As a key feature of coastal wetlands, tidal creeks play a vital role in ocean-land biogeochemical cycles. Mangrove tidal creeks are crucial for maintaining the ecological functions of these wetlands; however, their spatial patterns and underlying drivers remain inadequately understood. In this study, high-resolution remote sensing images from 40 major mangrove regions across Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, Fujian and Hong Kong were used to identify the principal characteristics of tidal creek distribution. The optimal parameters-based geographical detector (OPGD) and piecewise structural equation model (piecewiseSEM) were employed to determine the main drivers of spatial differentiation at the relative optimal spatial scale. The key findings were as follows: ①The number, length, and density of mangrove tidal creeks showed significant spatial variation. A strong positive correlation was observed between the number of tidal creeks and mangrove area (P<0.001), with the highest number of creeks (3,908) occurring within the 0—100m length category. Tidal creek density decreased as the spatial scale increased. ②The OPGD results indicated that vegetation had the strongest explanatory power for the spatial differentiation of tidal creek density across all sampling scales. Furthermore, its synergistic interactions with other factors significantly enhanced the explanatory capacity of individual variables. The factor ranking reflected the complexity underlying the formation mechanisms of tidal spatial differentiation patterns, with 450m identified as the optimal spatial scale for this study. ③Structural equation modelling indicated that maximum NDVI (0.386), mean annual wind speed (0.164), coefficient of variation of tidal range (0.123), available water capacity (-0.124), and coarse fragment content (-0.116) significantly influenced tidal creek density (P<0.001), collectively explaining 37% of its variation. ④The Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP) significantly affected factor explanations, suggesting that studies at larger scale are more effective in capturing variability in tidal creek distribution. Increasing the scale helped identify optimal spatial relationships and exclude unimportant factors. This study comprehensively considered the synergistic effects of vegetation cover, sediment properties, climate factors, and tidal dynamics, revealing the spatial differentiation of mangrove tidal creeks and their underlying driving mechanisms, thereby providing a theoretical basis for the scientific conservation and restoration of mangrove wetlands.