Fixing 'Message To Delete Not Found' In Telegram Bot

Hey guys, ever run into that frustrating 'Bad Request: message to delete not found' error while trying to do something seemingly simple, like creating a new room in your Secret Santa Telegram Bot? You're not alone! This specific hiccup, often seen when a bot tries to clean up messages, can really throw a wrench into the user experience, especially when you're just trying to get a fun Secret Santa game organized. We’ve all been there, tirelessly setting up our services, ensuring everything is configured perfectly, running those essential database migrations like docker exec -t secret-santa-telegram-bot-backend-1 alembic upgrade head, only to be greeted by an unexpected error. It's like baking a perfect cake and then realizing you forgot the icing – the core functionality is there, but a small detail breaks the whole experience.

This article is going to demystify this peculiar 'message to delete not found' error, provide a step-by-step guide to troubleshoot what's going wrong, and then walk you through the most effective solutions to get your bot back on track. We'll dive into the specific context of the Secret Santa Telegram Bot, using the provided logs and reproduction steps to pinpoint the exact issue. Our goal is to make sure your bot can create rooms smoothly, without any awkward pauses or error messages that leave your users scratching their heads. A smooth user experience is paramount for bots, especially for something as joyful as a Secret Santa exchange. Even with a cutting-edge setup like 'latest repo's code with docker', and confirmation that your database schema is up-to-date with alembic upgrade head, subtle interaction issues with the Telegram API can still surface. So, buckle up, because we're about to turn that frown upside down and make sure your Secret Santa bot runs without a hitch, giving everyone the festive fun they deserve without technical frustrations.

Understanding the "Bad Request: Message to Delete Not Found" Error

So, what exactly does this 'Bad Request: message to delete not found' error mean in the context of our Secret Santa Telegram Bot? At its core, this error, specifically an aiogram.exceptions.TelegramBadRequest, tells us that the Telegram API received a request from your bot to delete a message, but it couldn't find the message identified by the provided message_id in the specified chat_id. Think of it like trying to grab a specific book from a shelf, only to find the book isn't there. The request itself is valid in its structure, but the target simply doesn't exist for the bot to perform the action. In the provided logs, the trace clearly points to File "/code/app/bot/handlers/rooms/create_new_room.py", line 155, in process_wishes await message.delete(). This is our prime suspect, guys. This line means that at the moment a user finishes typing their wish (e.g., "Test wish") and sends it, the bot attempts to delete that very message or a previously sent message associated with the current message object.

Here’s where it gets tricky and often misunderstood: in a private chat between a user and a bot, a bot can only delete its own messages. It does not have the permission to delete messages sent by the user. If the message object in await message.delete() refers to the incoming user's message, then attempting to delete it in a private chat will always result in a 'message to delete not found' error, because the bot simply lacks the authority to do so. The Telegram API rejects this operation with a 'Bad Request'. It's a fundamental API restriction, and something developers often overlook when building complex conversational flows.

Furthermore, if the intention was to delete a bot's own previous prompt message (like "Write your gift preferences. []"), this error could still occur if the bot didn't correctly store the message_id of that prompt. Or, perhaps the message was already deleted by some other process, or the message object message was mistakenly assigned to the incoming user message instead of the bot's own message from earlier in the conversation. The ROLLBACK in the logs is a strong indicator that a database transaction, which was likely part of the room creation process, was reverted because this critical TelegramBadRequest exception halted the operation. This workflow interruption is what ultimately prevents the new room from being created successfully, leaving the user in limbo. The integrity of message IDs is paramount; they are unique identifiers crucial for any interaction with existing messages in Telegram, whether it's editing, replying, or deleting. Any misstep in tracking or using these IDs can lead to such Bad Request errors, making robust state management and a clear understanding of Telegram API permissions absolutely essential.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting: Diagnosing the Root Cause

Alright, let's roll up our sleeves and diagnose this issue step-by-step. Since you're running the Secret Santa Telegram Bot with Docker, we have a relatively controlled environment, which helps in isolating the problem. Our goal here is to methodically investigate what's causing that pesky 'Bad Request: message to delete not found' error and zero in on the exact reason. It's like being a detective, looking for clues in the logs and the code itself.

1. Review Bot Logs (and Understand Their Deeper Meaning): You've already provided great logs, and they're our first and best clue. The most critical line is File "/code/app/bot/handlers/rooms/create_new_room.py", line 155, in process_wishes await message.delete(). This tells us precisely where the error occurs. In aiogram, the message object passed to a handler like process_wishes typically represents the incoming message from the user. In your case, this would be the user typing their wish, for instance, Test wish. If message.delete() is called on this incoming user message in a private chat (which is usually the context for /start and room creation), it will always fail. Why? Because Telegram bots in private chats simply cannot delete messages sent by the user; they can only delete their own messages. This is a fundamental API restriction. Therefore, our primary hypothesis is that the bot is trying to delete the user's wish message, which isn't allowed. Alternatively, if message was intended to reference a bot's previous prompt message (like "Write your gift preferences. []"), then there's an issue with how that message's ID was stored or retrieved, or the message variable was inadvertently overwritten with the incoming user's message.

2. Check Telegram Bot Permissions: As discussed, for private chats, the bot's permissions are straightforward: it can delete its own messages. If this were a group chat, we'd need to confirm if the bot is an administrator with the can_delete_messages permission. But given the context of creating a room initiated with /start, it's highly likely a private conversation, reinforcing the idea that the bot cannot delete user messages. A quick check of your bot's settings via BotFather wouldn't hurt, just to be absolutely sure there aren't any weird misconfigurations, although it's very improbable to be the source of this specific Bad Request for a user message in private chat.

3. Inspect the create_new_room.py Code (Around Line 155): This is where you need to open up your codebase. Look at the process_wishes function in create_new_room.py. What exactly is the message variable at that point? If the intent was to delete a bot-sent prompt, the message_id of that prompt should have been stored in the FSMContext (Finite State Machine context) when it was sent. For example, when the bot asked for the budget or the wishes, it should have done something like prompt_msg = await message.answer(...) and then await state.update_data(prompt_message_id=prompt_msg.message_id). Later, in process_wishes, it would retrieve this prompt_message_id from the state data and call await bot.delete_message(chat_id=message.chat.id, message_id=prompt_message_id). If await message.delete() is called directly, and message is the user's input, then that's the core issue. It's a common pattern to delete previous bot prompts to keep the chat clean, but it requires careful management of message IDs within the FSM.

4. Test in a Controlled Environment: If possible, try to isolate the process_wishes handler. Can you simulate the message object and the state object being passed to it? This can help confirm if the logic itself is sound or flawed. For example, if you manually set message to be a user's incoming message object in a test, does await message.delete() always raise the error? If you set message to be a mock object representing a bot's own message with a valid ID, does it succeed? This level of testing can give you definitive answers.

5. Database State and Transaction Rollback: The ROLLBACK in your logs, while a consequence of the TelegramBadRequest, also implies that the database operation that was part of the process_wishes logic (e.g., saving the user's wishes or finalising room creation) was not committed. This is crucial because it means even if the deletion error were magically fixed, the room might not be created or saved correctly. This rollback confirms that the entire transaction chain was broken, highlighting the severity of the TelegramBadRequest error. Ensure that any data intended to be saved during this state transition is handled carefully and committed only after all critical API operations (or with robust error recovery).

6. Aiogram Version Compatibility: While you're using the 'latest repo's code', it's worth double-checking your aiogram version. Sometimes, minor versions or beta releases can have subtle behavioral changes or bugs. Ensure your aiogram dependency is pinned to a stable version that's known to be compatible with the bot's codebase. A quick pip freeze inside your Docker container or checking pyproject.toml could reveal this. It's less likely to be the direct cause of a Bad Request due to permissions, but an outdated or conflicting library can sometimes manifest in strange ways.

By meticulously going through these steps, you should be able to pinpoint exactly why your Secret Santa Telegram Bot is encountering this deletion error. The most probable culprit remains the attempt to delete a user's message in a private chat or a failure to correctly reference a bot's own message for deletion.

Practical Solutions: How to Fix This Like a Pro

Okay, guys, now that we've dug deep into the 'why' behind the 'Bad Request: message to delete not found' error, let's talk 'how' to fix it. The good news is, once you understand the root cause – most likely a misunderstanding of Telegram bot permissions or an FSM state management glitch – the solutions are pretty straightforward. We want your Secret Santa Telegram Bot to run smoothly, so let’s get these fixes in place!

1. Adjust Message Deletion Logic (The Most Likely Fix): This is where most of the magic will happen. As we discussed, a bot in a private chat cannot delete messages sent by the user. If the await message.delete() call in your process_wishes handler is referring to the incoming message from the user (their typed wish), then that line must be removed. It simply won't work, and it's what's crashing your room creation process. The Telegram API explicitly forbids this action for privacy reasons in one-on-one chats with bots. So, if your goal was to