diff --git a/surfsense_backend/.env.example b/surfsense_backend/.env.example
index 6fef9b20e..340e5b51a 100644
--- a/surfsense_backend/.env.example
+++ b/surfsense_backend/.env.example
@@ -17,10 +17,12 @@ REDIS_APP_URL=redis://localhost:6379/0
 
 # Telegram Gateway
 # TELEGRAM_WEBHOOK_SECRET must be 1-256 chars and contain only A-Z, a-z, 0-9, _ or -
+# GATEWAY_TELEGRAM_INTAKE_MODE: webhook for production, longpoll for single-replica self-host fallback, disabled to skip Telegram intake
 TELEGRAM_SHARED_BOT_TOKEN=
 TELEGRAM_SHARED_BOT_USERNAME=
 TELEGRAM_WEBHOOK_SECRET=
 GATEWAY_BASE_URL=http://localhost:8000
+GATEWAY_TELEGRAM_INTAKE_MODE=webhook
 
 # Platform Web Search (SearXNG)
 # Set this to enable built-in web search. Docker Compose sets it automatically.
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/app/config/__init__.py b/surfsense_backend/app/config/__init__.py
index 89bf4c925..c77b95fde 100644
--- a/surfsense_backend/app/config/__init__.py
+++ b/surfsense_backend/app/config/__init__.py
@@ -546,9 +546,13 @@ class Config:
     TELEGRAM_SHARED_BOT_USERNAME = os.getenv("TELEGRAM_SHARED_BOT_USERNAME")
     TELEGRAM_WEBHOOK_SECRET = os.getenv("TELEGRAM_WEBHOOK_SECRET")
     GATEWAY_BASE_URL = os.getenv("GATEWAY_BASE_URL", BACKEND_URL)
-    GATEWAY_BYO_LONGPOLL_ENABLED = (
-        os.getenv("GATEWAY_BYO_LONGPOLL_ENABLED", "TRUE").upper() == "TRUE"
-    )
+    GATEWAY_TELEGRAM_INTAKE_MODE = os.getenv(
+        "GATEWAY_TELEGRAM_INTAKE_MODE", "webhook"
+    ).lower()
+    if GATEWAY_TELEGRAM_INTAKE_MODE not in {"webhook", "longpoll", "disabled"}:
+        raise ValueError(
+            "GATEWAY_TELEGRAM_INTAKE_MODE must be one of: webhook, longpoll, disabled"
+        )
 
     # Stripe checkout for pay-as-you-go page packs
     STRIPE_SECRET_KEY = os.getenv("STRIPE_SECRET_KEY")
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/app/gateway/byo_long_poll.py b/surfsense_backend/app/gateway/byo_long_poll.py
index d02f19f95..0be448ae3 100644
--- a/surfsense_backend/app/gateway/byo_long_poll.py
+++ b/surfsense_backend/app/gateway/byo_long_poll.py
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ async def start_byo_long_poll_supervisors() -> None:
     """Start one BYO long-poll supervisor per active non-system Telegram account."""
 
     global _shutdown_event
-    if not config.GATEWAY_BYO_LONGPOLL_ENABLED:
+    if config.GATEWAY_TELEGRAM_INTAKE_MODE != "longpoll":
         return
     if _tasks:
         return
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/tests/unit/gateway/test_byo_long_poll_lifespan.py b/surfsense_backend/tests/unit/gateway/test_byo_long_poll_lifespan.py
index b8212ec9a..951c2d124 100644
--- a/surfsense_backend/tests/unit/gateway/test_byo_long_poll_lifespan.py
+++ b/surfsense_backend/tests/unit/gateway/test_byo_long_poll_lifespan.py
@@ -38,8 +38,8 @@ async def cleanup_supervisors():
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_start_byo_long_poll_noops_when_flag_off(monkeypatch):
-    monkeypatch.setattr(byo_long_poll.config, "GATEWAY_BYO_LONGPOLL_ENABLED", False)
+async def test_start_byo_long_poll_noops_when_mode_is_webhook(monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.setattr(byo_long_poll.config, "GATEWAY_TELEGRAM_INTAKE_MODE", "webhook")
 
     await byo_long_poll.start_byo_long_poll_supervisors()
 
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ async def test_start_byo_long_poll_noops_when_flag_off(monkeypatch):
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_start_byo_long_poll_noops_when_no_byo_accounts(mocker, monkeypatch):
-    monkeypatch.setattr(byo_long_poll.config, "GATEWAY_BYO_LONGPOLL_ENABLED", True)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(byo_long_poll.config, "GATEWAY_TELEGRAM_INTAKE_MODE", "longpoll")
     session = mocker.AsyncMock()
     session.execute.return_value = ScalarResult([])
     monkeypatch.setattr(
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ async def test_start_byo_long_poll_noops_when_no_byo_accounts(mocker, monkeypatc
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_start_byo_long_poll_spawns_one_supervisor_per_account(mocker, monkeypatch):
-    monkeypatch.setattr(byo_long_poll.config, "GATEWAY_BYO_LONGPOLL_ENABLED", True)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(byo_long_poll.config, "GATEWAY_TELEGRAM_INTAKE_MODE", "longpoll")
     accounts = [mocker.Mock(id=1), mocker.Mock(id=2)]
     session = mocker.AsyncMock()
     session.execute.return_value = ScalarResult(accounts)
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ async def test_supervisor_retries_after_run_returns(mocker, monkeypatch):
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_shutdown_cancels_running_supervisors(mocker, monkeypatch):
-    monkeypatch.setattr(byo_long_poll.config, "GATEWAY_BYO_LONGPOLL_ENABLED", True)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(byo_long_poll.config, "GATEWAY_TELEGRAM_INTAKE_MODE", "longpoll")
     session = mocker.AsyncMock()
     session.execute.return_value = ScalarResult([mocker.Mock(id=1)])
     monkeypatch.setattr(
diff --git a/surfsense_web/content/docs/manual-installation.mdx b/surfsense_web/content/docs/manual-installation.mdx
index 599cb6238..f977ef11d 100644
--- a/surfsense_web/content/docs/manual-installation.mdx
+++ b/surfsense_web/content/docs/manual-installation.mdx
@@ -39,6 +39,39 @@ Complete all the [setup steps](/docs), including:
 
 The backend is the core of SurfSense. Follow these steps to set it up:
 
+### Optional: Telegram External Chat Surface
+
+SurfSense can expose the same canonical chat agent through Telegram. The `external_chat_*` tables store adapter identity, delivery configuration, and durable inbox rows. The actual chat thread and messages remain in `new_chat_threads` and `new_chat_messages`, and all chat-message sources are eligible for Zero replication so a future SurfSense UI layer can render external chat surfaces. The web app initially shows pairing, health, revoke, and resume controls under **User Settings > Messaging Channels**.
+
+Add these variables to `surfsense_backend/.env` when enabling the Telegram surface:
+
+```bash
+TELEGRAM_SHARED_BOT_TOKEN=123456:bot-token-from-botfather
+TELEGRAM_SHARED_BOT_USERNAME=your_bot_username
+TELEGRAM_WEBHOOK_SECRET=generate-a-long-random-secret
+GATEWAY_BASE_URL=https://api.example.com
+GATEWAY_TELEGRAM_INTAKE_MODE=webhook
+```
+
+`GATEWAY_TELEGRAM_INTAKE_MODE` must be `webhook`, `longpoll`, or `disabled`. Use `webhook` for production/SaaS deployments, `longpoll` only for single-replica self-host installs that cannot expose a public HTTPS webhook, and `disabled` to skip Telegram intake. `TELEGRAM_WEBHOOK_SECRET` must use only `A-Z`, `a-z`, `0-9`, `_`, and `-` characters. `REDIS_APP_URL` is reused for external chat rate limits and per-thread locks. The webhook URL shape is:
+
+```text
+${GATEWAY_BASE_URL}/api/v1/gateway/webhooks/telegram/{account_id}
+```
+
+After deploying the backend, register the webhook:
+
+```bash
+cd surfsense_backend
+uv run python scripts/register_webhook.py
+```
+
+Keep the FastAPI backend, Celery worker, and Celery beat running. Telegram webhooks write inbound updates into `external_chat_inbound_events`. The FastAPI process owns external chat inbox processing and runs the same SurfSense agent used by web UI chats, then replies back to Telegram. Celery remains maintenance-only for external chat reconciliation, health checks, and retention sweeps. There is no separate gateway service, `SERVICE_ROLE=gateway` process, or Celery agent-processing path.
+
+For self-hosted BYO Telegram bots without a public HTTPS URL, set `GATEWAY_TELEGRAM_INTAKE_MODE=longpoll`. The FastAPI process starts one lifespan long-poll supervisor per non-system Telegram account and writes updates into the same durable inbox. The FastAPI inbox worker then processes those rows in-process through the canonical `new_chat_*` surface. This fallback is intended for single-replica self-hosted installs. For SaaS-style multi-replica deployments, prefer public webhooks and keep `GATEWAY_TELEGRAM_INTAKE_MODE=webhook` so API replicas skip BYO polling entirely. Telegram does not allow `get_updates()` while a webhook is active, so delete any existing webhook for a BYO bot before relying on long polling.
+
+When upgrading from an older gateway-runner deployment, apply the rewritten migration 144 external chat schema, deploy the new backend, worker, and beat images, then stop the old `gateway` service. Wait about 30 seconds for any old Telegram `getUpdates` long-poll request to release its advisory lock before starting the new API process. Register each webhook again with the account-id URL above and the per-account `webhook_secret`. If you roll back before using the migration in production, restore the old image and downgrade the schema first.
+
 ### 1. Environment Configuration
 
 First, create and configure your environment variables by copying the example file:
@@ -350,7 +383,7 @@ redis-cli ping
 
 ### 6. Start Celery Worker
 
-In a new terminal window, start the Celery worker to handle background tasks:
+In a new terminal window, start the Celery worker to handle background tasks. For external chat surfaces, Celery only runs maintenance tasks; agent turns run inside the FastAPI process.
 
 **If using uv:**
 
@@ -358,9 +391,9 @@ In a new terminal window, start the Celery worker to handle background tasks:
 # Make sure you're in the surfsense_backend directory
 cd surfsense_backend
 
-# Start Celery worker (consume both default and connectors queues)
+# Start Celery worker (consume default, connectors, and external chat maintenance queues)
 DEFAULT_Q="${CELERY_TASK_DEFAULT_QUEUE:-surfsense}"
-uv run celery -A celery_worker.celery_app worker --loglevel=info --concurrency=1 --pool=solo --queues="${DEFAULT_Q},${DEFAULT_Q}.connectors"
+uv run celery -A celery_worker.celery_app worker --loglevel=info --concurrency=1 --pool=solo --queues="${DEFAULT_Q},${DEFAULT_Q}.connectors,${DEFAULT_Q}.gateway"
 ```
 
 **If using pip/venv:**
@@ -374,9 +407,9 @@ source .venv/bin/activate  # Linux/macOS
 # OR
 .venv\Scripts\activate     # Windows
 
-# Start Celery worker (consume both default and connectors queues)
+# Start Celery worker (consume default, connectors, and external chat maintenance queues)
 DEFAULT_Q="${CELERY_TASK_DEFAULT_QUEUE:-surfsense}"
-celery -A celery_worker.celery_app worker --loglevel=info --concurrency=1 --pool=solo --queues="${DEFAULT_Q},${DEFAULT_Q}.connectors"
+celery -A celery_worker.celery_app worker --loglevel=info --concurrency=1 --pool=solo --queues="${DEFAULT_Q},${DEFAULT_Q}.connectors,${DEFAULT_Q}.gateway"
 ```
 
 **Optional: Start Flower for monitoring Celery tasks:**