Tighten /start and /help copy

Less chatty, more precise. Explicitly mentions the /telegram:access
skill and the 6-char code format.

external_plugins/telegram/server.ts

@@ -372,11 +372,6 @@ mcp.setRequestHandler(ListToolsRequestSchema, async () => ({
             items: { type: 'string' },
             description: 'Absolute file paths to attach. Images send as photos (inline preview); other types as documents. Max 50MB each.',
           },
-          format: {
-            type: 'string',
-            enum: ['text', 'markdownv2'],
-            description: "Rendering mode. 'markdownv2' enables Telegram formatting (bold, italic, code, links). Caller must escape special chars per MarkdownV2 rules. Default: 'text' (plain, no escaping needed).",
-          },
         },
         required: ['chat_id', 'text'],
       },
@@ -403,11 +398,6 @@ mcp.setRequestHandler(ListToolsRequestSchema, async () => ({
           chat_id: { type: 'string' },
           message_id: { type: 'string' },
           text: { type: 'string' },
-          format: {
-            type: 'string',
-            enum: ['text', 'markdownv2'],
-            description: "Rendering mode. 'markdownv2' enables Telegram formatting (bold, italic, code, links). Caller must escape special chars per MarkdownV2 rules. Default: 'text' (plain, no escaping needed).",
-          },
         },
         required: ['chat_id', 'message_id', 'text'],
       },
@@ -424,8 +414,6 @@ mcp.setRequestHandler(CallToolRequestSchema, async req => {
         const text = args.text as string
         const reply_to = args.reply_to != null ? Number(args.reply_to) : undefined
         const files = (args.files as string[] | undefined) ?? []
-        const format = (args.format as string | undefined) ?? 'text'
-        const parseMode = format === 'markdownv2' ? 'MarkdownV2' as const : undefined
 
         assertAllowedChat(chat_id)
 
@@ -452,7 +440,6 @@ mcp.setRequestHandler(CallToolRequestSchema, async req => {
               (replyMode === 'all' || i === 0)
             const sent = await bot.api.sendMessage(chat_id, chunks[i], {
               ...(shouldReplyTo ? { reply_parameters: { message_id: reply_to } } : {}),
-              ...(parseMode ? { parse_mode: parseMode } : {}),
             })
             sentIds.push(sent.message_id)
           }
@@ -495,13 +482,10 @@ mcp.setRequestHandler(CallToolRequestSchema, async req => {
       }
       case 'edit_message': {
         assertAllowedChat(args.chat_id as string)
-        const editFormat = (args.format as string | undefined) ?? 'text'
-        const editParseMode = editFormat === 'markdownv2' ? 'MarkdownV2' as const : undefined
         const edited = await bot.api.editMessageText(
           args.chat_id as string,
           Number(args.message_id),
           args.text as string,
-          ...(editParseMode ? [{ parse_mode: editParseMode }] : []),
         )
         const id = typeof edited === 'object' ? edited.message_id : args.message_id
         return { content: [{ type: 'text', text: `edited (id: ${id})` }] }
@@ -523,6 +507,62 @@ mcp.setRequestHandler(CallToolRequestSchema, async req => {
 
 await mcp.connect(new StdioServerTransport())
 
+// Commands are DM-only. Responding in groups would: (1) leak pairing codes via
+// /status to other group members, (2) confirm bot presence in non-allowlisted
+// groups, (3) spam channels the operator never approved. Silent drop matches
+// the gate's behavior for unrecognized groups.
+
+bot.command('start', async ctx => {
+  if (ctx.chat?.type !== 'private') return
+  const access = loadAccess()
+  if (access.dmPolicy === 'disabled') {
+    await ctx.reply(`This bot isn't accepting new connections.`)
+    return
+  }
+  await ctx.reply(
+    `This bot bridges Telegram to a Claude Code session.\n\n` +
+    `To pair:\n` +
+    `1. DM me anything — you'll get a 6-char code\n` +
+    `2. In Claude Code: /telegram:access pair <code>\n\n` +
+    `After that, DMs here reach that session.`
+  )
+})
+
+bot.command('help', async ctx => {
+  if (ctx.chat?.type !== 'private') return
+  await ctx.reply(
+    `Messages you send here route to a paired Claude Code session. ` +
+    `Text and photos are forwarded; replies and reactions come back.\n\n` +
+    `/start — pairing instructions\n` +
+    `/status — check your pairing state`
+  )
+})
+
+bot.command('status', async ctx => {
+  if (ctx.chat?.type !== 'private') return
+  const from = ctx.from
+  if (!from) return
+  const senderId = String(from.id)
+  const access = loadAccess()
+
+  if (access.allowFrom.includes(senderId)) {
+    const name = from.username ? `@${from.username}` : senderId
+    await ctx.reply(`Paired as ${name}.`)
+    return
+  }
+
+  for (const [code, p] of Object.entries(access.pending)) {
+    if (p.senderId === senderId) {
+      await ctx.reply(
+        `Pending pairing — run in Claude Code:\n\n/telegram:access pair ${code}`
+      )
+      return
+    }
+  }
+
+  await ctx.reply(`Not paired. Send me a message to get a pairing code.`)
+})
+
 bot.on('message:text', async ctx => {
   await handleInbound(ctx, ctx.message.text, undefined)
 })
@@ -613,5 +653,13 @@ void bot.start({
   onStart: info => {
     botUsername = info.username
     process.stderr.write(`telegram channel: polling as @${info.username}\n`)
+    void bot.api.setMyCommands(
+      [
+        { command: 'start', description: 'Welcome and setup guide' },
+        { command: 'help', description: 'What this bot can do' },
+        { command: 'status', description: 'Check your pairing status' },
+      ],
+      { scope: { type: 'all_private_chats' } },
+    ).catch(() => {})
   },
 })