# Diagnose a TikTok CPA spike fast

> Tier: recipe. Operating recipe: real tool sequence, core rules, known traps.

The TikTok CPA-spike sequence: events, then the platform's own fatigue diagnostics, then auction.

**Intent.** Why TikTok CPA jumped: events, fatigue, or auction seasonality.

## When to use

- CPA jumped beyond noise on meaningful spend.

## When not to use

- No specific contraindication beyond the preconditions below.

## Sources

Required: TikTok Ads

## Preconditions

- The account is ticked in the dashboard, confirmed via list_accounts.

## Inputs

- `window`: Analysis window. Default: last 30 days.

## Procedure

1. Split spend vs conversions. — tools: `tiktok_get_insights`
2. Check event volumes on the pixels. — tools: `tiktok_get_events`, `tiktok_get_pixels`
3. Run fatigue diagnostics on the spending creative. — tools: `tiktok_get_creative_fatigue_recipes`

## Decision rules

- **When** The platform's fatigue tool flags the top spenders → **conclude** Creative cause with the platform's own evidence: refresh list, ranked by spend.

## Evidence requirements

- Every figure carries its account, metric and window.
- Anything below a readable sample size is reported as unjudged, not as zero.

## Human approval boundary

- The readout changes nothing. Any change it motivates goes through Safe Writes: preview, human confirmation, then apply.

## Failure modes

- TikTok auction seasonality is sharp around cultural moments: a spike can be the calendar, check the market before the account.

## Output

- **Readout**: The figures, with windows and accounts named.
- **Flags**: What deserves a deeper skill or a human decision.

## Related

- Skill: [creative-fatigue](https://www.getmcpads.com/skills/creative-fatigue.md)