The Telegram Distribution Play: Routing Telegram's User Base Toward frfr.fun on Base

Telegram has evolved into a central hub for Web3 speculation. Telegram publicly announced it had crossed 1 billion monthly active users in March 2025, up from 950 million in July 2024, and that figure remains the most recent official number the company has published — no fresher count has been confirmed as of mid-2026. The platform offers an unparalleled distribution channel for decentralized applications (dApps), meme launchpads, and high-frequency trading tools.

Historically, tapping into Telegram's massive user base has meant building on The Open Network (TON). TON provides native integration with Telegram through Mini Apps, and Telegram's parent company has a direct commercial relationship with the TON ecosystem — Toncoin is, notably, the only cryptocurrency Telegram accepts for platform payments like Stars, Premium subscriptions, and advertising. Converting native Telegram traffic into EVM-based liquidity — specifically on fast, low-cost Layer 2s like Base — has traditionally meant complex bridges, cross-chain routing fees, multi-step wallet setups, and friction-filled onboarding.

This piece breaks down the structural friction of TON-first distribution, walks through what Telegram's own platform rules actually permit today, and lays out a realistic architecture — using Wagmi, RainbowKit, Vite, and Coinbase's Base Account SDK — for routing Telegram traffic toward on-chain activity on Base, including token discovery on frfr.fun.

Before getting into the build: the single most important fact for anyone attempting this is that Telegram's Terms of Service for Bot Developers place hard restrictions on what a registered "Mini App" is allowed to do with non-TON blockchains. That restriction changes the shape of this whole project, and it's covered in detail below rather than glossed over.

The Bottleneck: Why TON-First Distribution Creates Friction for Base-Native Projects

1. Bridging Friction and Real Costs

Moving liquidity from TON to EVM ecosystems requires wrapped tokens, cross-chain messaging protocols, or centralized exchanges. Every hop introduces slippage, protocol fees, and bridge-delay risk. Expecting a meme trader to swap TON for a wrapped asset, bridge to Ethereum, then bridge again to Base just to reach an frfr.fun launch produces real drop-off across a conversion funnel. This part of the original thesis holds up: the multi-hop path is real, and it's worth comparing against what a transaction on Base actually costs today.

As of Base's Q1 2026 fee data, a typical transaction on Base runs in the range of a fraction of a cent to a few cents, split between an L2 execution fee and an L1 data-availability fee that fluctuates with Ethereum mainnet congestion. A full token-launch workflow on Base — deployment, pool creation, LP lock, and initial seeding across roughly six transactions — has been estimated at around $0.70–$1.20 in total gas. That's the cost profile a bridged, multi-hop TON-to-Base user is paying extra fees to avoid entirely, on top of whatever the bridge itself charges.

2. Fragmentation of Liquidity — and an Important Update on Base's Architecture

Base has established itself as a primary hub for EVM memecoin liquidity, with Coinbase's fiat on-ramps and low gas fees as consistent advantages. One detail from the original framing needs correcting: Base is no longer running on Optimism's OP Stack. On February 18, 2026, Coinbase announced Base would transition away from the OP Stack to a unified, Base-operated software stack, consolidating infrastructure that had previously been spread across multiple teams and repositories. The move ends Base's revenue-sharing agreement with the Optimism Collective and was significant enough that OP's token dropped more than 30% over the following days. Base said it will continue working with Optimism as an "OP Enterprise" client during the transition.

This is a meaningful architectural and business-model shift, but it doesn't change the core claim in the original piece: Base remains fully EVM-compatible. Solidity contracts still deploy on Base without modification, and the standard Ethereum tooling stack (Wagmi, viem, ethers, RainbowKit) still works exactly as it does on any other EVM chain. The OP Stack departure affects Base's relationship to the Superchain and cross-rollup interoperability, not its fundamental compatibility with EVM wallets and dApps.

TON, by contrast, runs on the TON Virtual Machine (TVM), a fundamentally different execution environment using languages like FunC and Tolk rather than Solidity, with an asynchronous, sharded contract model. Fragmenting a community between TON-native tokens and Base contracts still dilutes liquidity pools and splits developer mindshare, exactly as the original draft argued.

3. Non-EVM Wallet Management Overhead

This point holds up well. Forcing users to manage a TON-compatible wallet (Tonkeeper, TON Space, MyTonWallet) alongside an EVM-compatible one (Coinbase's wallet product or MetaMask) creates real UX friction — separate seed phrases, separate gas assets, separate interfaces. One naming update: "Coinbase Wallet," the consumer app, was rebranded to Base App in mid-2025, and the "Coinbase Smart Wallet" SDK that developers integrate is now branded Base Account (Coinbase's own developer documentation now describes it as "Base Accounts, formerly known as Coinbase Smart Wallet"). The underlying account-abstraction technology — passkey-based signing, no seed phrase, sponsored gas — is unchanged; only the names moved.

The Compliance Wall: What Telegram's Own Rules Actually Allow

This is the part of the original draft that needs the most substantial correction, because it changes the technical architecture significantly.

Telegram's Terms of Service for Bot Developers, specifically Section 7 ("Blockchain Integration"), requires that any Mini App integrating blockchain technology must:

Exclusively use the TON blockchain for creating or distributing cryptocurrency tokens or blockchain assets.
Only interface with wallets connected through the TON Connect SDK.
Not promote any cryptocurrency wallet unless it is TON-based, uses TON Connect exclusively, and primarily serves the TON blockchain.

Telegram's official Blockchain Guidelines page spells out the practical implications in explicit permitted/not-permitted examples. Connecting an Ethereum wallet to sign a transaction inside a Mini App is listed under "Not Permitted." Modifying or forking the TON Connect SDK is not permitted. Directing users to external platforms where non-TON crypto assets are promoted or used is not permitted. Rewarding users for connecting an Ethereum or Bitcoin wallet is not permitted. The only sanctioned use of a non-TON wallet connection is a narrow bridging exception — for example, connecting a Bitcoin wallet solely to bridge BTC into the TON blockchain.

These rules took effect on a firm timeline: compliance was required by February 1, 2025, existing non-TON Mini Apps had to migrate by February 21, 2025, and the asset-issuance rule applied retroactively to any blockchain asset issued on or after January 21, 2025. The rules apply specifically to registered Mini Apps and their associated bots, channels, and communities — a plain Telegram bot with no Mini App component is exempt from Section 7.

What this means in practice: an application registered through @BotFather as an official Telegram Mini App, using the Telegram.WebApp JavaScript SDK inside Telegram's embedded WebView, cannot legitimately let a user connect Coinbase's Base Account, MetaMask, or any other Ethereum-native wallet to sign a trade — that's exactly the scenario Telegram's own documentation lists as prohibited. This directly contradicts the "EVM-Native Telegram Mini-dApp" framing in the original draft, at least for anything built as an actual registered Mini App.

How Projects Are Actually Reaching Telegram Users With EVM Assets

The ecosystem has converged on a specific compliant workaround: TAC (TON Application Chain, sometimes called TAC Protocol), a purpose-built, Cosmos SDK-based EVM-compatible Layer 1 that bridges Ethereum-style Solidity dApps into the TON/Telegram environment. TAC's own positioning is explicit about the mechanism: it lets developers deploy standard Solidity contracts, while end users continue connecting through a TON wallet via TON Connect — TAC's "TON Adapter" handles the cross-chain messaging so the user experience stays TON Connect-native even though the execution environment underneath is EVM-compatible. Telegram's own integrated TON Wallet has used TAC as settlement infrastructure for yield products built with Morpho, which suggests this is Telegram's preferred (or at least tolerated) path for EVM exposure inside Mini Apps, rather than a loophole.

That matters for this article's premise, because TAC is not Base. Routing frfr.fun activity through a genuinely TON Connect-compliant Mini App would mean bridging through TAC's EVM environment rather than connecting directly to Base — adding a hop, not removing one. A handful of older open-source examples (WalletConnect-based Mini Apps, embedded EVM wallet SDKs predating strict 2025 enforcement) still circulate publicly, but they don't reflect what Telegram's current Terms of Service permit for a registered Mini App today, and relying on them is a policy risk, not a proven path.

Two Realistic Paths for Reaching Telegram Users With Base-Native Trading

Given the constraint above, there are two honest paths to building toward frfr.fun from Telegram — not one.

Path A: Build a Genuine TAC-Based Mini App

Deploy Solidity contracts (or integrate existing Base contracts through a cross-chain messaging layer such as LayerZero) on TAC's EVM environment, and let users connect via TON Connect as Telegram's rules require. This keeps the Mini App fully compliant and lets it live inside Telegram's native WebView, in the Mini App directory, with all the discovery benefits that implies. The tradeoff: it's an additional integration surface, not a direct pipe to Base liquidity, and frfr.fun's contracts would need a bridging or messaging path from Base to TAC for this to route to actual frfr.fun pools rather than a parallel TAC deployment.

Path B: Use Telegram as a Marketing Channel, Not a Container

Build a standard EVM web app — hosted on your own domain, using Wagmi, RainbowKit, and Base Account exactly as you would for any other Base dApp — and distribute it via a Telegram bot that opens the link in the device's external browser rather than registering it as a Mini App through @BotFather's WebApp infrastructure. Telegram's Section 7 restrictions apply specifically to Mini Apps and their associated bots; a bot that simply posts a link is closer to a marketing channel than a Mini App integration.

This is the more direct path to a Base-native, frfr.fun-connected trading experience, and it's the one the rest of this guide builds toward. Two caveats worth stating plainly: first, this approach forfeits the in-app, no-context-switch experience that makes Mini Apps compelling in the first place — the user does leave Telegram's chat interface, even if only into an in-app browser tab. Second, Telegram's guidelines don't precisely define where "promotion of non-TON wallets" starts and ends for bots without a Mini App component, so this remains a reasonable, defensible reading of the current rules rather than a guarantee against future enforcement changes. Projects operating at scale should have their own compliance review of Telegram's current Terms of Service before launch, since platform policies in this space have moved on short timelines before.

Building It: Wagmi, RainbowKit, Vite, and Base Account

This is the stack for the Path B implementation: an externally hosted, Base-native web app optimized for opening cleanly inside Telegram's in-app browser, distributed via bot links, deep links, and channel posts.

Step 1: Scaffold the Project

npm create vite@latest frfr-telegram-client -- --template react-ts
cd frfr-telegram-client
npm install wagmi viem @tanstack/react-query @rainbow-me/rainbowkit

RainbowKit and Wagmi remain the standard pairing for EVM wallet connection UX in 2026; RainbowKit's current major version builds on Wagmi's config/connector model and works with Vite out of the box, alongside Next.js and Remix.

Step 2: Configure Chains and Connectors for Base

// wagmiConfig.ts
import { http, createConfig } from 'wagmi';
import { base } from 'wagmi/chains';
import { coinbaseWallet, walletConnect, injected } from 'wagmi/connectors';

export const config = createConfig({
  chains: [base],
  connectors: [
    coinbaseWallet({
      appName: 'frfr.fun',
      preference: 'smartWalletOnly', // routes to Base Account
    }),
    walletConnect({ projectId: import.meta.env.VITE_WALLETCONNECT_PROJECT_ID }),
    injected(),
  ],
  transports: {
    [base.id]: http(),
  },
});

The coinbaseWallet connector with preference: 'smartWalletOnly' routes new users directly to Base Account's passkey-based onboarding — no seed phrase, no browser extension, and (depending on your app's configuration) the option to sponsor gas so a first-time Telegram user doesn't need ETH in their wallet before their first transaction.

Step 3: Wrap the App and Detect the Telegram WebApp Context

// main.tsx
import { WagmiProvider } from 'wagmi';
import { QueryClient, QueryClientProvider } from '@tanstack/react-query';
import { RainbowKitProvider } from '@rainbow-me/rainbowkit';
import { config } from './wagmiConfig';

const queryClient = new QueryClient();

// If the page detects it's running inside Telegram's in-app browser
// (via window.Telegram?.WebApp), it can still read basic context —
// user language, color scheme, viewport — for a native-feeling UI,
// even outside the formal Mini App WebView.
const tg = (window as any).Telegram?.WebApp;
tg?.ready?.();
tg?.expand?.();

Step 4: Wire Up the Connect Flow

import { ConnectButton } from '@rainbow-me/rainbowkit';

export function Header() {
  return (
    <header>
      <ConnectButton showBalance chainStatus="icon" />
    </header>
  );
}

Step 5: Distribute via Bot Deep Links

A Telegram bot command or inline button using url (rather than web_app) opens the link in the device's default or in-app browser, outside the Mini App container:

Bot response:
[ Trade on frfr.fun ] -> https://app.frfr.fun/t?ref=telegram

Using the url button type rather than web_app is the deliberate choice here — it's what keeps the integration outside the scope of Section 7's Mini App restrictions, at the cost of the fully embedded experience.

Where frfr.fun Fits — and What's Verifiable

frfr.fun describes itself as a USDC-denominated memecoin and community token launchpad on Base. That much is the platform's own description of itself; it's worth being direct that specific claims about frfr.fun's fee structure, feature set, or trading volume in this article should be treated as the platform's self-reported description rather than independently verified fact. frfr.fun does not currently appear among the protocols tracked on DeFiLlama's Base launchpad rankings (a category that, as of this writing, shows roughly $28.7 million in combined TVL across tracked Base launchpads), and it isn't covered in the independent launchpad roundups checked for this piece. That's not evidence of anything being wrong with the platform — plenty of legitimate projects operate outside third-party trackers — but it does mean claims about frfr.fun specifically can't be cross-checked the way the Telegram, TON, and Base infrastructure claims above can be, and should be read with that caveat.

Corrections and Transparency Log

Telegram user count corrected. The original draft cited "over 900 million monthly active users." Telegram publicly confirmed it crossed 1 billion monthly active users in March 2025 (up from 950 million in July 2024), and that remains the most recent official figure as of mid-2026. Updated throughout.
Base's OP Stack status corrected. The original draft implied Base's current architecture without noting that Base announced its departure from Optimism's OP Stack on February 18, 2026, moving to a unified, Base-operated stack. Added as a new subsection; clarified that this does not affect Base's EVM compatibility.
Wallet product names updated. "Coinbase Smart Wallet" is now branded Base Account in Coinbase's developer documentation; the consumer "Coinbase Wallet" app is now Base App. Both are noted, with the underlying technology (passkey-based account abstraction) unchanged.
Major addition: Telegram's Blockchain Guidelines / Terms of Service for Bot Developers. The original draft's core premise — an "EVM-Native Telegram Mini-dApp" connecting directly to Base inside Telegram — was not checked against Telegram's actual platform rules. Telegram's Section 7 Terms of Service, in force since February 2025, restrict registered Mini Apps to TON-only assets and TON Connect-only wallet connections, explicitly listing "connecting an Ethereum wallet to sign a transaction" as not permitted. This is a material finding that changes the technical architecture and is now covered in a dedicated section, with two realistic paths (a TAC-based compliant Mini App, or a distribution-only Telegram bot pointing to an externally hosted app) presented instead of the original single-path claim.
TAC added as relevant context. The original draft did not mention TAC (TON Application Chain), the EVM-compatible L1 that Telegram's own TON Wallet has used for EVM-adjacent DeFi features. Added because it represents the platform's own sanctioned path for EVM exposure inside a true Mini App, which is directly relevant to evaluating the original draft's thesis.
Gas fee figures added. The original draft asserted "sub-cent gas fees" without figures. Added Base's documented fee structure (L2 + L1 components) and a real-world estimate (~$0.70–$1.20 for a full token-launch workflow) from Base's Q1 2026 fee data.
frfr.fun claims flagged as unverified self-description. Per standard practice for this platform, any specific claims about frfr.fun's fees, features, or metrics are the platform's own description and were not found on third-party trackers such as DeFiLlama at the time of writing.
Metadata removed. No front-matter or metadata block was present in the source draft to strip; the piece is delivered as clean Markdown starting from the H1 title.