TikTok API

Schedule and automate TikTok posts with Zernio API - Videos, photo carousels, privacy settings, and AI disclosure

Quick Reference

Property	Value
Character limit	2,200 (video caption), 4,000 (photo desc)
Photo title	90 chars (auto-truncated, hashtags stripped)
Photos per post	35 (carousel)
Videos per post	1
Photo formats	JPEG, PNG, WebP
Photo max size	20 MB
Video formats	MP4, MOV, WebM
Video max size	4 GB
Video duration	3 sec - 10 min
Post types	Video, Photo Carousel
Scheduling	Yes
Inbox (Comments)	No
Inbox (DMs)	No
Analytics	Limited

Before You Start

TikTok has a strict daily posting limit for posts created via third-party APIs. This limit is separate from the native app and is account-specific. When you hit it, the only options are to wait or post directly in TikTok. Also: the privacy levels available via API depend on each creator's TikTok account settings. You must fetch the creator's allowed levels and only use those, or the post will fail.

Additional requirements:

Each creator has account-specific privacy level options
Content moderation is more aggressive via API than native app
All posts require consent flags (legal requirement from TikTok)
No text-only posts (media required)

Quick Start

Post a video to TikTok in under 60 seconds:

typescript

const { post } = await zernio.posts.createPost({
  content: 'Check out this amazing sunset! #sunset #nature',
  mediaItems: [
    { type: 'video', url: 'https://cdn.example.com/sunset-video.mp4' }
  ],
  platforms: [
    { platform: 'tiktok', accountId: 'YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID' }
  ],
  tiktokSettings: {
    privacy_level: 'PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE',
    allow_comment: true,
    allow_duet: true,
    allow_stitch: true,
    content_preview_confirmed: true,
    express_consent_given: true
  },
  publishNow: true
});
console.log('Posted to TikTok!', post._id);

python

result = client.posts.create_post(
    content="Check out this amazing sunset! #sunset #nature",
    media_items=[
        {"type": "video", "url": "https://cdn.example.com/sunset-video.mp4"}
    ],
    platforms=[
        {"platform": "tiktok", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    tiktok_settings={
        "privacy_level": "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
        "allow_comment": True,
        "allow_duet": True,
        "allow_stitch": True,
        "content_preview_confirmed": True,
        "express_consent_given": True
    },
    publish_now=True
)
post = result.post
print(f"Posted to TikTok! {post['_id']}")

bash

curl -X POST https://zernio.com/api/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "Check out this amazing sunset! #sunset #nature",
    "mediaItems": [
      {"type": "video", "url": "https://cdn.example.com/sunset-video.mp4"}
    ],
    "platforms": [
      {"platform": "tiktok", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    "tiktokSettings": {
      "privacy_level": "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
      "allow_comment": true,
      "allow_duet": true,
      "allow_stitch": true,
      "content_preview_confirmed": true,
      "express_consent_given": true
    },
    "publishNow": true
  }'

Content Types

Video Post

A single video post. Videos must be between 3 seconds and 10 minutes long. Vertical 9:16 aspect ratio is the only format that works well on TikTok.

typescript

const { post } = await zernio.posts.createPost({
  content: 'New cooking tutorial #recipe #foodtok',
  mediaItems: [
    { type: 'video', url: 'https://cdn.example.com/cooking-tutorial.mp4' }
  ],
  platforms: [
    { platform: 'tiktok', accountId: 'YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID' }
  ],
  tiktokSettings: {
    privacy_level: 'PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE',
    allow_comment: true,
    allow_duet: true,
    allow_stitch: true,
    video_cover_timestamp_ms: 3000,
    content_preview_confirmed: true,
    express_consent_given: true
  },
  publishNow: true
});
console.log('Video posted!', post._id);

python

result = client.posts.create_post(
    content="New cooking tutorial #recipe #foodtok",
    media_items=[
        {"type": "video", "url": "https://cdn.example.com/cooking-tutorial.mp4"}
    ],
    platforms=[
        {"platform": "tiktok", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    tiktok_settings={
        "privacy_level": "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
        "allow_comment": True,
        "allow_duet": True,
        "allow_stitch": True,
        "video_cover_timestamp_ms": 3000,
        "content_preview_confirmed": True,
        "express_consent_given": True
    },
    publish_now=True
)
post = result.post
print(f"Video posted! {post['_id']}")

bash

curl -X POST https://zernio.com/api/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "New cooking tutorial #recipe #foodtok",
    "mediaItems": [
      {"type": "video", "url": "https://cdn.example.com/cooking-tutorial.mp4"}
    ],
    "platforms": [
      {"platform": "tiktok", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    "tiktokSettings": {
      "privacy_level": "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
      "allow_comment": true,
      "allow_duet": true,
      "allow_stitch": true,
      "video_cover_timestamp_ms": 3000,
      "content_preview_confirmed": true,
      "express_consent_given": true
    },
    "publishNow": true
  }'

Custom Video Thumbnail

For video posts, you can set a custom cover image using video_cover_image_url. When provided, it overrides video_cover_timestamp_ms.

typescript

const { post } = await zernio.posts.createPost({
  content: 'New product teaser #launch',
  mediaItems: [
    { type: 'video', url: 'https://cdn.example.com/teaser.mp4' }
  ],
  platforms: [
    { platform: 'tiktok', accountId: 'YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID' }
  ],
  tiktokSettings: {
    privacy_level: 'PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE',
    allow_comment: true,
    allow_duet: true,
    allow_stitch: true,
    video_cover_image_url: 'https://cdn.example.com/teaser-cover.jpg',
    content_preview_confirmed: true,
    express_consent_given: true
  },
  publishNow: true
});
console.log('Video posted!', post._id);

python

result = client.posts.create_post(
    content="New product teaser #launch",
    media_items=[
        {"type": "video", "url": "https://cdn.example.com/teaser.mp4"}
    ],
    platforms=[
        {"platform": "tiktok", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    tiktok_settings={
        "privacy_level": "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
        "allow_comment": True,
        "allow_duet": True,
        "allow_stitch": True,
        "video_cover_image_url": "https://cdn.example.com/teaser-cover.jpg",
        "content_preview_confirmed": True,
        "express_consent_given": True
    },
    publish_now=True
)
post = result.post
print(f"Video posted! {post['_id']}")

bash

curl -X POST https://zernio.com/api/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "New product teaser #launch",
    "mediaItems": [
      {"type": "video", "url": "https://cdn.example.com/teaser.mp4"}
    ],
    "platforms": [
      {"platform": "tiktok", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    "tiktokSettings": {
      "privacy_level": "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
      "allow_comment": true,
      "allow_duet": true,
      "allow_stitch": true,
      "video_cover_image_url": "https://cdn.example.com/teaser-cover.jpg",
      "content_preview_confirmed": true,
      "express_consent_given": true
    },
    "publishNow": true
  }'

Photo Carousel

Up to 35 images in a single post. Photos are auto-resized to 1080x1920. The content field becomes the photo title (90 chars max, hashtags and URLs are auto-stripped). Use the description field inside tiktokSettings for a full caption up to 4,000 characters.

typescript

const { post } = await zernio.posts.createPost({
  content: 'My travel highlights',
  mediaItems: [
    { type: 'image', url: 'https://cdn.example.com/photo1.jpg' },
    { type: 'image', url: 'https://cdn.example.com/photo2.jpg' },
    { type: 'image', url: 'https://cdn.example.com/photo3.jpg' }
  ],
  platforms: [
    { platform: 'tiktok', accountId: 'YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID' }
  ],
  tiktokSettings: {
    privacy_level: 'PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE',
    allow_comment: true,
    media_type: 'photo',
    photo_cover_index: 0,
    description: 'Full trip recap from our weekend adventure across the coast. These are the best moments we captured along the way! #travel #roadtrip #adventure',
    auto_add_music: true,
    content_preview_confirmed: true,
    express_consent_given: true
  },
  publishNow: true
});
console.log('Photo carousel posted!', post._id);

python

result = client.posts.create_post(
    content="My travel highlights",
    media_items=[
        {"type": "image", "url": "https://cdn.example.com/photo1.jpg"},
        {"type": "image", "url": "https://cdn.example.com/photo2.jpg"},
        {"type": "image", "url": "https://cdn.example.com/photo3.jpg"}
    ],
    platforms=[
        {"platform": "tiktok", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    tiktok_settings={
        "privacy_level": "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
        "allow_comment": True,
        "media_type": "photo",
        "photo_cover_index": 0,
        "description": "Full trip recap from our weekend adventure across the coast. These are the best moments we captured along the way! #travel #roadtrip #adventure",
        "auto_add_music": True,
        "content_preview_confirmed": True,
        "express_consent_given": True
    },
    publish_now=True
)
post = result.post
print(f"Photo carousel posted! {post['_id']}")

bash

curl -X POST https://zernio.com/api/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "My travel highlights",
    "mediaItems": [
      {"type": "image", "url": "https://cdn.example.com/photo1.jpg"},
      {"type": "image", "url": "https://cdn.example.com/photo2.jpg"},
      {"type": "image", "url": "https://cdn.example.com/photo3.jpg"}
    ],
    "platforms": [
      {"platform": "tiktok", "accountId": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID"}
    ],
    "tiktokSettings": {
      "privacy_level": "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
      "allow_comment": true,
      "media_type": "photo",
      "photo_cover_index": 0,
      "description": "Full trip recap from our weekend adventure across the coast. These are the best moments we captured along the way! #travel #roadtrip #adventure",
      "auto_add_music": true,
      "content_preview_confirmed": true,
      "express_consent_given": true
    },
    "publishNow": true
  }'

Media Requirements

Images

Property	Requirement
Max photos	35 per carousel
Formats	JPEG, PNG, WebP
Max file size	20 MB per image
Aspect ratio	9:16 recommended
Resolution	Auto-resized to 1080 x 1920 px

Videos

Property	Requirement
Max videos	1 per post
Formats	MP4, MOV, WebM
Max file size	4 GB
Max duration	10 minutes
Min duration	3 seconds
Aspect ratio	9:16 vertical (only format that works well)
Resolution	1080 x 1920 px recommended
Codec	H.264
Frame rate	30 fps recommended

You cannot mix photos and videos in the same post. Use either all photos (carousel) or one video.

Platform-Specific Fields

TikTok settings go in tiktokSettings at the top level of the request body, not inside platformSpecificData. This is a special case unique to TikTok.

TikTok Creator Info

Use this endpoint to fetch the creator's allowed privacyLevels, current postingLimits (including interaction defaults), and available commercialContentTypes before creating a post.

> Note: This endpoint only works for TikTok accounts. If you pass a non-TikTok accountId, you'll get a 400 error.

bash

curl "https://zernio.com/api/v1/accounts/YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID/tiktok/creator-info?mediaType=video" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

typescript

const info = await zernio.accounts.getTikTokCreatorInfo({
  accountId: 'YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID',
  mediaType: 'video'
});

console.log(info.creator);
console.log(info.privacyLevels);
console.log(info.postingLimits);
console.log(info.commercialContentTypes);

python

info = client.accounts.get_tik_tok_creator_info(
    account_id="YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID",
    media_type="video"
)

print(info["creator"])
print(info["privacyLevels"])
print(info["postingLimits"])
print(info["commercialContentTypes"])

Field	Type	Required	Description
`privacy_level`	string	Yes	Must match creator's allowed values. Options: `PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE`, `MUTUAL_FOLLOW_FRIENDS`, `FOLLOWER_OF_CREATOR`, `SELF_ONLY`
`allow_comment`	boolean	Yes	Enable or disable comments on the post
`allow_duet`	boolean	Yes (videos)	Enable or disable duets. Only applies to video posts.
`allow_stitch`	boolean	Yes (videos)	Enable or disable stitches. Only applies to video posts.
`content_preview_confirmed`	boolean	Yes	Must be `true`. Legal requirement from TikTok.
`express_consent_given`	boolean	Yes	Must be `true`. Legal requirement from TikTok.
`video_cover_timestamp_ms`	number	No	Thumbnail frame position in milliseconds. Default: `1000`. Ignored when `video_cover_image_url` is provided.
`video_cover_image_url`	string	No	Custom thumbnail image URL (JPG, PNG, or WebP, max 20MB). Overrides `video_cover_timestamp_ms`.
`media_type`	`"photo"`	No	Set to `"photo"` for photo carousels.
`photo_cover_index`	number	No	Which image to use as cover (0-indexed).
`description`	string	No	Long-form caption for photo carousels, up to 4,000 characters.
`auto_add_music`	boolean	No	Let TikTok add recommended music. Photo carousels only.
`video_made_with_ai`	boolean	No	AI-generated content disclosure flag.
`draft`	boolean	No	Send to Creator Inbox for review instead of publishing.
`commercialContentType`	string	No	`"none"`, `"brand_organic"`, or `"brand_content"`.

Photo Carousel Caption Behavior

The content field and description field serve different purposes for photo carousels:

content (top-level) -- becomes the photo title. Limited to 90 characters. Hashtags and URLs are auto-stripped.
description (inside tiktokSettings) -- becomes the full caption shown below the carousel. Up to 4,000 characters.

Media URL Requirements

These do not work as media URLs:

Google Drive -- returns an HTML download page, not the file
Dropbox -- returns an HTML preview page
OneDrive / SharePoint -- returns HTML
iCloud -- returns HTML

Test your URL in an incognito browser window. If you see a webpage instead of the raw video or image, it will not work.

Media URLs must be:

Publicly accessible (no authentication required)
Returning actual media bytes with the correct Content-Type header
Not behind redirects that resolve to HTML pages
Hosted on a fast, reliable CDN

Large videos are auto-chunked during upload (5-64 MB per chunk). Photos are auto-resized to 1080x1920.

Analytics

> Included — Analytics is bundled with every paid account on the Usage plan.

Available metrics via the Analytics API:

Metric	Available
Likes	✅
Comments	✅
Shares	✅
Views	✅

TikTok also provides a dedicated Account Insights API for account-level counters (follower_count, following_count, likes_count, video_count) plus Zernio-synthesized followers_gained and followers_lost deltas. Live values come from TikTok's user.info.stats scope; historical time series is joined from Zernio's daily snapshotter.

Deep metrics from TikTok Studio (profile views, account-level impressions and reach, per-video watch time and average watch time, full-watched rate, impression sources like FYP / Following / Hashtag / Search) are not available on any TikTok public API. TikTok's Research API does not expose these either and is restricted to non-commercial academic use per TikTok's eligibility policy. There is no public API workaround.

typescript

const analytics = await zernio.analytics.getAnalytics({
  platform: 'tiktok',
  fromDate: '2024-01-01',
  toDate: '2024-01-31'
});
console.log(analytics.posts);

python

analytics = client.analytics.get_analytics(
    platform="tiktok",
    from_date="2024-01-01",
    to_date="2024-01-31"
)
print(analytics["posts"])

bash

curl "https://zernio.com/api/v1/analytics?platform=tiktok&fromDate=2024-01-01&toDate=2024-01-31" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

What You Can't Do

These features are not available through TikTok's API:

Use TikTok's sound/music library (except auto_add_music for photo carousels)
Create duets or stitches
Go Live
Add effects or filters
Edit posts after publishing
View For You Page analytics
Create playlists
Read or write comments
Send or read DMs
Create text-only posts (media required)

Common Errors

TikTok has a 13.1% failure rate across Zernio's platform (30,746 failures out of 235,045 attempts). Here are the most frequent errors and how to fix them:

Error	Meaning	Fix
"You have created too many posts in the last 24 hours via the API."	TikTok's daily API posting limit hit	Wait until limit resets (24h rolling) or post directly in TikTok app.
"Publishing failed during platform API call (timeout waiting for platform response)"	TikTok's servers took too long to process	For large videos this can be normal. Check post status after a few minutes.
"Selected privacy level 'X' is not available for this creator. Available options: ..."	Privacy level does not match creator's account settings	Fetch creator info to get allowed privacy levels and use one of those.
"TikTok flagged this post as potentially risky (spam_risk)"	Content moderation flagged the post	Review content. TikTok's API moderation is stricter than the native app.
"Duplicate content detected."	Same content was already posted recently	Modify the caption or media before retrying.
"TikTok video upload failed: Your video URL returned an error (download failed)"	TikTok could not download the video from the URL	Ensure the URL is a direct download link, not a cloud storage sharing page.
"Missing required TikTok permissions. Please reconnect with all required scopes."	OAuth token is missing required scopes	Reconnect the TikTok account with all required permissions.

Inbox

> Included — Inbox (DMs, comments, reviews) is bundled with every paid account on the Usage plan.

TikTok has no inbox support.

Comments

Feature	Supported
List comments on posts	❌
Post new comment	❌
Reply to comments	❌
Delete comments	❌

Limitations

No comments support - Zernio does not currently support TikTok comments
No DMs - Zernio does not currently support TikTok DMs

Connect TikTok Account - OAuth flow
Create Post - Post creation and scheduling
Upload Media - Image and video uploads
Analytics - Performance metrics
Comments - Comments API Reference

TikTok API ​

Quick Reference ​

Before You Start ​

Quick Start ​

Content Types ​

Video Post ​

Custom Video Thumbnail ​

Photo Carousel ​

Media Requirements ​

Images ​

Videos ​

Platform-Specific Fields ​

TikTok Creator Info ​

Photo Carousel Caption Behavior ​

Media URL Requirements ​

Analytics ​

What You Can't Do ​

Common Errors ​

Inbox ​

Comments ​

Limitations ​

Related Endpoints ​

TikTok API

Quick Reference

Before You Start

Quick Start

Content Types

Video Post

Custom Video Thumbnail

Photo Carousel

Media Requirements

Images

Videos

Platform-Specific Fields

TikTok Creator Info

Photo Carousel Caption Behavior

Media URL Requirements

Analytics

What You Can't Do

Common Errors

Inbox

Comments

Limitations

Related Endpoints