Why Telegram bot answerInlineQuery response Bad Request: STICKER_DOCUMENT_INVALID?

Question

Trying to answer inline query with the sticker cause error 400 Bad Request: STICKER_DOCUMENT_INVALID.

My response looks like following

const sticker = {
  type: 'sticker',
  id: '0',
  sticker_file_id: 'file_id_obtained_from_upload_sticker_method'
};

ctx.telegram.answerInlineQuery(query.id, [sticker]);

In according to Telegram documentation here and Telegraf documentation here everything seems to be right. In reality:

{
  code: 400,
  response: {
    ok: false,
    error_code: 400,
    description: 'Bad Request: STICKER_DOCUMENT_INVALID'
  },
  description: 'Bad Request: STICKER_DOCUMENT_INVALID',
  parameters: {},
  on: {
    method: 'answerInlineQuery',
    payload: { inline_query_id: '3997901566750938248', results: [Array] }
  }
}

No answer in google nor official documentation. Anyone has similar experience?

The sticker was previously successfully uploaded with method uploadStickerFile provided url to request image file.

Septavalent

did you try with sticker_id that stored in sticker set in telegram, maybe it just answer with a sticker in telegram sticker set. As uploadstickerfile in Telegram official doc "Use this method to upload a .PNG file with a sticker for later use in createNewStickerSet and addStickerToSet methods" – Devault

good point and seems logic. I tried two cases: A: 1. upload png -> recieve file_id. 2. answer directly without adding to set (unsuccessfull). 3. add to set by id (successfull). B: 1 upload png -> recieve file_id. 2. add sticker to set (successfull). 3 answer with sticker file id (unsuccessfull)... – Septavalent

I have the same issue. Did you manage to figure out how to solve it? – Meenen

Answer 1

Upload png and add it to sticker just return you a file_id for png file. but you have to use sendSticker method or fetch the .WEBP in sticker set with getStickerSet method and get file_unique_id. Take a look at Sticker in Telegram Doc and difference between file_id and file_unique_id.

Devault

previously used method uploadStickerFile got me file_unique_id as well, but when I use it in answerInlineQuery as sticker_id I got different but error TelegramError: 400: Bad Request: wrong remote file identifier specified: can't unserialize it. Wrong last symbol – Septavalent

Answer 2

uploadStickerFile technically still uploads regular files, not stickers, for a file to become a sticker, you need to upload it to a stickerset using createNewStickerSet or addStickerToSet, then get a new file_id (stickers in stickerSet have a new file_id) using getStickerSet, and then specify the new file_id in InlineQueryResultCachedSticker.

Here is a sample code using telegraf:

import { Telegraf, Input } from "telegraf";

const bot = new Telegraf("TOKEN");

let stickerId = null;

bot.command('start', async (ctx) => {
  await ctx.telegram.sendMessage(
    ctx.message.chat.id,
    `Hello, first you need to create sticker using /create, then use @${bot.botInfo.username} to test InlineQueryResultCachedSticker`
  );
});

bot.command('create', async (ctx) => {
  const stickerSetName = `test_by_${bot.botInfo.username}`;

  // Upload file
  const file = await ctx.uploadStickerFile(
    Input.fromLocalFile("./sticker.webp", "sticker.webp"),
    "static"
  );

  // Add file to stickerSet
  await ctx.telegram.createNewStickerSet(ctx.from.id, stickerSetName, "Test", {
    stickers: [{ sticker: file.file_id, emoji_list: ["🙂"] }],
    sticker_type: "regular",
    sticker_format: "static",
  });

  // Get stickerSet
  const stickerSet = await ctx.telegram.getStickerSet(stickerSetName);

  // Save new file_id
  stickerId = stickerSet.stickers[0].file_id;

  await ctx.telegram.sendMessage(
    ctx.message.chat.id,
    `Now try @${bot.botInfo.username}`
  );
});

bot.on("inline_query", async (ctx) => {
  if (stickerId === null) return;

  // Return new file_id from stickerSet
  await ctx.telegram.answerInlineQuery(ctx.inlineQuery.id, [
    { type: "sticker", id: "0", sticker_file_id: stickerId },
  ]);
});

bot.launch();

process.once("SIGINT", () => bot.stop("SIGINT"));
process.once("SIGTERM", () => bot.stop("SIGTERM"));

To make the code work replace TOKEN with the bot token and put sticker.webp in the bot folder. The sticker must meet the requirements of Telegram.

Finedrawn