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

@@ -304,7 +304,7 @@ function checkApprovals(): void {
   }
 }
 
-if (!STATIC) setInterval(checkApprovals, 5000).unref()
+if (!STATIC) setInterval(checkApprovals, 5000)
 
 // Telegram caps messages at 4096 chars. Split long replies, preferring
 // paragraph boundaries when chunkMode is 'newline'.
@@ -507,23 +507,61 @@ mcp.setRequestHandler(CallToolRequestSchema, async req => {
 
 await mcp.connect(new StdioServerTransport())
 
-// When Claude Code closes the MCP connection, stdin gets EOF. Without this
-// the bot keeps polling forever as a zombie, holding the token and blocking
-// the next session with 409 Conflict.
-let shuttingDown = false
-function shutdown(): void {
-  if (shuttingDown) return
-  shuttingDown = true
-  process.stderr.write('telegram channel: shutting down\n')
-  // bot.stop() signals the poll loop to end; the current getUpdates request
-  // may take up to its long-poll timeout to return. Force-exit after 2s.
-  setTimeout(() => process.exit(0), 2000)
-  void Promise.resolve(bot.stop()).finally(() => process.exit(0))
-}
-process.stdin.on('end', shutdown)
-process.stdin.on('close', shutdown)
-process.on('SIGTERM', shutdown)
-process.on('SIGINT', shutdown)
+// 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)
@@ -615,5 +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(() => {})
   },
 })