setMyShortDescription

Returns: TrueOfficial docs ↗

Use this method to change the bot's short description, which is shown on the bot's profile page and is sent together with the link when users share the bot. Returns True on success.

Parameters

short_descriptionStringOptionalminLen 0maxLen 120

New short description for the bot; 0-120 characters. Pass an empty string to remove the dedicated short description for the given language.

language_codeStringOptional

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

Returns

On success, True is returned.

GramIO Usage

// Set the default short description (shown to all users without a localized version)
await bot.api.setMyShortDescription({
  short_description: "Task manager & reminder bot. Send /help to start.",
});

// Set a localized short description for Russian-speaking users
await bot.api.setMyShortDescription({
  short_description: "Менеджер задач и напоминаний. Отправьте /help.",
  language_code: "ru",
});

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

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

Errors

Code	Error	Cause
400	Bad Request: short description is too long	short_description exceeds 120 characters — trim content
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

• Short description appears on the profile page and in shared links. Unlike the full description (shown in empty chats), the short description is visible on the bot's public profile and in forwarded bot links — it acts as your bot's tagline.
• 120 character limit is strict. Write a concise, punchy tagline. Count carefully — this limit is tight and Telegram enforces it server-side.
• Language fallback applies. Users see the localized version matching their Telegram language setting. Always set a default (without language_code) before adding translations.
• Empty string removes the localized version. Passing short_description: "" with a language_code removes that translation; without language_code it clears the global default.
• Different from the full description. setMyDescription controls what users see in an empty chat; this method controls what appears on the profile page and share link previews.

See Also

• getMyShortDescription — read the current short description
• setMyDescription — change the full description shown in empty chats
• setMyName — change the bot's display name
• BotShortDescription — the return type of getMyShortDescription