Track a Telegram Bot's Start Source Without Losing the First One Assign each placement a short code and a link such as https://t.me/YOUR_BOT_USERNAME?start=channel_a . When your bot receives /start channel_a , check the code against a registry and record the event. Store the first known source separately from the most recent known source, so a later start does not overwrite the first. This attributes observed bot starts, not clicks. The code identifies the parameter that accompanied a s...