The bot cannot forward a message when account is hidden for forwarding

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Description

No error handlers are registered, logging exception.
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/home/viktor/.local/lib/python3.8/site-packages/telegram/ext/dispatcher.py", line 432, in process_update
    handler.handle_update(update, self, check, context)
  File "/home/viktor/.local/lib/python3.8/site-packages/telegram/ext/handler.py", line 156, in handle_update
    return self.callback(update, context)
  File "/home/viktor/stuff/telegram-support-bot/handlers.py", line 47, in forward_to_user
    user_id = update.message.reply_to_message.forward_from.id
AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'id'

Contributor guide

Research direction

Investigate the Telegram Bot API behavior when a user has privacy settings that hide forwarding. The issue is that `forward from` is None, causing an AttributeError. Research how to handle this case: check if `forward from` is None, and if so, consider alternative fields like `forward sender name` or implement a fallback. Also, review the bot's manual forwarding logic to ensure it can handle missing forward origin data.

Tech stack

python

Domain

backendapi

Issue type

Bug

DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.

2

Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.

1-3 hours

Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.

Active

ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.

Clear

Prerequisites

PythonTelegram Bot API

Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.

70