Test Without Publishing

TL;DR:

• Every node in the Scenario Editor has a beaker (🧪) button — Test from here.
• It gives you a private Telegram link that starts the bot from that exact node.
• It runs the current draft — you do not need to publish first.
• Test runs are excluded from analytics, never charge your message or AI quota, and send operator handoff notifications to you only (marked 🧪 [TEST]).
• The link is valid for about 1 hour.

Who this is for

• Bot Builders who want to try a flow before publishing it to real users.
• Support Managers verifying a single branch (a payment step, an AI reply, a condition) without walking through the whole scenario.
• QA Teams validating changes safely on a live bot.

What you will learn

• How to launch a test run from any node.
• What happens behind the scenes when you click the beaker button.
• How a test run differs from a real run (analytics, quota, integrations).
• How long a test link lasts and who can use it.

What it does

In the Scenario Editor, hover any node and click the beaker (🧪) Test from here button in its toolbar. TeleGo:

1. Saves your latest edits (so the test matches what you see on screen).

2. Snapshots the current draft of the scenario.

3. Gives you a Telegram deep link that looks like:

   https://t.me/<your_bot>?start=test_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Open that link in Telegram and the bot starts a private test run from the node you picked — not from the beginning, and without publishing anything.

TIP

Because the test starts from the chosen node, you can jump straight to the part you're working on — for example test only the payment confirmation message without clicking through the whole funnel first.

How to use

1. Open a scenario in the editor and select the node you want to test.
2. Click the beaker (🧪) button in the node toolbar.
   • If your bot doesn't have a Telegram token yet, a dialog asks you to paste one from @BotFather. The bot needs a token to deliver messages.
3. The editor saves pending changes and prepares the link (the button shows a spinner).
4. A dialog appears with two options:
   • Open in Telegram — jumps straight into the test chat.
   • Copy — copies the link so you can open it on another device or send it to a teammate.
5. Interact with the bot as a normal user would. Everything runs live, but as a test.

Re-testing the same node gives you the same link and just refreshes its contents and 1-hour timer. Different nodes (and different teammates) each get their own link, so several test runs can coexist.

How a test run differs from a real run

A test run executes your scenario faithfully — messages, branching, variables and AI replies all work — but it is sandboxed so it never touches your real metrics, billing, or support team.

Aspect	In a test run
Publishing	Not required — runs the current saved draft
Analytics	Excluded — test activity never appears in your dashboards
Message & run quota	Not consumed — test runs are never charged against your plan limits
AI replies	Work for real, but your AI token quota is not charged
Integrations (HTTP requests, webhooks, email)	Run for real — so you can verify them end to end against the destinations you set up
Telegram admin actions (ban / unban / approve / decline join)	Run for real, but they target you (the tester) and are reversible
Operator handoff	Sent to you only — you get the operator notification marked 🧪 [TEST] (to check a request's text); real operators are not notified and the CRM flag is not set
Delays & schedules	Fast-forwarded — no real waiting; the flow continues immediately
"Powered by" branding	Never added, even on plans where it normally appears
Errors	Surfaced to you in the editor in real time

Inactive bots get switched on

A deep link only works if the bot is live, so minting a test link activates an inactive bot as a side effect (it registers the Telegram connection). When this happens you'll see a one-time "Bot activated" notice. If you intended to keep the bot offline, switch it back off after testing.

How long the link lasts

• A test link is valid for about 1 hour of inactivity.
• Each time you re-test the same node, the timer resets.
• There is no manual revoke — to invalidate a link, simply let it expire.
• Anyone you share the link with can open the test run until it expires, so treat it like a shareable secret.

FAQ

• Q: Do my real users see the test?
  A: No. The test runs in your own Telegram chat with the bot. Nothing is published and nothing changes for your live users.

• Q: Does testing affect my analytics or limits?
  A: No. Test runs are excluded from analytics and never charge your message, scenario-run, or AI-token quotas.

• Q: Will integrations actually fire (emails, webhooks, HTTP)?
  A: Yes — on purpose, so you can confirm they work. They run against the destinations you configured. Operator handoff notifications go to you only, marked 🧪 [TEST].

• Q: I clicked the beaker but it asked for a token.
  A: The bot needs a Telegram token to send messages. Paste one from @BotFather in the dialog, then try again.

• Q: Do I still need Publishing?
  A: Yes. Testing lets you trial changes privately; Publishing is what makes them live for your real users.