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Error Tracking Android

PostHogOfficialCreated by PostHog

  • Skill
  • Tool integration
  • Data and AI
  • MIT
  • No issues found
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From the author

PostHog error tracking for Android
— the description by PostHog

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

This skill provides guidance on integrating the PostHog Android SDK to enable automated and manual error tracking. It covers installation, configuration, and best practices for capturing exceptions in Android applications, ensuring that developers can monitor application stability and resolve issues effectively.

What it does

  • Installs the PostHog Android SDK dependency.
  • Configures SDK initialization within the Application class.
  • Enables automatic exception capture for uncaught errors.
  • Supports manual exception capture for custom error handling.
  • Provides instructions for uploading source maps to resolve stack traces.
  • Explains how to set up alerts for error spikes and new issues.

When to use it

  • When you need to monitor runtime exceptions in an Android application.
  • When you want to automate the collection of crash reports.
  • When you need to integrate error tracking with existing PostHog analytics.
  • When you need to set up alerts for critical application errors.

Advantages

  • Centralizes error tracking within the existing PostHog ecosystem.
  • Supports both automated and manual error reporting.
  • Provides clear guidelines for maintaining clean, non-intrusive error handling code.
  • Enables actionable alerting based on error volume and issue status.

Usage examples

“How do I initialize PostHog for error tracking in my Android app?”
The agent provides the code to set up PostHogAndroidConfig and call PostHogAndroid.setup() within the Application class's onCreate() method.
“How can I capture an error manually in my catch block?”
The agent shows how to use the PostHog.captureException() method to log specific exceptions handled by your application logic.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/posthog/error-tracking-android/download

  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip error-tracking-android.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by PostHog

PostHog error tracking for Android

This skill helps you add PostHog error tracking to Android applications.

Reference files

  • references/android.md - Android error tracking installation - docs

  • references/fingerprints.md - Fingerprints - docs

  • references/alerts.md - Send error tracking alerts - docs

  • references/monitoring.md - Monitor and search issues - docs

  • references/assigning-issues.md - Assign issues to teammates - docs

  • references/upload-source-maps.md - Upload source maps - docs

Consult the documentation for API details and framework-specific patterns.

Key principles

  • Environment variables: Always use environment variables for PostHog keys and host URLs. Never hardcode them.

  • Minimal changes: Add error tracking alongside existing error handling. Don't replace or restructure existing error handling code.

  • Autocapture first: Enable exception autocapture in the SDK initialization before adding manual captures.

  • Source maps: Upload source maps so stack traces resolve to original source code, not minified bundles.

  • Manual capture for boundaries: Use captureException() at error boundaries and catch blocks for errors that don't propagate to the global handler.

Framework guidelines

  • Adapt dependency configuration to the appropriate build.gradle(.kts) file according to the project gradle version

  • Call PostHogAndroid.setup() only once in the Application class's onCreate() method, so it's initialized as early as possible and only once.

  • Initialize PostHog in the Application class's onCreate() method

  • Ensure every activity has a android:label to accurately track screen views.

Files

references/fingerprints.md

Fingerprints - Docs

Every captured exception is assigned a fingerprint. This fingerprint is used to group similar exceptions into issues. This page covers how fingerprints are generated, how they're used, and how you can override them when capturing exceptions.

Fingerprint and issue grouping

Every exception has a fingerprint, whether generated or defined by the user. Each fingerprint links to exactly one issue. Exceptions that share the same fingerprint define an issue.

Multiple different fingerprints can point to the same issue (a many-to-one relationship) if you merge issues.

How are fingerprints generated?

Fingerprints are built iteratively using components of the exception event. The flowchart below shows how fingerprints are generated.

flowchart LR A[Add exception type to fingerprint] --> B{Stack trace<br/>available?} B -->|No| C[Add error message to fingerprint] C --> D[Final fingerprint] B -->|Yes| E{In-app frames<br/>exist?} E -->|No| F[Add first frame to fingerprint] E -->|Yes| G[Add in-app frame to fingerprint<br/>Priority: resolved > unresolved] F --> D G --> D

The flowchart in text

Fingerprints are generated by considering the following in combination:

  1. The exception type

  2. If there's no resolved stack trace, add the error message to the fingerprint

  3. If there are stack traces but no in-app frames (frames from your code, not a dependency), use the first frame of the stack trace

  4. If there are stack traces, in-app frames, and source maps available, use the resolved in-app stack frames

  5. If there are stack traces, in-app frames, and source maps not available, use the first in-app stack frame

In some languages, like Python, one error can trigger another, creating a chain of linked exceptions. PostHog records the entire chain in the event and generates a single fingerprint for it.

Ensuring accurate fingerprints

Resolved stack traces are critical for accurate fingerprinting. Without accurate stack traces, PostHog cannot group exceptions consistently. If you have not uploaded source maps, follow the source map guide to do so.

This also means that if the exception type or message changes from one version to the next, the fingerprint will change.

When are generated fingerprints used?

Fingerprints are used to group similar exceptions into issues automatically. Automatic issue grouping is only done when:

You can find details about how issue grouping works in the issues and exceptions guide.

Customizing fingerprints

Fingerprints can be manually set during exception capture. This is a very useful way to group exceptions that are not related to each other. You can find examples of how to do this in the custom issue grouping section.

You can also learn more about grouping issues using rules in the grouping issues guide.

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Requirements and compatibility

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Security

No issues found by our static scan· No issues found

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Attribution and licence

Created by
PostHog
Publisher
PostHog (Official)
Source
PostHog/skills · skills/posthog/error-tracking/skills/android · commit a5d30e7
Licence
MIT License (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
Synced
Also distributed in
PostHog/skills

AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by PostHog.

Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download error-tracking-android.zip