TikTok Marketing Skills for Claude Code and Codex

Part of the linkedin-skills family (400+ stars). Same voice engine and approve-before-publish flow, now for TikTok. Also available for Instagram · X · YouTube · Threads · Facebook.

8 skills that turn Claude Code and Codex into your TikTok content team. They script the first-3-second hook, write captions, ride trends, plan a week of content, and read your niche from real data. You supply the video; the skills write the words, strip the AI tells, and wait for your approval.

Once installed, just ask Claude Code or Codex things like:

• "Script a hook for a TikTok about [topic]"
• "Plan a week of TikTok content for my [niche]"
• "What's trending in my niche right now? (reads real data via Apify)"
• "Rewrite this caption so it sounds human on camera"

The right skill activates automatically. Then you review and approve.

TikTok is video-only

TikTok does not accept text-only posts. These skills do not generate video. They produce everything around it: the spoken hook script, the on-screen text, the caption, the hashtags, and the posting settings. You record and render the clip; the skills handle the words and the publish.

Install

Pick whichever way you use Claude Code or Codex:

Codex CLI

codex plugin marketplace add sergebulaev/tiktok-skills
codex plugin add tiktok-skills@tiktok-skills

To test a local clone before publishing changes:

git clone https://github.com/sergebulaev/tiktok-skills.git
cd tiktok-skills
codex plugin marketplace add .
codex plugin add tiktok-skills@tiktok-skills

claude.ai (web)

1. Open https://claude.ai/code
2. Go to Skills in the sidebar
3. Click Add from GitHub
4. Paste: sergebulaev/tiktok-skills
5. Done. The skills activate automatically when you ask about TikTok.

Claude Desktop (Mac / Windows)

1. Open Claude Desktop
2. Open Settings (gear icon)
3. Go to Skills
4. Click Add from GitHub
5. Paste: sergebulaev/tiktok-skills
6. Done. Start a new conversation and ask Claude to script a hook.

Claude Code (CLI / VS Code / JetBrains)

/plugin marketplace add sergebulaev/tiktok-skills
/plugin install tiktok-skills@tiktok-skills

Or clone the repo and open it as your working directory:

git clone https://github.com/sergebulaev/tiktok-skills.git
cd tiktok-skills

OpenClaw

1. Open your OpenClaw working directory
2. Clone the skills into it:

   git clone https://github.com/sergebulaev/tiktok-skills.git
   

3. In OpenClaw settings, add this to your system prompt:

   You have TikTok marketing skills in ./tiktok-skills/.
   For any TikTok task, read the relevant skills/*/SKILL.md first.
   Use lib/url_parser.py for URL parsing and lib/publora_client.py for publishing.
   

4. Done. Ask OpenClaw to write a TikTok post.

Hermes Agent

Hermes Agent (Nous Research) follows the agentskills.io open standard and loads skills/*/SKILL.md directly. Clone the bundle into your Hermes skills folder:

git clone https://github.com/sergebulaev/tiktok-skills.git ~/.hermes/skills/tiktok-skills

Coming from OpenClaw? hermes claw migrate imports these skills automatically. Then call /<skill-name> from any of your Hermes chat surfaces.

Any agent (skills CLI)

One command that works across Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and any other agent that reads SKILL.md files:

npx skills add sergebulaev/tiktok-skills

What you can do

Once installed, just ask Claude Code or Codex for help with TikTok. The right skill activates automatically.

Script a hook:

"Script a 3-second hook for a video about the git command that saved my job. Goal: saves."

Write the caption and settings:

"Write the caption, hashtags, and TikTok settings for this video. Comments on, public."

Ride a trend without being cringe:

"Should I jump on this trending sound for my backend dev niche? [link]. How do I make it mine?"

Make a script sound human on camera:

"Strip the AI tells from this script so it sounds like me talking, not a teleprompter: [paste]"

Plan your week:

"Plan a week of TikTok content. I teach backend engineering to junior devs."

Every skill shows you a draft first and waits for your OK. Nothing gets scheduled without your approval.

The 8 skills

Skill	What it does
Hook Scripter	Scripts the first 1-3 seconds of the video: the spoken line, the on-screen text, and the opening visual, all firing at once. Picks a 2026 hook formula by goal (completion, saves, comments, shares). The single biggest retention lever
Caption Writer	Writes the caption under 2,200 chars, picks a 3 to 5 hashtag set with mixed reach, and sets the platformSettings.tiktok flags (viewer setting, comments, duet, stitch, commercial and branded content). Publishes the rendered video via Publora on approval
Trend Mapper	Maps a trending sound or format to your niche so the ride is authentic, not cringe. Runs a fit check, reads the trend lifecycle, scripts the twist that makes it yours, and tells you when to skip a trend entirely
Humanizer	Strips AI-script tells so the spoken words sound human on camera. Kills em dashes, AI vocabulary, "hey guys" filler, and teleprompter rhythm. Bundles a --mode audit pre-film check (hook strength, completion design, caption fit)
Content Planner	Builds a weekly plan with per-day hooks, sounds, lengths, and goals, a hook-batching schedule so you film several openers in one session, a sound shortlist with the trend window, and a completion-rate goal check
Repurposer	Rebuilds content from another platform (LinkedIn post, blog, newsletter, X thread) into a native TikTok script and caption: opens on the payoff, rewrites every line to be sayable in one breath, adds a trend or sound angle where it fits, and strips off-platform artifacts before publishing on approval
Profile Optimizer	Audits and rewrites the profile end-to-end: photo, searchable name, username, the 80-char bio, the link (with a pre-1k workaround), up to 3 pinned videos as niche proof, and a one-line positioning statement. Turns a profile visit that follows a video into a follow
Audience Insights	Reads your TikTok niche and audience from real Apify data: top hashtag videos by plays, the winning hooks and sounds, competitor profiles, and the commenters on a video (TikTok hides likers). No login

How publishing works on TikTok

TikTok requires a video on every post, so a caption alone cannot go out. The official TikTok Content Posting API also needs an OAuth flow and an app review. This bundle hands the whole chain to Publora: once you have a rendered .mp4, the flow is

1. create a draft (the caption, no scheduled time)
2. get a pre-signed upload URL
3. upload the video
4. set the scheduled time

lib.publish("video", caption, target_url, video_path=..., scheduled_time=...) runs all four steps in one call. The Caption Writer skill uses this on approval.

Optional: schedule videos with Publora

By default, the skills draft the script, caption, and settings for you to upload in the TikTok app. If you want Claude Code or Codex to schedule a rendered video directly, connect Publora. It takes about 2 minutes once you have the .mp4.

What is Publora?

Publora is a publishing API that turns the multi-step TikTok video upload into one create-post-plus-upload call (and can cross-post the same content to other platforms).

Setup (2 minutes)

Step 1. Sign up at https://app.publora.com/signup (free)

Step 2. Connect TikTok: click Channels in the left sidebar, then Add Channel, pick TikTok, authorize.

Step 3. Find your Platform ID: go to Channels, click your TikTok account. The ID looks like tiktok-7123456789. Copy the whole thing including tiktok-.

Step 4. Get your API key: click Settings (gear icon, bottom-left), then API, then Create Key. Copy the sk_... string.

Step 5. Create a file called .env in the tiktok-skills folder:

PUBLORA_API_KEY=sk_paste_your_key_here
TIKTOK_PLATFORM_ID=tiktok-paste_your_id_here

If you cloned the repo, copy the template instead:

cp .env.example .env

Then open .env and replace the placeholders with your real values.

Step 6. Install two small Python packages:

pip install requests python-dotenv

Step 7. Test it. Ask Claude Code or Codex:

"Schedule a private (SELF_ONLY) test video via Publora using this file: ./test.mp4, 24 hours from now."

If Publora returns a postGroupId, you're set. Use SELF_ONLY so nobody sees the test, and cancel it in the dashboard. If you get HTTP 401, your API key is wrong. If you get an Invalid platform ID format error, your TIKTOK_PLATFORM_ID is wrong. See Troubleshooting.

Two TikTok quirks to know:

• Boolean inversion bug. Publora may map allowComments / allowDuet / allowStitch to TikTok's disable_* flags, so they can land inverted. Test with a SELF_ONLY draft before trusting them.
• Unaudited apps post PRIVATE only. Until the publishing app passes TikTok's review, every post is forced to SELF_ONLY regardless of your viewer setting.

Voice rules

Every skill follows these rules automatically:

1. No em dashes. Biggest AI tell in 2026, and on screen it reads as a typo.
2. Write the script the way a person talks: contractions, fragments, short lines. Read it out loud.
3. Capitalize names. Always. Lowercase a brand reads as careless.
4. No AI vocabulary: "leverage", "fundamentally", "delve", "harness". And no "hey guys" / "don't forget to subscribe".
5. Specific numbers beat adjectives. "3 takes" beats "a few takes".
6. The hook is the first 1-3 seconds of the video, not the caption. Spoken line and on-screen text differ.
7. Caption <= 2,200 chars (API). 3 to 5 mixed-reach hashtags at the end.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
Skills don't activate when I ask about TikTok	Make sure you installed via the Skills panel, /plugin install, or codex plugin add. Try a new conversation.
"PUBLORA_API_KEY not set"	Your .env file is missing or in the wrong folder. It should be in the tiktok-skills/ root.
"401 Invalid API key" from Publora	Your API key is wrong or revoked. Go to Publora Settings > API > Create a new key.
"Invalid platform ID format"	Your TIKTOK_PLATFORM_ID is wrong. Go to Publora Channels and copy the full tiktok-... string.
My "public" post went out private	Unaudited apps can only post SELF_ONLY. The publishing app needs to pass TikTok's review for public posting.
Duets are off when I asked for on	The known boolean inversion bug. Test with a SELF_ONLY draft, then send the opposite value as a workaround.
My video got rejected	Check duration (3s to 10min on the API), format (MP4 / MOV / WebM), and frame rate (min 23 FPS).
pip install fails	Use a virtual environment: python -m venv venv && source venv/bin/activate && pip install requests python-dotenv

Cross-cutting references

• references/hook-formulas.md - the 10 TikTok 3-second hook formulas with goal tags (completion, saves, comments, shares)
• references/algorithm-heuristics.md - 2026 TikTok ranking signals: completion rate, rewatch, shares, sound timing
• references/voice-rules.md - the canonical voice rules every skill inherits (spoken script, on-screen text, caption)

---

Runtime compatibility

tiktok-skills/
  skills/             SKILL.md frontmatter; native to Claude Code and Codex, others read as markdown
  .codex-marketplace/ generated nested Codex package (run scripts/sync_codex_marketplace.py)
  lib/                pure Python, works in any agent runtime
  references/         pure markdown, works anywhere
  scripts/            pure Python CLI, works anywhere

Runtime	Auto-discovers skills?	Setup
Claude Code (CLI, Desktop, Web, IDE)	Yes	Install via plugin or clone. Skills activate on matching prompts.
Codex CLI	Yes	codex plugin marketplace add sergebulaev/tiktok-skills and codex plugin add tiktok-skills@tiktok-skills.
Anthropic Managed Agents (/v1/agents)	Yes	Pass skill files in the agent context.
Cursor / Cline / Aider	Manual	Read SKILL.md files as prompt context; import lib/ as Python.
LangChain / AutoGen	No	Use lib/ as a package; feed references/ as prompt context.

Generic Python agent quickstart

import sys; sys.path.insert(0, "path/to/tiktok-skills")
from lib import parse_tiktok_url, PubloraClient, tiktok_settings, publish

parsed = parse_tiktok_url("https://www.tiktok.com/@levelsio/video/7300000000000000000")
print(parsed["handle"], parsed["video_id"])  # levelsio 7300000000000000000

# Write side (Publora) - full video flow: draft -> upload -> schedule
client = PubloraClient()  # reads PUBLORA_API_KEY from env
client.publish_video(
    content="how I edited 30 videos in a weekend (the batching system) #editing #contentcreator",
    platforms=["tiktok-7123456789"],
    video_path="./render.mp4",
    scheduled_time="2026-07-01T17:00:00.000Z",
    platform_settings=tiktok_settings(viewer_setting="PUBLIC_TO_EVERYONE"),
)

# Or the high-level wrapper that handles manual / Publora / diy routing
publish("video", draft_text="caption here", target_url="https://www.tiktok.com/upload",
        video_path="./render.mp4", platforms=["tiktok-7123456789"])

URL handling

lib/url_parser.py parses TikTok video, profile, and short-share URLs:

URL fragment	Parsed
tiktok.com/@HANDLE/video/ID	{handle, video_id, url_type: "video"}
vm.tiktok.com/CODE/	{short_code, url_type: "short"} (open to resolve the id)
tiktok.com/t/CODE/	{short_code, url_type: "short"}
tiktok.com/@HANDLE	{handle, url_type: "profile"}

python lib/url_parser.py "https://www.tiktok.com/@levelsio/video/7300000000000000000"

Short share links (vm.tiktok.com, tiktok.com/t/) redirect to the canonical URL. The parser does not make network calls, so open the link to recover the numeric video id.

Why publishing is a multi-step flow

TikTok requires media on every post, and the upload is a pre-signed S3 PUT, not a field on create-post. So the client creates a draft, requests an upload URL, PUTs the file, then sets the scheduled time. publish_video chains all four; lib.publish falls back to a caption copy-paste block when no video file is supplied.

References

• Publora API docs - endpoint reference for the publishing layer
• TikTok Content Posting API - the official API behind the 2026 heuristics

License

MIT. Powered by Publora.

Related open-source skill bundles

Part of a family of AI social-media marketing skill bundles for Claude Code and Codex:

• linkedin-skills - LinkedIn
• x-skills - X (Twitter)
• instagram-skills - Instagram
• youtube-skills - YouTube
• threads-skills - Threads
• tiktok-skills - TikTok (this repo)
• facebook-skills - Facebook Pages

Also: Anthropic Skills repo, the awesome-claude-skills directory.