diff --git a/backend/app/telegram/telegram_test.go b/backend/app/telegram/telegram_test.go
index 3fd1ae6..93eb581 100644
--- a/backend/app/telegram/telegram_test.go
+++ b/backend/app/telegram/telegram_test.go
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ func init() {
 	)
 
 	setupBot()
+	setupCommandHandlers()
 }
 
 func getTestBot() *telego.Bot {
@@ -42,7 +43,7 @@ func getTestBot() *telego.Bot {
 
 func setupBot() {
 	BOT = &Bot{
-		Name: "test",
+		Name: "testbot",
 		Bot:  getTestBot(),
 	}
 }
@@ -65,143 +66,6 @@ func getSendMessageFuncAssertion(t *testing.T, expectedRegex string, expectedCha
 	}
 }
 
-// func HandleMessage(bot *telego.Bot, message telego.Message) {
-// 	chatID := util.GetChatID(&message)
-// 	chatIDString := util.GetChatIDString(&message)
-// 	isPrivate := message.Chat.Type == "private"
-// 	_, ctx, cancelContext, err := lib.SetupUserAndContext(chatIDString, "telegram", chatIDString)
-// 	if err != nil {
-// 		if err == lib.ErrUserBanned {
-// 			log.Infof("User %s is banned", chatIDString)
-// 			return
-// 		}
-
-// 		log.Errorf("Error setting up user and context: %v", err)
-// 		return
-// 	}
-
-// 	// process commands
-// 	if message.Voice == nil && message.Audio == nil && message.Video == nil && message.VideoNote == nil && message.Document == nil && message.Photo == nil && (message.Text == string(EmptyCommand) || strings.HasPrefix(message.Text, "/")) {
-// 		if !isPrivate && !strings.Contains(message.Text, "@"+BOT.Name) {
-// 			log.Infof("Ignoring public command w/o @mention in channel: %s", chatIDString)
-// 			return
-// 		}
-// 		AllCommandHandlers.handleCommand(ctx, BOT, &message)
-// 		return
-// 	}
-
-// 	mode, params := lib.GetMode(chatIDString)
-// 	log.Infof("chat %s, mode: %s, params: %s", chatIDString, mode, params)
-// 	ctx = context.WithValue(ctx, models.ParamsContext{}, params)
-// 	// while in channels, only react to
-// 	// 1. @mentions
-// 	// 2. audio messages in /transcribe mode
-// 	// 3. /grammar fixes
-// 	if !isPrivate && mode != lib.Transcribe && mode != lib.Grammar && !strings.Contains(message.Text, "@"+BOT.Name) {
-// 		log.Infof("Ignoring public message w/o @mention and not in transcribe or grammar mode in channel: %s", chatIDString)
-// 		return
-// 	}
-
-// 	if message.Video != nil && strings.HasPrefix(message.Caption, string(SYSTEMSetOnboardingVideoCommand)) {
-// 		log.Infof("System command received: %+v", message) // audit
-// 		message.Text = string(SYSTEMSetOnboardingVideoCommand)
-// 		AllCommandHandlers.handleCommand(ctx, BOT, &message)
-// 		return
-// 	}
-
-// 	// user usage exceeded monthly limit, send message and return
-// 	ok := lib.ValidateUserUsage(ctx)
-// 	if !ok {
-// 		notification := "Your monthly usage limit has been exceeded. Check /status and /upgrade your subscription to continue using the bot. The limits are reset on the 1st of every month."
-// 		notification = lib.AddBotSuffixToGroupCommands(ctx, notification)
-// 		bot.SendMessage(tu.Message(chatID, notification))
-// 		config.CONFIG.DataDogClient.Incr("telegram.usage_exceeded", []string{"client:telegram", "channel_type:" + message.Chat.Type}, 1)
-// 		return
-// 	}
-
-// 	voiceTranscriptionText := ""
-// 	// if the message is voice/audio/video message, process it to upload to WhisperAI API and get the transcription
-// 	if message.Voice != nil || message.Audio != nil || message.Video != nil || message.VideoNote != nil || message.Document != nil {
-// 		voice_type := "voice"
-// 		switch {
-// 		case message.Audio != nil:
-// 			voice_type = "audio"
-// 		case message.Video != nil:
-// 			voice_type = "video"
-// 		case message.VideoNote != nil:
-// 			voice_type = "note"
-// 		case message.Document != nil:
-// 			voice_type = "document"
-// 		}
-// 		config.CONFIG.DataDogClient.Incr("telegram.voice_message_received", []string{"type:" + voice_type, "channel_type:" + message.Chat.Type}, 1)
-
-// 		// send typing action to show that bot is working
-// 		if mode != lib.VoiceGPT {
-// 			sendTypingAction(bot, chatID)
-// 		} else {
-// 			sendAudioAction(bot, chatID)
-// 		}
-// 		voiceTranscriptionText = getVoiceTranscript(ctx, bot, message)
-
-// 		if mode != lib.Transcribe {
-// 			// combine message text with transcription
-// 			if voiceTranscriptionText != "" {
-// 				message.Text = message.Text + "\n" + voiceTranscriptionText
-// 			}
-
-// 			// process commands again if it was a voice command
-// 			if message.Text == string(EmptyCommand) || strings.HasPrefix(message.Text, "/") {
-// 				AllCommandHandlers.handleCommand(ctx, BOT, &message)
-// 				return
-// 			}
-// 		}
-// 	}
-
-// 	if mode == lib.Transcribe {
-// 		ChunkSendMessage(bot, chatID, voiceTranscriptionText)
-// 		if isPrivate && message.Text != "" {
-// 			bot.SendMessage(tu.Message(chatID, "The bot is in /transcribe mode. Please send a voice/audio/video message to transcribe or change to another mode (/status)."))
-// 		}
-// 		return
-// 	}
-
-// 	if mode != lib.VoiceGPT && !(mode == lib.Grammar && !isPrivate) && voiceTranscriptionText != "" {
-// 		ChunkSendMessage(bot, chatID, "🗣:\n"+voiceTranscriptionText)
-// 	}
-
-// 	if message.Text != "" {
-// 		config.CONFIG.DataDogClient.Incr("telegram.text_message_received", []string{"channel_type:" + message.Chat.Type}, 1)
-// 	} else {
-// 		log.Infof("Ignoring empty message in chat: %s", chatIDString)
-// 		return
-// 	}
-
-// 	if message.Photo != nil {
-// 		config.CONFIG.DataDogClient.Incr("telegram.photo_message_received", []string{"channel_type:" + message.Chat.Type}, 1)
-// 	}
-
-// 	var seedData []models.Message
-// 	var userMessagePrimer string
-// 	seedData, userMessagePrimer = lib.GetSeedDataAndPrimer(mode)
-
-// 	log.Debugf("Received message: %d, in chat: %d, initiating request to OpenAI", message.MessageID, chatID.ID)
-// 	engineModel := redis.GetChatEngine(chatIDString)
-
-// 	// send action to show that bot is working
-// 	if mode != lib.VoiceGPT {
-// 		sendTypingAction(bot, chatID)
-// 	} else {
-// 		sendAudioAction(bot, chatID)
-// 	}
-// 	if mode == lib.ChatGPT || mode == lib.VoiceGPT {
-// 		go ProcessThreadedStreamingMessage(ctx, bot, &message, mode, engineModel, cancelContext)
-// 	} else if mode == lib.Summarize || (mode == lib.Grammar && isPrivate) {
-// 		go ProcessChatCompleteStreamingMessage(ctx, bot, &message, seedData, userMessagePrimer, mode, engineModel, cancelContext)
-// 	} else {
-// 		go ProcessChatCompleteNonStreamingMessage(ctx, bot, &message, seedData, userMessagePrimer, mode, engineModel)
-// 	}
-// }
-
 func TestHandleEmptyPublicMessage(t *testing.T) {
 	message := telego.Message{
 		Chat: telego.Chat{
@@ -209,6 +73,7 @@ func TestHandleEmptyPublicMessage(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 
+	// act
 	HandleMessage(BOT.Bot, message)
 }
 
@@ -220,6 +85,92 @@ func TestHandleEmptyPrivateMessage(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 
+	sendMessagePatch, err := mpatch.PatchInstanceMethodByName(
+		reflect.TypeOf(BOT.Bot),
+		"SendMessage",
+		getSendMessageFuncAssertion(t, "There is no message provided to correct or comment on", 123),
+	)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer sendMessagePatch.Unpatch()
+
+	// act
+	HandleMessage(BOT.Bot, message)
+}
+
+func TestHandlePrivateStartCommandMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	// arrange
+	message := telego.Message{
+		Chat: telego.Chat{
+			ID:   123,
+			Type: "private",
+		},
+		Text: "/start",
+	}
+
+	sendMessagePatch, err := mpatch.PatchInstanceMethodByName(
+		reflect.TypeOf(BOT.Bot),
+		"SendMessage",
+		getSendMessageFuncAssertion(t, "Hi, I'm a bot powered by OpenAI!", 123),
+	)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer sendMessagePatch.Unpatch()
+
+	// act
+	HandleMessage(BOT.Bot, message)
+}
+
+func TestHandlePublicStartCommandMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	// arrange
+	message := telego.Message{
+		Chat: telego.Chat{
+			ID:   123,
+			Type: "supergroup",
+		},
+		Text: "/start@testbot",
+	}
+
+	sendMessagePatch, err := mpatch.PatchInstanceMethodByName(
+		reflect.TypeOf(BOT.Bot),
+		"SendMessage",
+		getSendMessageFuncAssertion(t, "Hi, I'm a bot powered by OpenAI!", 123),
+	)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer sendMessagePatch.Unpatch()
+
+	// act
+	HandleMessage(BOT.Bot, message)
+}
+
+func TestHandlePublicStartCommandNoMentionMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	// arrange
+	message := telego.Message{
+		Chat: telego.Chat{
+			ID:   123,
+			Type: "supergroup",
+		},
+		Text: "/start",
+	}
+
+	// act
+	HandleMessage(BOT.Bot, message)
+}
+
+func TestHandlePublicUnknownCommandMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	// arrange
+	message := telego.Message{
+		Chat: telego.Chat{
+			ID:   123,
+			Type: "supergroup",
+		},
+		Text: "/destroy@testbot",
+	}
+
 	sendMessagePatch, err := mpatch.PatchInstanceMethodByName(
 		reflect.TypeOf(BOT.Bot),
 		"SendMessage",
@@ -230,5 +181,6 @@ func TestHandleEmptyPrivateMessage(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	defer sendMessagePatch.Unpatch()
 
+	// act
 	HandleMessage(BOT.Bot, message)
 }