How to post to TikTok from Codex CLI
Codex CLI uploads the clip and schedules it, and it is told at create time, not at publish time, when the privacy level is missing.
How do I post to TikTok from Codex CLI?
Add the planpo.st MCP server to Codex CLI, connect TikTok once in the dashboard, then ask. The first three steps are one-time.
- 1
Create an API key and add planpo.st to Codex CLI
Make a scoped key in planpo.st under Settings. Add a [mcp_servers.planpost] table to ~/.codex/config.toml, or run codex mcp add and answer the prompts. The hosted form reads the token from the environment variable named in bearer_token_env_var, so export PLANPOST_API_KEY in your shell first.
- 2
Confirm the server is connected
Start Codex and run /mcp to check that planpost is connected.
- 3
Connect TikTok
Connect the TikTok account in the dashboard under Connections. Publishing goes through TikTok's Content Posting API as a direct post, and get_connection_link gives the agent a URL to hand you.
- 4
Know what the post needs
A TikTok post needs one video and platformSettings.tiktok.privacyLevel. TikTok makes the account owner choose who can view each video, so there is no default to fall back on.
- 5
Ask in your terminal
Say what to post and when. Codex CLI finds the TikTok connection, creates the post, and tells you whether it was scheduled or kept as a draft, with the reason.
[mcp_servers.planpost]
url = "https://mcp.planpo.st/mcp"
bearer_token_env_var = "PLANPOST_API_KEY"[mcp_servers.planpost]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "planpost-mcp"]
[mcp_servers.planpost.env]
PLANPOST_API_KEY = "pk_live_xxx"Config location: ~/.codex/config.toml, or .codex/config.toml in a trusted project. Replace pk_live_xxx with your own key.
Hosted or local for Codex CLI?
For Codex CLI I would use hosted with bearer_token_env_var, since the config file then holds no secret and can be shared. Use local when you would sooner keep the key in the config file's env table than in your shell profile.
- The hosted form reads the token from an environment variable rather than the file, so export PLANPOST_API_KEY in your shell.
- `codex mcp add` does the same thing interactively if you would rather not edit TOML.
The full walkthrough is on the Codex CLI setup page.
What can Codex CLI do on TikTok?
It can publish a video with a caption, a privacy level, comment, Duet and Stitch switches, a cover frame and the commercial content disclosures. It cannot publish photo posts, and it cannot schedule a video that has no privacy level.
Video post
One video with a caption of up to 2,200 characters, published directly at the scheduled time.
Who can view
requiredPUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE, MUTUAL_FOLLOW_FRIENDS, FOLLOWER_OF_CREATOR or SELF_ONLY. The account may allow only some of them.
Interaction switches
Comments, Duet and Stitch each have a disable flag. All three are off until you pass false.
Disclosures
yourBrand for your own business, brandedContent for a paid partnership.
TikTok needs a video file on every post, and Codex CLI can take it from disk: it calls upload_media for a presigned URL, PUTs the file there with a shell command, and passes the returned asset into create_post. Files already uploaded come back from list_media, ready to reuse.
Which settings does a TikTok post take?
TikTok is the only network here with a required setting. privacyLevel has to be on every post, and the three interaction flags default the opposite way from what most people expect.
| Field | Allowed values | If you leave it out | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| platformSettings.tiktok.privacyLevel | PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE, MUTUAL_FOLLOW_FRIENDS, FOLLOWER_OF_CREATOR, SELF_ONLY | None, required | Missing saves the post as a draft with tiktok_privacy_missing. If the account allows exactly one level it is filled in and reported as tiktok_privacy_defaulted. |
| platformSettings.tiktok.disableComment | true or false | true, comments off | Pass false to allow comments. |
| platformSettings.tiktok.disableDuet | true or false | true, Duet off | Pass false to allow Duets. |
| platformSettings.tiktok.disableStitch | true or false | true, Stitch off | Pass false to allow Stitches. |
| platformSettings.tiktok.videoCoverTimestampMs | Milliseconds into the video | 0, the first frame | Picks the cover frame. |
| platformSettings.tiktok.brandedContent | true or false | false | Paid partnership disclosure. With SELF_ONLY it is refused as tiktok_branded_self_only. |
| platformSettings.tiktok.yourBrand | true or false | false | Discloses that the video promotes your own brand. |
| media, platformMedia.tiktok | One video | None, required | No media saves the post as a draft with media_required, images only with video_required. |
What do I type to post to TikTok from Codex CLI?
Plain requests work. Each example lists the tool calls Codex CLI makes in response.
1. One video, public, comments on
You say
The video is at ./out/demo.mp4. Schedule it on TikTok for tonight 20:30 Europe/Warsaw, visible to everyone, comments allowed, Duet and Stitch off.
Tool calls
upload_media({ filename: "demo.mp4", contentType: "video/mp4", size: <bytes> })
PUT <file> to the returned URL (shell)
create_post({ content: "<caption>", platformSettings: { tiktok: { privacyLevel: "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE", disableComment: false } }, media: [<video>], connectionIds: ["<tiktok id>"], schedule: "today 20:30 Europe/Warsaw" })One scheduled video. Duet and Stitch stay off because their flags default to true; only the comment flag had to be sent.
2. A batch with one privacy level
You say
Take the ten newest videos in my media library and schedule one per day on TikTok at 18:00 starting Monday, all public, campaign autumn-clips.
Tool calls
list_media({ type: "video", limit: 10 })
bulk_create_posts({ defaults: { connectionIds: ["<tiktok id>"], campaign: "autumn-clips", platformSettings: { tiktok: { privacyLevel: "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE" } } }, posts: [ { content: "...", media: [<video 1>], schedule: "monday 18:00" }, ... ] })Ten scheduled posts from one call, the privacy level set once in defaults. I learned to put it there after 51 of my own TikTok posts failed for missing it.
3. Repair a post that stayed a draft
You say
My TikTok post for Friday is still a draft. Find out why, fix it and put it back on the schedule.
Tool calls
list_posts({ status: "draft", platform: "tiktok" })
preview_post({ id: "<post id>" })
update_post({ id: "<post id>", platformSettings: { tiktok: { privacyLevel: "PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE" } }, schedule: "friday 18:00" })preview_post lists the blocking issue with its code and the fix. One update_post later the post is scheduled again.
What stops a TikTok post from Codex CLI?
The tag on a card is the code that comes back in the tool result.
A privacy level on every post
tiktok_privacy_missingTikTok requires the user to choose who can view each video. Without privacyLevel the post is kept as a draft and the response names the field and the four values.
The account decides which levels exist
At publish time planpo.st asks TikTok which levels this account may use. A level the account does not allow fails with a message to pick another.
Comments, Duet and Stitch start off
The three disable flags default to true. A video you wanted people to comment on needs disableComment: false.
Video only
video_requiredThe first attachment must be a video. Photo posts are not supported.
Length depends on the account
TikTok reports a maximum video duration per account. A longer video fails at publish with both numbers in the error.
Caption links are plain text
TikTok does not make links in captions clickable. The caption can run to 2,200 characters.
The token comes from your shell
Codex CLIThe hosted config names an environment variable, it does not hold the key. If PLANPOST_API_KEY is not exported in the shell that starts Codex, every call fails with an authorization error.
Can Codex CLI tell me what a TikTok post earned?
Per post, not really. TikTok captions carry no clickable links, so there is no click on the post to match a payment to. The TikTok guide explains the bio-link route, which judges the account as a whole. get_revenue_overview returns totals and recent transactions across networks, and for shops the sales side is usually Shopify.
Codex CLI and TikTok: questions people ask
- Why does TikTok need a privacy level on every post?
- TikTok's rules for direct posting require the account owner to choose who can view each video. planpo.st refuses to pick one for you, except when the account allows exactly one level.
- Are comments on by default?
- No. disableComment, disableDuet and disableStitch all default to true. Pass false for the ones you want open.
- What happens when Codex CLI sends a TikTok post that breaks a rule?
- It is told at once. The usual case on TikTok is a video with no privacy level: the post is kept as a draft and the tool result carries tiktok_privacy_missing plus the fix, which Codex CLI applies with update_post.
- Where does the config go?
- In ~/.codex/config.toml, or .codex/config.toml in a trusted project. It is TOML, not JSON, which trips people who paste a snippet from another client. Once it loads, the TikTok tools are available in every session.
- Does the key have to be in the file?
- Not for the hosted server. bearer_token_env_var names a variable and Codex reads the key from your environment, so the file can be shared. The local form puts it under [mcp_servers.planpost.env]. Neither choice changes what you can post to TikTok.
Keep going
TikTok from other agents
Other networks from Codex CLI