Your bot and changing subscriptions: important rules
Why TribeSync needs a fresh bot, why a subscription's terms can't be edited, and what happens to subscribers when you delete a subscription.
Updated: October 22, 2026
Two rules worth understanding before you start — they save you from the most common problems.
Connect a fresh bot, not an existing one
TribeSync needs a brand-new bot. The easiest way is to create one in one tap right inside TribeSync (see connect your bot) or by hand in @BotFather. Don't connect a bot that's already used somewhere else.
Why it matters: each Telegram bot can have only one webhook — the address where its events are delivered. When you connect it, TribeSync points that webhook at itself. If the bot already runs on another service (or your own script), one of two things happens:
- we take over the webhook — and the bot's old integration breaks;
- or, later, if the bot is repointed to another service — TribeSync stops working.
A fresh bot, added to the chat through us, avoids this conflict entirely.
One bot = one community. A bot binds to the first channel or group you add it to. If you later add the same bot to another chat, nothing happens: the new chat won't bind, paid access and moderation won't work there, and the bot posts a note in that chat saying it's already taken. Create a separate bot for a second community.
A subscription's terms can't be edited — and why
For a subscription you create, you can change only the reminder texts. The name, price, duration and type (one-off or auto-renewing) cannot be changed.
This is deliberate: changing terms on the fly would hurt people who already paid on the old terms, and could break active payments and Telegram auto-renewals. So the terms are locked in at creation.
Need different terms? Create a new subscription with the price and duration you want.
What happens to subscribers if you delete a subscription
Deletion is "soft" — the subscription stops being offered, but everything stays tidy:
- Current subscribers keep access until the end of their paid period — we never remove anyone early.
- The deleted subscription disappears from what new buyers are offered (it's gone from the bot's menu).
- When a subscriber's term ends, they get the expiry message. Tapping "Subscribe again" shows them the current list of subscriptions, not the deleted one.
- The deleted subscription's data is kept — for history and analytics.
Deleting a subscription does not disconnect the bot. Even if you delete all subscriptions, the bot stays bound to its chat: you don't need to reconnect it, and the bot card stays put. To free a slot or swap bots, use "Disconnect bot" on the bot card. Subscribers stay in the chat, even after their term ends, and the bot stays an admin there until you remove it yourself. Details: disconnect or replace a bot.
To move current subscribers to a new subscription, ask them to tap /start in the bot — they'll see the current options and can pick the one they want.
Next: connect your bot to TribeSync · how to create a subscription.