otlite · Social media

Install Telepathy on Linux or macOS in one command

Telepathy reads public Telegram chats through your own account and saves chat details and member lists. A comprehensive scan (-c) adds the message history, reactions, and forwards, written as CSV files for each chat.

Telepathy in three lines

pipx install otlite
otlite install telepathy
otlite run telepathy -- tg:channelname

Runs prose-intelligence-ltd/Telepathy-Community (MIT, ★ 1.3k, otlite 1.2.1, catalog updated Oct 23, 2026). otlite installs and runs it at a tested version; it does not change or verify the tool itself.

What Telepathy is for

Archiving a public channel's messages before they are deleted.
Mapping which channels forward into a chat (-f writes an edge list for Gephi).
Collecting member usernames to check with Maigret or Sherlock.

Typed inputs for Telepathy

otlite translates these prefixes into Telepathy's own flags. Anything else after -- is passed through unchanged, so every original flag still works.

tg:: Telegram channel · otlite run telepathy -- tg:channelname

Run every installed tool that takes the same input at once: otlite run --all tg:channelname

otlite marks it dual-use, so it asks you to accept a responsible-use notice before it installs.

Where the results go

Every run lands under ./results/telepathy/<target>/ as a timestamped output file, a .meta.json sidecar (the exact command, start and end time, exit code, and the SHA-256 of the output), and a .envelope.json with the entities found, in the same shape for every tool. List runs with otlite results, group them with --case, compare the last two with otlite diff telepathy <target>, and pull indicators out with otlite extract telepathy.

Before you run it

Needs your own Telegram API ID and hash from my.telegram.org and a login code on first run, so otlite run --all and otlite auto skip it. Use a dedicated account.
Requires Python below 3.13. The project has not been maintained since mid-2024; otlite installs the last PyPI release, 2.3.4.
Comprehensive scans with media (-c -m) download everything the chat posted and can run for hours. Check what you are storing.

Update, remove, inspect

otlite info telepathy      # inputs, keys, an example command
otlite example telepathy   # sample output, where there is one
otlite update telepathy    # move to the next tested version
otlite remove telepathy    # delete its virtualenv

Full reference: the otlite docs, and the tool's own README on GitHub.

Pairs with

Telegram Phone Number Checker

This Bellingcat tool checks, through your own Telegram login, whether a number or username has an account.

Maigret

Maigret searches a username across thousands of sites and, where it finds a profile, extracts the public fields on it: display name, bio, location, linked accounts.

Sherlock

Sherlock checks a username against several hundred sites and reports where a profile with that exact handle exists.

FAQ

Telepathy with otlite, answered

How do I install Telepathy on Kali, Ubuntu, or macOS?

Install otlite once with pipx install otlite (or the one-line installer on the otlite page), run otlite init, then otlite install telepathy. The tool lands in its own virtualenv under ~/.otlite/, pinned to a version that was tested, so nothing touches your system Python. otlite doctor prints the command that fixes a missing git or venv module.

Which inputs does Telepathy take through otlite?

tg: (telegram channel). otlite maps each prefix to Telepathy's own flag. Everything after -- that is not a typed input is passed through unchanged, so the original flags still work.

Where does otlite save Telepathy results?

Under ./results/telepathy/<target>/ in the folder you run from, as a timestamped output file plus a .meta.json sidecar (the exact command, timing, exit code, and SHA-256) and a .envelope.json with the entities found. Add --case <name> to group runs, otlite results to list them, and otlite diff telepathy <target> to compare the last two.

Does Telepathy need an API key or a login?

Yes. Needs your own Telegram API ID and hash from my.telegram.org and a login code on first run, so otlite run --all and otlite auto skip it. Use a dedicated account. Keys go in with otlite keys set NAME, which stores them in ~/.otlite/.env with permissions 600, and otlite keys check verifies them.

Can I run Telepathy together with other tools?

Yes. otlite run --all tg:channelname runs every installed tool that takes telegram channel input, in parallel, including Telepathy. Save the combination as a playbook to repeat it.

Why are some Telepathy member lists missing or short?

Telegram exposes member lists for groups but not for broadcast channels, and caps what one account can read. Telepathy collects up to 5,000 members of a group; for a channel it can only infer participants from comments and forwards.