Troubleshooting Telegram Wait and Response Trigger in an AI Agent Workflow for n8n

Below is a list of suggestions to troubleshoot your Telegram wait and respond trigger when it’s used as a tool for an AI agent:

1. Review the Webhook URL & HTTPS Requirement
   For Telegram, your webhook URL must use HTTPS. If you’re running n8n behind a reverse proxy (as is common with Docker setups), make sure that the public URL registered with Telegram is HTTPS and that TLS/SSL termination is properly set up.

   • Check your n8n instance’s WEBHOOK_URL environment variable and update it if necessary.

2. Test the Trigger in Isolation First
   As you mentioned, the Telegram trigger works fine on its own. When integrated with other nodes or used as a tool for an AI agent, the behavior might change if multiple processes try to manage the webhook.

   • Ensure that your Telegram trigger isn’t inadvertently activated twice (once in your production flow and once in your test/AI tool flow). Note that Telegram only supports one registered webhook per bot.

3. Workflow and Node Behavior in Testing vs. Production
   When testing, some nodes may not return control immediately because they’re still waiting for an event. If you click the webhook while it’s in test mode, n8n may indicate that “no response is needed” simply because the node is designed to keep listening for events until it’s reset.

   • If you’re using the Test step or Test workflow button and then switching context (e.g. to an AI agent), try exiting and reopening the workflow to “reset” the node.

4. Integration with the AI Agent
   When incorporating the Telegram wait and respond trigger as part of a larger AI-driven workflow, double-check how your AI tool is interacting with the webhook. In some cases the trigger’s design (waiting for an event) might not be compatible with a “request–response” model that the AI agent expects.

   • Consider isolating the workflow: let the Telegram node capture the response and then separately feed that response into your AI agent’s subsequent process.

5. Check Reverse Proxy/Websocket Setup
   If you’re behind a reverse proxy (for example, using Docker), make sure you’ve enabled websocket proxying. Failure to do so can lead to communication issues between Telegram and your n8n instance.

   • Verify your proxy’s configuration (Nginx, Traefik, etc.) to ensure websocket connections are properly supported.

If none of these steps resolve the issue, it might help to review your workflow configuration step‑by‑step, paying special attention to how and where the Telegram trigger is expected to reply versus how your AI agent is structured to send a response. Also, remember that switching between test and production webhook URLs can cause Telegram to overwrite your settings—using distinct Telegram bots for testing and production could mitigate that.

Hope this helps get your workflow operating as intended!