Rhythmbox Telegram Music Plugin

Rhythmbox-Telegram is a plugin for Rhythmbox that allows you to listen to and download music from Telegram directly within Rhythmbox.

More screenshots here

Key Features

• Telegram Integration: Easily add Telegram channels and chats to Rhythmbox as playlists, simplifying your music browsing experience.

• Browse Audio Files: Easily browse, search, and organize audio files shared in Telegram directly from Rhythmbox, ensuring quick and convenient access to your favorite tracks.

• Listen to Music: Enjoy audio content from Telegram directly in Rhythmbox, allowing continuous music playback without switching between applications.

• Download to Library: Download audio files from Telegram directly to your Rhythmbox library, expanding your music collection with the content you enjoy.

With Rhythmbox-Telegram, enjoy the convenience of accessing and loading your favorite Telegram audio content into your music library, transforming how you organize and enjoy your music collection.

Installation

Note: Regardless of the installation method, the plugin depends on TDLib. For architectures other than x64, TDLib must be installed manually. Refer to the official TDLib GitHub repository for instructions.

Method 1: Install from Debian Package

For Debian-like systems, download the latest .deb package from the releases page. Then install it using the following command:

sudo dpkg -i rhythmbox-telegram-plugin_*.deb

Note: If the architecture is different from x64, you can still use the Debian package, but you will need to install TDLib manually.

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Method 2: Install Using the Installation Script

Run the install.sh script from the repository:

git clone https://github.com/mervick/rhythmbox-telegram
bash rhythmbox-telegram/install.sh

The script will handle the entire installation process, including downloading dependencies, setting up the plugin, and compiling schemas.

Note: If the architecture is different from x64, you will need to install TDLib manually.

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Method 3: Manual Installation

Download the plugin from the repository, install required pip3 libs, copy plugin files to the Rhythmbox plugins folder, then compile GLib schemas:

# clone plugin gi
git clone https://github.com/mervick/rhythmbox-telegram
# install required python libs
pip3 install -r "rhythmbox-telegram/requirements.txt" -t "rhythmbox-telegram/lib"
# create plugin dir
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/rhythmbox/plugins/rhythmbox-telegram/
# copy plugin files
cp -r rhythmbox-telegram/* ~/.local/share/rhythmbox/plugins/rhythmbox-telegram
# copy plugin glib schema
sudo cp rhythmbox-telegram/org.gnome.rhythmbox.plugins.telegram.gschema.xml /usr/share/glib-2.0/schemas/
# update glib schema
sudo glib-compile-schemas /usr/share/glib-2.0/schemas/

Note: As in all cases, if the architecture is different from x64, you will need to install TDLib manually.

Restart Rhythmbox

After installing the plugin, if Rhythmbox is open, restart it.

Activation

After installing the plugin, you need to:

• Activate it in the Rhythmbox settings
• Obtain a Telegram API ID
• Authenticate the Telegram user

Obtaining Telegram API ID

In order to obtain an API id you need to do the following:

• Log in to your Telegram core: https://my.telegram.org.
• Go to API development tools and fill out the form.
• You will get api_id and api_hash parameters required for user authorization.

More detailed instructions can be found in the Telegram documentation

Authorization

After obtaining the API ID, in the plugin settings, input the received api_id and api_hash, along with your Telegram user's phone number. Then, press the 'Connect' button. Telegram will send you a code for authorization to any connected Telegram app.

Adding your music to Rhythmbox

After successfully connecting Telegram to Rhythmbox, in the plugin settings, you'll be able to add Telegram chats to listen to your favorite music.

Telegram API Usage

The plugin uses the Telegram API strictly for reading purposes.
No write operations are performed.

The following actions are carried out:

• Authorization process
• Retrieving the contact list (necessary to fetch groups and channels)
• Iterating over all messages in groups and channels selected as "Music Sources" in the plugin settings (only audio files are searched; messages and audio messages are ignored)
• Downloading of audio files
• Getting a public link to a message with an audio file

No other operations are conducted.

TDLib API Methods and Handlers Used

The plugin uses only the following methods and handlers:

• setTdlibParameters
• checkDatabaseEncryptionKey
• getAuthorizationState
• setAuthenticationPhoneNumber
• checkAuthenticationPassword
• checkAuthenticationCode
• loadChats
• getChats
• getChat
• getMessage
• getChatHistory
• downloadFile
• getMessageLink
• updateAuthorizationState
• updateNewChat

Caching and Audio File Retrieval

The plugin caches information about retrieved audio files. The audio file list is initially fetched in small batches to stay within API quota limits. If the initial retrieval is incomplete, remaining tracks will be loaded later. The plugin automatically fetches new files and continues to load any remaining tracks with intervals of 5-10 minutes, both during initialization and while retrieving new content. This approach ensures efficient, quota-compliant, and timely updates of new content.

Data Storage

We strive to protect your data by implementing various security measures.

Authentication Data

Authentication data is encrypted and stored within the GNOME Keyring. This ensures that it is securely protected within the GNOME environment.

Telegram Data

Data obtained from Telegram is encrypted using a user-provided encryption key and managed by the official Telegram client TDLib.
The encrypted databases are stored at ~/.local/share/rhythmbox/telegram/*/database
This database is required for TDLib to work.

Temporary Audio Files

Temporary audio files are stored at ~/.local/share/rhythmbox/telegram/*/files/music
You can delete these files at any time.
You can also delete these files through the plugin settings.

Audio Metadata

We store metadata of audio files in an unencrypted format.
This includes: chat identifier, message identifier of audio file within the chat, publication date and time, file size, file name, audio meta tags and the file's location in the file system.

This data is stored within the database at: ~/.local/share/rhythmbox/telegram/*/data.sqlite

This is a general database of all metadata about audio files. Data is loaded only once, and later data is loaded if new audio appear. Information about hidden and downloaded audio is also stored here. If you delete this database, the information will have to be fetched again.

License

Rhythmbox-Telegram is an open-source plugin distributed under the GPL-3 license.

Contribute

If you like our plugin, you can support Rhythmbox-Telegram by spreading the word about the plugin and don’t forget to give a star to the repository on GitHub.