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

1. 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.
2. 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

Voice profile first (all drafts). If ../../references/voice-profile.md has filled: yes, load it and match the user's voice fingerprint, hard rules, and CTA/link style throughout. If it is not filled, mention once that tt-humanizer --mode profile can learn their voice from a few posts, then proceed with the generic voice rules.

1. 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.
2. Draft the caption. Front-load the first visible line with a reason to read or a specific question to comment on. Keep it tight. Em dashes under the cap (about one per 100 words; a short caption rarely needs one), no AI vocab cluster. Optionally restate the hook's open loop as a comment prompt.
3. 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.
4. 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(...).
5. Char check. Confirm caption + hashtags <= 2,200. If over, tighten.
6. Humanizer pass. Scrub 2026 AI vocab by density, cap em dashes (about one per 100 words, never swap one for a period), break stacked triads, generic openers, reveal bridges and sincerity openers ("not gonna lie"). Leave the rhythm alone; never chop a line for punch. Canonical rules: tt-humanizer V3.
7. Approval card. Show: caption, char count, hashtag set, settings summary, and the resolved viewerSetting (flag if it may post private).
8. 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 above the cap (more than about one per 100 words), or an em dash swapped for a period.
• "The result?" reveals and "No X. No Y. Just Z." staccato stacks added for punch.
• "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 heuristics
• references/settings-matrix.md - every platformSettings.tiktok value, defaults, and the known bugs
• lib/publora_client.py - tiktok_settings(...), publish_video(...), create_draft(...)

Optional illustration

Offer a generated image when a visual would lift reach. Draft a prompt and call lib.illustrate(prompt, kind="story"), pulling brand handle/color from Voice & Brand Profile section 6 for a pixel-exact overlay. Show the returned url + cost, for a TikTok photo post, attach the image via media_urls=[url] (TikTok photo carousel); for a video, TikTok's API has no cover-image field, so set the cover in the TikTok app. Full workflow (incl. quote-cards): ../tt-humanizer/sub-skills/illustration.md. No Pixfaro key -> it drafts the prompt for you to generate manually.

Related skills

• tt-hook-scripter - the in-video hook (the caption does not replace it)
• tt-humanizer - scrub the caption before publishing
• tt-content-planner - schedule captions across a posting week