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A Telegram bot that answers in Kyrgyz and Russian with the Claude API

Claude path, stage 3. Build a Telegram bot for one real local business or service that answers questions in Kyrgyz and Russian through the Claude API, and refuses to make things up.

  1. 1Learn
  2. 2Do
  3. 3Submit
  4. 4Results
Category
AI
Lesson
Self-paced
Effort
~6h
Prize
Free
Closes in
 

Learn

Take the course first

This stage starts with Building with the Claude API, a free course by Anthropic on the Anthropic Academy site. If you have never called an API before, start with Claude Platform 101. Both are in English and self-paced.

Anthropic Academy is made and run by Anthropic. Alt AI Labs is not affiliated with Anthropic: we link to the course and set this challenge.

The shape of the bot

  1. Telegram sends your code each new message.
  2. Your code sends the message to the Claude API with a system prompt and the facts file.
  3. Claude's reply goes back to the chat.

Write the system prompt like a job description

Say who the bot works for, what it may answer, which language to reply in, and what to do when the facts do not cover a question. Put the facts in a separate file so the owner can update prices without touching code.

Keep secrets out of the repo

Read the Telegram token and the API key from environment variables. Add your .env file to .gitignore before your first commit. A key that reaches GitHub has to be revoked.

Test like a customer

Ask the questions a real customer would, in both languages, and add a couple the facts cannot answer. Write the questions and answers down: that is your test log.

Finish the lesson to unlock submitting.

Sign in to start learning

Do

about 6h of work

The task

Most small businesses here answer the same questions all day in Telegram: prices, opening hours, how to book. In this challenge you build a bot that does it for one real business or service, such as a cafe, a driving school or a university admissions office. The bot sends each question to the Claude API together with a system prompt and a facts file you wrote from the business's public information. It answers in the language it was asked in, Kyrgyz or Russian, and says plainly when the answer is not in its facts instead of guessing. The Claude API is pay-as-you-go, so build and test with a small model to keep the cost low. The bot is a demo: say so in its Telegram description, and do not present it as the business's own bot unless the owner has agreed in writing.

Deliverables

  1. 01A public GitHub repo with the bot's code and a README with setup steps
  2. 02The system prompt and the facts file, in the repo
  3. 03A test log of at least ten questions and the bot's answers, including one failed API call, in the README or a separate file
  4. 04A screen recording of up to two minutes showing the bot answering in Telegram

Acceptance criteria

Judged against exactly these

  • The README lists every setup step and every environment variable the bot needs
  • The API key and the bot token are read from environment variables and never committed
  • Questions in Kyrgyz get answers in Kyrgyz, and questions in Russian get answers in Russian
  • The test log includes at least two questions the facts cannot answer, and the bot says it does not know instead of inventing an answer
  • The test log or the recording shows what the bot tells the user when the API call fails, for example when run with an invalid key
  • The facts come only from the business's public information, and the README says where
  • The bot's Telegram description says it is a demo, unless the README shows the owner agreed to it

Rules

  • Complete the lesson first. The submit form unlocks once you mark it done.
  • Submit a link to your work: a public GitHub repo or PR for code challenges; YouTube, Google Drive or Docs, Figma, Notion or a live site for everything else.
  • AI tools are allowed and encouraged. Plagiarised or copied work is disqualified.
  • The work must be made during the challenge window. For code, the commit history must show it.
  • An AI reviewer pre-scores every entry against the acceptance criteria. A human makes the final decision.
  • On payout, Alt AI Labs receives a licence to use the winning work (MIT for code). Non-winning entries stay yours.
  • Do not include secrets, API keys or anyone's personal data.
claude-apipythontelegramprompting

Submit

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Results

  1. 01

    AI pre-score

    Every entry is scored by an AI reviewer against the acceptance criteria.

  2. 02

    Human decision

    A person on the challenge team reviews the shortlist and makes the final call. The AI score is advisory.

  3. 03

    Win

    There is no cash prize. Winning work is shown to the organization behind the challenge.

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Alt AI Labs