Omnibus Instrument Product Analytics

PostHogOfficialCreated by PostHog

Skill
Tool integration
Data and AI
MIT
Low risk

From the author

Add PostHog product analytics events to track user behavior. Use after implementing new features or reviewing PRs to ensure meaningful user actions are captured. 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, step-by-step procedure for integrating PostHog product analytics into a wide variety of web, mobile, and backend frameworks. It handles the full lifecycle of the integration, from detecting the project's technology stack and installing the necessary SDKs to implementing event tracking, user identification, and error monitoring. The skill emphasizes non-intrusive changes, ensuring that new analytics code is added alongside existing logic without disrupting the project's architecture.

What it does

Detects the project framework and language to determine the correct PostHog SDK.
Installs the required PostHog SDK package automatically.
Initializes the PostHog instance according to framework-specific best practices.
Implements targeted event tracking for key user actions and business logic.
Configures user identification flows for login and signup events.
Sets up environment variables for secure API key and host management.

When to use it

After implementing new features that require tracking for user engagement analysis.
When reviewing pull requests to ensure critical user behaviors are being captured.
When setting up product analytics for a new project from scratch.
When migrating or adding analytics to an existing application.

Advantages

Supports a broad range of modern frontend, backend, and mobile frameworks.
Ensures consistent event naming and property capture across the codebase.
Maintains architectural integrity by requiring minimal, targeted code additions.
Automates the tedious aspects of SDK initialization and environment configuration.

Usage examples

“Add PostHog analytics to my Next.js project.”: The agent will detect the Next.js environment, install the PostHog SDK, initialize it in the appropriate root file, and guide you through adding capture calls to key user flows.
“I need to track user signups in my Django application using PostHog.”: The agent will identify the Django setup, configure the PostHog Python SDK, and implement identify calls within your authentication logic.

Install

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

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

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

Documentation by PostHog

Add PostHog product analytics events

Use this skill to add product analytics events (capture calls) that track meaningful user actions in new or changed code. Use it after implementing features or reviewing PRs to ensure key user behaviors are captured. If PostHog is not yet installed, this skill also covers initial SDK setup. Supports any framework or language.

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

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, skip to STEP 5.

STEP 2: Research integration. (Skip if PostHog is already set up.) 2.1. Find the reference file below that matches the detected framework — it is the source of truth for SDK initialization, provider setup, and event capture 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. (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.
Always install packages as a background task. Don't await completion; proceed with other work immediately after starting the installation.

STEP 4: Initialize PostHog. (Skip if PostHog is already set up.)

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).

STEP 5: Plan event tracking.

From the project's file list, select between 10 and 15 files that might have interesting business value for event tracking, especially conversion and churn events.
Also look for files related to login that could be used for identifying users, along with error handling.
Find any existing posthog.capture() code. Make note of event name formatting. Don't duplicate existing events; supplement them.
Track actions only, not pageviews (those can be captured automatically). Exceptions can be made for "viewed"-type events at the top of a conversion funnel.
Server-side events are REQUIRED if the project includes any instrumentable server-side code (API routes, server actions, webhook handlers, payment/checkout completion, authentication endpoints).

STEP 6: Implement event capture.

For each planned event, add posthog.capture() calls with useful properties.
If a file already has existing integration code for other tools or services, don't overwrite or remove that code. Place PostHog code below it.
Do not alter the fundamental architecture of existing files. Make additions minimal and targeted.
You must read a file immediately before attempting to write it.

STEP 7: Identify users.

Add PostHog identify() calls on the client side during login and signup events. Use the contents of login and signup forms to identify users on submit.
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. On the server side, make sure events have a matching distinct ID.

STEP 8: Add error tracking.

Add PostHog exception capture error tracking to relevant files, particularly around critical user flows and API boundaries.

STEP 9: Set up environment variables.

If an env-file-tools MCP server is connected, use check_env_keys to see which keys already exist, then use set_env_values to create or update the PostHog API key and host.
Reference these environment variables in code instead of hardcoding them.

STEP 10: 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-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-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-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/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 docs: Follow the framework reference's initialization and capture patterns exactly.

Files

ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer966 B
LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer1.0 KiB
SKILL.md8.5 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-android.md49.7 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-angular.md23.4 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-astro-hybrid.md26.8 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-astro-ssr.md26.7 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-astro-static.md19.4 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-astro-view-transitions.md23.1 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-django.md30.0 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-expo.md35.5 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-fastapi.md40.9 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-flask.md32.0 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-javascript-node.md9.0 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-javascript-web.md11.7 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-laravel.md59.5 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-next-app-router.md17.3 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-next-pages-router.md18.9 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-nuxt-3.6.md22.1 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-nuxt-4.md28.7 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-python.md11.6 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-react-native.md46.4 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-react-react-router-6.md13.5 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-react-react-router-7-data.md20.1 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-react-react-router-7-declarative.md15.0 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-react-react-router-7-framework.md32.2 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-react-tanstack-router-code-based.md19.2 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-react-tanstack-router-file-based.md18.0 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-react-vite.md12.4 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-ruby-on-rails.md37.6 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-ruby.md10.3 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-sveltekit.md18.4 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-swift.md18.6 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-tanstack-start.md28.4 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-vue-3.md17.9 KiB
references/android.md21.7 KiB
references/angular.md12.5 KiB
references/astro.md8.3 KiB
references/django.md6.7 KiB
references/flask.md2.9 KiB
references/identify-users.md8.1 KiB
references/ios.md5.4 KiB
references/js.md12.3 KiB
references/laravel.md2.1 KiB
references/next-js.md12.5 KiB
references/node.md28.8 KiB
references/nuxt-js-3-6.md6.6 KiB
references/nuxt-js.md7.2 KiB
references/posthog-js.md42.3 KiB
references/posthog-node.md23.4 KiB
references/posthog-python.md31.3 KiB
references/python.md31.1 KiB
references/react-native.md43.8 KiB
references/react-router-v6.md11.6 KiB
references/react-router-v7-data-mode.md11.4 KiB
references/react-router-v7-declarative-mode.md11.6 KiB
references/react-router-v7-framework-mode.md14.9 KiB
references/react.md18.5 KiB
references/ruby-on-rails.md10.6 KiB
references/ruby.md18.9 KiB
references/svelte.md7.2 KiB
references/tanstack-start.md5.1 KiB
references/vue-js.md9.1 KiB

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:

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

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 an API key, 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/posthog/integration/skills/all · commit a5d30e7

Licence

MIT License (redistribution allowed)

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

Synced

2026-11-08

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 omnibus-instrument-product-analytics.zip

From the author

AutoGineer summary

What it does

When to use it

Advantages

Usage examples

Install

Documentation by PostHog

Add PostHog product analytics events

Instructions

Reference files

Key principles

Files

references/next-js.md

Next.js - Docs

Prerequisites

Beta: integration via LLM

Client-side setup

npm

Yarn

pnpm

Bun

Integration

instrumentation-client.js

instrumentation-client.ts

Identifying users

Accessing PostHog

Using React hooks

Usage

Server-side analytics

npm

Yarn

pnpm

Bun

Router-specific instructions

App router

Pages router

Server-side configuration

Configuring a reverse proxy to PostHog

Further reading

Community questions

Was this page useful?

Requirements and compatibility

Security

Attribution and licence

Related skills

Claude API

Transformers

Open Notebook

Vision Sft

LLM Evaluation

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