---
title: "Posts and timing"
description: "How mixetape holds a post, when it sends it, and the statuses it goes through."
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mixetape.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Posts and timing

A post is one piece of media, for one connected account, at one time. Like Buffer, mixetape
**holds** it until shortly before that time, so it stays editable and cancellable for as
long as possible — and still goes live exactly on time.

## The lead

`leadMinutes` before `scheduledAt`, mixetape sends the post to the platform, which then has
time to process it (HD renditions on YouTube, for example) before it goes live. What
"sending" means depends on what the platform can do:

| Platform | Default lead | What happens at the lead | Who publishes at `scheduledAt` |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | 30 min | Uploaded as private, with a publish time | YouTube |
| Facebook | 30 min | Uploaded unpublished, with a publish time | Facebook |
| Instagram | 15 min | Prepared as a processed Reel container | mixetape |
| Threads | 10 min | Prepared as a processed post container | mixetape |
| TikTok | 0 | — (TikTok cannot hold a post) | mixetape, uploading at that time |
| Pinterest | 0 | — (Pinterest cannot hold a Pin) | mixetape, creating it at that time |

Set `leadMinutes` on a post to change it; `0` sends it at go-live time. Facebook accepts `0`
or at least `15`.

**Post now:** leave out `scheduledAt`. The post goes out right away and is live once the lead
has passed.

Times are ISO 8601 **with a timezone offset**, e.g. `2026-10-02T17:30:00+07:00`.

## Statuses

| Status | Meaning | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| `scheduled` | Waiting in mixetape | `update_post`, `cancel_post` |
| `publishing` | Being uploaded | Wait |
| `uploaded` | On the platform, not public yet | `edit_published_post`, `set_thumbnail` |
| `published` | Live; `platformUrl` has the link | `edit_published_post`, comments, analytics |
| `failed` | Did not go out; `error` says why | Fix it, then `retry_post` |
| `cancelled` | Stopped before it went out | — |

`retry_post` sends a failed post again — now, or at its original time if that is still ahead.

## Durable by default

Each post is a durable job: it survives restarts and deploys, retries transient errors on its
own, and never publishes twice. A post that waits for days costs nothing while it waits.

## After the upload

Where the platform supports it, mixetape applies the post's extras right after uploading:
the custom thumbnail (`metadata.thumbnailUrl`), playlists (`metadata.playlistIds`), caption
files (`metadata.captions`), and — once the post is public — a first comment
(`metadata.firstComment`). See each [platform](/platforms/youtube) for what it takes.

Source: https://docs.mixetape.com/concepts/posts-and-timing/index.mdx