Checking a Telegram channel subscription in a funnel

How to set up the "Channel subscription" condition, why the bot must be a channel admin, and what happens if it isn't.

Checking a Telegram channel subscription#

The "Channel subscription" condition sends a person down the "Yes" branch if they are subscribed to the channel (or are a member of the chat) and down the "No" branch otherwise. It is usually used to give a freebie or closed-channel access to subscribers only.

The key rule: the bot must be a channel admin#

Telegram shows a channel's member list only to its admins. If your funnel bot is not an admin, the subscription cannot be checked, and everyone, including subscribers, goes down the "No" branch.

How to add the bot:

1. Open the channel in Telegram → "Manage channel" → "Administrators".
2. Tap "Add administrator" and find your bot by name.
3. Save. No permissions need to be enabled — the admin status is enough.

For a group or chat it is the same: the bot must be an admin there.

How to tell the check is not working#

If the bot cannot see the members, Craft sends the funnel owner a Telegram message saying the subscription check is not working. It is sent at most once every 12 hours per channel, from the funnel bot, if Telegram is linked to your Craft account.

A common mistake in the flow#

If the "Check subscription" button (called "I subscribed" in funnels built earlier) on a "Check your subscription and try again" message leads straight to the freebie instead of back to the condition, anyone who taps it gets the freebie, even without subscribing. Connect that button to the "Channel subscription" condition.

How to enter the channel#

Use the channel's public name with @, for example @mychannel. For a private channel without a public name, use its numeric ID starting with -100.

In VK#

In a VK community funnel the condition is called "Community subscription" and checks whether the person is a member of the community. Nobody needs to be made an admin. An empty field means the funnel's own community; you can enter another one's address.

In Instagram#

The "Follows the account" condition asks Instagram whether the person follows you. If someone left a keyword in a comment and has never messaged you in Direct, Instagram won't say whether they follow you until they tap a button.

So Craft first sends that person one short message with a "Get it" button. They tap it and the check runs right away: followers go down the "Yes" branch and get the material, non-followers go down "No" to your "please follow" message. Followers no longer get "you need to follow me".

If the person has already messaged you in Direct, they don't get this message — the check runs immediately. There's nothing to set up; Russian funnels get the message and button in Russian.