editGeneralForumTopic

Returns: TrueOfficial docs ↗

Use this method to edit the name of the 'General' topic in a forum supergroup chat. The bot must be an administrator in the chat for this to work and must have the can_manage_topics administrator rights. Returns True on success.

Parameters

chat_idIntegerStringRequired

Unique identifier for the target chat or username of the target supergroup (in the format @supergroupusername)

nameStringRequiredminLen 1maxLen 128

New topic name, 1-128 characters

Returns

On success, True is returned.

GramIO Usage

// Rename the General topic
await bot.api.editGeneralForumTopic({
  chat_id: -1001234567890,
  name: "Welcome & Announcements",
});

// Rename by username — works for public supergroups
await bot.api.editGeneralForumTopic({
  chat_id: "@mysupergroup",
  name: "General Chat",
});

// Restore the default name after a custom rename
bot.command("reset_general", async (ctx) => {
  await bot.api.editGeneralForumTopic({
    chat_id: ctx.chat.id,
    name: "General",
  });
  await ctx.send("General topic name has been reset.");
});

Errors

Code	Error	Cause
400	`Bad Request: chat not found`	Invalid `chat_id` or the bot is not a member of the chat
400	`Bad Request: method is available only in supergroups`	Target chat is not a forum supergroup — forums must be enabled in the group settings
400	`Bad Request: not enough rights to manage topics`	Bot lacks the `can_manage_topics` administrator right
400	`Bad Request: TOPIC_NAME_INVALID`	`name` is empty or exceeds 128 characters
403	`Forbidden: not enough rights`	Bot is not an administrator in the supergroup
429	`Too Many Requests: retry after N`	Rate limit hit — check `retry_after`, use auto-retry plugin

TIP

Use GramIO's auto-retry plugin to handle 429 errors automatically.

Tips & Gotchas

The General topic has its own dedicated method. Unlike regular topics, the General topic cannot be edited with editForumTopic — use this method instead.
name is required and must be 1–128 characters. Unlike regular topics where name can be omitted to keep the current value, this method always requires a non-empty name.
The General topic cannot have a custom icon. Only regular forum topics support icon_custom_emoji_id — the General topic always uses the default icon.
Bot must have can_manage_topics admin right. This is distinct from can_edit_messages or other admin rights.
Forums must be enabled on the supergroup. If the group doesn't have the forum mode active, the method will fail with a supergroup-only error.
chat_id accepts @username strings for public supergroups. Private supergroups always require the numeric chat ID.

editGeneralForumTopic ​

Parameters ​

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GramIO Usage ​

Errors ​

Tips & Gotchas ​

See Also ​