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Error Tracking Python

PostHogOfficialCreated by PostHog

  • Skill
  • Tool integration
  • Data and AI
  • MIT
  • Low risk
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From the author

PostHog error tracking for Python
— the description by PostHog

AutoGineer summary

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

This skill provides the necessary guidelines and patterns for implementing PostHog error tracking within Python applications. It covers SDK initialization, best practices for capturing exceptions, and how to leverage PostHog's platform features for monitoring, alerting, and assigning issues to team members. The guide emphasizes secure data handling, such as avoiding PII in event properties, and ensures proper SDK lifecycle management to prevent event loss.

What it does

  • Guides the installation and configuration of the PostHog Python SDK.
  • Provides patterns for enabling automatic exception capture.
  • Explains how to manually capture exceptions at error boundaries.
  • Details how to configure alerts for new or spiking issues.
  • Outlines methods for assigning issues to specific users or roles.
  • Instructs on uploading source maps for readable stack traces.

When to use it

  • When you need to monitor and track runtime exceptions in a Python application.
  • When you want to automate the triage and assignment of software errors.
  • When you need to set up real-time alerts for critical application failures.
  • When you are integrating PostHog into a new or existing Python project.

Advantages

  • Centralizes error reporting and management within the PostHog platform.
  • Supports automated issue assignment based on custom rules.
  • Provides clear guidelines on avoiding PII in event data.
  • Ensures reliable event flushing with proper SDK shutdown procedures.

Usage examples

“How do I initialize the PostHog client in my Python script to track exceptions?”
The agent provides a code snippet using the Posthog() constructor with enable_exception_autocapture=True and an atexit.register() call for the shutdown method.
“How can I alert my team when a specific error spikes in volume?”
The agent explains how to configure spike alerts in the PostHog error tracking settings to monitor error rates against historical baselines.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

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

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

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

Documentation by PostHog

PostHog error tracking for Python

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

Reference files

  • references/python.md - Python 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

  • Remember that source code is available in the venv/site-packages directory

  • posthog is the Python SDK package name

  • Install dependencies with pip install posthog or pip install -r requirements.txt and do NOT use unquoted version specifiers like >= directly in shell commands

  • In CLIs and scripts: MUST call posthog.shutdown() before exit or all events are lost

  • Always use the Posthog() class constructor (instance-based API) instead of module-level posthog.api_key config

  • Always include enable_exception_autocapture=True in the Posthog() constructor to automatically track exceptions

  • NEVER send PII in capture() event properties — no emails, full names, phone numbers, physical addresses, IP addresses, or user-generated content

  • PII belongs in identify() person properties, NOT in capture() event properties. Safe event properties are metadata like message_length, form_type, boolean flags.

  • Register posthog_client.shutdown with atexit.register() to ensure all events are flushed on exit

  • The Python SDK has NO identify() method — use posthog_client.set(distinct_id=user_id, properties={...}) to set person properties, or use identify_context(user_id) within a context

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.

Needs: Needs an API key, Needs Python

Security

What our scanner noticed· Low risk

  • Instructions that use the network

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

Attribution and licence

Created by
PostHog
Publisher
PostHog (Official)
Source
PostHog/skills · skills/posthog/error-tracking/skills/python · 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-python.zip