setMyDescription

Returns: TrueOfficial docs ↗

Use this method to change the bot's description, which is shown in the chat with the bot if the chat is empty. Returns True on success.

Parameters

descriptionStringOptionalminLen 0maxLen 512

New bot description; 0-512 characters. Pass an empty string to remove the dedicated description for the given language.

language_codeStringOptional

A two-letter ISO 639-1 language code. If empty, the description will be applied to all users for whose language there is no dedicated description.

Returns

On success, True is returned.

GramIO Usage

// Set the default description (shown to all users without a localized version)
await bot.api.setMyDescription({
  description:
    "I can help you manage tasks, set reminders, and answer questions. Send /help to get started.",
});

// Set a localized description for Russian-speaking users
await bot.api.setMyDescription({
  description:
    "Я помогу вам управлять задачами и устанавливать напоминания. Отправьте /help для начала.",
  language_code: "ru",
});

// Remove the localized description (falls back to the default)
await bot.api.setMyDescription({
  description: "",
  language_code: "ru",
});

// Read back the description to confirm it was saved
const result = await bot.api.getMyDescription({ language_code: "ru" });
console.log(result.description);

Errors

Code	Error	Cause
400	Bad Request: description is too long	description exceeds 512 characters — trim content before sending
400	Bad Request: LANGUAGE_CODE_INVALID	language_code is not a valid ISO 639-1 two-letter code
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

• Description appears in empty chats only. Users see this text before sending their first message — after that, it's no longer visible. Make it welcoming and action-oriented.
• 512 character limit. Keep descriptions concise; for longer content, the description may be truncated in some Telegram clients.
• Language fallback works hierarchically. If a user's language has no dedicated description, they see the default (set without language_code). Always set a default before adding localizations.
• Empty string removes the localized version. Passing description: "" with a language_code deletes that translation; passing it without a code clears the default for all languages.
• Changes are visible immediately in new empty chats, but users already in a chat may not see the update until they clear the chat history.

See Also

• getMyDescription — read the current bot description
• setMyName — change the bot's display name
• setMyShortDescription — change the short description shown on the profile page
• BotDescription — the return type of getMyDescription