macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install telegram-downloaderlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 3282
Install telegram-downloader with Homebrew, scoop, Nix
Telegram Messenger downloader/tools written in Golang. Version 0.20.3 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-26. Also installable with scoop: scoop install extras/telegram-downloader.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#tdlnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/td/tdl/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Windows
Scoopverified · 92%
scoop install extras/telegram-downloaderScoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/telegram-downloader.json · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Telegram Messenger downloader/tools written in Golang
Project links
Commands and aliases
- tdl
history
Project history and usage
tdl, packaged by Homebrew as telegram-downloader, is a Go Telegram toolkit whose scope grew beyond downloading into forwarding, uploading, exporting, and migration tasks.
Project history
The iyear/tdl repository was created in 2022, with an early v0.1.0-beta release in September 2022. The official README and documentation describe it as 'Telegram Downloader, but more than a downloader' and as a Telegram toolkit written in Go.
The project developed around Telegram power-user workflows that official clients do not optimize for: bulk downloads, protected-chat handling, JSON exports, message forwarding, upload workflows, and session migration.
Adoption history
tdl's adoption is visible in its packaging spread across Homebrew, Scoop, Termux, AUR, Nix, Docker, and prebuilt release assets. The official installation docs list Homebrew's `brew install telegram-downloader` path alongside one-line scripts and binaries.
The GitHub repository has thousands of stars and many release artifacts, indicating a CLI niche larger than a one-off script but still centered on Telegram automation and archival users.
How it is used
Users run `tdl dl` to download from Telegram message links or exported JSON, `tdl chat export` to produce JSON for media downloads, `tdl forward` to forward or clone messages with routing rules, and related commands to upload files or export members.
For package nerds, the interesting part is that the packaged executable exposes a whole Telegram data workflow while keeping user state under `~/.tdl`, which makes upgrades and backup behavior straightforward.
Why package nerds care
telegram-downloader is notable as a package-manager-friendly wrapper around a service-specific power tool. It is the kind of CLI users want from Brew because it avoids manual GitHub asset selection and gives a stable `tdl` command on PATH.
The package also reflects a common modern packaging pattern: a Go single binary with cross-platform release assets, shell completions, Docker images, and docs that explicitly call out several package managers.
Timeline
- 2022: iyear/tdl repository created and v0.1.0-beta released.
- 2023: Documentation covers export and troubleshooting workflows for Telegram sessions.
- 2024: Download docs document protected-chat JSON export and resume/serve workflows.
- 2026: v0.20.3 is published in the official GitHub releases.
Related projects
- Telegram Desktop is referenced in docs as a source of exported chat JSON.
- aria2, wget, axel, and IDM are adjacent download managers mentioned by tdl docs for serve-mode workflows.
- Other Telegram bot and userbot tools overlap, but tdl is packaged primarily as a terminal downloader/toolkit.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: blue
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.
Risk classifier
blue risk · medium confidence · tool
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
Signals
- text:download
Install behavior
- No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Credential files
Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.
- Unix
~/.tdl
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
tdl | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-08-03
manager version0.20.3
manager updated2026-07-26
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:telegram-downloader |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.20.3 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://docs.iyear.me/tdl/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/iyear/tdl |
| Last updated | 2026-07-26T00:50:34+02:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Scoop95%
extras/telegram-downloader
scoop install extras/telegram-downloader- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Telegram Downloader
Nix92%
tdl
nix profile install nixpkgs#tdl- installed executable or alias match
- Matched by: Tdl
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation