| name | tt-caption-writer |
| description | Write a TikTok caption under 2,200 chars (hashtags included), pick a tasteful 3 to 5 hashtag set with mixed reach, and set the platformSettings.tiktok flags (viewer setting, comments, duet, stitch, commercial and branded content). Front-loads a reason to comment, runs the humanizer pass, and publishes the rendered video via Publora on approval. Use to caption a finished video. Not for the in-video hook (use tt-hook-scripter) or scrubbing a script (use tt-humanizer). |
TikTok Caption Writer
Write the caption that sits under the video: a tight caption inside the 2,200
char API limit, a mixed-reach hashtag set, and the platformSettings.tiktok
flags that control reach and interaction. On TikTok the caption supports the
video, it does not carry it. The hook is in the first 1-3 seconds of the clip
(see tt-hook-scripter); the caption's job is to add context and earn a comment.
When to use
- User has a video (or a script) and needs the caption, hashtags, and settings
- User is about to upload and wants the posting flags right
- User wants Claude Code or Codex to schedule a rendered .mp4 via Publora
What this skill produces
- Caption (<= 2,200 chars on the API; aim much shorter), first line front-
loaded with a reason to read or comment
- Hashtag set (3 to 5, mixed reach), placed at the end
- platformSettings.tiktok flags with a plain-English summary
- On approval, the publish call (draft -> upload -> schedule) when a video file
is supplied
The TikTok settings (platformSettings.tiktok)
Build these with lib.tiktok_settings(...). Defaults match Publora's.
| Setting | Values / default | What it does |
|---|
viewerSetting | PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE (default), MUTUAL_FOLLOW_FRIENDS, FOLLOWER_OF_CREATOR, SELF_ONLY | who can view. Effectively required; an empty value is rejected |
allowComments | true (default) | viewers can comment |
allowDuet | false (default) | viewers can Duet |
allowStitch | false (default) | viewers can Stitch |
commercialContent | false (default) | the video is commercial |
brandOrganic | false (default) | promoting your own brand |
brandedContent | false (default) | paid partnership / sponsored |
Two gotchas you must surface to the user
- Boolean inversion bug. Publora currently maps
allowComments,
allowDuet, allowStitch to TikTok's disable_* flags, so the booleans can
land inverted (sending allowDuet: true may disable duets). The status cannot
be confirmed from the API alone. Test with a SELF_ONLY draft before
trusting these values. Tell the user this whenever they change a flag.
- Commercial disclosure. If
commercialContent is true, at least one of
brandOrganic (your own brand) or brandedContent (paid partnership) must
also be true, or Publora rejects it. lib.tiktok_settings enforces this.
Posting reality
- Unaudited apps post PRIVATE only. Until the publishing app passes TikTok's
review, posts are forced to
SELF_ONLY regardless of viewerSetting. Warn the
user if a "public" post lands private.
- For reach, use
PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE. For an end-to-end test, use SELF_ONLY.
Steps
- Gather inputs, goal first. Ask (or infer) what the caption should earn,
then shape for it: comments -> end on one specific question tied to the video;
saves -> promise reference value ("the 3 settings are in the caption");
shares -> a claim people will want to show someone; profile taps -> an open
loop the pinned video pays off. Then gather the video topic/script, the
niche, whether it is commercial, and whether a rendered
.mp4 path exists.
- Draft the caption. Front-load the first visible line with a reason to read
or a specific question to comment on. Keep it tight. No em dashes, no AI vocab.
Optionally restate the hook's open loop as a comment prompt.
- Pick hashtags. 3 to 5, mixed reach: one broad, one to two niche-defining,
one to two specific to the video. Put them at the end. Never stuff.
- Set the flags. Default to
PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE, comments on, duet/stitch
off, no commercial flags. Adjust per the user, and surface the two gotchas.
Build with lib.tiktok_settings(...).
- Char check. Confirm caption + hashtags <= 2,200. If over, tighten.
- Humanizer pass. Strip em dashes, AI vocab, rule-of-three, generic openers.
- Approval card. Show: caption, char count, hashtag set, settings summary,
and the resolved
viewerSetting (flag if it may post private).
- On approval. Call
lib.publish("video", caption, target_url=<upload or profile URL>, video_path=<path or None>, platform_settings=<settings>, scheduled_time=<iso or None>, platforms=[<TIKTOK_PLATFORM_ID>]). With a video
path and Publora configured, it runs draft -> upload -> schedule. Without one,
it returns the caption and settings to upload in-app.
Hard rules
Global voice rules: see root SKILL.md Voice rules. Additional skill-specific
rules:
- Caption + hashtags must fit 2,200 chars (API), hashtags included. Aim far under.
- 3 to 5 hashtags, mixed reach, at the end. Never 10+, never mid-sentence.
- The caption never does the hook's job. The hook is in the video.
- Always set
viewerSetting. Never ship an empty value.
- Surface the boolean inversion warning whenever an interaction flag changes.
Anti-patterns (skill will refuse)
- Hashtag walls (10+), or hashtags jammed into the sentence.
- Em dashes in the caption.
- "Follow for part 2 / like and subscribe / don't forget to share" stacks.
- A caption that repeats the spoken hook word for word.
commercialContent: true with neither brand flag set.- Claiming a post will be public when the app is unaudited (it will be private).
Resources
../../references/voice-rules.md - caption and hashtag rules../../references/algorithm-heuristics.md - caption, hashtag, and settings heuristicsreferences/settings-matrix.md - every platformSettings.tiktok value, defaults, and the known bugslib/publora_client.py - tiktok_settings(...), publish_video(...), create_draft(...)
Related skills
tt-hook-scripter - the in-video hook (the caption does not replace it)tt-humanizer - scrub the caption before publishingtt-content-planner - schedule captions across a posting week
