# Connect TikTok

Bring a TikTok Business account's direct messages into the inbox, and answer comments on your videos and ads automatically.

Connect a **TikTok Business** account and its direct messages land in the **Inbox**, next to every other channel. Comments under your videos can be answered automatically with a public reply, a private message and a like. Connect **TikTok Ads** as well to answer comments under your ads. Distribution rules, flows and the AI assistant work as on other channels.

For buyer chats and orders from your shop, see [TikTok Shop](https://hatang.dev/help/channels/tiktok-shop) instead.

## What it supports

| Area | Supported |
|---|---|
| Incoming messages | Text, images (copied into Ha Tang), shared videos (shown as a link) and stickers (as `[Sticker]`) |
| Outgoing messages | Text (up to 1,000 characters per message), quoted replies, and images up to 10 MB when TikTok allows images in that conversation; other files go out as a download link |
| Messages from the TikTok app | Messages you send from the TikTok app appear in the conversation as agent messages |
| Video comments | Public reply, private message to the commenter, automatic like |
| Ad comments | Public reply |

## Before you start

- A **TikTok Business** account. To switch a personal account, open the TikTok app and go to **Profile → menu → Settings and privacy → Account → Switch to Business Account**.
- An admin login of that account.
- Direct messages allowed from everyone in the TikTok app. Otherwise new messages wait for you to accept them in the app.
- The account is not registered in the **EU, Switzerland or the UK**: TikTok does not offer business messaging there.
- The **Manage** level on the Customer Support module, and at least one **website** under **Customer Support → Channels**.

## Connect the account

1. Go to **Customer Support → Channels**, click **Add channel** and pick **TikTok** under **Social**.
2. If the business has several websites, choose one under **Attach new connections to site**.
3. Click **Connect TikTok**. Sign in to TikTok and allow Ha Tang to read your profile and videos, read and send messages, and read and manage comments.
4. Back in **Customer Support → Channels**, the account appears under **Social** as `@username` with the status **Active**.

### Connect TikTok Ads (optional)

To answer comments under your ads:

1. On the same **TikTok** page of the catalogue, click **Connect TikTok Ads**.
2. Sign in to TikTok for Business and authorize your ad accounts.
3. Each ad account appears as its own row with the **Ads** badge.

If the TikTok login manages no ad accounts, the connection fails with "This TikTok account manages no ad accounts".

## TikTok's send limits

TikTok limits what a business can send to one customer:

- up to **10 messages within 48 hours** of the customer's last message;
- after 48 hours, up to **3 more messages** until the customer writes again.

Messages from agents, bots and the TikTok app all count. When the limit is reached, the message is not sent and the conversation gets an internal note. Keep messages short and end with a question, so the customer replies and the count starts over.

TikTok also only lets you reply after the customer has written to you. To start a conversation from a comment, turn on the private message in comment auto-replies.

## Comment auto-replies

Each TikTok account and each Ads account has an **Auto-reply to comments** tab next to **Connection** on its page. Tick **Turn on comment auto-replies**, choose the videos (tick **All posts**, or paste video links such as `https://www.tiktok.com/@shop/video/7351234567890123456`, one per line; ad ids for an Ads account), and pick the **Public reply**: **A random line from below** or **Written by the AI from the comment**. For video comments you can also tick **Message the commenter privately** and **Like comments automatically**. Click **Save**.

What is specific to TikTok:

- Ha Tang checks for new comments **every 5 minutes**. With **All posts**, it looks at the account's 10 most recent videos.
- Each person gets at most **one public reply per video per 24 hours**.
- Ad comments only get a public reply: no private message and no like.
- Comments on TikTok **LIVE** are not supported.

The settings are the same as for Facebook and Instagram. See [Comment auto-replies](https://hatang.dev/help/automation/comment-auto-replies) for each option.

## Distribution and automation

To send TikTok conversations to one team, tick **TikTok** under a [distribution rule](https://hatang.dev/help/automation/routing-rules)'s **Channels (none ticked = any)**. Flows, the [AI assistant](https://hatang.dev/help/ai/ai-overview) and reports apply as on other channels, within TikTok's send limits.

## Reconnecting and disconnecting

Ha Tang renews the TikTok session on its own every hour. If TikTok stops accepting it, for example because you removed Ha Tang's access in TikTok, the account's status changes to **Needs reconnecting**: click **Reconnect** on its page. See [Reconnect a channel](https://hatang.dev/help/channels/reconnect-channel).

Click **Disconnect** at the bottom of the account's page to stop new messages. Past conversations are kept, and connecting the same account again in the same business keeps its history and settings.

## Troubleshooting

| The Inbox says | Cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| a TikTok Business account is required | The account is a personal account | Switch it to Business in the TikTok app and reconnect |
| the customer hasn't messaged you first | TikTok only allows replies after the customer writes | Turn on the private message in comment auto-replies |
| the TikTok access token expired | The session could not be renewed | Reconnect the account under **Customer Support → Channels** |
| outside the channel's reply window | You reached TikTok's 10-message or 3-message limit | Wait for the customer to write again |

Other problems:

- **No messages arrive.** Check that the account allows messages from everyone and is not registered in the EU, Switzerland or the UK.
- **Comments are not answered.** Check that the rule is turned on, that the video is among the 10 most recent (or listed by link), and that the keyword filter matches. Allow up to 5 minutes.