TikTok's app schedules a video up to 10 days ahead, from the web uploader, one account at a time. Everything beyond that goes through the Content Posting API, which is stricter than any other network's: it asks about the creator before every post, enforces a per-creator video length, refuses frame rates it dislikes hours after the upload looked fine, and will not let an unreviewed tool post publicly at all. This page explains the rules and how a scheduler lives with them.
Reviewed tools post publicly; the rest post privately
TikTok audits each integration. Until an app passes, every video it posts is forced to "only me" visibility no matter what was asked, which is the silent failure behind most "my scheduled TikTok is private" complaints. Preflight is audited, so it can publish at the visibility you choose. A self-hosted tool has to go through the audit under your own name.
Creator info, asked before every post
Before a direct post, the API returns the creator's current settings and the tool must obey them:
| What TikTok returns | What it means for the post |
|---|---|
| Privacy level options | The set this creator may use, from PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE, FOLLOWER_OF_CREATOR, MUTUAL_FOLLOW_FRIENDS and SELF_ONLY; a private account has no public option |
| Comments, duet, stitch disabled | If the creator has turned one off, the post cannot turn it on |
| Maximum video length | 3, 5 or 10 minutes depending on the account; the API's own ceiling is 10 |
| Nickname and avatar | So the tool can show which account it is posting to |
Preflight asks for this at publish time, uses the privacy level you chose if the creator may, falls back to the nearest allowed one otherwise, and says so. The alternative is TikTok's privacy_level_option_mismatch error after the upload.
Direct post or inbox draft
A post can be published straight away with the privacy chosen, or sent to the creator's TikTok inbox as a draft to finish in the app, where the sound picker and effects are. Preflight offers both per post. The draft route is the one to use for a video that needs a trending sound, because the API publishes with the video's own audio only.
What a video must be
| Limit | |
|---|---|
| Container | MP4, MOV or WebM |
| Length | 3 seconds to 10 minutes, or the creator's lower cap |
| Frame rate | 23 to 60 fps; the cause of "frame rate check failed" |
| Size | 360 to 4,096 pixels on each side |
| File | up to 4 GB, uploaded by the tool in parts |
| Caption | 2,200 characters, hashtags and @mentions inside it |
Preflight reads the frame rate, the pixel size and the length from the file before anything is uploaded and refuses a 120 fps screen recording or a 200-pixel GIF in the composer with the reason. The full rule set is on the TikTok limits page, and the same for eleven other networks on the limits table.
Photo posts
TikTok takes up to 35 pictures in one post, fetched from a domain the tool has verified with TikTok rather than uploaded. A photo post has a title of 90 characters, shown as the headline, and a separate description up to 4,000; Preflight sends the first line as the title and the rest as the description, warns when the first line is longer than 90, and lets you pick which picture is the cover.
Disclosures and labels
TikTok requires an integration to offer the commercial content toggles and requires the creator to set them: "your brand" for promoting your own business and "branded content" for a paid partnership. Branded content cannot be posted privately, so the combination is refused before the upload. There is also an AI-generated content label; Preflight passes it through when you set it.
What no tool can do on TikTok
- Edit or delete a published video. The API has neither; both happen in the app.
- Pick a sound from TikTok's library. Direct posts use the video's own audio; send a draft to the inbox instead.
- Post from a personal account that is set to private as public. The creator's privacy options rule.
Scheduling in Preflight
Tick TikTok among the targets, choose direct or inbox, set the privacy level and the toggles, and the file is checked in the composer. At the minute Preflight asks TikTok for the creator info, uploads in parts with retries, and polls until TikTok confirms. Afterwards views, likes, comments and shares are read back. The free plan takes three channels; plans are on the pricing page, and the Instagram side of the same workflow is on how to schedule Instagram posts.
Questions people ask
- Why did my scheduled TikTok post come out private?
- Either the tool is not audited by TikTok, which forces 'only me', or the account's privacy settings do not allow the level requested. Preflight is audited and asks TikTok for the allowed levels before each post.
- What does 'frame rate check failed' mean?
- The video is outside 23 to 60 fps, usually a 120 fps phone recording or a 15 fps export. TikTok reports it after processing; Preflight reads the frame rate first and refuses the file in the composer.
- Can a scheduler post TikTok photo carousels?
- Yes, up to 35 pictures, with a 90-character title and a description up to 4,000 characters. Pictures are fetched from the tool's verified domain rather than uploaded.
- Can a tool add a trending sound?
- No. A direct post keeps the video's own audio. Send the video to the TikTok inbox as a draft and add the sound in the app before posting.