# sendMessageDraft

> Use this method to stream a partial message to a user while the message is being generated

**Category:** Telegram Bot API — Methods (A-Z)  
**URL:** https://docs.botlify.cloud/sendmessagedraft  
**Platform:** Botlify Cloud (https://botlify.cloud)  

---

Use this method to stream a partial message to a user while the message is being generated. Note that the streamed draft is ephemeral and acts as a temporary 30-second preview - once the output is finalized, you **must** call sendMessage with the complete message to persist it in the user's chat. Returns *True* on success.

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| chat_id | Integer | Yes | Unique identifier for the target private chat |
| message_thread_id | Integer | Optional | Unique identifier for the target message thread |
| draft_id | Integer | Yes | Unique identifier of the message draft; must be non-zero. Changes to drafts with the same identifier are animated. Otherwise, the draft is replaced without animation. |
| text | String | Optional | Text of the message to be sent, 0-4096 characters after entities parsing. Pass an empty text to show a "Thinking..." placeholder. |
| parse_mode | String | Optional | Mode for parsing entities in the message text. See formatting options for more details. |
| entities | Array of MessageEntity | Optional | A JSON-serialized list of special entities that appear in message text, which can be specified instead of parse_mode |
| can_stop | Boolean | Optional | Pass True to show the user a button to stop further drafts. The bot will receive an Update "stopped_message_generation" if the user presses the button. |
| keep_on_stop | Boolean | Optional | Pass True to keep the draft in the chat when the button is pressed. The draft will still disappear after a short time or if the bot sends a message. To fully preserve the partial draft, the bot should send it as a new message. |

## Example

```php

```

> [!TIP]
> **Botlify Cloud Runtime**
> Credentials are auto-injected in .env — always load them with getenv(): BOT_TOKEN, ADMIN_CHAT_ID, BOT_USERNAME. Main database: database.db (SQLite, WAL mode). Runtime errors: error.log. Quick test: send to $ADMIN_CHAT_ID. Full details: Runtime Reference.