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#!/usr/bin/env python3
#
# tg_backup.py - incremental Telegram media backup
#
# Copyright (C) 2026 Danilo M. <danix@danix.xyz>
#
# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 as
# published by the Free Software Foundation.
#
# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
# GNU General Public License for more details.
#
# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
# along with this program; if not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
import argparse
import asyncio
import json
import os
import shutil
import sys
from pathlib import Path
from telethon import TelegramClient
from telethon.errors import FloodWaitError
from telethon.tl.types import MessageMediaPhoto, MessageMediaDocument
CONFIG_DIR = Path.home() / ".config" / "telegram_backup"
CONFIG_FILE = CONFIG_DIR / "config.json"
# Shared across every archive dir: one login covers all chats. Telethon appends
# ".session", so the file on disk is session.session.
SESSION_FILE = CONFIG_DIR / "session"
MAX_RETRIES = 5
def bootstrap_config():
# Called before argparse: --target is required, but a user with no config
# has nothing useful to pass yet. Without this, a bare run exits on the
# missing argument and never creates the template.
if not CONFIG_FILE.exists():
CONFIG_DIR.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
CONFIG_DIR.chmod(0o700) # holds API keys and the shared session
template = {"api_id": "YOUR_API_ID", "api_hash": "YOUR_API_HASH"}
CONFIG_FILE.write_text(json.dumps(template, indent=4))
CONFIG_FILE.chmod(0o600)
sys.exit(f"Config created at {CONFIG_FILE}. Fill in API keys and run again.")
def load_config():
bootstrap_config()
with open(CONFIG_FILE, 'r') as f:
config = json.load(f)
api_id, api_hash = config.get('api_id'), config.get('api_hash')
if not api_id or not api_hash or 'YOUR_' in (str(api_id) + str(api_hash)):
sys.exit("Error: Invalid or missing API keys in config.")
return config
def load_state(archive_dir):
state_file = archive_dir / "state.json"
if state_file.exists():
with open(state_file, 'r') as f:
return json.load(f)
return {'last_id': 0}
def save_state(archive_dir, state):
# Written after every message, so an interrupted write is a matter of time.
# Write to a temp file and rename: readers see the old state or the new one,
# never a truncated file that would make the next run unstartable.
state_file = archive_dir / "state.json"
tmp_file = state_file.with_name(state_file.name + ".tmp")
with open(tmp_file, 'w') as f:
json.dump(state, f, indent=4)
os.replace(tmp_file, state_file)
def record_failure(archive_dir, message_id, filename, error):
# State advances past a permanently failed download on purpose, so without
# this the message ID is lost and the backup silently has a hole in it.
# Append-only log, one JSON object per line: a partial last line costs one
# record, not the whole file.
entry = {'id': message_id, 'file': filename, 'error': str(error)}
with open(archive_dir / "failures.json", 'a') as f:
f.write(json.dumps(entry) + "\n")
def safe_filename(message_id, original_name, ext):
# original_name comes from the sender. Strip path components so a name like
# "../../.ssh/authorized_keys" resolves to a plain file inside archive_dir.
name = Path(original_name or f"media{ext}").name
if name in ('', '.', '..'):
name = f"media{ext}"
return f"{message_id}_{name}"
async def download_with_retry(client, message, filepath):
# Download to a .part file so an interrupted run never leaves a truncated
# file that the exists() check would mistake for a complete download.
partpath = filepath.with_name(filepath.name + ".part")
last_error = f"no attempt made (MAX_RETRIES={MAX_RETRIES})"
for attempt in range(MAX_RETRIES):
try:
await client.download_media(message, file=str(partpath))
os.replace(partpath, filepath)
return None
except FloodWaitError as e:
last_error = e
print(f"Rate limited on download. Waiting {e.seconds}s... (Attempt {attempt+1}/{MAX_RETRIES})")
await asyncio.sleep(e.seconds)
except (KeyboardInterrupt, asyncio.CancelledError):
partpath.unlink(missing_ok=True)
raise
except Exception as e:
# Network drops, expired file references, disk errors. Backing off
# and retrying beats killing an overnight run on one bad socket.
last_error = e
delay = 2 ** attempt
print(f"Download error on {filepath.name}: {e}. "
f"Retrying in {delay}s... (Attempt {attempt+1}/{MAX_RETRIES})")
partpath.unlink(missing_ok=True)
await asyncio.sleep(delay)
partpath.unlink(missing_ok=True)
print(f"Failed to download {filepath.name} after {MAX_RETRIES} retries.")
# Returns the last error, or None on success: the caller logs it to failures.json.
return last_error
def migrate_session(archive_dir):
# Sessions used to live per-archive-dir, which forced a fresh login for every
# chat. Move an old one to the shared location instead of making the user
# re-authenticate. Only runs when there is no shared session yet.
shared = SESSION_FILE.with_suffix(".session")
old = archive_dir / "session.session"
if not shared.exists() and old.exists():
CONFIG_DIR.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
shutil.move(str(old), str(shared)) # may cross filesystems
shared.chmod(0o600)
print(f"Moved existing login from {old} to {shared}.")
def parse_target(target):
# Telethon resolves a numeric *string* as a username and fails; only a real
# int hits the session's cached-entity lookup. --list-chats prints ints, so
# convert them back before handing off to get_entity().
t = target.strip()
if t.lstrip('-').isdigit():
return int(t)
return t
def same_target(a, b):
# Only catches targets that are textually the same chat. "@foo" and "foo"
# match; "@foo" and its numeric ID do not, since resolving them needs a
# logged-in client and the check runs before that.
if a is None or b is None:
return True # nothing saved to contradict
norm = lambda t: str(t).strip().lstrip('@').lower()
return norm(a) == norm(b)
def make_client(archive_dir):
# One session in CONFIG_DIR, shared by every archive dir: log in once, back
# up any number of chats.
config = load_config()
archive_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
migrate_session(archive_dir)
return TelegramClient(str(SESSION_FILE), config['api_id'], config['api_hash'])
async def start_client(client):
# Telethon prompts for phone/code on first login. Without a TTY that
# surfaces as a bare EOFError traceback, which says nothing useful.
try:
await client.start()
except EOFError:
sys.exit("First login needs an interactive terminal (phone + code). "
"Run this once by hand, then the saved session works unattended.")
def entity_username(entity):
# Telethon exposes both a legacy .username and a newer .usernames list
# (multiple public handles). .username can be None while .usernames is set.
username = getattr(entity, 'username', None)
if username:
return username
for u in getattr(entity, 'usernames', None) or []:
name = getattr(u, 'username', None)
if name:
return name
return None
async def list_chats(archive_dir):
client = make_client(archive_dir)
await start_client(client)
try:
print(f"{'ID':>15} {'TYPE':<8} {'USERNAME':<20} NAME")
async for dialog in client.iter_dialogs():
kind = 'user' if dialog.is_user else 'group' if dialog.is_group else 'channel'
# Not every chat has one: private groups and users who never set a
# public handle resolve by numeric ID only.
username = entity_username(dialog.entity)
handle = f"@{username}" if username else "-"
print(f"{dialog.id:>15} {kind:<8} {handle:<20} {dialog.name}")
finally:
await client.disconnect()
print("\nBack up with: --target=<ID> (the = matters for negative IDs)")
async def run_backup(target, archive_dir, force_target=False):
# last_id is a high-water mark for one specific chat. Applied as min_id to a
# different one it silently skips that chat's history, and the run reports
# success. Refuse before touching the network.
saved = load_state(archive_dir).get('target')
if not force_target and not same_target(saved, target):
sys.exit(f"Archive dir {archive_dir} was last backed up with target "
f"'{saved}', not '{target}'.\n"
"Its saved resume position belongs to that chat and would skip "
"this one's history. Use a separate archive dir per chat, or "
"pass --force-target to overwrite (only correct if the same "
"chat changed handle or ID).")
client = make_client(archive_dir)
await start_client(client)
try:
entity = await client.get_entity(parse_target(target))
except Exception as e:
sys.exit(f"Failed to resolve target '{target}': {e}\n"
"Run --list-chats first: numeric IDs only resolve once the "
"chat is in the session's entity cache.")
state = load_state(archive_dir)
# Remember the target so later runs can resume with just --archive-dir.
state['target'] = target
last_id = state['last_id']
save_state(archive_dir, state)
print(f"Resuming from message ID: {last_id}")
# reverse=True ensures oldest-to-newest processing.
# Critical for safe incremental state tracking.
while True:
try:
async for message in client.iter_messages(entity, min_id=last_id, reverse=True):
if isinstance(message.media, (MessageMediaPhoto, MessageMediaDocument)):
ext = message.file.ext or '.jpg'
filename = safe_filename(message.id, message.file.name, ext)
filepath = archive_dir / filename
if not filepath.exists():
print(f"Downloading {filename}...")
error = await download_with_retry(client, message, filepath)
if error is not None:
# If download permanently fails, we still advance state
# so we don't get stuck on a broken file forever.
# Log it so the gap is auditable instead of silent.
record_failure(archive_dir, message.id, filename, error)
print(f"Skipping file due to max retries "
f"(logged to {archive_dir / 'failures.json'}).")
else:
print(f"Skipping {filename} (exists).")
# Save state after every message to ensure progress is kept
state['last_id'] = message.id
save_state(archive_dir, state)
break # Loop completes successfully
except FloodWaitError as e:
print(f"Rate limited on history fetch. Waiting {e.seconds}s...")
save_state(archive_dir, state) # Save before sleeping
await asyncio.sleep(e.seconds)
# Loop restarts, fetching from the last saved ID
print("Backup complete.")
def main():
bootstrap_config()
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Incremental Telegram media backup.")
parser.add_argument("--target", help="Group username (@name), ID, or invite link.")
parser.add_argument("--archive-dir", type=Path, default=Path("./tg_archive"),
help="Directory to store media and state.")
parser.add_argument("--list-chats", action="store_true",
help="List your dialogs with their IDs and exit.")
parser.add_argument("--force-target", action="store_true",
help="Back up --target into an archive dir saved with a "
"different one, keeping its resume position.")
args = parser.parse_args()
if args.list_chats:
asyncio.run(list_chats(args.archive_dir))
return
# An archive dir already backed up once knows its own target.
target = args.target or load_state(args.archive_dir).get('target')
if target:
asyncio.run(run_backup(target, args.archive_dir, args.force_target))
else:
parser.error(f"--target is required the first time ({args.archive_dir}/state.json "
"has no saved target), or use --list-chats")
def _self_check():
"""Run with --self-check. Guards the path-traversal and state-write logic."""
import tempfile
archive = Path(tempfile.mkdtemp()).resolve()
for hostile in ['../../.ssh/authorized_keys', '..', '.', '', None,
'/etc/passwd', 'a/../../b', '....//x', 'ok.jpg']:
path = (archive / safe_filename(7, hostile, '.jpg')).resolve()
assert path.parent == archive, f"escaped archive dir: {hostile!r} -> {path}"
assert safe_filename(7, 'ok.jpg', '.jpg') == '7_ok.jpg'
assert safe_filename(7, None, '.jpg') == '7_media.jpg'
# Username extraction must survive both telethon shapes and neither.
class _E: pass
class _U:
def __init__(s, n): s.username = n
legacy = _E(); legacy.username = 'examplecontact'
assert entity_username(legacy) == 'examplecontact'
multi = _E(); multi.username = None; multi.usernames = [_U('newstyle')]
assert entity_username(multi) == 'newstyle'
assert entity_username(_E()) is None
none_set = _E(); none_set.username = None; none_set.usernames = []
assert entity_username(none_set) is None
# Numeric targets must reach get_entity() as ints or the cache is missed.
assert parse_target('123456789') == 123456789
assert parse_target('-1001234567890') == -1001234567890
assert parse_target(' 42 ') == 42
assert parse_target('@examplecontact') == '@examplecontact'
assert parse_target('me') == 'me'
assert parse_target('https://t.me/foo') == 'https://t.me/foo'
# State survives a rewrite and never leaves a stray temp file behind.
save_state(archive, {'last_id': 1})
save_state(archive, {'last_id': 42})
assert load_state(archive) == {'last_id': 42}
assert not list(archive.glob('*.tmp')), "temp state file left behind"
assert load_state(Path(tempfile.mkdtemp())) == {'last_id': 0}
# A saved target survives, and a fresh dir has none to fall back on.
save_state(archive, {'last_id': 9, 'target': '-1001234567890'})
assert load_state(archive).get('target') == '-1001234567890'
assert load_state(Path(tempfile.mkdtemp())).get('target') is None
# A dir keeps its chat. Handle case and the @ prefix are noise, a different
# chat is not. Nothing saved yet must never block a first run.
assert same_target('@examplegroup', 'examplegroup')
assert same_target('@ExampleGroup', ' @examplegroup ')
assert same_target('-1001234567890', '-1001234567890')
assert same_target(-1001234567890, '-1001234567890') # state may hold an int
assert same_target(None, '@examplegroup') # first run, nothing saved
assert same_target('@examplegroup', None) # resumed run, no --target given
assert not same_target('@examplegroup', '@othergroup')
assert not same_target('-1001234567890', '-1009876543210')
assert not same_target('@examplegroup', '-1001234567890') # unresolvable, refuse
# Failures append, one parseable record per line, and survive an exception
# object being passed straight in.
record_failure(archive, 11, '11_a.jpg', OSError('disk full'))
record_failure(archive, 12, '12_b.mp4', 'timeout')
lines = (archive / 'failures.json').read_text().splitlines()
assert len(lines) == 2, f"expected 2 failure records, got {len(lines)}"
first, second = json.loads(lines[0]), json.loads(lines[1])
assert first == {'id': 11, 'file': '11_a.jpg', 'error': 'disk full'}
assert second['id'] == 12 and second['error'] == 'timeout'
print("self-check OK")
if __name__ == "__main__":
if '--self-check' in sys.argv:
_self_check()
else:
main()
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