tiktok-check-ops

name	tiktok-check-ops
description	Check a TikTok account or video for public status and recent viewable content, preferring lightweight probes before browser viewing.
memory_tags	["domain:social-media","workflow:account-check","skill_role:researcher","repo_boundary:tools","inputs:web","outputs:status-report","risk:medium"]

TikTok Check Ops

Trigger

Use when:

• the user wants to check a TikTok account, profile, or public video
• the user wants a quick answer on whether a username appears reachable
• the user asks to inspect or view a TikTok handle or profile
• the task may benefit from a CLI probe before falling back to a browser

Do not use when:

• the task is general browser automation with no TikTok-specific logic
• the user needs private account access or inbox/session management
• the goal is to build or debug Playwright flows themselves; use playwright

Inputs

• Required: TikTok username, profile URL, or video URL
• Optional: number of items to sample, whether browser viewing is allowed, whether screen-control fallback is allowed, whether developer credentials already exist

Local Probe Prerequisites

• If the goal is to check the operator's own authorized TikTok account and a local tiktokbot checkout is available, prefer that CLI before public-page probing:
  • node src/cli.js check --min-outlier 2 --max-results 60
  • This returns the authorized account follower count and recent videos above the requested creator-baseline multiplier.
  • It requires Display API OAuth tokens in that bot's private env file.
  • TikTok access tokens last 24 hours. Current TikTokBot check commands automatically use the saved refresh token, persist rotated tokens, and retry once when the access token is expired or invalid.
  • If an older checkout returns an invalid-token error, run node src/cli.js refresh-token --save, then rerun the check. Do not fall back to browser viewing until this official recovery path has failed.
• The local probe script always uses curl for a first-party reachability check.
• It can also use yt-dlp and gallery-dl as optional best-effort extractors for public metadata when those tools are installed locally.
• These extractor tools are not required. Missing extractor output does not mean a profile or video is unavailable; it only means the CLI path is limited and the next step should be browser viewing via playwright, or screen-control viewing via social-screen-control-ops when logged-in local browser state is needed.
• Treat both extractors as volatile dependencies. They can work one week and fail the next due to upstream TikTok changes.

Workflow

1. Normalize the target:
   • username like examplecreator
   • profile URL like https://www.tiktok.com/@examplecreator
   • video URL when checking a specific post
2. Run the local probe:
   • skills/tiktok-check-ops/scripts/check_tiktok_target.sh <target>
   • interpret the result as:
     • http_status: first-party web reachability
     • yt_dlp=installed|missing: whether optional extractor path exists
     • gallery_dl=installed|missing: whether optional extractor path exists
3. Interpret the result conservatively:
   • first-party HTTP reachability is useful
   • unofficial extractor output is opportunistic, not guaranteed
   • missing extractor output does not prove the account is gone
4. Decide access path:
   • for the operator's own authorized account analytics, use the local tiktokbot CLI when available
   • if TikTokBot reports an invalid user access token, verify node src/cli.js env, refresh through the bot, and retry the official check before using a browser
   • if the user already has valid TikTok developer access for the needed scope, read references/current-options.md
   • otherwise use browser viewing
5. For browser viewing, prefer:
   • profile page open
   • fresh snapshot
   • click through visible posts only after re-snapshotting
   • the playwright skill for public/clean-session checks
   • the shared browser fallback rules in skills/_shared/social-platform-fallbacks.md

Screen-Control Fallback

Follow skills/_shared/social-platform-fallbacks.md.

Output Contract

• normalized target
• whether the first-party TikTok web URL appears reachable
• whether optional local extractors (yt-dlp, gallery-dl) were installed
• whether any installed extractor produced usable metadata
• recommended next path: official API, CLI probe, or browser viewing
• blockers such as captcha, login wall, rate limits, or missing local tools
• for owned-account API failures, whether automatic refresh succeeded or the refresh token/app authorization requires renewed OAuth

Guardrails

• Do not imply official API coverage when the account has not authorized access.
• Treat third-party extractors as volatile and best-effort.
• For anything interactive or visually confirmatory, use the appropriate browser skill instead of inventing a second browser workflow here.
• Do not store cookies or credentials inside this skill.
• Do not intentionally play TikTok video audio during browser fallback unless the user asks to listen; keep media pages muted by default.

References

Open only when needed:

• current API and CLI caveats: references/current-options.md