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Telegram AI Assistant with Rate Limiting and Auto-Reset using Google Sheets

by Oussama•Updated: Last update a month ago•Source: n8n.io
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Getting Started

Production-ready solution for controlling AI agent usage and preventing abuse while managing costs.

šŸŽÆ Problem Solved

Unlimited AI interactions → Excessive API costs
Service abuse → Uncontrolled resource consumption
No built-in limits → Need for usage quotas

āœ… Solution Overview

Two-Part System:

Main Flow: User interaction tracking + AI responses
Reset Flow: Automated counter resets

šŸ”„ How It Works

User Message → Track Counter → Check Limit → Allow/Block → AI Response

šŸ› ļø Core Components

Main Workflow

šŸ“± Telegram Trigger - Receives user messages
šŸ“Š Google Sheets Counter - Tracks messages per user
šŸ”€ Switch Logic - Checks limits (default: 3 messages)
šŸ¤– AI Agent - Processes allowed interactions
šŸ’¬ Smart Responses - Delivers AI answers or limit warnings

Auto-Reset System

ā° Schedule Trigger - Runs every configurable interval
šŸ”„ Bulk Counter Reset - Resets all users to 0

āš™ļø Configuration

Message Limits
Modify Switch Node conditions:

3 messages → Block silently
= 3 messages → Send limit warning
< 3 messages → Allow AI response

Reset Schedules

Testing: Every 1 minute
Hourly: 0 * * * *
Daily: 0 0 * * *
Weekly: 0 0 * * 0

šŸ“‹ Setup Requirements

Credentials Needed:

šŸ¤– Telegram Bot Token
šŸ“Š Google Sheets API
🧠 AI Model

*Google Sheets Structure:
*Column A: User ID (Telegram chat.id)
Column B: Message Counter

šŸŽÆ Perfect For

šŸ’° Cost Control - Prevent runaway API costs
šŸ›”ļø Demo/Trial Bots - Limited interactions
šŸ¢ Customer Service - Usage quotas
šŸŽ“ Educational Bots - Daily limits
🚫 Anti-Abuse - Fair usage policies

šŸš€ Key Benefits
āœ… Cost Management - Control AI API expenses
āœ… Fair Access - Equal usage for all users
āœ… Production Ready - Robust error handling
āœ… Flexible Limits - Easy adjustment
āœ… Auto-Reset - No manual intervention
āœ… User-Friendly - Clear limit messages

šŸ“ Quick Customization

Adjust Limits : Change Switch node values
Reset Timing : Modify Schedule Trigger
Custom Messages : Edit Telegram response nodes
User Tiers : Add columns to Google Sheets