Tdl MCP

Name: Tdl MCP
Author: rixile9999

by rixile9999version 1.1.0i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.rixile9999/tdl-mcp

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

Read-only Telegram MCP server wrapping the tdl CLI: list chats, read messages, download media.

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

These three are never merged into one score: opinions, measurements and popularity are different things.

User voiceiNo reviews yetReviews open together with accounts in a later step
Our basic checksi1 of 1 passedChecked from public information; code not scanned yet
UsageiNot measured yet★ –

What you can do with it

We have not written a plain-language summary for this one yet. Below are the facts we read from the registry.

Connection: Runs on your computer
Transport: stdio
Category: Chat & email

Install

Pick the AI app you use, then copy the settings.

Before you install

Basic checks: 1 of 1 passed
Runs on your computer with your user’s permissions (files, network, apps).
You fill in yourself: TDL_BIN, TDL_NS

You need

npmNode.js installed (for the npx command)

Which app do you use?

ClaudeClaude CodeCursorVS CodeChatGPT

Pick your app above. We remember it, so next time the button says “Install in …”.

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config, and paste this into claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tdl": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "tdl-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TDL_BIN": "your-value",
        "TDL_NS": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add tdl --env TDL_BIN=your-value --env TDL_NS=your-value -- npx -y tdl-mcp

Fill in the empty values before running it.

Open in Cursor

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tdl": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "tdl-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TDL_BIN": "your-value",
        "TDL_NS": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

Open in VS Code

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .vscode/mcp.json in your project

{
  "servers": {
    "tdl": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "tdl-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TDL_BIN": "your-value",
        "TDL_NS": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

This one runs on your computer, and ChatGPT can only connect to servers on the internet. Pick another app.

Your choice stays on this device in a cookie; no account needed.

Values you fill in

TDL_BIN env
Path to the tdl binary (default: tdl on PATH, falling back to /opt/homebrew/bin/tdl)
TDL_NS env
tdl namespace passed as -n on every call, for separate Telegram accounts/sessions

These settings are generated from the maker’s registry entry. If the README says otherwise, follow the README.

What it can do

Runs on your computer; the tool list appears in your AI app after you install it.

Basic checksi

We check information anyone can see; we have not read the code. Checks that do not apply are left out of the count. · Checked Nov 8, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account rixile9999, which owns the repo
… Not checked yet
Still maintained
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
… Not checked yet
Has a licence
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
– Not applicable
Endpoint responds
This one runs on your computer; there is no internet endpoint
– Not applicable
Sign-in with OAuth
Runs on your computer and uses local settings instead
… Not checked yet
No hidden instructions in tool descriptions
Runs on your computer; we can only read tool lists from internet endpoints

Compared with others in Chat & emaili

More stars than 0% of the other 1835 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 56% of the other 1835 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 1835 servers in this category

Compared with every active server in this category in the registry. Stars count only when the publisher owns the repo.

Common questions

Is Tdl MCP safe?

It passed 1 of 1 applicable basic checks. We have not read the code. Before adding a key or token, see what access the server asks for and use a key with only the permissions you need.

What keys or codes does it need?

The registry does not list a required key, though some servers ask you to sign in on first use.

Does it run on my computer or in the cloud?

It runs on your computer. Your AI app starts it when needed, and data does not pass through the maker’s servers (unless it calls an online service itself).

Is it still maintained?

The GitHub repo last changed –, and the latest version (1.1.0) reached the registry 23 days ago.

Which apps can use it?

Apps that support MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. You also need Node.js on your computer.

What can I use instead?

In the same category: Vexa, emailmd, MCP WhatsApp Cloud

Alternatives

Servers in the same category from other makers, sorted by stars.

Reading a card:★ GitHub starsiThree pillars: reviews · checks · usageiUpdated = latest version published to the registryi

Vexa

by Vexa-ai

Meeting bot and transcripts for Google Meet, Teams and Zoom. Live or after, speakers labelled.

Runs in the cloud★ 2,949Apache-2.0Updated 2 months ago

Install

emailmd

by anypost

Render markdown into email-safe HTML, lint drafts for deliverability problems, and preview emails.

Computer or cloud★ 1,385MITUpdated 32 days ago

Install

MCP WhatsApp Cloud

by codespar

MCP server for WhatsApp Cloud API (Meta) — messages, media, and templates via Graph API

Runs on your computer★ 277MITUpdated 5 months ago

Install

README from the maker

Open the README

Copied from the maker’s repo as written. PopNx MCP has not reviewed or endorsed it. HTML, images and scripts are removed. Links lead off this site.

tdl-mcp

Read-only Telegram access for Claude and other MCP hosts, powered by the [`tdl`](https://github.com/iyear/tdl) CLI.

List your chats, read recent messages, and download media — from your own Telegram account — with five simple tools. It never sends messages, never modifies anything, and never touches your login.

🇰🇷 한국어 문서는 여기 있습니다 → README.ko.md

Why tdl-mcp?

Most Telegram MCP servers embed an MTProto library (Telethon, gramjs, …), ask you to create your own Telegram application at my.telegram.org to get an api_id/api_hash, and many of them can *send* messages on your behalf.

tdl-mcp takes a different, deliberately boring approach:

Read-only by design. The server can list chats, export messages and download files. That's all. There is no code path that sends, edits, deletes, or logs in.
No `api_id`/`api_hash` setup. Login is handled once, by you, in your terminal with tdl login -T qr — scan a QR code with your phone and you're done. No Telegram app registration needed.
Built on a battle-tested downloader. tdl (7.5k+ ⭐) does the heavy lifting: fast parallel downloads, resume, --skip-same deduplication.
Tiny and auditable. One plain-JavaScript file, two dependencies (@modelcontextprotocol/sdk, zod), no build step. You can read the whole server in five minutes.

Claude / MCP host  ←stdio→  tdl-mcp (Node)  →subprocess→  tdl CLI  →MTProto→  Telegram

Quick start

1. Install tdl

# macOS

brew install telegram-downloader

Linux / WSL

curl -sSL https://docs.iyear.me/tdl/install.sh | sudo bash

Windows (PowerShell)

iwr -useb https://docs.iyear.me/tdl/install.ps1 | iex

Any version from the one pinned in .tdl-version upward should work — CI continuously tests against that pin (see Compatibility).

2. Log in to Telegram (once)

tdl login -T qr

Scan the QR code with the Telegram mobile app (Settings → Devices → Link Desktop Device). The session is stored in ~/.tdl on your machine and shared by every MCP host — you log in exactly once. tdl-mcp itself never performs or refreshes logins.

3. Add the server to your MCP host

You need Node.js ≥ 22.

Claude Code:

claude mcp add --scope user telegram -- npx -y tdl-mcp

Claude Desktop / any other MCP host (generic mcpServers JSON):

"mcpServers": { "telegram": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "tdl-mcp"] } } }

4. Try it

Ask your assistant things like:

*"What Telegram chats do I have? Find the one about quant trading."*

*"Show me the last 20 messages in @some_channel."*

*"Download every PDF posted in that channel since message 1500 to ~/Papers."*

If a tool reports that you are not logged in, run tdl login -T qr in a terminal and retry — that's the only manual step there is.

Tools

Tool	Arguments	What it does
`tg_status`	—	Checks whether the tdl session is logged in. Never errors: returns `{logged_in:true, chats:N}` or `{logged_in:false, hint}`.
`tg_chats`	`filter?`	Lists dialogs as `[{id, type, name, username}]`; `filter` is a case-insensitive substring match on name/username/id.
`tg_messages`	`chat`, `last_n?` (default 50, max 500), `since_id?`, `with_text?` (default true)	Exports recent media messages from a chat as compact `{id, date, file, text}` objects (at most 200 returned; truncation is noted). `since_id` fetches only messages after a known id — handy for incremental reads.
`tg_download`	`chat`, `since_id?`, `last_n?` (default 100), `extensions?` (csv, e.g. `"xlsx,pdf"`), `dest?` (default `~/Downloads/telegram`)	Downloads media from a chat with `--skip-same`; returns absolute paths of newly downloaded files, or a friendly "no matching files" note.
`tg_download_url`	`urls` (array of `https://t.me/...` links), `extensions?`, `dest?`	Downloads the media of specific messages by link. Validates every url starts with `https://t.me/`.

chat accepts either a numeric id or an @username/domain, exactly as shown by tg_chats.

Environment variables

Variable	Effect
`TDL_BIN`	Path to the tdl binary. Default: `tdl` on `PATH`, falling back to `/opt/homebrew/bin/tdl` (GUI-launched MCP hosts often don't inherit the Homebrew `PATH`).
`TDL_NS`	tdl namespace, passed as `-n` on every call. Use it to keep separate Telegram accounts/sessions apart.

Set them in your host's server config, e.g.:

"mcpServers": { "telegram": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "tdl-mcp"], "env": { "TDL_NS": "work" } } } }

Compatibility & staying up to date

tdl-mcp shells out to the tdl CLI, so its real dependency is tdl's command-line surface. That surface is guarded automatically:

.tdl-version pins the tdl release this package is tested against.
scripts/contract.mjs verifies — without logging in — that every flag the server uses (chat ls -o json, chat export -c/-T/-i/-o/--with-content, dl -f/-u/-i/-d/--skip-same, global -n) still exists in that tdl binary. CI runs it on every push and PR.
A scheduled workflow watches tdl releases. When a new version appears it runs the contract test against the new binary and scans the release notes for breaking-change markers. Routine updates become a simple version-bump PR; anything suspicious is escalated to an AI-assisted upgrade PR that adapts the wrapper code.

So if you're on a newer tdl than the pin, chances are excellent everything just works — and if it ever wouldn't, this repo finds out before you do.

Development

git clone https://github.com/rixile9999/tdl-mcp.git

cd tdl-mcp npm install npm test # smoke (MCP protocol, login-free) + contract (tdl CLI surface)

npm run smoke spawns the server over stdio and checks the tool catalog, tg_status shape, and input validation — passes whether or not you are logged in.
npm run contract checks the installed tdl binary against the CLI surface the server uses. scripts/install-tdl.sh [vX.Y.Z] installs a specific (checksum-verified) tdl release if you want to test against another version.

PRs welcome. Please keep the server read-only — tools that send, edit or delete are out of scope for this project.

Security notes

The tdl session in ~/.tdl is a full user-account credential — anyone who can read it can act as your Telegram account. Protect it like an SSH key: don't copy it into repos, shared backups, or other machines.
tdl-mcp never reads or transmits the session itself; it only runs the tdl binary locally. Nothing leaves your machine except tdl's own Telegram traffic.
Downloads go to a directory you choose (dest), defaulting to ~/Downloads/telegram.

Telegram terms-of-service note

tdl drives a regular user session (MTProto), not a bot. Quiet, read-only, personal-use automation of your own account is generally tolerated, but aggressive crawling can get an account limited: keep ranges modest (last_n, since_id), avoid large parallel pulls, and let --skip-same do its job instead of re-downloading.

License

MIT for everything in this repository.

tdl itself is a separate project licensed under AGPL-3.0. tdl-mcp does not bundle, link, or modify tdl — it invokes the binary you installed as a separate process, so the AGPL applies to tdl, not to this wrapper. You install tdl yourself through official channels (step 1 above).

Tdl MCP

Overview

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

What you can do with it

Install

Before you install

Values you fill in

What it can do

Basic checksi

Maker matches the repo

Still maintained

Has a licence

Endpoint responds

Sign-in with OAuth

No hidden instructions in tool descriptions

Compared with others in Chat & emaili

Common questions

Alternatives

Vexa

emailmd

MCP WhatsApp Cloud

README from the maker

tdl-mcp

Why tdl-mcp?

Quick start

1. Install tdl

Linux / WSL

Windows (PowerShell)

2. Log in to Telegram (once)

3. Add the server to your MCP host

4. Try it

Tools

Environment variables

Compatibility & staying up to date

Development

Security notes

Telegram terms-of-service note

License