
```

## Post-Change Checklist

- [ ] Verified no duplicate bot instances running
- [ ] Confirmed bot responds to Telegram messages (if started)
- [ ] Checked log output for startup errors (if started)
- [ ] Ensured previous process fully terminated (if stopped/restarted)

## Troubleshooting

| Issue                              | Cause                                 | Solution                                                                                             |
| ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Bot not running                    | Process crashed or was never started  | Check with `pgrep`, runner should auto-respawn; if runner also dead, `launchctl kickstart`           |
| Multiple instances                 | Previous stop did not fully terminate | `pkill -f 'telegram-bot-runner'; pkill -f 'bun.*src/main.ts'`, then restart via launchd              |
| Code changes not picked up         | Bot started without `--watch`         | Kill bun process — runner respawns with `--watch`; or recompile runner if it's outdated              |
| `--watch` not reloading            | File outside watch scope changed      | `bun --watch` monitors the entry file's dependency tree; config-only changes (mise.toml) need a kill |
| Logs not writing                   | Log directory missing or permissions  | Verify `~/.local/state/launchd-logs/telegram-bot/` exists and is writable                            |
| bun not found                      | mise shims not in PATH                | Runner sets PATH explicitly; recompile runner if shims path changed                                  |
| Bot starts but crashes immediately | Missing env vars or secrets           | Check `~/.claude/.secrets/ccterrybot-telegram` exists; verify mise.toml env section                  |

## Reference Documentation

- [Operational Commands](./references/operational-commands.md) - All start/stop/restart/status/logs commands
- [Process Tree](./references/process-tree.md) - Process hierarchy and `bun --watch` design rationale
- [Evolution Log](./references/evolution-log.md) - Change history for this skill

## Post-Execution Reflection

After this skill completes, reflect before closing the task:

0. **Locate yourself.** — Find this SKILL.md's canonical path (Glob for this skill's name) before editing. All corrections target THIS file and its sibling references/ — never other documentation.
1. **What failed?** — Fix the instruction that caused it. If it could recur, add it as an anti-pattern.
2. **What worked better than expected?** — Promote it to recommended practice. Document why.
3. **What drifted?** — Any script, reference, or external dependency that no longer matches reality gets fixed now.
4. **Log it.** — Every change gets an evolution-log entry with trigger, fix, and evidence.

Do NOT defer. The next invocation inherits whatever you leave behind.
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