Getting started: forward your first message with ChannelFlow

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Connect an authorized Discord or Telegram source, configure a destination, and verify a new message through its delivery record and real arrival.
Getting started: forward your first message with ChannelFlow
ChannelFlow
getting started
message forwarding

Start with one source channel and one destination. Add filters, translation, and more destinations after the first message arrives.

Before you start

Prepare an account that can read the source and a destination where you can configure a bot or webhook. Your account's current plan and available nodes determine instance and channel limits; check the console before expanding your setup.

ItemPurposeExample
InstanceGroups sources and forwarding rulesTeam notifications
Source accountConnects to the platform that receives messagesTelegram personal account
Source channelSelects the conversation to monitorProject announcements
DestinationReceives the selected messagesDiscord webhook
Channel ruleConnects a source channel to destinations and filtersAnnouncements to the team

1. Create an instance

Open Forwarding instances, enter an instance name, and create the instance. Select an available execution node if the console asks. Open the newly created instance and confirm it is selected.

Paid users running their own server can first read the private node guide. If no platform node is available, use My feedback; ordinary users do not need to configure database credentials.

2. Connect a source account

In Source accounts, add the platform you want to receive messages from:

Connecting an account does not create a forwarding rule or expand its access to private channels. Select only conversations you are authorized to read and share.

3. Configure a channel rule

  1. Open Channel configuration and create a rule.
  2. Name the rule and select the connected source account.
  3. Select the source channel. Discord can load its channel list; Telegram can refresh its conversation list. Telegram manual entries require a numeric Chat ID with its minus sign preserved.
  4. Choose a destination type and enter that destination's credentials. Use the Discord or Telegram guides above for webhook and bot setup.
  5. For the first test, leave keyword and sender filters empty and translation or media processing disabled.
  6. Save the rule and confirm it is enabled.

One rule can contain several destinations of the same type. Create separate rules to send to different platform types. Full Chinese setup guides are available for Feishu, DingTalk, and notification destinations; these linked guides are in Chinese.

4. Start and verify a new message

  1. In Source accounts, start the required source if it is stopped. Stopping or restarting a source affects every plan using it.
  2. Check the source status, latest heartbeat time, and rule readiness. Runtime logs show health changes and errors; routine heartbeats and ordinary incoming-message events are hidden by default.
  3. After listening is ready, send a new message with a unique test identifier, such as CF-EN-001. If you cannot post to the channel, wait for a new authorized source message.
  4. Find the corresponding entry in Delivery records and check each destination result.
  5. Open the real destination and match the identifier, content, and channel position.

A saved rule, signed-in account, or online node does not prove receipt. Telegram may exclude your own messages or bot messages according to its independent source settings; use another authorized member's new message for a simple test.

Next steps

If the destination did not receive the message, follow forwarding troubleshooting. Once the basic route works, change one filter or content-processing setting at a time and test again. Telegram personal-account sources do not scan history; Discord history recovery is an optional, bounded feature rather than the default first-connection behavior.

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Getting started: forward your first message with ChannelFlow | ChannelFlow