TikTok unaudited_client_can_only_post_to_private_accounts

unaudited_client_can_only_post_to_private_accounts is a 403 from TikTok's Direct Post API. TikTok restricts everything an unaudited client posts to private viewing, and the publish call to /publish/video/init/ is blocked when the account is not private. Until your client passes TikTok's audit, test against a private account; Sume cannot lift this, because posting is your own call to TikTok.

TikTok's text is from its Direct Post reference; Sume's job flow from Video generation and Bulk runs, read 2026-10-01.

What does TikTok say about unaudited clients?

The reference notes that all content posted by unaudited clients is restricted to private viewing mode, and that once you have tested the integration, your API client must undergo an audit to lift the restriction. The error table lists this code under 403: unaudited clients can only post to a private account, and the attempt is blocked when calling /publish/video/init/.

What is Sume's part in a TikTok post?

Sume makes the video; it does not call TikTok for you. The video docs' flow is to submit, poll the job, then download the video from the content URL. You then send those bytes or a URL to TikTok yourself, with your own TikTok credentials. The result's durable media.sume.com URL has a null expires_at, so the file will still be there when your audit clears.

How do I test before the audit?

Will a small Sume batch help?

A bulk queue takes between 1 and 100 items and concurrency between 1 and 16. For an audit demo, a handful of items is enough to show your upload flow end to end. The queue has no webhook, so poll its status URL, and remember that completed means every item is terminal, not that every item succeeded.

For file formats and sizes TikTok accepts, see TikTok video specs for API upload.