2026.6.3
Home ▸ Actions

Set message reaction

Use this action to react to a message with an emoji, the same way you tap a reaction in the Telegram app. You need the ID of the message you want to react to.

Using this action from the user interface

If you prefer building automations and scripts visually, Home Assistant walks you through this action step by step. You pick what to target, tweak a few options, and save. No YAML knowledge required.

To set a reaction from an automation or a script:

  1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
  2. Open an existing automation or script, or select Create automation > Create new automation.
  3. If you’re setting up a new automation, add a trigger in the When section. Scripts don’t need a trigger. They run when something else calls them.
  4. In the Then do section, select Add action.
  5. From the search box, search for and select Telegram bot: Set message reaction.
  6. Enter the Message ID and the Reaction and, optionally, other options.
  7. Choose where the message lives, then select Save.

This action does not use a standard target. Instead, you point at the message in one of these ways:

  • Provide a Config entry ID together with the Chat ID of the chat holding the message.
  • If you have a single bot and provide neither, the bot’s first chat is used by default.

Options in the UI

Message ID (Required)

The ID of the message to react to. You can also use last to target the most recently sent message.
Reaction (Required)

The emoji to react with.
Large animation

Play a larger animation for the reaction.
Config entry ID

The Telegram bot to use. Required if you have more than one bot.
Chat ID

The pre-authorized chat ID where the message lives. Defaults to the bot’s first allowed chat.

Using this action in YAML

If you work directly in YAML, or you want to know exactly what Home Assistant does under the hood, this section has the technical reference. It lists the field names you use in YAML, their types, and which ones are required.

In YAML, refer to this action as telegram_bot.set_message_reaction:

ActionActions are used in several places in Home Assistant. As part of a script or automation, actions define what is going to happen once a trigger is activated. In scripts, an action is called *sequence*. [Learn more] 
action: telegram_bot.set_message_reaction
data:
  message_id: last
  reaction: 👍

Options in YAML

message_id integer | string Required

The ID of the message to react to. You can also use last to target the most recently sent message.

reaction string Required

The emoji to react with.

is_big boolean

Play a larger animation for the reaction.

config_entry_id string

The Telegram bot to use. Required if you have more than one bot.

chat_id integer

The pre-authorized chat ID where the message lives. Defaults to the bot’s first allowed chat.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Open Developer tools > Actions, search for this action, fill in the fields, and select Perform action. You see what happens on your actual entitiesAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more] without writing a line of YAML.

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with the action you’re calling and what you expected to happen, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Tip

AI assistants like ChatGPT or Claude can also explain actions or suggest the right one when you describe what you want in plain language.