Docker Event Bot
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Guide

Who’s coming? 5 ways to organize sign-ups in a Telegram group

Short answer: if the group is small and there’s room for everyone, a poll is enough. If there’s a seat limit, people drop out at the last minute or you play every week, use a sign-up bot that keeps the list right in the chat: it counts seats, runs a waitlist and sends reminders.

Comparison at a glance

“+1” in the chatPollChecklistFormBot
Nothing to set upYesYesYesNoNo
Everyone sees who’s comingYesYesYesNoYes
Seat limitNoNoNoNoYes
Waitlist that moves up by itselfNoNoNoNoYes
Reminders before the eventNoNoNoNoYes
Sign up a friend without TelegramYesNoPartlyYesYes
Weekly game without redoing it each timeNoNoNoNoYes
People stay in the chatYesYesYesNoYes
Works without Telegram PremiumYesYesNoYesYes

“Partly” — possible with workarounds. The bot column describes Docker Event Bot, which we make.

1. “+1” in the chat or a pinned list

Post the announcement and ask people to reply “+1”. Or keep a numbered list in a pinned message and edit it as people answer.

Pros

  • Nothing to install or set up
  • Everyone already knows how it works

Cons

  • Replies drown in the conversation — someone has to count them by hand
  • “+1” followed by “sorry, can’t make it” — and the count is wrong again
  • No seat limit, no waitlist, no reminders: all of it is manual

2. A Telegram poll

Attachment menu → Poll, options like “Going / Not going / Maybe”. Turn off anonymous voting to see who voted.

Pros

  • Takes ten seconds
  • Shows who is going, if voting isn’t anonymous

Cons

  • A poll can’t cap the number of votes: with 12 spots, the 15th “Going” still counts
  • No waitlist and no reminders
  • You can’t vote for a friend — “+1” has to be written separately
  • A new poll every week, by hand

3. A Telegram checklist

Attachment menu → Checklist: a shared list where items can be marked as done. Telegram added it in July 2025.

Pros

  • A tidy list right in the chat
  • The creator can let others add items and mark them

Cons

  • Only Telegram Premium users can create a checklist
  • It’s built for tasks, not seats: no limit, no waitlist, no reminders

4. A Google Form or a spreadsheet

Create a form, put the link in the chat and pin it. Answers land in a spreadsheet.

Pros

  • Collects anything: phone numbers, sizes, preferences
  • A friend can be signed up with one more answer

Cons

  • People have to leave the chat and fill in a form — some won’t
  • Google Forms has no built-in response limit: you close the form by hand or install an add-on
  • Only the organizer sees the list unless the spreadsheet is shared
  • No waitlist and no reminders

5. A sign-up bot

The bot posts an event card in the group, people tap Join, and the list, free seats and the waitlist update in the card by themselves. Below is what this looks like in Docker Event Bot — free, no app needed.

This is what the event card looks like in the chat

Pros

  • Seat limit and a waitlist: someone leaves — the next person gets the seat and a personal message
  • Reminders before the event, in the chat and in private messages
  • Weekly events are posted on schedule by themselves
  • “+1” for a friend without Telegram, calendar, attendance stats

Cons

  • Takes a minute to set up: add the bot to the group and make it an admin

Which one to choose

  • One-off meetup, no limit on people → a poll is enough.
  • A limited number of seats — a court, a table, a room → a bot with a seat limit and a waitlist.
  • A game every week → a bot with a recurring event: the card is posted by itself.
  • You need phone numbers or a questionnaire → a form — and the list in the chat separately.

How to set it up with the bot

  1. Add the bot to your group

    and make it an admin — it needs this to post and pin event cards.

  2. Create an event

    in the app — or send /start in the chat and the bot offers the form. One-off or weekly, with a place, time and seat limit. Takes a minute.

  3. People tap “Join”

    The list, free seats and the waitlist update right in the card.

⚖️ Got the list? Split the players into fair teams with the free team generator.

Questions

Can I limit the number of votes in a Telegram poll?

No. Telegram polls have no setting like “no more than 12 votes for this option” — every vote counts. To stop sign-ups at the limit and move extra people to a waitlist, you need a bot.

How do I make a waitlist in a Telegram group?

Telegram has no built-in waitlist. A sign-up bot does it: when seats run out, people join the waitlist, and when someone leaves, the bot gives the seat to the next person and messages them.

How do I sign up a friend who doesn’t use Telegram?

In a chat you write “+1”, in a poll you can’t do it at all. In Docker Event Bot there’s an “Add +1” button: the friend takes a seat and is counted in the limit.

How do I avoid redoing the sign-up every week?

Create a recurring event — for example, every Wednesday at 20:00. The bot posts a new card on schedule by itself.

Is the bot free?

Docker Event Bot is free: no subscription and no payments through the bot.

Try it at your next game

Add the bot to your group — the first event card is a minute away.

Add to a group Docker Event Bot