Convert SVG artwork into TGS — the animated sticker and custom emoji
format used by Telegram. This repo is a small, practical reference for the TGS
format: a plain-language spec, a working example you can send to Telegram, and a
dependency-free validator that checks whether a .tgs file will be accepted.
👉 Free browser converter (SVG → TGS, no After Effects): https://svgtotgs.com
Pick a motion preset, preview it in a Telegram-style frame, and export a .tgs
under 4 KB. (watch the full video)
A .tgs file is gzip-compressed Lottie JSON
with Telegram-specific constraints. It is not a video and not a raster
image — it's vector animation data. Telegram uses it for animated stickers and
custom emoji.
For an animated sticker to be accepted by @Stickers, the .tgs must be:
| Constraint | Value |
|---|---|
| Canvas | 512 × 512 px |
| File size | under 64 KB (gzipped) |
| Duration | up to 3 seconds |
| Frame rate | 60 FPS (so op ≤ 180 frames) |
| Content | vector only, no embedded media |
Custom emoji use the same format at a smaller display size.
Full details: spec/tgs-format.md.
These get confused constantly. TGS = Telegram animation (Lottie-based). TGA (Truevision Targa) = an unrelated static raster image format. If you want an animated Telegram sticker or emoji, you want TGS.
The fast path — no After Effects, no Lottie tooling:
- Export a clean vector SVG (Figma / Illustrator / Inkscape). Convert text to outlines and avoid embedded raster images.
- Open svgtotgs.com, upload the SVG, pick a motion preset, and preview it in a Telegram-style frame.
- Export the
.tgs. Telegram's limits are enforced automatically. - Send it to
@Stickers(sticker pack) or use the custom-emoji flow.
Conversion runs fully client-side (WebAssembly) — files never leave your browser.
A zero-dependency Node script (built-ins only) that checks a .tgs against
Telegram's rules and reports errors and warnings:
node tools/validate-tgs.mjs examples/square.tgsexamples/square.tgs
WARN: gzip=0.3 KB, json=0.7 KB, layers=1, assets=0
Errors mean Telegram will likely reject the file (wrong size, embedded media, masks/effects, out-of-range frames, etc.). Point it at your own exports:
node tools/validate-tgs.mjs my-sticker.tgs another.tgsexamples/ contains a minimal but real, Telegram-compliant sticker:
square.svg— the source vector artworksquare.lottie.json— the readable Lottie animation (a rotating square)square.tgs— the gzipped, ready-to-upload result (327 bytes)
You can send square.tgs to @Stickers to see the whole loop end to end.
spec/tgs-format.md Plain-language TGS/Telegram format reference
tools/validate-tgs.mjs Dependency-free .tgs validator
examples/ Sample SVG → Lottie → TGS
llms.txt, llms-full.txt, llms/ Machine-readable project summaries
robots.txt, sitemap.xml Crawl files for the site