TikTok DM Automation on the official API

What works where on TikTok in 2026

TikTok, not ChattyFlow, decides which features are available in which country, so these limits apply to every tool that uses TikTok's official API. ChattyFlow reads the country of your account and switches off what TikTok doesn't allow there, even for automations created before a move.

The Gulf, Egypt, the Maghreb and most other markets fall in the last column: public replies, and DM replies when the person messages you first, but no DM triggered by a comment.

How the one-minute check works

Instagram pushes each new comment to ChattyFlow the moment it is posted. On TikTok, ChattyFlow picks up comments with a check that runs every minute and reads the newest comments on each video you have automated. Comments that match your keyword get a reply; comments older than 48 hours are left alone, so switching on an automation never answers an old backlog.

Before posting a public reply, ChattyFlow waits a random 10 to 30 seconds so the account never answers machine-fast. Together, that puts a TikTok reply a few minutes after the comment, not two to five seconds. Busy videos are paced, so a burst of comments is answered over the following minutes rather than all at once, and every comment is recorded so it never gets two replies.

In the US, the EEA, Switzerland or the UK? What to do instead

For accounts based in these countries TikTok DM automation isn't available, whichever tool you use. What still works:

• Reply publicly to comments. Public replies work in every country: answer under the video and point people to the link in your bio.
• Bring the conversation to Instagram. Instagram comment-to-DM works worldwide on Meta's official API, so post the same video as a Reel and let a keyword send the link by DM.
• Send people to your website, where ChattyFlow's AI chat (Growth plan) can answer questions and capture the lead.
• Don't try to get around the limit. VPNs, a false account country or unofficial tools break TikTok's terms and put the account at risk, and ChattyFlow won't help with any of them.

Before you start

• A TikTok Business account. Switching is free in the TikTok app: Settings and privacy → Account → Switch to Business Account.
• An account based outside the US, the EEA, Switzerland and the UK for any DM feature, and in Vietnam, Thailand or Indonesia for comment-to-DM. Public replies work anywhere.
• TikTok's approval of your account for business messaging. Without it, TikTok refuses DMs with an "Advanced Access" error, while comment replies keep working.
• The videos you want to automate, picked in ChattyFlow's post picker.

Official TikTok API

Built on the TikTok API for Business and the TikTok Business Messaging API. No scraping and no fake clients, the tools that break TikTok's terms.

Comment replies everywhere

Set a keyword ("INFO", "LINK", "شراء") and ChattyFlow replies publicly to matching comments in any country, within a few minutes. In Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia the comment can also trigger a DM.

Arabic, French, English

The dashboard, flow builder and public pages are in Arabic (right to left), French and English.

Runs alongside Instagram

One dashboard, one flow builder, one subscription. Toggle between TikTok and Instagram automations on the same account.

What is TikTok DM automation?

TikTok DM automation sends a direct message automatically when something happens on TikTok: most often when someone messages you a keyword, or, in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia only, when someone comments a keyword on your video. ChattyFlow sends these messages through the TikTok Business Messaging API. TikTok doesn't offer DM automation in the United States, the EEA, Switzerland or the UK.

Does TikTok allow DM automation?

Yes, through the TikTok Business Messaging API for Business accounts, in the countries where TikTok offers it: not in the US, the EEA, Switzerland or the UK, and comment-to-DM only in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. Tools that scrape the app or fake client requests break TikTok's terms; official API automation is the route TikTok provides.

Is TikTok DM automation against TikTok's Terms of Service?

Automation through TikTok's official business APIs is the route TikTok itself provides. Scraping, fake clients or reverse-engineered APIs break TikTok's terms and put the account at risk. ChattyFlow uses only official endpoints and switches DM features off in the countries where TikTok doesn't offer them.

Do I need a TikTok Business account?

Yes. TikTok's messaging APIs only work with Business accounts, and ChattyFlow checks the account type when you connect. Switching is free: TikTok app → Settings and privacy → Account → Switch to Business Account.

How does the TikTok DM API work?

You connect your TikTok Business account through TikTok's official login for the TikTok API for Business and grant access to your videos, comments and messages. A check runs every minute and reads new comments on the videos you automate. When one matches your keyword, ChattyFlow posts your public reply after a short, human-like pause of 10 to 30 seconds and, in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia, can also send the DM through the TikTok Business Messaging API. Messages people send you are answered by your Direct automations.

Can I automate DMs to people who don't follow me?

Following isn't the rule; contact is. TikTok lets a business answer people who message it first, and in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia a comment on your video can also open the conversation. Cold DMs to people who haven't contacted you aren't allowed, and ChattyFlow doesn't send them.

What's the difference between ChattyFlow and ManyChat for TikTok?

Both use TikTok's official API, so both are bound by the same country limits. ChattyFlow adds Arabic (right to left) and French interfaces, prices shown in TND, EUR or USD, a free plan with real automation, and seller tools such as a cash-on-delivery order form inside the DM.

How much does TikTok DM automation cost?

There is a Free plan with real automation, and every new account gets a 14-day free trial of Growth 20. After day 14 an account stays on Free (automations keep running; Booking, the AI Messenger and the Lead Engine need a paid tier). Paid tiers are 49, 99 and 199 a month, with prices shown in TND, EUR or USD.

How quickly does the DM get sent?

In Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia, where a comment can trigger a DM, usually within a few minutes: ChattyFlow checks comments every minute, in rotation across all active automations, and matches the keyword, and public replies also wait a human-like 10 to 30 seconds. Instagram is faster: Meta pushes a webhook, so replies there go out in seconds.

What languages does ChattyFlow support on TikTok?

The entire dashboard, flow builder, and public-facing pages are in English, French, and Arabic (with proper RTL layout). Your automated DMs themselves can be written in any language TikTok supports.