Botxona

Accepting a finished bot from a developer — a checklist for business owners

Paid a developer or agency to build a Telegram bot? Go through this checklist before accepting the code — it will save you from the awkward situation of "the bot stopped working and I can't reach the developer".

What to ask for

1. The full code as a ZIP archive

"The code is on GitHub" isn't enough — the repository could later be deleted or made private. Ask for a ZIP copy of the complete code and store it somewhere you own (e.g. your personal Google Drive).

2. requirements.txt or package.json

A list of every library the bot needs, with exact versions. Without it, if you ever try to run the bot elsewhere, you'll hit the "which versions did it need?" problem.

3. .env.example — no hardcoded tokens

The token and other secrets must not be written directly in the code — they should only be read from environment variables, and the required variables should be documented in a .env.example file (without values). If the token is written in plain sight in the code, that's a sign of bad practice — ask the developer to fix it.

4. A short explanation (README)

A brief document describing what the bot does, which commands it has and how the admin features work — it saves time for any other developer you bring in later.

5. Transfer of code ownership

Make sure the contract or your written correspondence clearly states that the code and all rights to it pass to you (the client) — especially if you may later ask another developer to continue the work.

After acceptance: deploy it yourself

It's recommended to deploy the bot in your own Botxona account, not the developer's — that way payment, settings and control stay entirely with you. Botxona makes this easy in two ways:

  • The developer hands it over to you directly: if the developer uses the Freelancer plan, once the bot is built and checked they can transfer it to your Telegram account with one click — the bot runs for free on your account for up to 7 days, during which you choose your own plan.
  • You upload it yourself: you upload the ZIP file you got from the developer straight to your account — and enter the token and other settings yourself.

Check it after launch

Once the bot is running, read the check results — yellow or red marks mean the developer didn't fully follow Botxona's standards, and you can ask for a fix. After that, use analytics to see how actively your bot is being used.

Next steps

Choose a plan for yourself: Plans. Payment details: How payment works.