Bot Can't See Max Channel — What to Do?
To make publishing to Max work, add the Crosslybot bot to your channel as a subscriber first, then promote it to administrator with the right permissions. We cover every step and common pitfalls.
How to set up
Link your Max account
Open the Crosslybot app → 'Max Channels' section → 'Link Max Account'. Follow the link to Max and confirm the connection. Without linking accounts, the bot cannot show your channels.
Start the bot in Max
Open the Crosslybot bot in Max (https://max.ru/id262517638904_3_bot) and tap 'Start'. Without this step the bot won't appear in your chats or in Max's contact search.
Add the bot as a channel subscriber
Open your Max channel → Settings → Subscribers → 'Add'. Start typing 'crosslybot' in the search — the bot will appear as you type. Add it as a regular subscriber first.
Promote the bot to administrator
Open the bot's profile in the channel subscribers list and promote it to administrator. Permissions: for a publishing target — 'Write messages'. For a source — 'Edit messages' (needed for source signature and AI processing).
If the channel still doesn't appear — forward a post
If the bot is 100% an admin but the channel doesn't show up in Crosslybot — open the Max channel and forward any message to the Max bot in a direct chat. The bot will add the channel to the list automatically.
Features
Max account not linked
Crosslybot only shows channels for users whose Max accounts are linked. Go to 'Max Channels' and click 'Link Account'.
Bot not started in Max
For the bot to appear in search when adding a subscriber, you must first open it in Max and tap 'Start'. Otherwise Max won't show the bot in contacts.
Bot is only a subscriber, not an admin
Being a subscriber is not enough. The bot must be an administrator with 'Write messages' permission (for targets) or 'Edit messages' (for sources).
Separate import bot for old posts
To transfer old posts from/to Max, add a separate bot 'Crosslybot — old posts transfer' (https://max.ru/id262517638904_4_bot) the same way: subscriber → admin.
FAQ
Why isn't the bot in my Max contacts?
For the bot to appear in subscriber search inside a channel, you must open it in Max and tap 'Start' first. Publishing bot link: https://max.ru/id262517638904_3_bot. After that, type 'crosslybot' in the subscriber search — the bot will show up as you type.
What permissions does the bot need?
For a publishing target — 'Write messages'. For a source (where posts come from) — 'Edit messages', which is required for adding the source signature and AI text processing.
The channel still doesn't appear after I promoted the bot to admin
Forward any message from the channel to the Max bot. The bot will verify it's an admin, that you're a channel admin, and add the channel to the list automatically.
Why two different bots?
The main Crosslybot handles regular cross-posting (publishing and ingesting). The separate 'Crosslybot — old posts transfer' bot is used only for importing old posts from or into a channel, to keep the main bot lean. If you don't need import, you don't have to add the second bot.
I forwarded a message but the bot says 'id not found'
This means the bot is not an administrator in that channel. First add the bot as a subscriber, then promote it to administrator with the correct permissions, and only then forward the message again.
How to connect a Max channel to Crosslybot
To make publishing to Max work, add the cross-posting bot Crosslybot (https://max.ru/id262517638904_3_bot) to your channel as a subscriber first, then promote it to administrator.
To transfer old posts from a Max source or into a Max target, add a separate import bot “Crosslybot — old posts transfer” (https://max.ru/id262517638904_4_bot) the same way — subscriber first, then admin.
Step-by-step
- Start the bot in Max — open the bot link and tap “Start”. Without this step the bot won’t appear in your chats and can’t be found in subscriber search.
- Add the bot as a channel subscriber. Open the channel → Settings → Subscribers → “Add”. The easiest way is to type “crosslybot” in the search — the bot will appear as you type.
- Promote it to administrator with the right permissions:
- For targets (where you publish) — “Write messages”.
- For sources (where posts come from) — “Edit messages”. This is required for the source signature and AI text processing.
After that, the channel can be added as a target or source in the Crosslybot app.
If the bot is already an admin but the channel doesn’t appear
Forward any message from your channel to the Max bot — the bot will add the channel automatically. This handles the case where the Max API doesn’t return the channel in the global list (a known platform behavior).
When forwarding won’t help
- Max account not linked — link your Max account first in the Crosslybot app (“Max Channels” → “Link Account”).
- Bot not in the channel — add the bot as a subscriber and promote to administrator first.
- Bot not started in Max — open the bot and tap “Start”, otherwise Max won’t show it in subscriber search.
- You’re not a channel admin — the bot only adds channels that you manage.
Common errors
| Message / symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| ”Bot is not in your contacts” when adding a subscriber | Bot hasn’t been started in Max | Open the bot via the link above and tap “Start" |
| "id not found” when forwarding a post | Bot is not an admin of the channel | Add as subscriber → promote to admin → forward the post again |
| Channel doesn’t appear after clicking “Refresh” | Max API didn’t return the channel | Forward a message from the channel to the bot |
| Post isn’t published to a Max target | Missing “Write messages” permission | Check the bot’s permissions in the channel settings |
| Signature/AI not working for a Max source | Missing “Edit messages” permission | Grant the bot this permission in the source channel |
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