Telegram ChatBot with Ollama AI

A high-quality, production-ready Telegram chatbot powered by Ollama AI models. This bot provides natural conversation experiences using local AI models.

🎯 Features

• Ollama Integration: Uses OllamaSharp library for efficient AI model communication
• Multiple Model Support: Automatically manages and switches between multiple AI models
• Session Management: Maintains conversation history for each chat
• Command System: Extensible command architecture for bot commands
• Smart Retry Logic: Exponential backoff with jitter for failed requests
• Rate Limit Handling: Automatic model switching on rate limits
• Natural Conversation: Configurable response delays for human-like interactions
• Group Chat Support: Works in both private and group conversations
• Robust Logging: Comprehensive logging with Serilog

📋 Prerequisites

• .NET 9.0 or later
• Ollama server running locally or remotely
• Telegram Bot Token (from @BotFather)

🚀 Getting Started

1. Install Ollama

Download and install Ollama from ollama.ai

2. Pull an AI Model

ollama pull llama3

3. Configure the Bot

Edit appsettings.json:

{
  "TelegramBot": {
    "BotToken": "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN_HERE"
  },
  "Ollama": {
    "Url": "http://localhost:11434",
    "MaxRetries": 3,
    "MaxTokens": 1000,
    "Temperature": 0.7,
    "ResponseDelay": {
      "IsEnabled": true,
      "MinDelayMs": 1000,
      "MaxDelayMs": 3000
    },
    "SystemPromptFilePath": "system-prompt.txt"
  }
}

Edit appsettings.Models.json to configure your models:

{
  "ModelConfigurations": [
    {
      "Name": "llama3",
      "MaxTokens": 2000,
      "Temperature": 0.8,
      "Description": "Llama 3 Model",
      "IsEnabled": true
    }
  ]
}

4. Customize System Prompt

Edit system-prompt.txt to define your bot's personality and behavior.

5. Run the Bot

cd ChatBot
dotnet run

🏗️ Architecture

Core Services

• AIService: Handles AI model communication and text generation
• ChatService: Manages chat sessions and message history
• ModelService: Handles model selection and switching
• TelegramBotService: Main Telegram bot service

Command System

Commands are automatically registered using attributes:

[Command("start", "Start conversation with the bot")]
public class StartCommand : TelegramCommandBase
{
    // Implementation
}

Available commands:

• /start - Start conversation
• /help - Show help information
• /clear - Clear conversation history
• /settings - View current settings

⚙️ Configuration

Ollama Settings

• Url: Ollama server URL
• MaxRetries: Maximum retry attempts for failed requests
• MaxTokens: Default maximum tokens for responses
• Temperature: AI creativity level (0.0 - 2.0)
• ResponseDelay: Add human-like delays before responses
• SystemPromptFilePath: Path to system prompt file

Model Configuration

Each model can have custom settings:

• Name: Model name (must match Ollama model name)
• MaxTokens: Maximum tokens for this model
• Temperature: Temperature for this model
• Description: Human-readable description
• IsEnabled: Whether the model is available for use

🔧 Advanced Features

Automatic Model Switching

The bot automatically switches to alternative models when:

• Rate limits are encountered
• Current model becomes unavailable

Session Management

• Automatic session creation per chat
• Configurable message history length
• Old session cleanup (default: 24 hours)

Error Handling

• Exponential backoff with jitter for retries
• Graceful degradation on failures
• Comprehensive error logging

📝 Development

Project Structure

ChatBot/
├── Models/
│   ├── Configuration/      # Configuration models
│   │   └── Validators/     # Configuration validation
│   └── Dto/                # Data transfer objects
├── Services/
│   ├── Telegram/           # Telegram-specific services
│   │   ├── Commands/       # Bot commands
│   │   ├── Interfaces/     # Service interfaces
│   │   └── Services/       # Service implementations
│   ├── AIService.cs        # AI model communication
│   ├── ChatService.cs      # Chat session management
│   └── ModelService.cs     # Model management
└── Program.cs              # Application entry point

Adding New Commands

1. Create a new class in Services/Telegram/Commands/
2. Inherit from TelegramCommandBase
3. Add [Command] attribute
4. Implement ExecuteAsync method

Example:

[Command("mycommand", "Description of my command")]
public class MyCommand : TelegramCommandBase
{
    public override async Task ExecuteAsync(TelegramCommandContext context)
    {
        await context.MessageSender.SendTextMessageAsync(
            context.Message.Chat.Id,
            "Command executed!"
        );
    }
}

🐛 Troubleshooting

Bot doesn't respond

1. Check if Ollama server is running: ollama list
2. Verify bot token in appsettings.json
3. Check logs in logs/ directory

Model not found

1. Pull the model: ollama pull model-name
2. Verify model name matches in appsettings.Models.json
3. Check model availability: ollama list

Connection errors

1. Verify Ollama URL in configuration
2. Check firewall settings
3. Ensure Ollama server is accessible

📦 Dependencies

• OllamaSharp (v5.4.7): Ollama API client
• Telegram.Bot (v22.7.2): Telegram Bot API
• Serilog (v4.3.0): Structured logging
• Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting (v9.0.10): Host infrastructure

📄 License

This project is licensed under the terms specified in LICENSE.txt.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please ensure:

• Code follows existing patterns
• All tests pass
• Documentation is updated
• Commits are descriptive

🔮 Future Enhancements

• Multi-language support
• Voice message handling
• Image generation support
• User preferences persistence
• Advanced conversation analytics
• Custom model fine-tuning support

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Built with ❤️ using .NET 9.0 and Ollama