# TikTok carousel scheduler: schedule photo posts with clear limits
ClipHabit is built on TikTok's official Content Posting API and TikTok Login Kit. TikTok approved the ClipHabit app on October 8, 2026, and approved its Direct Post audit on October 14, 2026. You choose each post's visibility from the options TikTok offers for your account. Access is invite-only. Payments are not active. [Product status](https://cliphabit.com/product-status/).
Last updated October 14, 2026 · [ClipHabit](/about/) · TikTok sources verified October 2, 2026
**To schedule a TikTok carousel in ClipHabit, upload a photo-only batch, review its order and cover, then choose Direct post or Send to TikTok drafts and a time.** Photo carousels are included on every plan. Starter: up to 10 photos. Pro and Agency: up to 35 photos. Direct Post starts a publishing request; drafts send an inbox handoff that you finish in TikTok. [7](#source-7) [3](#source-3)
ClipHabit is invite-only. A scheduled inbox handoff is not a publicly published post. [8](#source-8) [3](#source-3)
## What TikTok supports for [photo posts](/glossary/#photo-carousel)
In the TikTok app, a photo post can hold up to **35 photos**, according to TikTok's Help Center, checked October 2, 2026. You can edit the cover and description before posting or saving a draft. Creator Academy also describes 35 images and longer descriptions, up to 4,000 characters. [1](#source-1) [2](#source-2)
**TikTok photo API limits**
| Field | Documented support |
| --- | --- |
| Photos | Up to 35 publicly accessible photo URLs verified by the app; the API uses PULL_FROM_URL. [3](#source-3) |
| Formats and size | JPEG or WebP, up to 20 MB per image and up to 1080p. TikTok does not define 1080p dimensions in the reviewed guide. [4](#source-4) |
| Cover | Choose a photo by its position, using an index starting at zero. [3](#source-3) |
| Title and description | Optional title up to 90 UTF-16 units; description up to 4,000 UTF-16 units. TikTok counts these lengths in UTF-16, so not every visible character counts as one. [3](#source-3) |
| Direct Post | Publish to the account after creator consent. The privacy choice must match the current options returned for that creator. Unaudited clients are restricted to private viewing. [3](#source-3) [6](#source-6) |
| Inbox upload | TikTok sends an inbox notification; the creator opens it, finishes editing, and publishes. Photo title and description carry into that editing flow. TikTok app version 31.8 or later is required. [3](#source-3) |
## Can TikTok schedule photo posts natively?
**We have not verified native photo scheduling.** TikTok's Help Center page on scheduling describes videos only. The reviewed TikTok pages do not say whether photo posts can or cannot be scheduled natively. Check the options in your account; this documentation gap does not establish a restriction. [5](#source-5)
## How to schedule a TikTok carousel in ClipHabit
1. **Select photos only.** Use JPEG or WebP and stay within your plan limit: Starter: up to 10 photos. Pro and Agency: up to 35 photos. Photos and videos cannot share one carousel. [7](#source-7)
2. **Upload and wait for validation.** ClipHabit accepts up to 20,000,000 bytes per photo, with the longer side at most 1,920 pixels and the shorter side at most 1,080. This is ClipHabit's interpretation of the API's 1080p wording, not a more precise TikTok specification. [7](#source-7) [4](#source-4)
3. **Review the order and pick a cover.** ClipHabit preserves the order supplied by the file picker or drop event. The current upload list has no drag-to-reorder control. Check the sequence before continuing and choose the cover photo in the composer for a multi-photo post. API media IDs set the order and the cover index selects its cover. [7](#source-7) [3](#source-3)
4. **Write the description and choose a mode.** The composer's caption becomes the TikTok photo description. The composer also lets you add an optional photo title of up to 90 UTF-16 units. For photos, both title and description reach TikTok in Direct Post and inbox upload. [7](#source-7) [3](#source-3)
5. **Review and choose a time.** Use the next recurring slot or a manual future time. Direct Post requires privacy and interaction choices plus music consent. Posts created or edited through MCP wait for human approval in ClipHabit before scheduling. [7](#source-7) [6](#source-6)
The carousel limit is independent of video bulk upload. Starter allows 10 videos per batch; Pro and Agency allow 100. A photo-only batch creates one photo post, not one post per image. Read the [bulk upload guide](/features/bulk-upload-tiktok/) for video batches and [pricing](/#pricing) for plan details. [7](#source-7)
## Direct Post or an inbox handoff?
Choose **Direct post** for a finished carousel and approve its settings in ClipHabit. TikTok processes the publishing request; the scheduled time is not a guarantee of immediate publication. [7](#source-7) [3](#source-3) [8](#source-8)
Choose **Send to TikTok drafts** to schedule the inbox handoff. Open the notification in TikTok and complete the post there. For photo posts, title and description carry over. This flow is separate from drafts already saved inside the TikTok app; ClipHabit does not import those drafts. [3](#source-3) [7](#source-7)
The Photo API page repeats a cap of at most five pending shares within any 24-hour period, but its error description says videos. ClipHabit makes a conservative choice: it limits draft sends to **five per account in a rolling 24-hour window**, counting photos and videos together and including completed sends. That is ClipHabit's quota policy, not an explicit TikTok statement that all photo and video drafts share a quota. See the [draft handoff guide](/features/tiktok-drafts/). [3](#source-3) [7](#source-7)
## Photo formats, conversion, and music
**ClipHabit does not convert PNG or HEIC, and it does not resize photos.** Convert other formats to JPEG or WebP and resize oversized images before uploading. The API download URL must be HTTPS, belong to a path the app owns, avoid redirects, and remain available during the download, which times out after one hour. [7](#source-7) [4](#source-4)
TikTok's photo API can add recommended music to Direct Post photos when an app requests it with auto_add_music. ClipHabit does not request that option today. The reviewed photo endpoint has no field for selecting a specific track. We do not promise that a carousel receives music automatically or that you can choose a song in ClipHabit. [3](#source-3) [7](#source-7)
## Frequently asked questions
### How many photos can I schedule in one TikTok carousel?
TikTok documents up to 35 photos in an app post and up to 35 photo URLs through its API. In ClipHabit, Starter allows up to 10 photos per carousel; Pro and Agency allow up to 35. The carousel limit is separate from the video batch limit. [1](#source-1) [3](#source-3) [7](#source-7)
### Can I schedule TikTok photo posts with Direct Post?
ClipHabit can schedule a photo Direct Post request, subject to TikTok processing and account restrictions. Access is invite-only. [3](#source-3) [7](#source-7) [8](#source-8)
### Does TikTok let me schedule a carousel natively?
This is unverified in the TikTok documentation reviewed on October 2, 2026. The Help Center scheduling page describes videos. It does not establish whether native photo scheduling is available or unavailable. [5](#source-5)
### Do a photo title and description reach TikTok drafts?
Yes. The Photo API supports both fields for inbox uploads. ClipHabit sends the photo title and its caption as the description in both modes. The web composer lets you edit both the photo title and the description. [3](#source-3) [7](#source-7)
### Can ClipHabit upload PNG or HEIC photos?
No. ClipHabit accepts JPEG and WebP photos and does not convert or resize them. Each photo must be at most 20,000,000 bytes, with its longer side at most 1,920 pixels and shorter side at most 1,080 pixels. [7](#source-7) [4](#source-4)
### Can I add music to a scheduled carousel in ClipHabit?
ClipHabit does not offer track selection or request TikTok's recommended-music option today. TikTok documents that option for Direct Post only. An inbox upload opens TikTok's editing flow, but we have not verified a specific music workflow for photo inbox handoffs. [3](#source-3) [7](#source-7)
## How we researched this
Read our [editorial policy](/editorial-policy/) for our sourcing, AI-assisted drafting and review, conflicts of interest, and corrections process.
This guide uses only the October 2, 2026 carousel fact sheet for TikTok claims. That research read developer documentation as server-rendered HTML and the Help Center and Creator Academy in headless Chromium. We distinguish app features, API rules, and gaps in native-scheduling evidence. ClipHabit behavior was checked against this repository on October 4, 2026, including the explicit plan limits chosen that day. We did not perform a live photo publishing or music experiment. ClipHabit makes and funds this guide.
## Sources
1. TikTok Help Center: Making a post, [TikTok Help Center: Making a post](https://www.tiktok.com/support/faq_detail?id=7581826684085606968), undated; verified October 2, 2026.
2. TikTok Creator Academy: Tell Stories with Photos, [TikTok Creator Academy: Tell Stories with Photos](https://www.tiktok.com/creator-academy/en/article/photo-posting), updated July 3, 2026; verified October 2, 2026.
3. TikTok Photo API reference, [TikTok Photo API reference](https://developers.tiktok.com/doc/content-posting-api-reference-photo-post), updated August 24, 2026; verified October 2, 2026.
4. TikTok Media Transfer Guide, [TikTok Media Transfer Guide](https://developers.tiktok.com/doc/content-posting-api-media-transfer-guide), updated August 4, 2026; verified October 2, 2026.
5. TikTok Help Center: Schedule video, [TikTok Help Center: Schedule video](https://www.tiktok.com/support/faq_detail?id=7078299678101477893), undated; verified October 2, 2026.
6. TikTok Content Sharing Guidelines, [TikTok Content Sharing Guidelines](https://developers.tiktok.com/doc/content-sharing-guidelines), updated August 4, 2026; verified October 2, 2026.
7. ClipHabit plans and carousel limits, [ClipHabit plans and carousel limits](https://cliphabit.com/data/product.json), checked against app/src/plans.ts, post validation, uploader, and composer; verified October 4, 2026.
8. ClipHabit product status, [ClipHabit product status](https://cliphabit.com/product-status/), current repository availability statement; verified October 4, 2026.
## Related
- [TikTok drafts and inbox handoffs](/features/tiktok-drafts/)
- [Bulk upload TikTok videos](/features/bulk-upload-tiktok/)
- [All feature guides](/features/)
- [How to schedule TikTok posts](/blog/how-to-schedule-tiktok-posts/)
- [API and MCP approval workflow](/ai/)
[Request an invite](https://app.cliphabit.com/invite?plan=pro&billing=yearly&cta=seo-b5).