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Implementing Synchronous Telegram Registration Checks with E.164 Formatting #145

Description

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Troubleshooting: Resolving 'Invalid Phone Number' Errors in Telegram Checks

When integrating with the TG Validator API, the most common hurdle for developers is the 'invalid phone number' error. This error typically occurs when input data fails to meet the strict formatting requirements of the service. Because the API relies on precise identification to verify registration status, ensuring your data is normalized before it reaches the endpoint is a critical step in maintaining service reliability.

The Necessity of E.164 Normalization

TG Validator requires all phone numbers to be submitted in E.164 format. ITU-T Recommendation E.164 defines the international public telecommunication numbering plan, which mandates that a number must begin with a country code and contain no more than 15 digits.

If your application sends numbers with leading zeros, spaces, hyphens, or parentheses, the API will reject the request. By implementing a strict validation layer in your local codebase—often referred to as an invariant—you can prevent these failures before they ever hit the wire. As noted in industry best practices, invariants are cheap; silent corruption or poorly formatted data is not. Validating the format locally saves you from unnecessary error handling logic and ensures that your API usage remains efficient.

Diagnostic Checklist

If you are receiving unexpected errors, follow this diagnostic path to isolate the issue:

  1. Verify Input Format: Ensure every identifier in your JSON request body is a string conforming to the E.164 standard. Remove all non-numeric characters except for the leading plus sign.
  2. Check Request Structure: Confirm you are using the correct service_type (set to tg) and that your X-API-Key is included in the request headers.
  3. Review Concurrency: If you receive errors related to concurrency limits, ensure your client-side implementation respects the documented per-user concurrency and timeout behaviors. These rejections occur before a check is created, meaning you are not charged for these attempts.
  4. Inspect Batch Limits: When using the synchronous batch endpoint, remember that you can submit up to 100 identifiers per request. If your batch exceeds this size, split the request into smaller chunks to ensure successful processing.

Handling Results and Data Integrity

Once a request is successfully formatted and submitted, the API returns a response containing the registration status. Remember that a returned registration signal is a platform-specific reachability and deliverability signal at the time of the check. It does not serve as proof of user identity, consent, or intent.

For developers using the MCP Server, the same formatting rules apply. Whether you are calling the REST API directly or using an MCP-compatible AI assistant, the underlying validation requirements remain identical.

Summary

To ensure your integration is robust:

  • Normalize early: Always convert numbers to E.164 before submission.
  • Validate locally: Use a library or regex to enforce the E.164 format in your application layer.
  • Consult documentation: For specific concurrency limits and error code definitions, refer to the official API documentation.

By treating E.164 compliance as a mandatory pre-condition for your API calls, you minimize the risk of request failures and ensure a smoother, more predictable integration with the TG Validator platform.

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