One Man Support

A tiny Telegram helpdesk for indie makers, solo developers, and small app teams.

One Man Support turns one Telegram bot into support for all your apps. Users tap Contact Support, send a message, and you reply from Telegram. No dashboard, no login, no monthly helpdesk bill.

Why

Most solo developers do not need Zendesk, Intercom, or a full ticketing system. They need a simple way to know when a user has a problem and reply quickly.

Email gets buried. Forms feel cold. In-app chat SDKs add weight and cost. Telegram already gives you instant notifications, rich media, voice messages, and replies from your phone.

How It Works

User taps Contact Support
        ↓
Telegram bot opens with app context
        ↓
User sends text, screenshot, video, voice, or file
        ↓
You receive it in Telegram with app name + user info
        ↓
You reply inline
        ↓
User gets your reply

Features

• Multi-app support: one bot handles all your apps.
• Deep links: t.me/YourBot?start=app_myapp opens support for a specific app.
• Rich media: screenshots, videos, voice messages, documents, and stickers.
• Reply routing: reply to the forwarded message and the user gets your response.
• Persistent state: remembers user app context across restarts.
• Simple deployment: one Python file and one dependency.
• Configurable apps: edit bot.py or use APP_CONFIG_FILE=apps.example.json.
• Zero SaaS cost: host it on your own server, VPS, Raspberry Pi, Docker, or PM2.

Install

git clone https://github.com/naif824/one-man-support.git
cd one-man-support
pip install -r requirements.txt
cp .env.example .env

Edit .env:

BOT_TOKEN=your-telegram-bot-token
ADMIN_CHAT_ID=your-telegram-user-id
APP_CONFIG_FILE=apps.example.json

Run:

export $(cat .env | xargs)
python3 bot.py

Setup

1. Create a Telegram bot

Message @BotFather:

/newbot

Choose a name and username, then copy the bot token.

2. Get your Telegram user ID

Message @userinfobot. It replies with your numeric user ID.

3. Configure your apps

Use apps.example.json:

{
  "myapp": {
    "name": "My App",
    "emoji": "📱"
  },
  "other": {
    "name": "Other",
    "emoji": "💬"
  }
}

The key becomes your deep-link slug:

https://t.me/YourBot?start=app_myapp

Deployment

PM2

pm2 start ecosystem.config.cjs
pm2 save

Docker

cp .env.example .env
docker compose up -d --build

systemd

Copy one-man-support.service.example to your server, edit paths and environment values, then:

sudo systemctl enable --now one-man-support

Bot Commands

Command	Description
/start	Choose an app or enter through a deep link
/apps	Show configured app deep links

Add To Your App

Use a normal link:

https://t.me/YourBot?start=app_myapp

Good places:

• app settings screen
• help page
• website footer
• App Store / Play Store support URL
• onboarding email

Who It Is For

• indie iOS and Android developers
• solo SaaS builders
• makers with multiple small apps
• small teams who live in Telegram
• people who want support without support software

What It Is Not

One Man Support is intentionally small. It is not a full CRM, ticketing suite, analytics dashboard, or team inbox.

If you need assignments, SLAs, macros, reports, and a web dashboard, use a real helpdesk. If you want users to reach you fast and you want to reply from your phone, this is enough.

Test

python3 -m unittest -v
python3 -m py_compile bot.py

Security Notes

• Keep BOT_TOKEN private.
• Keep .env out of git.
• Use a private ADMIN_CHAT_ID.
• Run one bot per trusted owner or forward to a private Telegram group.
• User messages and routing state are stored under data/.

License

MIT