Messaging limits
How many DMs you can send a buyer, and when — the rules TikTok puts on the Business Messaging API.
TikTok caps how many messages a Business Account can send in a conversation. These limits aren't Tuku's — they come from the TikTok Business Messaging API, and they apply to every DM, whether the bot sends it or a teammate does.
Knowing the rules helps you design flows that don't get cut off and pick up handoffs before the window closes.
These limits apply to non-mutual follow conversations — the normal case for a buyer who DMs your shop. The buyer always has to message first; you can't open a conversation cold.
The three windows
| Window | When it applies | What you can send |
|---|---|---|
| Initial window | The buyer sends their first message. | Up to 10 messages within the next 48 hours. |
| Active window | The buyer replies to you. | Unlimited messages for the next 48 hours after each reply. |
| Inactive limit | More than 48 hours pass since the buyer's last reply. | A maximum of 3 more messages, until the buyer replies again. |
Every time the buyer replies, the 48-hour clock resets and the unlimited window reopens.
How a conversation flows
- Buyer sends the first message. You can send up to 10 messages over the next 48 hours.
- Buyer replies. A fresh 48-hour window opens — send as many messages as you need.
- Buyer goes quiet for over 48 hours. You drop to 3 more messages. Use them to nudge, not to spam.
- Buyer replies again. The unlimited window reopens for another 48 hours.
This repeats for the life of the conversation: each buyer reply reopens the unlimited window, and each lapse over 48 hours drops you back to 3 follow-up messages.
What this means for your flows
- Keep the opening flow under 10 messages. A comment-triggered or keyword flow fires right after the buyer's first message — so it lives inside the 10-message initial window. A flow that sends more than 10 DMs before the buyer replies will hit the cap.
- Ask a question early. The fastest way out of a tight window is a buyer reply. A quick-reply button or a question near the top of your flow reopens the unlimited window the moment they tap it.
- Don't stack follow-ups on a cold conversation. Once a buyer has been silent for 48 hours, you only have 3 messages left. Spread them out and make each one count.
What this means for the inbox
When a teammate has taken over a conversation, the same windows apply to what they type in the composer.
If you can't send a reply, the conversation has almost certainly fallen outside the window — either the 48 hours since the buyer's last message has passed, or you've used up your allotted messages. You can't send again until the buyer messages you. Pick up handoffs promptly so this doesn't happen.
See also Shared inbox → Replying.