Tt Caption Writer

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 ( 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 | PUBLICTOEVERYONE (default), MUTUALFOLLOWFRIENDS, FOLLOWEROFCREATOR, 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.

1. 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

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.

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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(...).

1. Char check. Confirm caption + hashtags , videopath=, platformsettings=,

scheduled_time=, platforms=[])`. 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 heuristics
• references/settings-matrix.md - every platformSettings.tiktok value, defaults, and the known bugs
• lib/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 publishing
• tt-content-planner - schedule captions across a posting week

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: sergebulaev
• Source: sergebulaev/tiktok-skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.