TikTok Content Pipeline — OpenClaw Skill

Automated TikTok carousel content generation, publishing, scheduling, and analytics-driven optimization for any niche.

Overview

This skill provides a complete content pipeline for TikTok accounts. It handles:

• Content Generation — AI-generated carousel slides with hooks, CTAs, and keyword overlays
• Smart Scheduling — Research-backed posting times with account-age-aware frequency
• Publishing — Post to TikTok via Postiz API (supports drafts, scheduled posts, multi-platform)
• Analytics & Optimization — Track performance, diagnose issues, auto-implement improvements

Required Credentials

Credential Storage (Important)

Recommended: Set POSTIZ_API_KEY as an environment variable (e.g. in ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc) rather than storing it in config files. The pipeline checks for this env var first.

Alternative: Store in accounts/<your-account>/config.json under postiz.apiKey. If using this approach, ensure the file is not committed to version control (add to .gitignore).

The Integration ID is account-specific and stored in per-account config.json.

Security Notes

• This skill executes the postiz CLI via shell commands. All arguments are escaped to prevent injection.
• The skill writes files only within its own accounts/ and output/ directories.
• auto-improve mode can modify account configs and auto-post — test on a throwback account first.
• Run npm audit after installing dependencies to check for known vulnerabilities.

Quick Setup

1. Set your Postiz API key: export POSTIZ_API_KEY="your-key-here"
2. Copy config.example.json to accounts/<your-account>/config.json
3. Fill in your TikTok integration ID
4. Create or adapt a template in templates/ for your niche
5. Run: node cli.js create <account> --template <template-name>

See SETUP.md for the full setup guide.

How to Use This Skill

1. Create a New Account

node cli.js create my-brand --template example-nostalgia

This copies the template into accounts/my-brand/ and sets createdAt to now.

2. Configure the Account

Edit accounts/my-brand/config.json:

{
  "account": { "name": "my-brand", "handle": "@mybrand", "niche": "your-niche", "createdAt": "2026-01-15T00:00:00Z" },
  "postiz": { "apiKey": "YOUR_KEY", "integrationId": "YOUR_TIKTOK_ID" },
  "posting": { "timezone": "Europe/London" }
}

Or use the CLI:

node cli.js config my-brand --handle @mybrand --integration-id YOUR_ID --api-key YOUR_KEY

3. Generate Content

node cli.js generate my-brand --type showcase
node cli.js generate my-brand --type showcase --post  # Generate and post as draft

The generator uses the template's generator.js to create carousel slides, applies hooks from config, adds keyword overlays for TikTok SEO, and outputs to accounts/my-brand/output/.

4. Check the Posting Schedule

node cli.js schedule my-brand          # This week's schedule
node cli.js schedule my-brand --next   # Next optimal posting slot

The scheduler automatically adjusts frequency based on account age:

• Days 0-24: Daily posting (building momentum)
• Days 25-30: Taper from 7 → 4 posts/week
• Day 31+: 3-4 posts/week on optimal days

5. Run Analytics

node cli.js analytics my-brand --days 7
node cli.js analytics my-brand --days 7 --auto-improve  # Auto-implement fixes

Research-Backed Viral Mechanics

These findings are baked into the framework's scheduling, optimization, and content scoring:

Algorithm Priority Signals

1. Watch time & completion rate — most critical signal. 80%+ completion = 5x reach.
2. First 3-second hook — determines whether content gets distributed at all.
3. Shares — strongest engagement signal for virality.
4. Saves — growing importance. 15%+ save-to-view = high-value content.
5. Comment engagement — quality conversations > generic comments.

Posting Strategy

• 3-4 posts/week is optimal for established accounts (NOT 3/day — that hurts reach)
• Best days: Wednesday, Tuesday, Thursday
• Best times: Tue 5pm, Wed 2-5pm, Thu 3-5pm
• New accounts: Post daily for first 30 days to build momentum
• Max 1 post/day for established accounts (2/day max for new accounts)

Carousel Advantages

• 3x more saves than standard video
• 40% longer dwell time when users engage
• Lower production barrier — slides are easier to produce than video
• 5-7 slides optimal for maintaining attention
• First slide is everything — must hook immediately

Hook Patterns That Work

Content Scoring

The ViralOptimizer scores content before posting (0-100):

• Hook quality (40% weight) — length, power words, emoji, question format
• Structure (30% weight) — slide count, audio, format
• Engagement potential (30% weight) — CTA presence, opinion-split, hashtag count

Verdicts:

• 80+ = 🔥 HIGH VIRAL POTENTIAL — Post immediately
• 65+ = ✅ GOOD — Ready to post
• 50+ = ⚠️ DECENT — Consider optimizing
• 35+ = 🔧 NEEDS WORK — Apply suggestions
• <35 = ❌ LOW POTENTIAL — Rethink approach

Diagnostic Matrix

When analyzing post performance, use this matrix to decide what to fix:

Key Thresholds

Creating a Custom Template

Templates define the content types, hooks, hashtags, and generation logic for a niche.

Template Structure

templates/your-niche/
├── config.json      # Content types, hooks, hashtags, settings
├── generator.js     # Content generation logic (extends ContentGenerator)
└── README.md        # Template documentation

config.json Required Fields

{
  "account": { "template": "your-niche", "niche": "Your Niche" },
  "content": {
    "types": {
      "your-content-type": { "description": "...", "slides": 6 }
    },
    "hashtagSets": {
      "default": ["#yourniche", "#fyp"]
    }
  },
  "hooks": {
    "your-content-type": ["Hook text 1", "Hook with {placeholder} 2"]
  },
  "posting": { "timezone": "Europe/London" }
}

generator.js Pattern

const ContentGenerator = require('../../core/ContentGenerator');

class YourNicheGenerator extends ContentGenerator {
  getSupportedTypes() {
    return Object.keys(this.config.content.types);
  }

  async _generateContent(contentType, options, outputDir) {
    this._ensureOutputDir(outputDir);
    const hook = this.getSlide1Hook(contentType, options);
    // Generate slides using sharp/canvas/ImageMagick
    // Return { slides: [...paths], hook: hook.text, caption: '...' }
  }
}

module.exports = YourNicheGenerator;

Architecture

tiktok-content-pipeline/
├── cli.js                    # Universal CLI
├── core/
│   ├── ContentGenerator.js   # Abstract base for content generation
│   ├── Publisher.js          # Postiz API integration
│   ├── PostingScheduler.js   # Smart scheduling engine
│   ├── ViralOptimizer.js     # Content scoring & optimization
│   └── AnalyticsEngine.js    # Performance tracking & insights
├── accounts/                 # Per-account configs & output (created at runtime)
└── templates/                # Niche templates
    └── example-nostalgia/    # Example template to fork

Core Components

• ContentGenerator — Abstract base class. Subclass it per niche. Handles hooks, question hooks, keyword overlays, placeholder replacement.
• Publisher — Posts to TikTok (and other platforms) via Postiz CLI. Handles media upload, scheduling, draft mode, and post metadata saving.
• PostingScheduler — Account-age-aware scheduling. Knows optimal days/times from research. Supports weekly schedule generation and overdue detection.
• ViralOptimizer — Pre-post content scoring. Post-performance diagnostic matrix. Hook pattern library with engagement-weighted selection.
• AnalyticsEngine — Pulls metrics from Postiz API. Generates reports with alerts, opportunities, and auto-implementable actions.