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Omnibus Instrument Integration

PostHogOfficialCreated by PostHog

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

Add PostHog SDK integration to your application. Use when setting up PostHog for the first time or reviewing PRs that need PostHog initialization. Covers SDK installation, provider setup, and basic configuration for any framework.
— the description by PostHog

AutoGineer summary

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

This skill provides a structured, multi-step procedure for integrating the PostHog SDK into a wide variety of software projects. It guides the agent through detecting the project's framework, installing the appropriate SDK, initializing the client, and configuring environment variables. By leveraging a library of framework-specific reference files, the skill ensures that PostHog is implemented according to best practices for each supported platform, including web, mobile, and backend environments.

What it does

  • Detects the project's framework and package manager automatically.
  • Installs the correct PostHog SDK for the identified platform.
  • Initializes the PostHog client using framework-specific patterns.
  • Configures environment variables for API keys and host settings.
  • Implements user identification logic for login and signup events.
  • Verifies the integration and performs necessary cleanup.

When to use it

  • When setting up PostHog in a project for the first time.
  • When reviewing pull requests that require PostHog initialization.
  • When migrating or adding analytics to an existing codebase.
  • When you need to ensure PostHog is configured consistently across different frameworks.

Advantages

  • Supports a broad range of frameworks and languages.
  • Ensures secure configuration by enforcing the use of environment variables.
  • Maintains consistency with existing codebase patterns.
  • Reduces manual effort by automating SDK installation and boilerplate setup.

Usage examples

“Add PostHog to my new Next.js project.”
The agent will detect the Next.js framework, install the PostHog SDK, and provide the necessary initialization code in the appropriate file, such as instrumentation-client.ts.
“Help me set up PostHog in our Android app.”
The agent will identify the Android environment, guide the setup in the Application class, and configure the PostHog instance with the required API keys.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/posthog/omnibus-instrument-integration/download

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

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip omnibus-instrument-integration.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by PostHog

Add PostHog SDK integration

Use this skill to add the PostHog SDK to an application. Use it when setting up PostHog for the first time, or reviewing PRs that need PostHog initialization. Covers SDK installation, provider setup, and basic configuration. Supports any framework or language.

Supported frameworks: Next.js, React, React Router, Vue, Nuxt, TanStack Start, SvelteKit, Astro, Angular, Django, Flask, FastAPI, Laravel, Ruby on Rails, Android, Swift, React Native, Expo, Node.js, and vanilla JavaScript.

Instructions

Follow these steps IN ORDER:

STEP 1: Analyze the codebase and detect the platform.

  • Look for dependency files (package.json, requirements.txt, Gemfile, composer.json, go.mod, etc.) to determine the framework and language.

  • Look for lockfiles (pnpm-lock.yaml, package-lock.json, yarn.lock, bun.lockb) to determine the package manager.

  • Check for existing PostHog setup. If PostHog is already installed and initialized, do not modify its code. Inform the user and skip to verification.

STEP 2: Research integration. 2.1. Find the reference file below that matches the detected framework — it is the source of truth for SDK initialization, provider setup, and configuration 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 the PostHog SDK.

  • Add the PostHog SDK package for the detected platform. Do not manually edit package.json — use the package manager's install command.

  • Always install packages as a background task. Don't await completion; proceed with other work immediately after starting the installation.

STEP 4: Initialize PostHog.

  • Follow the framework reference for where and how to initialize. This varies significantly by framework (e.g., instrumentation-client.ts for Next.js 15.3+, AppConfig.ready() for Django, create_app() for Flask).

  • Set up the PostHog provider/wrapper component if the framework requires one.

STEP 5: Identify users.

  • Add PostHog identify() calls on the client side during login and signup events.

  • If both frontend and backend exist, pass the client-side session and distinct ID using X-POSTHOG-DISTINCT-ID and X-POSTHOG-SESSION-ID headers to the server-side code.

STEP 6: Set up environment variables.

  • Store the PostHog API key and host in environment variables (e.g. .env or framework-specific env files).

  • Reference these environment variables in code instead of hardcoding them.

STEP 7: 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.

Reference files

  • references/EXAMPLE-next-app-router.md - next-app-router example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-next-pages-router.md - next-pages-router example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-react-react-router-6.md - react-react-router-6 example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-react-react-router-7-framework.md - react-react-router-7-framework example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-react-react-router-7-data.md - react-react-router-7-data example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-react-react-router-7-declarative.md - react-react-router-7-declarative example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-react-vite.md - react-vite example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-nuxt-3.6.md - nuxt-3.6 example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-nuxt-4.md - nuxt-4 example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-vue-3.md - vue-3 example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-react-tanstack-router-file-based.md - react-tanstack-router-file-based example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-react-tanstack-router-code-based.md - react-tanstack-router-code-based example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-tanstack-start.md - tanstack-start example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-sveltekit.md - sveltekit example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-astro-static.md - astro-static example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-astro-view-transitions.md - astro-view-transitions example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-astro-ssr.md - astro-ssr example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-astro-hybrid.md - astro-hybrid example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-angular.md - angular example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-javascript-node.md - javascript-node example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-javascript-web.md - javascript-web example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-django.md - django example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-flask.md - flask example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-fastapi.md - fastapi example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-python.md - python example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-laravel.md - laravel example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-ruby-on-rails.md - ruby-on-rails example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-ruby.md - ruby example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-android.md - android example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-swift.md - swift example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-react-native.md - react-native example project code

  • references/EXAMPLE-expo.md - expo example project code

  • references/next-js.md - Next.js - docs

  • references/react.md - React - docs

  • references/react-router-v6.md - React router v6 - docs

  • references/react-router-v7-framework-mode.md - React router v7 framework mode (remix v3) - docs

  • references/react-router-v7-data-mode.md - React router v7 data mode - docs

  • references/react-router-v7-declarative-mode.md - React router v7 declarative mode - docs

  • references/nuxt-js-3-6.md - Nuxt.js (v3.0 to v3.6) - docs

  • references/nuxt-js.md - Nuxt.js - docs

  • references/vue-js.md - Vue.js - docs

  • references/tanstack-start.md - Tanstack start - docs

  • references/svelte.md - Svelte - docs

  • references/astro.md - Astro - docs

  • references/angular.md - Angular - docs

  • references/js.md - JavaScript web - docs

  • references/posthog-js.md - PostHog JavaScript web SDK

  • references/node.md - Node.js - docs

  • references/posthog-node.md - PostHog Node.js SDK

  • references/django.md - Django - docs

  • references/flask.md - Flask - docs

  • references/python.md - Python - docs

  • references/posthog-python.md - PostHog python SDK

  • references/laravel.md - Laravel - docs

  • references/ruby-on-rails.md - Ruby on rails - docs

  • references/ruby.md - Ruby - docs

  • references/android.md - Android - docs

  • references/ios.md - Ios - docs

  • references/react-native.md - React native - docs

  • references/identify-users.md - Identify users - docs

Each framework reference contains SDK-specific installation, initialization, and usage 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 PostHog code alongside existing integrations. Don't replace or restructure existing code.

  • Match the example: Your implementation should follow the example project's patterns as closely as possible.

  • Analytics contract: Treat event names, property names, and feature flag keys as part of an analytics contract. Reuse existing names and patterns found in the project. When introducing new ones, make them clear, descriptive, and consistent with existing conventions.

Files

references/next-js.md

Next.js - Docs

PostHog makes it easy to get data about traffic and usage of your Next.js app. Integrating PostHog into your site enables analytics about user behavior, custom events capture, session recordings, feature flags, and more.

This guide walks you through integrating PostHog into your Next.js app using the React and the Node.js SDKs.

You can see a working example of this integration in our Next.js demo app.

Next.js has both client and server-side rendering, as well as pages and app routers. We'll cover all of these options in this guide.

Try @posthog/next (pre-release): A simplified Next.js integration with synchronized client/server identity, server-side flag bootstrapping, and a built-in API proxy. Read the setup guide →

Prerequisites

To follow this guide along, you need:

  1. A PostHog instance (either Cloud or self-hosted)

  2. A Next.js application

Beta: integration via LLM

Install PostHog for Next.js in seconds with our wizard by running this prompt with LLM coding agents like Cursor and Bolt, or by running it in your terminal.

npx @posthog/wizard@latest

Learn more

Or, to integrate manually, continue with the rest of this guide.

Client-side setup

Install posthog-js using your package manager:

PostHog AI

npm
npm install --save posthog-js
Yarn
yarn add posthog-js
pnpm
pnpm add posthog-js
Bun
bun add posthog-js

Add your environment variables to your .env.local file and to your hosting provider (e.g. Vercel, Netlify, AWS). You can find your project token in your project settings.

.env.local

PostHog AI

NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_TOKEN=<ph_project_token>
NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_HOST=https://us.i.posthog.com

These values need to start with NEXT_PUBLIC_ to be accessible on the client-side.

Integration

Next.js provides the instrumentation-client.ts|js file for client-side setup. Add it to the root of your Next.js app (for both app and pages router) and initialize PostHog in it like this:

PostHog AI

instrumentation-client.js
import posthog from 'posthog-js'
posthog.init(process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_TOKEN, {
  api_host: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_HOST,
  defaults: '2026-01-30'
});
instrumentation-client.ts
import posthog from 'posthog-js'
posthog.init(process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_TOKEN!, {
  api_host: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_HOST,
  defaults: '2026-01-30'
});

Bootstrapping with instrumentation-client

When using instrumentation-client, the values you pass to posthog.init remain fixed for the entire session. This means bootstrapping only works if you evaluate flags before your app renders (for example, on the server).

If you need flag values after the app has rendered, you’ll want to:

  • Evaluate the flag on the server and pass the value into your app, or

  • Evaluate the flag in an earlier page/state, then store and re-use it when needed.

Both approaches avoid flicker and give you the same outcome as bootstrapping, as long as you use the same distinct_id across client and server.

See the bootstrapping guide for more information.

Identifying users

Identifying users is required. Call posthog.identify('your-user-id') after login to link events to a known user. This is what connects frontend event captures, session replays, LLM traces, and error tracking to the same person — and lets backend events link back too.

See our guide on identifying users for how to set this up.

Set up a reverse proxy (recommended)

We recommend setting up a reverse proxy, so that events are less likely to be intercepted by tracking blockers.

We have our own managed reverse proxy service, which is free for all PostHog Cloud users, routes through our infrastructure, and makes setting up your proxy easy.

If you don't want to use our managed service then there are several other options for creating a reverse proxy, including using Cloudflare, AWS Cloudfront, and Vercel.

Grouping products in one project (recommended)

If you have multiple customer-facing products (e.g. a marketing website + mobile app + web app), it's best to install PostHog on them all and group them in one project.

This makes it possible to track users across their entire journey (e.g. from visiting your marketing website to signing up for your product), or how they use your product across multiple platforms.

Add IPs to Firewall/WAF allowlists (recommended)

For certain features like heatmaps, your Web Application Firewall (WAF) may be blocking PostHog’s requests to your site. Add these IP addresses to your WAF allowlist or rules to let PostHog access your site.

EU: 3.75.65.221, 18.197.246.42, 3.120.223.253

US: 44.205.89.55, 52.4.194.122, 44.208.188.173

These are public, stable IPs used by PostHog services (e.g., Celery tasks for snapshots).

Accessing PostHog

Once initialized in instrumentation-client.js|ts, import posthog from posthog-js anywhere and call the methods you need on the posthog object.

JavaScript

PostHog AI

'use client'
import posthog from 'posthog-js'
export default function Home() {
  return (
    <div>
      <button onClick={() => posthog.capture('test_event')}>
        Click me for an event
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}
Using React hooks

The React feature flag hooks work automatically when PostHog is initialized via instrumentation-client.ts. The hooks use the initialized posthog-js singleton:

JavaScript

PostHog AI

'use client'
import { useFeatureFlagEnabled } from 'posthog-js/react'
export default function FeatureComponent() {
  const showNewFeature = useFeatureFlagEnabled('new-feature')
  return showNewFeature ? <NewFeature /> : <OldFeature />
}
Usage

See the React SDK docs for examples of how to use:

You can also read the full posthog-js documentation for all the usable functions.

Server-side analytics

Next.js enables you to both server-side render pages and add server-side functionality. To integrate PostHog into your Next.js app on the server-side, you can use the Node SDK.

First, install the posthog-node library:

PostHog AI

npm
npm install posthog-node --save
Yarn
yarn add posthog-node
pnpm
pnpm add posthog-node
Bun
bun add posthog-node
Router-specific instructions

App router

For the app router, we can initialize the posthog-node SDK once with a PostHogClient function, and import it into files.

This enables us to send events and fetch data from PostHog on the server – without making client-side requests.

JavaScript

PostHog AI

// app/posthog.js
import { PostHog } from 'posthog-node'
export default function PostHogClient() {
  const posthogClient = new PostHog(process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_TOKEN, {
    host: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_HOST,
    flushAt: 1,
    flushInterval: 0
  })
  return posthogClient
}

Note: Because server-side functions in Next.js can be short-lived, we set flushAt to 1 and flushInterval to 0.

  • flushAt sets how many capture calls we should flush the queue (in one batch).

  • flushInterval sets how many milliseconds we should wait before flushing the queue. Setting them to the lowest number ensures events are sent immediately and not batched. We also need to call await posthog.shutdown() once done.

To use this client, we import it into our pages and call it with the PostHogClient function:

JavaScript

PostHog AI

import Link from 'next/link'
import PostHogClient from '../posthog'
export default async function About() {
  const posthog = PostHogClient()
  const flags = await posthog.getAllFlags(
    'user_distinct_id' // replace with a user's distinct ID
  );
  await posthog.shutdown()
  return (
    <main>
      <h1>About</h1>
      <Link href="/">Go home</Link>
      { flags['main-cta'] &&
        <Link href="http://posthog.com/">Go to PostHog</Link>
      }
    </main>
  )
}

Pages router

For the pages router, we can use the getServerSideProps function to access PostHog on the server-side, send events, evaluate feature flags, and more.

This looks like this:

JavaScript

PostHog AI

// pages/posts/[id].js
import { useContext, useEffect, useState } from 'react'
import { getServerSession } from "next-auth/next"
import { PostHog } from 'posthog-node'
export default function Post({ post, flags }) {
  const [ctaState, setCtaState] = useState()
  useEffect(() => {
    if (flags) {
      setCtaState(flags['blog-cta'])
    }
  })
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>{post.title}</h1>
      <p>By: {post.author}</p>
      <p>{post.content}</p>
      {ctaState &&
        <p><a href="/">Go to PostHog</a></p>
      }
      <button onClick={likePost}>Like</button>
    </div>
  )
}
export async function getServerSideProps(ctx) {
  const session = await getServerSession(ctx.req, ctx.res)
  let flags = null
  if (session) {
    const client = new PostHog(
      process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_TOKEN,
      {
        host: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_HOST,
      }
    )
    flags = await client.getAllFlags(session.user.email);
    client.capture({
      distinctId: session.user.email,
      event: 'loaded blog article',
      properties: {
        $current_url: ctx.req.url,
      },
    });
    await client.shutdown()
  }
  const { posts } = await import('../../blog.json')
  const post = posts.find((post) => post.id.toString() === ctx.params.id)
  return {
    props: {
      post,
      flags
    },
  }
}

Note: Make sure to always call await client.shutdown() after sending events from the server-side. PostHog queues events into larger batches, and this call forces all batched events to be flushed immediately.

Server-side configuration

Next.js overrides the default fetch behavior on the server to introduce their own cache. PostHog ignores that cache by default, as this is Next.js's default behavior for any fetch call.

You can override that configuration when initializing PostHog, but make sure you understand the pros/cons of using Next.js's cache and that you might get cached results rather than the actual result our server would return. This is important for feature flags, for example.

TSX

PostHog AI

posthog.init(process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_TOKEN, {
  // ... your configuration
  fetch_options: {
    cache: 'force-cache', // Use Next.js cache
    next_options: {       // Passed to the `next` option for `fetch`
      revalidate: 60,     // Cache for 60 seconds
      tags: ['posthog'],  // Can be used with Next.js `revalidateTag` function
    },
  }
})

Configuring a reverse proxy to PostHog

To improve the reliability of client-side tracking and make requests less likely to be intercepted by tracking blockers, you can setup a reverse proxy in Next.js. Read more about deploying a reverse proxy using Next.js rewrites, Next.js middleware, and Vercel rewrites.

Further reading

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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, Needs Node.js

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Attribution and licence

Created by
PostHog
Publisher
PostHog (Official)
Source
PostHog/skills · skills/posthog/all/skills/omnibus-instrument-integration · commit a5d30e7
Licence
MIT License (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
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