diff --git a/src/global/actions/api/chats.ts b/src/global/actions/api/chats.ts
index 3b5633961..b8a671a65 100644
--- a/src/global/actions/api/chats.ts
+++ b/src/global/actions/api/chats.ts
@@ -1493,7 +1493,7 @@ addActionHandler('acceptChatInvite', async (global, actions, payload): Promise<v
 addActionHandler('openChatByUsername', async (global, actions, payload): Promise<void> => {
   const {
     username, messageId, commentId, startParam, startAttach, attach, threadId, originalParts, startApp, mode,
-    text, onChatChanged, choose,
+    text, onChatChanged, choose, ref,
     tabId = getCurrentTabId(),
   } = payload;
 
@@ -1502,7 +1502,7 @@ addActionHandler('openChatByUsername', async (global, actions, payload): Promise
   const isWebApp = webAppName && !Number(webAppName) && !originalParts?.[2];
 
   if (!commentId) {
-    if (startAttach === undefined && messageId && !startParam
+    if (startAttach === undefined && messageId && !startParam && !ref
       && chat?.usernames?.some((c) => c.username === username)) {
       actions.focusMessage({
         chatId: chat.id, threadId, messageId, tabId,
@@ -1542,6 +1542,7 @@ addActionHandler('openChatByUsername', async (global, actions, payload): Promise
           threadId,
           channelPostId: messageId,
           startParam,
+          ref,
           startAttach,
           attach,
           text,
@@ -3013,6 +3014,7 @@ async function openChatByUsername<T extends GlobalState>(
     threadId?: ThreadId;
     channelPostId?: number;
     startParam?: string;
+    ref?: string;
     startAttach?: string;
     attach?: string;
     text?: string;
@@ -3020,7 +3022,7 @@ async function openChatByUsername<T extends GlobalState>(
   ...[tabId = getCurrentTabId()]: TabArgs<T>
 ) {
   const {
-    username, threadId, channelPostId, startParam, startAttach, attach, text,
+    username, threadId, channelPostId, startParam, ref, startAttach, attach, text,
   } = params;
   global = getGlobal();
   const currentChat = selectCurrentChat(global, tabId);
@@ -3049,7 +3051,7 @@ async function openChatByUsername<T extends GlobalState>(
   }
 
   const starRefStartPrefixes = global.appConfig?.starRefStartPrefixes;
-  let referrer = '';
+  let referrer = ref;
   if (startParam && starRefStartPrefixes?.length) {
     const prefix = starRefStartPrefixes.find((p) => startParam.startsWith(p));
     if (prefix) {
@@ -3075,7 +3077,7 @@ async function openChatByUsername<T extends GlobalState>(
     actions.openThread({ chatId: chat.id, threadId: threadId ?? MAIN_THREAD_ID, tabId });
   }
 
-  if (startParam) {
+  if (startParam && !referrer) {
     actions.startBot({ botId: chat.id, param: startParam });
   }
 
diff --git a/src/global/types.ts b/src/global/types.ts
index 464e7b62c..090b4fc28 100644
--- a/src/global/types.ts
+++ b/src/global/types.ts
@@ -1843,6 +1843,7 @@ export interface ActionPayloads {
     messageId?: number;
     commentId?: number;
     startParam?: string;
+    ref?: string;
     startAttach?: string;
     attach?: string;
     startApp?: string;
diff --git a/src/util/deepLinkParser.ts b/src/util/deepLinkParser.ts
index 30c42f77a..45c4ab05e 100644
--- a/src/util/deepLinkParser.ts
+++ b/src/util/deepLinkParser.ts
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ interface PublicUsernameOrBotLink {
   type: 'publicUsernameOrBotLink';
   username: string;
   start?: string;
+  ref?: string;
   startApp?: string;
   mode?: string;
   appName?: string;
@@ -206,6 +207,7 @@ function parseTgLink(url: URL) {
         startAttach: queryParams.startattach,
         attach: queryParams.attach,
         choose: queryParams.choose,
+        ref: queryParams.ref,
       });
     case 'businessChatLink':
       return buildBusinessChatLink({ slug: queryParams.slug });
@@ -300,6 +302,7 @@ function parseHttpLink(url: URL) {
         startAttach: queryParams.startattach,
         attach: queryParams.attach,
         choose: queryParams.choose,
+        ref: queryParams.ref,
       });
     case 'businessChatLink':
       return buildBusinessChatLink({ slug: pathParams[1] });
@@ -531,6 +534,7 @@ function buildPublicUsernameOrBotLink(
     attach,
     appName,
     choose,
+    ref,
   } = params;
   if (!username) {
     return undefined;
@@ -549,6 +553,7 @@ function buildPublicUsernameOrBotLink(
     attach,
     text,
     choose,
+    ref,
   };
 }
 
diff --git a/src/util/deeplink.ts b/src/util/deeplink.ts
index e91f06a07..59927b466 100644
--- a/src/util/deeplink.ts
+++ b/src/util/deeplink.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ export const processDeepLink = (url: string): boolean => {
         actions.openChatByUsername({
           username: parsedLink.username,
           startParam: parsedLink.start,
+          ref: parsedLink.ref,
           text: parsedLink.text,
           startApp: parsedLink.startApp,
           mode: parsedLink.mode,