# TikTok Search Top API (https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/tiktok/search-top)

> Returns the top-ranked videos for a keyword query on TikTok. Rows are posts only: account search lives at `/v1/tiktok/search/users` and sound search at `/v1/tiktok/search/music`. Filter by `publish_time` (also accepted as `date_posted`, the spelling `/v1/tiktok/search` uses) and `sort_by`. Every row carries `post.ext.region`, the country the video is registered to. The `region` request parameter only sets the proxy; filter on `post.ext.region` when you need one country. `post.ext.matched_song_id` is the catalogue song TikTok matched the row's sound to, present when it made a match: an official clip and the original sounds creators upload with it have different `post.ext.music_id` values and one `matched_song_id`, so group on it to count a song's uses (it is not a clipId for `/v1/tiktok/song/videos`).

TL;DR: `GET /v1/tiktok/search/top` costs 1 credit per call and returns SocialCrawl's unified JSON schema. Single x-api-key auth, 100 free credits on signup.

## Parameters

| Parameter | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `query` | yes | Search keyword or phrase |
| `publish_time` | no | Time Frame TikTok was posted (yesterday \| this-week \| this-month \| last-3-months \| last-6-months \| all-time) |
| `sort_by` | no | Sort by (relevance \| most-liked \| date-posted) |
| `region` | no | Sets the proxy country (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2). It does not filter the page to that country. Each row already carries post.ext.region, the country the video is registered to; filter on that leaf when you need only one country. |
| `cursor` | no | Cursor to get more videos. Get 'cursor' from previous response. |
| `since` | no | Only rows published on or after this date: YYYY-MM-DD (midnight UTC) or an ISO 8601 timestamp. Rows older than it are left off each page. This list is not in date order, so the walk does not stop at the date: keep following `next_cursor`, and each page costs what a page costs even when every row on it is filtered out. A row with no date is kept. `published_after`, `start_date`, `from_date`, `publish_time` (`yesterday`, `this-week`, `this-month`, `last-3-months`, `last-6-months`) and `max_age_days` are accepted and applied as `since`. |
| `until` | no | Only rows published on or before this date: YYYY-MM-DD (that whole UTC day is included) or an ISO 8601 timestamp. Newer rows are left off each page and the walk does not stop, so older pages follow. A row with no date is kept. `published_before`, `end_date` and `to_date` are accepted and applied as `until`. |
| `min_views` | no | Keep only rows with at least this many views (`post.engagement.views`). A row whose view count is unknown is discarded, so every returned row meets the floor. Filtering runs on our side after each page is fetched, so every page walked is billed as usual; `data.walk.discarded` counts what was removed and why. Each page is its own entry in `GET /v1/credits/transactions`, under the page's request id listed in `data.walk.request_ids`. |
| `max_age_days` | no | Keep only rows published within this many days (`post.published_at`), 1 to 3650. A row with no date is discarded. Filtering runs on our side after each page is fetched, so every page walked is billed as usual; `data.walk.discarded` counts what was removed and why. Each page is its own entry in `GET /v1/credits/transactions`, under the page's request id listed in `data.walk.request_ids`. |
| `country` | no | Comma-separated two-letter ISO 3166-1 codes, for example `US,GB`. Keep only videos TikTok registers to one of these countries (`post.ext.region`); a row with no country is discarded. This filters rows; it does not change where the search runs (that is `region`). Filtering runs on our side after each page is fetched, so every page walked is billed as usual; `data.walk.discarded` counts what was removed and why. Each page is its own entry in `GET /v1/credits/transactions`, under the page's request id listed in `data.walk.request_ids`. |
| `exclude_country` | no | Comma-separated two-letter ISO 3166-1 codes, for example `IN`. Discard videos TikTok registers to any of these countries (`post.ext.region`); a row with no country is kept. Filtering runs on our side after each page is fetched, so every page walked is billed as usual; `data.walk.discarded` counts what was removed and why. Each page is its own entry in `GET /v1/credits/transactions`, under the page's request id listed in `data.walk.request_ids`. |
| `sort_rows` | no | `views`: return the kept rows ordered by view count, highest first, across every page walked. Rows without a view count go last. (views) |
| `max_pages` | no | 1 to 50 (default 1, or 50 when `max_items` or `max_credits` is sent). Walk up to this many pages in one call and return the rows from all of them (after any filter). Each page walked is billed exactly as one call to this endpoint (a cached page is free) and counts against your rate limit; its charge and any refund are recorded under the page's own request id, listed in `data.walk.request_ids`. The walk stops early at the last page, or when the request's time budget runs low; `data.walk.stopped` says why (`end`, `max_pages`, `max_items`, `max_credits`, `time_budget`, `page_error`) and `pagination.next_cursor` continues from where it stopped. |
| `max_items` | no | 1 to 5000. Get more in one call: keep walking pages until the response holds at least this many rows (after any filter), then stop with `data.walk.stopped: "max_items"`. The last page is returned whole (it was billed), so `data.items` can hold up to one page more than this, and `pagination.next_cursor` resumes right after it without skipping a row. Walks up to 50 pages unless `max_pages` says fewer; each page is billed as one call (a cached page is free). Add `max_credits` to cap the spend. A long walk can stop on the time budget first (`"time_budget"`): send the returned cursor with the same params to continue. |
| `max_credits` | no | 1 to 100000. The most this call may spend, across every page it walks. A page starts only while the credits already spent plus that page's price (or, when higher, the most any page of this walk has cost) still fit, so the call never goes past it; the walk then stops with `data.walk.stopped: "max_credits"` and the cursor to resume. Sent alone, it walks as far as the budget goes (up to 50 pages). A value below the price of one page is a free 400 whose `error.details.page_credits` names that price. Credits a row join (`include=`) adds are known only once a page has run, so page 1 is checked against its own price. |
| `seen` | no | An id you choose (1 to 64 letters, digits, `.`, `_` or `-`). Rows your account already received under the same `seen` id are removed from the page, and the page price falls with the share of repeats: page credits x new rows / rows on the page, rounded up, so a page of nothing but repeats is free. Only the page's own price is discounted: credits for joined data (`include=`) are charged only for rows you have not received, and are never discounted. The memory lasts 24 hours from the last call that used the id, holds row ids only, and is private to your account. Use one id across a set of related searches; `data.walk.repeats` counts what was removed. |

## Code example

```bash
curl -G "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/tiktok/search/top" \
  --data-urlencode "query=dance challenge" \
  -H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY"
```

## FAQ

### What does the TikTok Top Search endpoint return?

It returns TikTok's blended top search results for a keyword, a mix of accounts, videos, and sounds in one response. Each item includes its type, id, and type-specific fields like follower counts, view counts, or track metadata.

### How is Top Search different from the keyword Search endpoint?

The /v1/tiktok/search endpoint returns videos only. The /v1/tiktok/search/top endpoint returns TikTok's top tab, a blended mix of accounts, videos, and sounds, matching what users see in the app.

### Can I filter Top Search results by date or sort order?

Yes. Pass publish_time (yesterday, this-week, this-month, last-3-months, last-6-months, all-time) and sort_by (relevance, most-liked, date-posted) to narrow the result set.

### How do I paginate through Top Search results?

Read the cursor field from the response and pass it as the cursor parameter on your next request. Repeat until cursor is 0 or empty to collect every result for the query.

### How much does the TikTok Top Search API cost?

Each request costs 1 credit on the standard tier regardless of how many items are returned in the page. New accounts get 100 free credits with no credit card required.

See the full TikTok API: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/tiktok

## Pricing

- Standard endpoints: 1 credit per call
- Advanced endpoints: 5 credits per call
- Premium endpoints: 10 credits per call
- 100 free credits on signup, no credit card required. Cached responses cost 0 credits. Credit packs never expire.
- Full pricing: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/pricing

## Explore with AI

Questions this API answers, phrased for an AI assistant:

- What is the SocialCrawl TikTok Top Search API?
- How to get mixed TikTok search results with the SocialCrawl API