🔬 Extract text from images & PDFs via Telegram with Mistral OCR to Markdown

⚡ 2,556 views · 🔬 Document Extraction & Analysis

Description

This n8n template provides a complete solution for Optical Character Recognition (OCR) of image and PDF files directly within Telegram

Users can simply send PNG, JPEG, or PDF documents to your Telegram bot, and the workflow will process them, extract text using Mistral OCR, and return the content as a downloadable Markdown (.md) text file.

Key Features & How it Works:

Effortless OCR via Telegram: Users send a file to the bot, and the system automatically detects the file type (PNG, JPEG, or PDF).
File Size Validation: The workflow enforces a 25 MB file size limit, in line with Telegram Bot API restrictions, ensuring smooth operation.
Mistral-Powered Recognition: Leveraging Mistral OCR, the template accurately extracts text from various document types.
Markdown Output: Recognized text is automatically converted into a clean Markdown (.md) text file, ready for easy editing, storage, or further processing.
Secure File Delivery: The processed Markdown file is delivered back to the user via Telegram. For this, the workflow ingeniously uses a GET request to itself (acting as a file downloader proxy). This generated link allows Telegram to fetch the .md file directly. Please note: This download functionality requires the workflow to be in an Active status.
Optional Whitelist Security: Enhance your bot’s security with an optional whitelist feature. You can configure specific Telegram User IDs to restrict access, ensuring only authorized users can interact with your bot.
Simplified Webhook Management: The template includes dedicated utility flows for convenient management of your Telegram bot’s webhooks (for both development and production environments).

This template is ideal for digitizing documents on the go, extracting text from scanned files, or converting image-based content into versatile, searchable text.

Getting Started

To get this powerful OCR bot up and running, follow these two main steps:

Set Up Your Telegram Bot: First, you’ll need to configure your Telegram bot and its webhooks. Follow the instructions detailed in the Telegram Bot Webhook Setup section to create your bot, obtain its API token, and set up the necessary webhook URLs.
Configure Bot Settings: Next, you’ll need to define key operational parameters for your bot. Proceed to the Settings Configuration section and populate the variables according to your preferences, including options for whitelist access.

🔗 Nodes Used

HTTP Request, Webhook, Telegram, Convert to File

📥 Import

Download workflow.json and import into n8n: Workflow menu → Import from File

📖 Importing guide · 🔑 Credential setup