TikTok API

Schedule and automate TikTok posts with RelayAPI — videos, photo carousels, privacy levels, duet/stitch settings, and AI disclosures.

Quick Reference

Property	Value
Platform key	`tiktok`
Auth method	OAuth 2.0
Character limit	2,200 (video caption), 4,000 (photo description)
Photo title limit	90 characters (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
Analytics	Limited (likes, comments, shares, views)

SDK source — TypeScript · Python · Go · Java · REST API

TikTok has no text-only posts — media is always required. Each creator has account-specific privacy level options that must be fetched before posting. Content moderation is more aggressive via API than in the native app. All posts require consent flags, which RelayAPI sends automatically. TikTok enforces a daily posting limit for API posts that is separate from the native app limit and varies by account.

Quick Start

Post a video to TikTok:

import Relay from '@relayapi/sdk';

const client = new Relay();

const post = await client.posts.create({
  content: 'Check out this amazing sunset! #sunset #nature',
  targets: ['tiktok'],
  media: [
    { url: 'https://cdn.example.com/sunset.mp4', type: 'video' }
  ],
  scheduled_at: 'now',
  target_options: {
    tiktok: {
      privacy_level: 'PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE',
      allow_comment: true,
      allow_duet: true,
      allow_stitch: true
    }
  }
});

console.log(post.id); // post_abc123

from relay import Relay

client = Relay()

post = client.posts.create(
    content='Check out this amazing sunset! #sunset #nature',
    targets=['tiktok'],
    media=[
        {'url': 'https://cdn.example.com/sunset.mp4', 'type': 'video'}
    ],
    scheduled_at='now',
    target_options={
        'tiktok': {
            'privacy_level': 'PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE',
            'allow_comment': True,
            'allow_duet': True,
            'allow_stitch': True
        }
    }
)

print(post.id)  # post_abc123

client := relaygo.NewClient()

post, err := client.Posts.New(context.TODO(), relaygo.PostNewParams{
    Content:     relaygo.F("Check out this amazing sunset! #sunset #nature"),
    Targets:     relaygo.F([]string{"tiktok"}),
    Media:       relaygo.F([]relaygo.PostNewParamsMedia{{URL: relaygo.F("https://cdn.example.com/sunset.mp4"), Type: relaygo.F(relaygo.PostNewParamsMediaTypeVideo)}}),
    ScheduledAt: relaygo.F("now"),
    TargetOptions: relaygo.F(map[string]interface{}{
        "tiktok": map[string]interface{}{
            "privacy_level": "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
            "allow_comment": true,
            "allow_duet":    true,
            "allow_stitch":  true,
        },
    }),
})

RelayClient client = RelayOkHttpClient.fromEnv();

PostCreateResponse post = client.posts().create(PostCreateParams.builder()
    .content("Check out this amazing sunset! #sunset #nature")
    .addTarget("tiktok")
    .addMedia(PostCreateParams.Media.builder()
        .url("https://cdn.example.com/sunset.mp4")
        .type(PostCreateParams.Media.Type.VIDEO)
        .build())
    .scheduledAt("now")
    .targetOptions(PostCreateParams.TargetOptions.builder()
        .putAdditionalProperty("tiktok", JsonValue.from(Map.of(
            "privacy_level", "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
            "allow_comment", true,
            "allow_duet", true,
            "allow_stitch", true
        )))
        .build())
    .build());

curl -X POST https://api.relayapi.dev/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $RELAY_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "Check out this amazing sunset! #sunset #nature",
    "targets": ["tiktok"],
    "media": [
      {"url": "https://cdn.example.com/sunset.mp4", "type": "video"}
    ],
    "scheduled_at": "now",
    "target_options": {
      "tiktok": {
        "privacy_level": "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
        "allow_comment": true,
        "allow_duet": true,
        "allow_stitch": true
      }
    }
  }'

Content Types

Video Post

Standard TikTok video. Vertical 9:16 is the only format that performs well. Caption limited to 2,200 characters.

const post = await client.posts.create({
  content: 'Check out this amazing sunset! #sunset #nature',
  targets: ['tiktok'],
  media: [
    { url: 'https://cdn.example.com/sunset.mp4', type: 'video' }
  ],
  scheduled_at: 'now',
  target_options: {
    tiktok: {
      privacy_level: 'PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE',
      allow_comment: true,
      allow_duet: true,
      allow_stitch: true
    }
  }
});

post = client.posts.create(
    content='Check out this amazing sunset! #sunset #nature',
    targets=['tiktok'],
    media=[
        {'url': 'https://cdn.example.com/sunset.mp4', 'type': 'video'}
    ],
    scheduled_at='now',
    target_options={
        'tiktok': {
            'privacy_level': 'PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE',
            'allow_comment': True,
            'allow_duet': True,
            'allow_stitch': True
        }
    }
)

post, err := client.Posts.New(context.TODO(), relaygo.PostNewParams{
    Content:     relaygo.F("Check out this amazing sunset! #sunset #nature"),
    Targets:     relaygo.F([]string{"tiktok"}),
    Media:       relaygo.F([]relaygo.PostNewParamsMedia{{URL: relaygo.F("https://cdn.example.com/sunset.mp4"), Type: relaygo.F(relaygo.PostNewParamsMediaTypeVideo)}}),
    ScheduledAt: relaygo.F("now"),
    TargetOptions: relaygo.F(map[string]interface{}{
        "tiktok": map[string]interface{}{
            "privacy_level": "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
            "allow_comment": true,
            "allow_duet":    true,
            "allow_stitch":  true,
        },
    }),
})

PostCreateResponse post = client.posts().create(PostCreateParams.builder()
    .content("Check out this amazing sunset! #sunset #nature")
    .addTarget("tiktok")
    .addMedia(PostCreateParams.Media.builder()
        .url("https://cdn.example.com/sunset.mp4")
        .type(PostCreateParams.Media.Type.VIDEO)
        .build())
    .scheduledAt("now")
    .targetOptions(PostCreateParams.TargetOptions.builder()
        .putAdditionalProperty("tiktok", JsonValue.from(Map.of(
            "privacy_level", "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
            "allow_comment", true,
            "allow_duet", true,
            "allow_stitch", true
        )))
        .build())
    .build());

curl -X POST https://api.relayapi.dev/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $RELAY_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "Check out this amazing sunset! #sunset #nature",
    "targets": ["tiktok"],
    "media": [
      {"url": "https://cdn.example.com/sunset.mp4", "type": "video"}
    ],
    "scheduled_at": "now",
    "target_options": {
      "tiktok": {
        "privacy_level": "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
        "allow_comment": true,
        "allow_duet": true,
        "allow_stitch": true
      }
    }
  }'

Photo Carousel (Up to 35 Images)

Photos are auto-resized to 1080x1920. The content field becomes the title (max 90 chars, hashtags stripped). Use the description field in target_options for the full caption (up to 4,000 chars).

const post = await client.posts.create({
  content: 'My travel highlights',
  targets: ['tiktok'],
  media: [
    { 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', type: 'image' }
  ],
  scheduled_at: 'now',
  target_options: {
    tiktok: {
      privacy_level: 'PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE',
      allow_comment: true,
      description: 'Full trip recap from our weekend adventure! #travel #roadtrip',
      auto_add_music: true,
      photo_cover_index: 0
    }
  }
});

post = client.posts.create(
    content='My travel highlights',
    targets=['tiktok'],
    media=[
        {'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', 'type': 'image'}
    ],
    scheduled_at='now',
    target_options={
        'tiktok': {
            'privacy_level': 'PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE',
            'allow_comment': True,
            'description': 'Full trip recap from our weekend adventure! #travel #roadtrip',
            'auto_add_music': True,
            'photo_cover_index': 0
        }
    }
)

post, err := client.Posts.New(context.TODO(), relaygo.PostNewParams{
    Content: relaygo.F("My travel highlights"),
    Targets: relaygo.F([]string{"tiktok"}),
    Media: relaygo.F([]relaygo.PostNewParamsMedia{
        {URL: relaygo.F("https://cdn.example.com/photo1.jpg"), Type: relaygo.F(relaygo.PostNewParamsMediaTypeImage)},
        {URL: relaygo.F("https://cdn.example.com/photo2.jpg"), Type: relaygo.F(relaygo.PostNewParamsMediaTypeImage)},
        {URL: relaygo.F("https://cdn.example.com/photo3.jpg"), Type: relaygo.F(relaygo.PostNewParamsMediaTypeImage)},
    }),
    ScheduledAt: relaygo.F("now"),
    TargetOptions: relaygo.F(map[string]interface{}{
        "tiktok": map[string]interface{}{
            "privacy_level":   "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
            "allow_comment":   true,
            "description":     "Full trip recap from our weekend adventure! #travel #roadtrip",
            "auto_add_music":  true,
            "photo_cover_index": 0,
        },
    }),
})

PostCreateResponse post = client.posts().create(PostCreateParams.builder()
    .content("My travel highlights")
    .addTarget("tiktok")
    .addMedia(PostCreateParams.Media.builder()
        .url("https://cdn.example.com/photo1.jpg")
        .type(PostCreateParams.Media.Type.IMAGE)
        .build())
    .addMedia(PostCreateParams.Media.builder()
        .url("https://cdn.example.com/photo2.jpg")
        .type(PostCreateParams.Media.Type.IMAGE)
        .build())
    .addMedia(PostCreateParams.Media.builder()
        .url("https://cdn.example.com/photo3.jpg")
        .type(PostCreateParams.Media.Type.IMAGE)
        .build())
    .scheduledAt("now")
    .targetOptions(PostCreateParams.TargetOptions.builder()
        .putAdditionalProperty("tiktok", JsonValue.from(Map.of(
            "privacy_level", "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
            "allow_comment", true,
            "description", "Full trip recap from our weekend adventure! #travel #roadtrip",
            "auto_add_music", true,
            "photo_cover_index", 0
        )))
        .build())
    .build());

curl -X POST https://api.relayapi.dev/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $RELAY_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "My travel highlights",
    "targets": ["tiktok"],
    "media": [
      {"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", "type": "image"}
    ],
    "scheduled_at": "now",
    "target_options": {
      "tiktok": {
        "privacy_level": "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
        "allow_comment": true,
        "description": "Full trip recap from our weekend adventure! #travel #roadtrip",
        "auto_add_music": true,
        "photo_cover_index": 0
      }
    }
  }'

Photo titles are automatically truncated to 90 characters, and hashtags and URLs are stripped from the title. Use the description field for your full caption with hashtags.

Video with AI Disclosure

If your video contains AI-generated content, disclose it using the video_made_with_ai flag.

const post = await client.posts.create({
  content: 'AI-generated art experiment #aiart',
  targets: ['tiktok'],
  media: [
    { url: 'https://cdn.example.com/ai-art.mp4', type: 'video' }
  ],
  scheduled_at: 'now',
  target_options: {
    tiktok: {
      privacy_level: 'PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE',
      allow_comment: true,
      allow_duet: true,
      allow_stitch: true,
      video_made_with_ai: true
    }
  }
});

post = client.posts.create(
    content='AI-generated art experiment #aiart',
    targets=['tiktok'],
    media=[
        {'url': 'https://cdn.example.com/ai-art.mp4', 'type': 'video'}
    ],
    scheduled_at='now',
    target_options={
        'tiktok': {
            'privacy_level': 'PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE',
            'allow_comment': True,
            'allow_duet': True,
            'allow_stitch': True,
            'video_made_with_ai': True
        }
    }
)

post, err := client.Posts.New(context.TODO(), relaygo.PostNewParams{
    Content:     relaygo.F("AI-generated art experiment #aiart"),
    Targets:     relaygo.F([]string{"tiktok"}),
    Media:       relaygo.F([]relaygo.PostNewParamsMedia{{URL: relaygo.F("https://cdn.example.com/ai-art.mp4"), Type: relaygo.F(relaygo.PostNewParamsMediaTypeVideo)}}),
    ScheduledAt: relaygo.F("now"),
    TargetOptions: relaygo.F(map[string]interface{}{
        "tiktok": map[string]interface{}{
            "privacy_level":      "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
            "allow_comment":      true,
            "allow_duet":         true,
            "allow_stitch":       true,
            "video_made_with_ai": true,
        },
    }),
})

PostCreateResponse post = client.posts().create(PostCreateParams.builder()
    .content("AI-generated art experiment #aiart")
    .addTarget("tiktok")
    .addMedia(PostCreateParams.Media.builder()
        .url("https://cdn.example.com/ai-art.mp4")
        .type(PostCreateParams.Media.Type.VIDEO)
        .build())
    .scheduledAt("now")
    .targetOptions(PostCreateParams.TargetOptions.builder()
        .putAdditionalProperty("tiktok", JsonValue.from(Map.of(
            "privacy_level", "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
            "allow_comment", true,
            "allow_duet", true,
            "allow_stitch", true,
            "video_made_with_ai", true
        )))
        .build())
    .build());

curl -X POST https://api.relayapi.dev/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $RELAY_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "AI-generated art experiment #aiart",
    "targets": ["tiktok"],
    "media": [
      {"url": "https://cdn.example.com/ai-art.mp4", "type": "video"}
    ],
    "scheduled_at": "now",
    "target_options": {
      "tiktok": {
        "privacy_level": "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
        "allow_comment": true,
        "allow_duet": true,
        "allow_stitch": true,
        "video_made_with_ai": true
      }
    }
  }'

Draft to Creator Inbox

Send a post to the creator's inbox as a draft instead of publishing directly.

const post = await client.posts.create({
  content: 'Review before posting',
  targets: ['tiktok'],
  media: [
    { url: 'https://cdn.example.com/video.mp4', type: 'video' }
  ],
  scheduled_at: 'now',
  target_options: {
    tiktok: {
      privacy_level: 'PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE',
      allow_comment: true,
      allow_duet: true,
      allow_stitch: true,
      draft: true
    }
  }
});

post = client.posts.create(
    content='Review before posting',
    targets=['tiktok'],
    media=[
        {'url': 'https://cdn.example.com/video.mp4', 'type': 'video'}
    ],
    scheduled_at='now',
    target_options={
        'tiktok': {
            'privacy_level': 'PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE',
            'allow_comment': True,
            'allow_duet': True,
            'allow_stitch': True,
            'draft': True
        }
    }
)

post, err := client.Posts.New(context.TODO(), relaygo.PostNewParams{
    Content:     relaygo.F("Review before posting"),
    Targets:     relaygo.F([]string{"tiktok"}),
    Media:       relaygo.F([]relaygo.PostNewParamsMedia{{URL: relaygo.F("https://cdn.example.com/video.mp4"), Type: relaygo.F(relaygo.PostNewParamsMediaTypeVideo)}}),
    ScheduledAt: relaygo.F("now"),
    TargetOptions: relaygo.F(map[string]interface{}{
        "tiktok": map[string]interface{}{
            "privacy_level": "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
            "allow_comment": true,
            "allow_duet":    true,
            "allow_stitch":  true,
            "draft":         true,
        },
    }),
})

PostCreateResponse post = client.posts().create(PostCreateParams.builder()
    .content("Review before posting")
    .addTarget("tiktok")
    .addMedia(PostCreateParams.Media.builder()
        .url("https://cdn.example.com/video.mp4")
        .type(PostCreateParams.Media.Type.VIDEO)
        .build())
    .scheduledAt("now")
    .targetOptions(PostCreateParams.TargetOptions.builder()
        .putAdditionalProperty("tiktok", JsonValue.from(Map.of(
            "privacy_level", "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
            "allow_comment", true,
            "allow_duet", true,
            "allow_stitch", true,
            "draft", true
        )))
        .build())
    .build());

curl -X POST https://api.relayapi.dev/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $RELAY_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "Review before posting",
    "targets": ["tiktok"],
    "media": [
      {"url": "https://cdn.example.com/video.mp4", "type": "video"}
    ],
    "scheduled_at": "now",
    "target_options": {
      "tiktok": {
        "privacy_level": "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE",
        "allow_comment": true,
        "allow_duet": true,
        "allow_stitch": true,
        "draft": true
      }
    }
  }'

Media Requirements

Videos

Property	Requirement
Max per post	1
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 performs well)
Recommended	1080 x 1920 px, H.264, 30fps

Photos

Property	Requirement
Max per carousel	35
Formats	JPEG, PNG, WebP
Max file size	20 MB per image
Resolution	Auto-resized to 1080 x 1920 px

You cannot mix photos and videos in the same post. A post is either a single video or a photo carousel.

`target_options` Fields

All fields go inside target_options.tiktok on your post request.

Field	Type	Required	Description
`content`	string	No	Override caption for TikTok specifically
`media`	object[]	No	Override media for TikTok specifically
`privacy_level`	string	Yes	Must match creator's allowed values: `PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE`, `MUTUAL_FOLLOW_FRIENDS`, `FOLLOWER_OF_CREATOR`, `SELF_ONLY`
`allow_comment`	boolean	Yes	Allow comments on the post
`allow_duet`	boolean	Yes (video)	Allow duets with the video
`allow_stitch`	boolean	Yes (video)	Allow stitches with the video
`description`	string	No	Long-form caption for photo carousels (max 4,000 chars)
`video_cover_timestamp_ms`	number	No	Thumbnail frame position in milliseconds (default: 1000)
`photo_cover_index`	number	No	Cover image index for carousels (0-based)
`auto_add_music`	boolean	No	Let TikTok automatically add music (photos only)
`video_made_with_ai`	boolean	No	AI-generated content disclosure
`draft`	boolean	No	Send to Creator Inbox as draft instead of publishing
`commercial_content_type`	string	No	`"none"`, `"brand_organic"`, `"brand_content"`

The consent flags content_preview_confirmed and express_consent_given are always sent automatically by RelayAPI. You do not need to set them.

Common Errors

Error	Cause	Fix
Too many posts in 24h	Daily API posting limit reached	Wait for the limit to reset, or post via the native TikTok app.
Platform API timeout	TikTok servers slow processing large videos	Check publish status after a few minutes. The video may still be processing.
Privacy level not available	Requested level does not match creator's settings	Fetch creator info to get the list of allowed privacy levels for this account.
Spam risk flagged	Content moderation triggered	Review content. API moderation is stricter than the native app.
Duplicate content	Same content posted recently	Modify caption or swap media files.
Video download failed	Media URL is inaccessible to TikTok servers	Use a direct download URL from a CDN.

Known Quirks

Consent flags are mandatory — posts fail without them. RelayAPI sends these automatically.
Privacy levels are per-creator — you must fetch the available options for each account before posting.
Content moderation is more aggressive via API than in the native TikTok app.
Photo titles auto-truncated to 90 characters with hashtags and URLs stripped. Use the description field for longer text.
Photos are auto-resized to 1080x1920 regardless of original dimensions.
Large videos uploaded in chunks (5-64 MB per chunk) for reliability.
Cannot mix photos and videos in the same post.
Cannot read existing comments — TikTok API is write-only for comments.
No DMs are available via the TikTok API.

Found something wrong? Help us improve this page.

Report an issue Edit this page on GitHub