How to post to TikTok from Gemini CLI
Batch work is where Gemini CLI fits TikTok: a directory of clips, one bulk call, the privacy level set once in defaults.
How do I post to TikTok from Gemini CLI?
Add the planpo.st MCP server to Gemini 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 Gemini CLI
Make a scoped key in planpo.st under Settings. Add a planpost entry under mcpServers in settings.json, in ~/.gemini globally or .gemini in a project. For the hosted server the key is httpUrl, not url. The local entry runs npx -y planpost-mcp with the key in env.
- 2
Confirm the server is connected
Run /mcp inside Gemini CLI and check that planpost is listed with its tools.
- 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. Gemini CLI finds the TikTok connection, creates the post, and tells you whether it was scheduled or kept as a draft, with the reason.
{
"mcpServers": {
"planpost": {
"httpUrl": "https://mcp.planpo.st/mcp",
"headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer pk_live_xxx" },
"timeout": 10000
}
}
}{
"mcpServers": {
"planpost": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "planpost-mcp"],
"env": { "PLANPOST_API_KEY": "pk_live_xxx" }
}
}
}Config location: Global: ~/.gemini/settings.json · Per project: .gemini/settings.json. Replace pk_live_xxx with your own key.
Hosted or local for Gemini CLI?
For Gemini CLI either works, and local removes the one trap. The hosted entry must use httpUrl, and a url key is ignored without a word. The local npx entry has no such key to get wrong and needs Node 18 or newer.
- Gemini CLI uses httpUrl for streamable HTTP, not url. The wrong key is a silent no-op.
The full walkthrough is on the Gemini CLI setup page.
What can Gemini 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 Gemini 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 Gemini CLI?
Plain requests work. Each example lists the tool calls Gemini CLI makes in response.
1. One video, public, comments on
You say
The file is ~/Videos/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 Gemini 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.
httpUrl, not url
Gemini CLIGemini CLI uses httpUrl for streamable HTTP servers and ignores a url key without an error. If the tools never show up, look at that one word first. I lost twenty minutes to it.
Can Gemini 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.
Gemini 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 Gemini 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 Gemini CLI applies with update_post.
- Why does Gemini CLI not see the planpo.st tools?
- Most often the hosted entry says url where Gemini CLI expects httpUrl, and the wrong key is ignored silently. Fix the key, restart, and the TikTok tools appear. The local npx entry avoids the question.
- Can I rerun the same prompt every week?
- Yes, and it is what this pairing is good at. Keep the prompt in a file next to the plan it reads, and run it on Monday to fill the TikTok schedule.
Keep going
TikTok from other agents
Other networks from Gemini CLI