Job Search Telegram Polling

Poll Telegram for incoming messages and route them to the appropriate Proficiently skill. Runs headlessly via /loop 1m /proficiently:jobsearch-telegram.

First-Time Setup

Before this skill can run, the user must create a Telegram bot and configure it. If DATA_DIR/telegram-config.md does not exist, walk the user through setup:

1. Create a Telegram Bot

Tell the user:

Let's set up your Telegram bot.

1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
2. Send /newbot
3. Choose a name (e.g., "My Job Search Assistant")
4. Choose a username (must end in bot, e.g., my_jobsearch_bot)
5. BotFather will give you a bot token — copy it and paste it here

Then send your bot a message (anything) so I can find your chat ID.

2. Get the Chat ID

Once the user provides the bot token, fetch their chat ID:

curl -s "https://api.telegram.org/bot{TOKEN}/getUpdates"

Extract message.chat.id from the first result. If no results, remind the user to send a message to the bot first, then retry.

3. Save Config

Write DATA_DIR/telegram-config.md:

# Telegram Config

- Bot token: {TOKEN}
- Chat ID: {CHAT_ID}
- Bot username: @{USERNAME}

4. Verify

Send a test message:

curl -s -X POST "https://api.telegram.org/bot{TOKEN}/sendMessage" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"chat_id": "{CHAT_ID}", "text": "👋 Job search bot connected! Send me a job URL to apply, or say \"search\" to find jobs."}'

If successful, tell the user setup is complete and they can start the loop with /loop 1m /proficiently:jobsearch-telegram.

---

Config & State Files

Resolve the data directory using shared/references/data-directory.md.

Config — DATA_DIR/telegram-config.md (created during setup, contains bot token + chat ID). Never commit this file to git. Read this first on every poll cycle to get credentials.

State — DATA_DIR/telegram-state.md (tracks polling position). Create if missing:

# Telegram State

## Polling
- last_update_id: 0

## Pending Confirmations
<!-- Format: [msg_id: X] type/stage — description — waiting since DATE
     For apply confirmations, also store: job_url, form_url, field_mapping (JSON) -->

(none)

## Recent Actions
<!-- Last 20 actions taken -->

---

Workflow

Step 1: Load Context

1. Read DATA_DIR/telegram-config.md — if missing, run First-Time Setup above and stop
2. Read DATA_DIR/telegram-state.md — if missing, create from template above
3. Read these if they exist: DATA_DIR/job-history.md, DATA_DIR/application-data.md, DATA_DIR/preferences.md

Step 2: Poll for Messages

curl -s "https://api.telegram.org/bot{TOKEN}/getUpdates?offset={LAST_UPDATE_ID+1}&timeout=5"

If no new messages → exit silently. Do not log, do not send anything.

Step 3: Classify Each Message

Parse each message and classify:

Message Type	Detection	Route
Job URL	Contains greenhouse.io, lever.co, myworkdayjobs.com, ashbyhq.com, or other job board URL	Step 4a: Apply
"apply last" / "apply"	Text matches apply (with optional last/current)	Step 4a: Apply
"search for ..."	Text starts with search, find, look for	Step 4b: Search
"tailor resume for ..."	Text mentions tailor/resume + context	Step 4c: Tailor
"status" / "what's open"	Text asks about application status	Step 4d: Status
"help"	Text is exactly help or ?	Step 4e: Help
Confirmation reply	Threaded reply to a pending confirmation message, OR standalone confirm word (yes/y/go/no/cancel) when pending confirmations exist	Step 5: Confirm
Plain text	Anything else	Step 6: Note

Step 4a: Handle Job URL / Apply Request

1. Extract the URL or resolve "last"/"current"

2. Check if a job folder already exists in DATA_DIR/jobs/ for this URL

3. Send acknowledgment to Telegram:

   🎯 Got it — applying to [URL or "most recent job"].
   I'll scan the form, tailor your resume, and propose answers. Stand by...
   

4. Execute the apply workflow from skills/apply/SKILL.md:

   • Follow Steps 0-6 (prerequisites → navigate → scout → generate materials → scan fields → propose answers)
   • Instead of using AskUserQuestion for approval, send the Step 6 proposal summary to Telegram and add to Pending Confirmations
   • Store in the pending confirmation: job_url, form_url (the direct ATS form URL navigated to), and field_mapping (the full approved field→value JSON)
   • Wait for user confirmation via Telegram (will arrive as a reply in a future poll cycle)

5. When field-approval confirmation arrives (Step 5), re-navigate to form_url, fill all fields, then send a second confirmation (submit approval) with a screenshot description and ask: "Everything looks good — submit?"

   • Store this as a new pending confirmation with stage: "submit-approval"

6. When submit-approval arrives, click Submit, then log the application (Step 9 of the apply skill).

Sending the proposal: Use the send message helper (Step 8) with the full field summary. Keep it under 4000 chars. If longer, split into: (1) auto-fill fields, (2) proposed answers, (3) needs input.

Two-phase confirmation flow:

• Phase 1 (stage: field-approval): User approves the field→value mapping
• Phase 2 (stage: submit-approval): User approves the final form before clicking Submit
• Never skip phase 2 — submitting a job application is irreversible

Step 4b: Handle Search Request

1. Extract search keywords from the message
2. Send acknowledgment: 🔍 Searching for: [keywords]...
3. Execute the job-search workflow from skills/job-search/SKILL.md
4. Send results summary to Telegram:

   🔍 Found X matches for "[keywords]":
   
   1. [Role] at [Company] — [fit score]
      [URL]
   2. ...
   
   Reply with a number to apply, or "apply 1" / "apply 3" etc.
   

5. Add to Pending Confirmations with the job list so replies can be matched

Step 4c: Handle Tailor Request

1. Extract job reference (URL, "last", or job name)
2. Send acknowledgment: 📝 Tailoring resume for [job]...
3. Execute the tailor-resume workflow from skills/tailor-resume/SKILL.md
4. Send result to Telegram with key changes made
5. Note the file path where the tailored resume was saved

Step 4d: Handle Status Query

Compile from DATA_DIR/job-history.md and DATA_DIR/jobs/*/applied.md:

📋 Job Search Status

Applied (X):
- [Role] at [Company] — [date] — [status]
- ...

Saved but not applied (Y):
- [Role] at [Company] — [date saved]
- ...

Pending your confirmation:
- [any pending apply proposals]

Step 4e: Handle Help Request

Send:

👋 Here's what you can do:

<b>Apply</b>
• Send a job URL → I'll apply for you
• "apply last" → continue with the most recent job

<b>Search</b>
• "search [keywords]" → find matching jobs
• "find AI product jobs" → same thing

<b>Resume</b>
• "tailor resume for [job URL or name]"

<b>Status</b>
• "status" → see all applications and what's pending

<b>Other</b>
• "help" → this message
• Any other text is saved as a note

Step 5: Handle Confirmation Reply

A confirmation reply is either:

• A threaded reply (Telegram's native reply feature): match via reply_to_message.message_id to a pending confirmation
• A standalone message containing only a confirm/reject word (yes, y, go, send it, 👍, no, skip, cancel, ❌) when pending confirmations exist

Disambiguation when standalone:

• If exactly one pending confirmation exists → apply it to that confirmation
• If multiple pending confirmations exist → respond with a numbered list of what's pending and ask which one they mean:

  You have X things waiting. Which one?
  1. [description of pending 1]
  2. [description of pending 2]
  Reply with a number.
  

Processing:

1. Look up the pending confirmation in telegram-state.md
2. Parse the user's reply:
   • "yes" / "y" / "go" / "send it" / 👍 → approve
   • "no" / "skip" / "cancel" / ❌ → reject
   • "yes but [changes]" → approve with modifications
   • A number (e.g., "2") → select that option from a list
3. Execute the approved action:
   • stage: field-approval → re-navigate to form_url, fill fields using field_mapping, then send submit-approval prompt
   • stage: submit-approval → click Submit, log application
   • Search result selection → start apply workflow for selected job
4. Send confirmation of what was done
5. Remove from Pending Confirmations, add to Recent Actions

Step 6: Handle Plain Text Note

1. Log to DATA_DIR/telegram-inbox.md with timestamp
2. If it looks like a company name or job title, suggest: "Want me to search for [text] jobs?"
3. Otherwise confirm: "Noted 👍"

Step 7: Update State

After processing all messages:

1. Update last_update_id in DATA_DIR/telegram-state.md
2. Update Pending Confirmations (add new, remove resolved). For each apply confirmation, include:

   [msg_id: X] apply/field-approval — [Role] at [Company] — waiting since DATE
   job_url: https://...
   form_url: https://...
   field_mapping: {"First Name": "...", "Email": "...", ...}
   

3. Update Recent Actions (keep last 20, newest first)

Step 8: Sending Messages

Read credentials from DATA_DIR/telegram-config.md, then send via curl:

curl -s -X POST "https://api.telegram.org/bot{TOKEN}/sendMessage" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"chat_id": "CHAT_ID", "text": "MESSAGE", "parse_mode": "HTML"}'

For replies to specific messages, add "reply_to_message_id": MSG_ID.

Formatting rules:

• Use HTML: <b>bold</b>, <i>italic</i>, <code>code</code>
• Keep messages under 4000 chars (Telegram limit is 4096)
• Be concise — user reads on mobile
• Use line breaks for readability, not walls of text

To capture the sent message's message_id (needed for tracking confirmations):

# Parse from response JSON
jq -r '.result.message_id'

---

Key Rules

• HEADLESS. Never use AskUserQuestion. All interaction happens through Telegram.
• Acknowledge fast. Send a quick reply before starting long operations (apply, search, tailor).
• Suggest before acting. For apply: always send the proposal and wait for Telegram confirmation before filling fields.
• Never skip submit confirmation. Submitting an application is irreversible — always require explicit approval.
• Exit silently if no new messages. Don't log empty polls.
• Concise messages. Mobile-first. No walls of text.
• Track everything in telegram-state.md so confirmations persist across poll cycles.
• No secrets in git. Credentials live only in DATA_DIR/telegram-config.md.
• Log costs every cycle. See Cost Tracking below.

Cost Tracking

After every poll cycle that does actual work (not silent exits), you MUST:

1. Count your token usage for this cycle. At the end of your response, estimate:

   • Input tokens: approximate total from all files read + tool results received
   • Output tokens: approximate total from all text + tool calls you generated
   • Use these rates: input = $3/M tokens, output = $15/M tokens (cache reads = $1.875/M)

2. Append to DATA_DIR/telegram-cost-log.csv (create with header if missing):

   timestamp,action,input_tokens,output_tokens,estimated_cost_usd
   

   Example row:

   2026-03-11T14:30:00Z,apply-proposal,12000,3500,$0.09
   

3. Include a cost footer in every Telegram reply:

   ---
   📊 ~12K in / ~3.5K out · ~$0.09
   

4. On "status" queries, include a cost summary section:

   💰 Cost this session: $X.XX (Y interactions)
   💰 Cost all-time: $X.XX (Z interactions)
   

   Compute from the CSV log.

Permissions Required

Add to ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": [
      "Bash(curl:*)",
      "Bash(jq:*)",
      "Read(~/.proficiently/**)",
      "Write(~/.proficiently/**)",
      "Edit(~/.proficiently/**)",
      "Read(~/.claude/skills/**)",
      "mcp__claude-in-chrome__*"
    ]
  }
}