tiktok-post

name	tiktok-post
description	Post to TikTok. CURRENTLY DEFERRED — TikTok's web upload is video-only; Photo Mode (image carousels) is mobile-app exclusive. This skill documents the state and the three paths forward. Read it before attempting anything TikTok-related.

TikTok post — DEFERRED

Don't try to run this yet. The web upload doesn't accept images, and we don't have a video pipeline. This skill is documentation; the actual implementation comes after one of the unblocking paths below.

Why deferred

The TikTok web upload at https://www.tiktok.com/upload redirects to https://www.tiktok.com/tiktokstudio/upload. The file input there is:

{ "accept": "video/*", "multiple": false }

No /upload?photo, no toggle on the page, no /create alternative. The word "photo" doesn't appear anywhere on the upload page. Photo Mode (image carousels, up to 35 images) exists only in the mobile app.

Browser automation against the web upload would only let us post videos. Since the existing content is iPhone screenshots (still images), we can't post anything until one of the paths below is taken.

Account state

• Login: TikTok web sign-in is painful (CAPTCHAs, slider puzzles, email verification). Auto-login is not worth attempting — sign in by hand once.
• State file: ~/.config/agent-browser/tiktok-default.json (typically ~500 KB; much larger than other platforms because TikTok stores a lot of fingerprinting cookies).
• Note your TikTok handle may differ from your IG / X handle (TikTok username rules are looser; underscores commonly diverge across platforms).

Paths forward (pick one before this skill becomes runnable)

Path A — Build a real video pipeline (best long-term)

Create animated screenshots + voiceover videos (e.g. scripts/screenshots_to_short_video.sh):

• Stitch screenshots into a 15–30s vertical (9:16) clip with slow Ken Burns zoom + fade transitions
• TTS the devotional text via say (macOS) or ElevenLabs API for higher quality
• Burn in captions for accessibility / scroll-readability
• Add background music (royalty-free or TikTok-licensed)
• Export as mp4, 1080×1920, <60s

Unlocks TikTok + YouTube Shorts + IG Reels + Pinterest Idea Pins all at once. Probably 4–8 hours of work to get something good.

Path B — Simple image-to-video helper (stopgap)

scripts/screenshots_to_video.sh <screenshot...> produces a quick vertical slideshow (5–10s, no audio or with a say-generated VO):

ffmpeg -y \
  -loop 1 -t 4 -i 01.jpg \
  -loop 1 -t 4 -i 02.jpg \
  -filter_complex "[0:v]scale=1080:1920:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease,pad=1080:1920:-1:-1:color=white,zoompan=z='min(zoom+0.0008,1.1)':d=120[v0]; \
                   [1:v]scale=1080:1920:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease,pad=1080:1920:-1:-1:color=white,zoompan=z='min(zoom+0.0008,1.1)':d=120[v1]; \
                   [v0][v1]xfade=transition=fade:duration=0.5:offset=3.5,format=yuv420p" \
  -r 30 -c:v libx264 out.mp4

Then post via the standard web upload (video, single file). ~30–60 min.

Path C — iOS app automation via XcodeBuildMCP

Install the TikTok app in the simulator, drive it with tap / swipe / screenshot. Photo Mode is supported in-app, so this would post real image carousels.

Caveats:

• TikTok detects iOS Simulator (no real cellular IP, no IDFA, no real device fingerprint) and may shadow-ban the account
• The mobile app updates frequently, breaking accessibility-label-based automation
• Account login on simulator faces the same CAPTCHA hell

Probably the riskiest of the three. Worth trying ONLY if Paths A and B don't fit.

When this skill IS implemented

Whichever path is taken, the skill should follow the same pattern as /instagram-post / /x-post:

1. Sanity-check media exists.
2. bash scripts/switch_to_platform_tab.sh "tiktok.com" "https://www.tiktok.com/tiktokstudio/upload" to reach the TikTok tab (curl-based find + switch; NEVER agent-browser tab list — auto-spawn risk).
3. If agent-browser get url doesn't show TikTok as logged in, abort and tell user to manually re-sign-in (don't try to auto-login).
4. Upload via agent-browser upload "input[type=file]" <video-path> (single file, video/*).
5. Wait for processing, fill caption (real keystrokes via type), set privacy/options.
6. Click Post, verify, write run log.

Until then: this file is the canonical record of why TikTok isn't shipping yet.