Files

T

hoelee 5d9db48a26 Docs overhaul: beginner quick start + all-in-one NocoDB stack

- README rewritten around a copy-paste quick start (CLI and Portainer),
  verified alert test, day-to-day NocoDB operations, troubleshooting table, FAQ
- new docker-compose.allinone.yml: NocoDB (pinned 2026.09.0, SQLite) + monitor
  on a private network, with healthchecks and the Telegram IPv4 pin documented
- docs/: QUICKSTART-PORTAINER, TELEGRAM-SETUP, NOCODB-SETUP, ARCHITECTURE,
  OPERATIONS, TROUBLESHOOTING (replace DOCUMENTATION.md + COMPOSE-SETUP.md)
- secrets: SECRETS.md is gitignored and untracked; tracked template is
  SECRETS.example.md; real base id / chat id removed from .env.example
- LICENSE (MIT), .gitignore/.dockerignore tidied
- AGENTS.md: layout, iron rules, verification gates; host-specific deploy
  details moved to the gitignored OPS-INTERNAL.md

2026-10-06 16:37:59 +08:00

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Telegram setup

Two values are needed: a bot token (who sends) and a chat id (where it sends). Both are free and take about a minute.

1. Create the bot

Open Telegram and search for @BotFather (the one with a blue checkmark).
Send /newbot.
It asks for a name — anything, e.g. My Carousell Alerts.
It asks for a username — must be unique and end in bot, e.g. mycarousell_alerts_bot.
It replies with a token like:
```
Use this token to access the HTTP API:
8123456789:AAF7xK3nQw8_your_token_here_9dZ
```
That whole string is TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN. Treat it like a password — anyone holding it can send and read messages as your bot.

Optional, but nice: /setdescription and /setuserpic to make the alert messages look intentional.

2. Get your chat id (alert yourself)

Send your new bot a message — click the link BotFather gave you and say hi. This step matters: until you have messaged the bot, it is not allowed to message you, and sends fail with chat not found.
Message @userinfobot. It replies with your id:
```
Id: 123456789
```
That number is TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID.

3. Or alert a group

Create the group (or use an existing one) and add your bot to it as a member.
Send a message in the group (any text).
Read the group's chat id:
```
curl -s "https://api.telegram.org/bot<YOUR_TOKEN>/getUpdates"
```
Look for "chat":{"id":-1001234567890,"title":"..."}. Group ids are negative and usually start with -100. Use that number as TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID.

If getUpdates returns {"ok":true,"result":[]}, the bot has not seen any message yet — send another one in the group and retry.

4. Verify before you blame the monitor

# who am I?
curl -s "https://api.telegram.org/bot<YOUR_TOKEN>/getMe"

# send a test message
curl -s -X POST "https://api.telegram.org/bot<YOUR_TOKEN>/sendMessage" \
     -d chat_id=<YOUR_CHAT_ID> -d text="hello from carousell-monitor"

Expected: {"ok":true,...} and a message on your phone. If this works, the monitor's credentials are right and anything missing is a monitor-side issue (filters, notify checkbox, pending queue).

Error	Meaning
`401 Unauthorized`	token is wrong, or it was revoked in BotFather
`400 chat not found`	wrong chat id, or you never messaged the bot / the bot is not in the group
`403 bot was blocked by the user`	you blocked the bot — unblock it
the `curl` hangs forever	DNS/IPv6 trouble. The compose files pin `api.telegram.org` to its IPv4 address in `extra_hosts`; refresh that IP with `dig +short api.telegram.org`

5. Rotate it later

If the token leaks: @BotFather → /revoke → pick the bot → you get a new token. Update .env (or the Portainer stack environment) and restart the monitor.

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