hideGeneralForumTopic

Returns: TrueOfficial docs ↗

Use this method to hide 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. The topic will be automatically closed if it was open. Returns True on success.

Parameters

chat_idIntegerStringRequired

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

Returns

On success, True is returned.

GramIO Usage

Hide the General topic by numeric chat ID:

await bot.api.hideGeneralForumTopic({ chat_id: -1001234567890 });

Hide by supergroup username:

await bot.api.hideGeneralForumTopic({ chat_id: "@mysupergroup" });

Toggle the General topic visibility with a command:

bot.command("hide_general", async (ctx) => {
  await bot.api.hideGeneralForumTopic({ chat_id: ctx.chat.id });
  await ctx.send("General topic is now hidden.");
});

Errors

Code	Error	Cause
400	Bad Request: chat not found	Invalid or inaccessible chat_id — confirm the bot is a member of the supergroup
400	Bad Request: TOPIC_NOT_MODIFIED	The General topic is already hidden — no action was needed
400	Bad Request: method is available for supergroup chats only	chat_id points to a regular group or channel — only forum supergroups have a General topic
403	Forbidden: bot is not a member of the supergroup chat	Bot was removed from the chat — re-add it
403	Forbidden: not enough rights	Bot is not an administrator or lacks can_manage_topics — promote the bot first

Tips & Gotchas

• Only works in forum supergroups. Regular groups and channels do not have a General topic — calling this on a non-forum chat causes a 400 error.
• The General topic closes automatically. If the General topic was open when you call hideGeneralForumTopic, Telegram closes it silently. You don't need to call closeGeneralForumTopic first.
• can_manage_topics is required. Even if the bot is an admin, the specific can_manage_topics right must be granted — general admin rights are not enough.
• Use @username for public supergroups. The chat_id field accepts @supergroupusername for public chats, avoiding the need to store numeric IDs.
• Pair with unhideGeneralForumTopic. To restore visibility, call unhideGeneralForumTopic — the same admin rights apply.

See Also

• unhideGeneralForumTopic — restore the General topic's visibility
• closeGeneralForumTopic — close the General topic without hiding it
• reopenGeneralForumTopic — reopen a closed General topic
• editGeneralForumTopic — rename the General topic
• createForumTopic — create other topics in a forum supergroup