# Live status

> Whether a public creator is live, with the current room title, viewers and start time.

- **Request:** `GET https://api.lurkapi.com/v1/tiktok/user/live`
- **Auth:** `x-api-key` header ([get a free key](https://lurkapi.com/login?next=/dashboard))
- **Cost:** 1 credit per call. Validation errors, `401`/`402`/`429` rejections and `5xx` failures are free; `not_found` is charged ([how charging works](https://lurkapi.com/docs.md#credits)).
- **MCP tool:** `tiktok_live` on `https://api.lurkapi.com/mcp`
- **Freshness:** responses are cached for up to 30 seconds
- **Try it live:** https://lurkapi.com/docs/tiktok/live#try (no signup)
- **Platform:** [TikTok](https://lurkapi.com/docs/tiktok.md) (tiktok.com)
- **Web page:** https://lurkapi.com/docs/tiktok/live

## When to use this

Check a creator before a campaign or live collaboration. A room id on the profile can belong to a finished stream, so this endpoint verifies the room's status. Only an active stream returns room details; offline accounts return `is_live: false` and null room fields. Refreshes every 30 seconds. Unknown accounts return 404 `not_found`.

## Parameters

All parameters go in the query string.

| Name | Type | Required | Default | Allowed values | Description | Example |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `handle` | string | yes |  |  | TikTok username, with or without @ (e.g. `nike`), or the profile URL. | `tiktok` |

## Example request

Replace `YOUR_API_KEY` with your key, or set `LURKAPI_KEY` for the code. [Get a free key](https://lurkapi.com/login?next=/dashboard).

curl:

```bash
curl "https://api.lurkapi.com/v1/tiktok/user/live?handle=tiktok" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"
```

JavaScript:

```js
const params = new URLSearchParams({
  handle: "tiktok",
});
const res = await fetch(`https://api.lurkapi.com/v1/tiktok/user/live?${params}`, {
  headers: { "x-api-key": process.env.LURKAPI_KEY },
});
const data = await res.json();
if (!data.success) throw new Error(`${data.code}: ${data.error}`);
console.log(data);
```

Python:

```python
import os
import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.lurkapi.com/v1/tiktok/user/live",
    params={
        "handle": "tiktok",
    },
    headers={"x-api-key": os.environ["LURKAPI_KEY"]},
    timeout=60,
)
data = res.json()
if not data["success"]:
    raise RuntimeError(f"{data['code']}: {data['error']}")
print(data)
```

## Example response

A real response from this endpoint, captured from the live API and trimmed to a couple of items. Strings over 96 characters (mostly signed media URLs) are cut short and end in `…`.

200 OK (application/json):

```json
{
  "success": true,
  "credits_remaining": 999957,
  "credits_charged": 1,
  "user": {
    "id": "107955",
    "uniqueId": "tiktok",
    "nickname": "TikTok",
    "avatarThumb": "https://p16-common-sign.tiktokcdn-us.com/tos-useast5-avt-0068-tx/ba67b11…",
    "verified": true
  },
  "is_live": false,
  "room_id": null,
  "title": null,
  "started_at": null,
  "viewer_count": null,
  "total_joins": null
}
```

## Response fields

Every field of a successful response. `[]` marks a list: `a[].b` is the `b` of each item in `a`. **nullable** fields can be `null`; **optional** fields can be missing.

| Field | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `success` | `true` | Always true here; errors have `success: false`. |
| `credits_remaining` | `number` | Your balance after this call. On anonymous playground calls: free tries left today. |
| `credits_charged` | `number` | Credits this call cost; 0 on free endpoints. On anonymous playground calls: tries used (1). |
| `user` | `object` | The creator. |
| `user.id` | `string` | Numeric user id. |
| `user.uniqueId` | `string` | Username (handle), without @. |
| `user.nickname` | `string` | Display name. |
| `user.avatarThumb` | `string`, nullable | Small avatar URL (expires after a few days); null if TikTok has none. |
| `user.verified` | `boolean` | Has the verified badge. |
| `is_live` | `boolean` | TikTok reports an active livestream (room status 2). |
| `room_id` | `string`, nullable | Current live room id; null when offline. |
| `title` | `string`, nullable | Current stream title; null when offline or unavailable. |
| `started_at` | `number`, nullable | Current stream start time, Unix seconds; null when offline or unknown. |
| `viewer_count` | `number`, nullable | Current concurrent viewers; null when offline or unknown. |
| `total_joins` | `number`, nullable | Total joins since this stream started; null when offline or unknown. |

## Caching and freshness

Responses are cached for up to 30 seconds, so a repeat call within that window can return the same data. It still costs 1 credit.

## Errors

Errors return `{ success: false, error, code, docs }` with the HTTP status below. Validation errors, `401`/`402`/`429` rejections and `5xx` failures are free; `not_found` is charged ([how charging works](https://lurkapi.com/docs.md#credits)). [All error codes](https://lurkapi.com/docs.md#errors).

| Status | Code | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 401 | `missing_api_key` | No API key. Send it in the `x-api-key` header. |
| 401 | `invalid_api_key` | The key is unknown or was revoked. |
| 402 | `insufficient_credits` | Not enough credits for this call. Buy a pack or wait for tomorrow's top-up. |
| 404 | `not_found` | The endpoint, or the thing you asked for (ad, post, subreddit), doesn't exist. Charged when the platform was checked. |
| 405 | `method_not_allowed` | Endpoints take GET with query params. |
| 429 | `rate_limited` | Too many calls at once. Wait for the `retry-after` seconds, then retry. |
| 500 | `internal_error` | Something broke on our side. Retry; 5xx errors are free. |
| 502 | `upstream_error` | The platform didn't give a usable answer. Retry; 5xx errors are free. |
| 503 | `upstream_busy` | All our connections to the platform are busy. Retry in a few seconds; 5xx errors are free. |
| 504 | `upstream_timeout` | The platform took over 30 seconds to answer. Retry; timeouts are free. |

## Use it in Claude

Once LurkAPI is [connected to Claude](https://lurkapi.com/docs.md#claude), this endpoint is the `tiktok_live` tool. Ask in plain English, for example:

Ask Claude:

```text
Use LurkAPI's tiktok_live with handle "tiktok" and summarize what you find.
```

Claude calls `tiktok_live` with arguments like these, and each call costs 1 credit:

Tool arguments:

```json
{
  "handle": "tiktok"
}
```

Tool results skip nulls and empty lists to save tokens.

---

Previous: [TikTok Ad Library ad](https://lurkapi.com/docs/tiktok/ad-library-ad.md) · Next: [Public stories](https://lurkapi.com/docs/tiktok/stories.md)