Instrument Error Tracking

PostHogOfficialCreated by PostHog

Skill
Tool integration
Data and AI
MIT
Low risk

From the author

Add PostHog error tracking to capture and monitor exceptions. Use after implementing features or reviewing PRs to ensure errors are tracked with stack traces and source maps. Also handles initial PostHog SDK setup if not yet installed.

— the description by PostHog

AutoGineer summary

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

This skill provides a structured procedure for instrumenting your codebase with PostHog error tracking. It guides the agent through detecting your platform, installing the necessary SDK, enabling exception autocapture, and configuring manual error boundaries. It also ensures that environment variables are handled securely and that source maps are correctly configured for frontend and mobile projects, allowing for clear, actionable debugging.

What it does

Detects your project's platform and framework automatically.
Installs and initializes the PostHog SDK if not already present.
Enables automatic exception capture for unhandled errors.
Assists in adding manual error capture at critical boundaries.
Configures source map uploads for readable stack traces.
Sets up required environment variables for secure API communication.

When to use it

After implementing new features to ensure robust error monitoring.
During code reviews when you identify a need for better exception visibility.
When setting up a new project and wanting to include error tracking from the start.
When you need to resolve minified stack traces in your production logs.

Advantages

Ensures consistent error tracking patterns across different platforms.
Reduces manual setup effort by automating SDK installation and configuration.
Promotes secure practices by enforcing the use of environment variables.
Improves debugging efficiency by linking errors to original source code via source maps.

Usage examples

“Set up PostHog error tracking for my React project.”: The agent will detect the React environment, install the PostHog SDK, enable autocapture, and guide you through setting up the necessary environment variables.
“I need to track errors in my Node.js backend using PostHog.”: The agent will identify the Node.js environment, configure the SDK, and help you place manual capture points in your catch blocks.

Install

Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/posthog/instrument-error-tracking/download

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

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

Documentation by PostHog

Add PostHog error tracking

Use this skill to add PostHog error tracking that captures and monitors exceptions in your application. Use it after implementing features or reviewing PRs to ensure errors are tracked with full stack traces and source maps. If PostHog is not yet installed, this skill also covers initial SDK setup. Supports any platform or language.

Supported platforms: React, Next.js, Web (JavaScript), Node.js, Python, PHP, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, Go, Elixir, Angular, Svelte, Nuxt, React Native, Flutter, iOS, Android, and Hono.

Instructions

Follow these steps IN ORDER:

STEP 1: Analyze the codebase and detect the platform.

Look for dependency files (package.json, pubspec.yaml, Podfile, Package.swift, requirements.txt, go.mod, Gemfile, composer.json, mix.exs, etc.) to determine the language and framework.

Look for lockfiles (pnpm-lock.yaml, package-lock.json, yarn.lock, bun.lockb, go.sum, pubspec.lock, Podfile.lock, Package.resolved, mix.lock) to determine the package manager.

Check for existing PostHog setup (SDK initialization, env vars, etc.). If PostHog is already installed and initialized, skip to STEP 4.

STEP 2: Research instrumentation. (Skip if PostHog is already set up.) 2.1. Find the reference file below that matches the detected platform — it is the source of truth for SDK initialization, exception autocapture, and framework-specific error tracking patterns. Read it now. 2.2. If no reference matches, fall back to your general knowledge and web search. Use posthog.com/docs as the primary search source.

STEP 3: Install and initialize the PostHog SDK. (Skip if PostHog is already set up.)

Add the PostHog SDK package for the detected platform. Do not manually edit package.json — use the package manager's install command.
Follow the framework reference for where and how to initialize.

STEP 4: Enable exception autocapture.

Follow the platform reference to enable exception autocapture. This automatically captures unhandled exceptions without additional code.

STEP 5: Add manual error captures.

Identify error boundaries, catch blocks, and critical user flows where errors should be explicitly captured.
Add posthog.captureException() or the platform-equivalent at these locations.
Do not alter the fundamental architecture of existing error handling. Make additions minimal and targeted.
You must read a file immediately before attempting to write it.

STEP 6: Upload source maps (frontend/mobile only).

Configure source map uploads so stack traces resolve to original source code, not minified bundles.
Follow the platform-specific reference for upload configuration (build plugins, CI scripts, etc.).

STEP 7: Set up environment variables.

Check if the project already has PostHog environment variables configured (e.g. in .env, .env.local, or framework-specific env files). If valid values already exist, skip this step.
If the PostHog project token is missing, use the PostHog MCP server's projects-get tool to retrieve the project's api_token. If multiple projects are returned, ask the user which project to use. If the MCP server is not connected or not authenticated, ask the user for their PostHog project token instead.
For the PostHog host URL: check the projects-get MCP response for a region field — US maps to https://us.i.posthog.com, EU maps to https://eu.i.posthog.com. If the region is not available from the MCP response or from existing project configuration, ask the user: "Are you on PostHog US Cloud or EU Cloud?" Do not assume US Cloud.
Write these values to the appropriate env file using the framework's naming convention.
Reference these environment variables in code instead of hardcoding them.

STEP 8: Verify and clean up.

Check the project for errors. Look for type checking or build scripts in package.json.
Ensure any components created were actually used.
Run any linter or prettier-like scripts found in the package.json, but ONLY on the files you have edited or created during this session. Never run formatting or linting across the entire project's codebase.

Reference files

references/react.md - React error tracking installation
references/web.md - Web error tracking installation
references/nextjs.md - Next.js error tracking installation
references/node.md - Node.js error tracking installation
references/python.md - Python error tracking installation
references/django.md - Django
references/flask.md - Flask
references/php.md - Php error tracking installation
references/laravel.md - Laravel
references/ruby.md - Ruby error tracking installation
references/ruby-on-rails.md - Ruby on rails error tracking installation
references/ruby-on-rails.md - Ruby on rails
references/go.md - Go error tracking installation
references/dotnet.md - .net error tracking installation
references/dotnet.md - .net
references/elixir.md - Elixir error tracking installation
references/angular.md - Angular error tracking installation
references/svelte.md - Sveltekit error tracking installation
references/nuxt-3-7.md - Nuxt error tracking installation (v3.7 and above)
references/nuxt-3-6.md - Nuxt error tracking installation (v3.6 and below)
references/react-native.md - React native error tracking installation
references/flutter.md - Flutter error tracking installation
references/ios.md - Ios error tracking installation
references/android.md - Android error tracking installation
references/hono.md - Hono error tracking installation
references/fingerprints.md - Fingerprints
references/alerts.md - Send error tracking alerts
references/monitoring.md - Monitor and search issues
references/assigning-issues.md - Assign issues to teammates
references/upload-source-maps.md - Upload source maps
references/COMMANDMENTS.md - Framework-specific rules the integration must follow

Each platform reference contains SDK-specific installation and manual capture patterns. Find the one matching the user's stack.

Key principles

Environment variables: Always use environment variables for PostHog keys. Never hardcode them.
Minimal changes: Add error tracking alongside existing error handling. Don't replace or restructure existing code.
Autocapture first: Enable exception autocapture 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.

Files

ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer961 B
LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer1.0 KiB
SKILL.md6.9 KiB
references/COMMANDMENTS.md1.5 KiB
references/alerts.md4.2 KiB
references/android.md4.8 KiB
references/angular.md9.1 KiB
references/assigning-issues.md6.8 KiB
references/django.md14.9 KiB
references/dotnet.md25.8 KiB
references/elixir.md10.0 KiB
references/fingerprints.md4.6 KiB
references/flask.md8.1 KiB
references/flutter.md13.3 KiB
references/go.md5.9 KiB
references/hono.md3.7 KiB
references/ios.md7.4 KiB
references/laravel.md13.1 KiB
references/monitoring.md8.7 KiB
references/nextjs.md15.8 KiB
references/node.md4.8 KiB
references/nuxt-3-6.md5.9 KiB
references/nuxt-3-7.md5.3 KiB
references/php.md6.4 KiB
references/python.md9.0 KiB
references/react-native.md10.4 KiB
references/react.md6.4 KiB
references/ruby-on-rails.md19.7 KiB
references/ruby.md3.6 KiB
references/svelte.md5.8 KiB
references/upload-source-maps.md4.2 KiB
references/web.md5.8 KiB

references/fingerprints.md

AI agents: this is one page from PostHog's docs. Full index of Markdown docs for LLMs: https://posthog.com/llms.txt

Fingerprints

Canonical URL: https://posthog.com/docs/error-tracking/fingerprints

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:

The exception type
If there's no resolved stack trace, add the error message to the fingerprint
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
If there are stack traces, in-app frames, and source maps available, use the resolved in-app stack frames
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:

No issue grouping rules are applied
No issue merging has been configured
No custom fingerprint is set during capture

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.

When you set a custom fingerprint, you can also name the resulting issue with the $issue_name and $issue_description properties:

posthog.captureException(error, {
  $exception_fingerprint: "MyCustomGroup",
  $issue_name: "Checkout failures",
  $issue_description: "Payment provider timeouts during checkout",
})

PostHog uses these two properties only on the event that creates the issue, and truncates each to 255 characters. Later events on the same fingerprint keep the existing name and description. When you do not set them, PostHog uses the exception type as the name and the exception message as the description.

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

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 MCP server, Needs Python, Needs Node.js

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/omnibus/instrument-error-tracking · commit a5d30e7

Licence

MIT License (redistribution allowed)

LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)

Synced

2026-11-08

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 instrument-error-tracking.zip