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Error Tracking Nextjs

PostHogOfficialCreated by PostHog

  • Skill
  • Tool integration
  • Data and AI
  • MIT
  • No issues found

From the author

PostHog error tracking for Next.js
— the description by PostHog

AutoGineer summary

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

This skill provides guidance and best practices for implementing PostHog error tracking within Next.js projects. It covers initialization, source map configuration, and manual error boundary handling to ensure effective monitoring of application exceptions. The skill emphasizes maintaining existing error handling structures while leveraging PostHog's autocapture and alerting capabilities to streamline debugging and issue resolution.

What it does

  • Provides setup instructions for PostHog error tracking in Next.js applications.
  • Explains how to configure source maps for readable stack traces.
  • Outlines best practices for using manual capture at error boundaries.
  • Details how to configure automated alerts for new or spiking issues.
  • Describes methods for assigning issues to team members or roles.
  • Offers guidelines for environment variable management and SDK initialization.

When to use it

  • When you need to implement robust error monitoring in a Next.js application.
  • When you want to automate alerts for application exceptions via Slack, Discord, or webhooks.
  • When you need to assign specific error types to team members for triage.
  • When you are troubleshooting minified stack traces and need to upload source maps.

Advantages

  • Enables centralized monitoring of application exceptions.
  • Supports automated issue assignment based on custom rules.
  • Provides clear guidance on integrating with Next.js-specific patterns.
  • Helps reduce mean time to resolution through better visibility and alerting.

Usage examples

“How do I set up PostHog error tracking in a Next.js 15 project?”
The agent will guide you to initialize PostHog in instrumentation-client.ts and ensure environment variables are configured correctly.
“How can I get notified when a specific error spikes in my app?”
The agent will explain how to configure spike alerts in the PostHog error tracking settings to monitor error rate baselines.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/posthog/error-tracking-nextjs/download
  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

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

Documentation by PostHog

PostHog error tracking for Next.js

This skill helps you add PostHog error tracking to Next.js applications.

Reference files

  • references/nextjs.md - Next.js 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

  • For Next.js 15.3+, initialize PostHog in instrumentation-client.ts for the simplest setup

  • For feature flags, use useFeatureFlagEnabled() or useFeatureFlagPayload() hooks - they handle loading states and external sync automatically

  • Add analytics capture in event handlers where user actions occur, NOT in useEffect reacting to state changes

  • Do NOT use useEffect for data transformation - calculate derived values during render instead

  • Do NOT use useEffect to respond to user events - put that logic in the event handler itself

  • Do NOT use useEffect to chain state updates - calculate all related updates together in the event handler

  • Do NOT use useEffect to notify parent components - call the parent callback alongside setState in the event handler

  • To reset component state when a prop changes, pass the prop as the component's key instead of using useEffect

  • useEffect is ONLY for synchronizing with external systems (non-React widgets, browser APIs, network subscriptions)

Files

references/assigning-issues.md

Assign issues to teammates - Docs

Error tracking enables you to assign issues to specific PostHog roles or teammates. This helps your team find relevant issues through filtering. You can also set up team-specific alerting to notify them when assigned issues are created or reopened.

Assign issues

You can manually assign issues as you triage them in the UI. This can be done both in the issue list and issue detail pages.

Image: Error tracking assignment UIImage: Error tracking assignment UI

  1. In your error tracking issue list, click the unassigned selector under each issue to assign it to a role or user.

  2. On the detail page of each issue, click the Assignee selector to assign it to a role or user.

Want to assign issues to a team rather than an individual teammate? You can create a role in your project settings.

Image: Error tracking role assigneesImage: Error tracking role assignees

Automatic issue assignment

You can set up automatic issue assignment through a set of rules. This can be configured in the error tracking settings using auto assignment rules.

Image: Error tracking auto assignment rulesImage: Error tracking auto assignment rules

Assignment conditions are evaluated against the properties of the exception event that created the issue. Because assignment rules are evaluated during ingestion, the stack trace (if present) will be unminified, which enables filtering on exception properties such as function name and source file.

Issues can be automatically assigned to a role or user by configuring a set of filters. These filters can be configured to match any or all of the criteria.

You can configure automatic assignment to filter on any event property in PostHog. When there are multiple values for a property, the filters return true if it matches any of the values. For example, if you have multiple exception_functions values, the filters returns true if it matches any of the functions.

Here are some common properties you can filter on:

PropertyEvent propertyDescription
Exception type$exception_typesThe type of exception(s) that occurred
Exception message$exception_valuesThe message(s) detected on the error
Exception function$exception_functionsThe function(s) where the exception occurred
Exception source$exception_sourcesThe source file(s) where the exception occurred
Exception was handled$exception_handledWhether the exception was handled by the application
Device type$device_typeThe type of device that the error occurred on
Browser$browserThe browser that the error occurred in
Current URL$current_urlThe URL that the error occurred on
Feature flag$feature_flagThe feature flag that the error occurred on

You can also set custom properties on the error tracking event to filter on. For example, setting a custom params_received property to provide more context or debug information.

Order of issue assignment rules

Issue assignment filters are evaluated in the order they are configured. They can also be reordered once created. The first filter that matches is used to assign the issue. This means you should configure the most specific filters first, and then the more general filters later.

Disabled assignment rules

Assignment rules can become disabled if an error occurs during ingestion. When a rule is disabled, a banner displays the original error message. To re-enable the rule, edit it to fix the problem and save your changes. If the issue persists, reach out to support.

Alerting based on assignment

A common use case for automatic issue assignment is to alert assignees of new issues. Once the issues are automatically assigned, you can set up alerts to notify the assignee. See the alerts guide for more information.

Create external issues

You can also create issues in external tracking systems like GitHub Issues, Linear, GitLab, or Jira.

First, set up an integration with your tracking system. Then, from an issue's details page, under External references, click Create issue.

Image: Error tracking create issue in external tracking systemImage: Error tracking create issue in external tracking system

The new issue will have a partial stack trace and a link to the issue in PostHog.

If you use another issue tracking system and would like to request it, let us know in-app.

Community questions

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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/nextjs · commit a5d30e7
Licence
MIT License (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
Synced
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PostHog/skills

AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by PostHog or PostHog.

Download ZIP

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