TikTok API for Videos, Creators, Sounds and Ads

One call and its real response, trimmed

Look up a hashtag's trend: GET /v1/hashtags/{platform}/{tag}. Price: 3 credits, the same when a Snapshot under 24 h old can answer.

Request

curl "https://www.shortsintel.com/v1/hashtags/tiktok/skincaretips" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_YOUR_KEY"

Response

{
  "run": { "kind": "hashtag_lookup", "status": "completed", "charge_credits": 3 },
  "result": {
    "tag": "skincaretips",
    "platform": "tiktok",
    "stats": {
      "sampled_videos": 24,
      "views_total": 48052423,
      "views_median": 681950,
      "views_max": 20200000,
      "likes_total": 3433374,
      "comments_total": 28964,
      "engagement_rate": 0.1121
    },
    "trend": { "since": null, "direction": null, "change_ratio": null },
    "top_videos": [
      { "posted_at": "2024-04-01T03:26:48.000Z", "snapshot": { "views": 20200000, "likes": 1300000, "saves": 702013 },
        "hashtags": ["skincareroutine", "nighttimeskincare", "affordableskincare"] },
      { "posted_at": "2026-01-12T07:02:29.000Z", "snapshot": { "views": 6300000, "likes": 374400, "saves": 197321 },
        "hashtags": ["skincareroutine", "antiagingskincare", "glowingskin", "finelinesandwrinkles"] },
      ...
    ]
  }
}

Real response from our own account, trimmed: two of the top Videos are shown, their id, url and creator are cut, and ... marks the cut. trend is null on a first lookup and fills in once an earlier Snapshot exists. Captured 1 November 2026. Every field: Look up a hashtag's trend reference.

What developers build on the TikTok API

• Flag a Creator's Videos that ran far above their own median, using the outlier Score on each Video.
• Watch a Sound's Video count daily and act when it starts to climb.
• Pull the hook, transcript and visual format of a TikTok Video into a creative brief.
• List the Ads an Advertiser ran on TikTok in Europe, with targeting by country, age and gender.
• Read a Video's comments and replies to find what its viewers keep asking for.

Every TikTok API operation and its price

Questions

Is the TikTok API official?

No. ShortsIntel is not TikTok and is not affiliated with it. It reads public TikTok data (Videos, captions, public counts, profiles, Hashtag and Sound pages, search results and the TikTok Ad Library), directly or through third-party data providers, and you never log in to a TikTok account. TikTok's own developer APIs need an approved app and serve narrower uses. Use ShortsIntel when you need public TikTok data without that approval.

How fresh is the data?

A call reads TikTok when you make it, directly or through a third-party data provider. A Video, Hashtag, Sound or Keyword lookup may be answered from a Snapshot under 24 hours old, at the same price. Paging a Hashtag's or Sound's Videos is always fresh, and so is a Score. Lookups write Snapshots, and reading that history back is free.

Is it production ready?

The API is versioned at /v1 with an OpenAPI 3.1 document. Limits are 60 requests per minute per key and 10 running Runs per Customer. Paid lookups and searches take estimate=true to quote the price before any charge. When TikTok cannot be read, the call answers 503 source_unavailable and is not charged. Because the API is unofficial, TikTok can change what it shows publicly, a count it stops publishing reads 0, and any other field comes back null.

Do I need a card?

No. New accounts get 1,000 credits free, valid for 90 days. You sign up with email or Google. A card is needed only when you top up, from $10, at 1,000 credits per US dollar.

Can I use the same operations from Claude or Cursor?

Yes. Each card above names the MCP tool that reaches the operation. Connect the ShortsIntel MCP server and your Assistant calls them for you, at the same prices. Operations marked REST only are free history reads an Assistant rarely needs.

More on this API

• TikTok MCPWhat an Assistant can read on TikTok through the ShortsIntel MCP server, including the TikTok Ad Library, with sample output and connect steps.
• TikTok API vs scrapingWhat TikTok's official APIs and the Research API return, who can use them, and how scraping and an MCP server compare for marketers.
• TikTok Ad LibraryWhat TikTok's Ad Library holds, the countries it covers, what each Ad shows, and how to search it from your Assistant.
• TikTok Hashtag researchFind the TikTok Hashtags your niche's best Videos share, read the sampled views behind each one, and track the ones that matter.
• Find trending SoundsFind the Sounds your niche's top TikTok Videos use, check how many Videos use each and how recent they are, and track the ones you might use.
• API referenceEvery /v1 operation with its parameters, schemas and error codes.

Start with the Starter Grant