Instrument Integration

PostHogOfficialCreated by PostHog

Skill
Tool integration
Data and AI
MIT
Low risk

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 range of web, mobile, and backend frameworks. It handles the detection of the project environment, installation of the appropriate SDK, initialization, user identification, and secure configuration of environment variables. The skill emphasizes following framework-specific patterns and maintaining an analytics contract, ensuring that PostHog is implemented consistently without disrupting existing application logic.

What it does

Detects the project's framework, language, and package manager.
Installs the correct PostHog SDK for the identified platform.
Configures PostHog initialization and provider setup based on framework-specific references.
Implements user identification logic for login and signup events.
Manages environment variables for project tokens and host URLs securely.
Verifies the integration and performs minimal 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 adding analytics to a new application across supported frameworks.
When migrating or updating PostHog configurations in an existing codebase.

Advantages

Ensures consistent implementation across diverse technology stacks.
Prevents hardcoding of sensitive project tokens and host URLs.
Follows established framework-specific best practices and patterns.
Minimizes the risk of breaking application boot or build processes.
Automates the repetitive aspects of SDK setup and environment configuration.

Usage examples

“Set up PostHog in my Next.js project.”: The agent will detect the Next.js environment, install the PostHog SDK, configure the necessary provider, and set up environment variables in .env.local.
“Integrate PostHog into this Android app.”: The agent will identify the Android/Kotlin structure, initialize PostHog in the Application class, and guide the setup of local.properties for configuration.

Install

Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/posthog/instrument-integration/download

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

mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip 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 and languages: Next.js, React, React Router, Vue, Nuxt, TanStack Start, SvelteKit, Astro, Angular, Django, Flask, FastAPI, Laravel, PHP, Ruby on Rails, Go, Elixir, Android, iOS, Swift, Flutter, 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, pubspec.yaml, Podfile, Package.swift, requirements.txt, Gemfile, composer.json, go.mod, mix.exs, etc.) to determine the framework and language.

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. 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.

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.

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 (e.g. .env.local for Next.js, .env for others) using the framework's naming convention.
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, 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/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-php.md - php 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
references/react.md - React
references/react-router-v6.md - React router v6
references/react-router-v7-framework-mode.md - React router v7 framework mode (remix v3)
references/react-router-v7-data-mode.md - React router v7 data mode
references/react-router-v7-declarative-mode.md - React router v7 declarative mode
references/nuxt-js-3-6.md - Nuxt.js (v3.0 to v3.6)
references/nuxt-js.md - Nuxt.js
references/vue-js.md - Vue.js
references/tanstack-start.md - Tanstack start
references/svelte.md - Svelte
references/astro.md - Astro
references/angular.md - Angular
references/js.md - JavaScript web
references/posthog-js.md - PostHog JavaScript web SDK
references/node.md - Node.js
references/posthog-node.md - PostHog Node.js SDK
references/django.md - Django
references/flask.md - Flask
references/python.md - Python
references/posthog-python.md - PostHog python SDK
references/dotnet.md - .net
references/elixir.md - Elixir
references/go.md - Go
references/laravel.md - Laravel
references/php.md - Php
references/ruby-on-rails.md - Ruby on rails
references/ruby.md - Ruby
references/android.md - Android
references/ios.md - Ios
references/usage.md - Ios SDK usage
references/configuration.md - Ios SDK configuration
references/flutter.md - Flutter
references/react-native.md - React native
references/identify-users.md - Identify users
references/COMMANDMENTS.md - Framework-specific rules the integration must follow

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

ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer952 B
LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer1.0 KiB
SKILL.md8.8 KiB
references/COMMANDMENTS.md1.5 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-android.md49.8 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-angular.md23.1 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-astro-hybrid.md27.5 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-astro-ssr.md27.6 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-astro-static.md19.6 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-astro-view-transitions.md23.3 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-django.md30.7 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-expo.md35.1 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-fastapi.md40.9 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-flask.md32.4 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-javascript-node.md9.0 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-javascript-web.md11.8 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-laravel.md59.3 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-next-app-router.md17.6 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-next-pages-router.md19.1 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-nuxt-3-6.md22.3 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-nuxt-4.md28.9 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-php.md13.0 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-python.md11.6 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-react-native.md46.0 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.md32.5 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-react-tanstack-router-code-based.md19.6 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-react-tanstack-router-file-based.md18.3 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-react-vite.md12.4 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-ruby-on-rails.md38.0 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-ruby.md10.0 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-sveltekit.md18.6 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-swift.md18.8 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-tanstack-start.md29.9 KiB
references/EXAMPLE-vue-3.md17.9 KiB
references/android.md33.3 KiB
references/angular.md16.5 KiB
references/astro.md15.8 KiB
references/configuration.md17.2 KiB
references/django.md14.9 KiB
references/dotnet.md25.8 KiB
references/elixir.md17.6 KiB
references/flask.md8.1 KiB
references/flutter.md42.8 KiB
references/go.md20.1 KiB
references/identify-users.md12.2 KiB
references/ios.md8.0 KiB
references/js.md16.1 KiB
references/laravel.md13.1 KiB
references/next-js.md18.3 KiB
references/node.md45.6 KiB
references/nuxt-js-3-6.md11.4 KiB
references/nuxt-js.md15.1 KiB
references/php.md23.7 KiB
references/posthog-js.md51.6 KiB
references/posthog-node.md33.9 KiB
references/posthog-python.md69.3 KiB
references/python.md52.2 KiB
references/react-native.md59.9 KiB
references/react-router-v6.md13.6 KiB
references/react-router-v7-data-mode.md13.5 KiB
references/react-router-v7-declarative-mode.md13.7 KiB
references/react-router-v7-framework-mode.md20.2 KiB
references/react.md21.9 KiB
references/ruby-on-rails.md19.7 KiB
references/ruby.md25.5 KiB
references/svelte.md14.6 KiB
references/tanstack-start.md12.8 KiB
references/usage.md29.2 KiB
references/vue-js.md13.4 KiB

references/flask.md

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

Flask

Canonical URL: https://posthog.com/docs/libraries/flask

Cloud region: This page uses US Cloud hosts. For an EU Cloud project, use https://eu.i.posthog.com instead of https://us.i.posthog.com (ingestion host), and use https://eu.posthog.com instead of https://app.posthog.com (app host for links).

Install with the wizard

Run this command in your project directory to add PostHog to your Flask project. The wizard detects your framework, installs the SDK, and sets up your first events.

npx @posthog/wizard

Or set it up manually by following the rest of this guide.

Installation

To start, run pip install posthog to install PostHog’s Python SDK.

Then, initialize PostHog where you'd like to use it. For example, here's how to capture an event in a simple route:

app.py

from flask import Flask
from posthog import Posthog

app = Flask(__name__)

posthog = Posthog(
    '<ph_project_token>',
    host='https://us.i.posthog.com',
)

@app.route('/api/dashboard', methods=['POST'])
def api_dashboard():
    posthog.capture(
        'dashboard_api_called',
        distinct_id='distinct_id_of_your_user',
    )
    return '', 204

You can find your project token and instance address in your project settings.

Identifying users

Identifying users is required. Backend events need a distinct_id to associate events with the correct user.
In Python, you can do this through a context. All event captures in the same context will be tagged automatically with the correct distinct_id. Typically, you would set a fresh context and identify at the top of each route.
from posthog import new_context, identify_context, capture

@app.get("/foo")
def foo(current_user: User = Depends(get_current_user)):
    with new_context(): # Set context at the top of a route
        identify_context(current_user.id)
        capture("foo_viewed")
    return {"status": "ok"}
When possible, write a small piece of middleware that resolves your authenticated user, wrap a context around the request, and identifies it. Every capture() downstream is then attributed automatically. The SDK's Django middleware does this automatically and you can replicate it when using the plain Python SDK.

Request contexts

Version 7.69.0 and later of the Python SDK includes a Flask integration that creates a fresh context for every request. It adds the request URL, method, path, route, IP address, and user agent to events captured during the request.

app.py

from posthog.integrations.flask import PosthogFlaskIntegration

PosthogFlaskIntegration(
    app,
    client=posthog,
    capture_exceptions=True,
)

Setting capture_exceptions=True captures unhandled Flask exceptions. Set it to False for request enrichment without automatic exception capture. If you omit it, the integration inherits the client's enable_exception_autocapture setting.

You can also provide:

request_filter to skip both enrichment and automatic exception capture for selected requests
extra_properties to add application-specific properties to the request context
trust_tracing_headers to accept PostHog session and distinct ID headers

If you're using PostHog JavaScript Web on the frontend, configure tracing_headers for your Flask backend hostname so browser requests include the session and distinct ID headers.

The integration ignores these headers by default because clients can control them. Set trust_tracing_headers=True when registering the integration to accept them as analytics context. Don't use them for authentication or authorization.

Identify the request context from your route when you have an authenticated user ID:

from flask import session
from posthog import identify_context

@app.route("/api/dashboard", methods=["POST"])
def api_dashboard():
    user_id = session.get("user_id")
    if user_id:
        identify_context(str(user_id))

    posthog.capture("dashboard_api_called")

    return "", 204

Events captured without a context or explicit distinct_id are sent as anonymous events with an auto-generated distinct_id. See the Python SDK docs for more details.

Error tracking

PosthogFlaskIntegration captures unhandled exceptions when you set capture_exceptions=True or enable exception autocapture on its client. It doesn't capture expected HTTP exceptions or exceptions consumed by your application's error handlers.

Call capture_exception() from a custom error handler when you want to report a handled exception:

from flask import Flask, jsonify
from posthog import Posthog

app = Flask(__name__)
posthog = Posthog('<ph_project_token>', host='https://us.i.posthog.com')

@app.errorhandler(Exception)
def handle_exception(e):
    # Capture methods, including capture_exception, return the UUID of the captured event,
    # which you can use to find specific errors users encountered
    event_id = posthog.capture_exception(e)

    # You can show the event ID to your user, and ask them to include it in bug reports
    response = jsonify({'message': str(e), 'error_id': event_id})
    response.status_code = 500
    return response

Next steps

For any technical questions for how to integrate specific PostHog features into Flask (such as analytics, feature flags, A/B testing, etc.), have a look at our Python SDK docs.

Alternatively, the following tutorials can help you get started:

Supported versions

These docs cover version 7.x of the PostHog Python SDK, which requires Python 3.10 or higher. Python 3.9 is no longer supported on 7.x.x and higher — pin to the 6.x line with pip install 'posthog<7', where 6.9.3 is the final release.

Everything on this page works the same way on 6.9.3. Event capture, the context API (new_context, identify_context, set_context_session), and PosthogContextMiddleware are identical on 6.9.3 and 7.0.0 — 7.0.0 only dropped Python 3.9 and bumped the optional LLM provider SDKs. That includes the middleware identifying the request context from the X-POSTHOG-DISTINCT-ID header and falling back to the authenticated user, which behaves the same across both lines.

Later 7.x releases add what the 6.x line does not receive, such as the Celery integration, tracing header sanitization, and set_context_device_id. They also changed the middleware's own captured properties: 7.x sends the request IP as $ip, where 6.9.3 sends it as $ip_address, and 7.x additionally captures $request_path, $raw_user_agent, and the authenticated user's email.

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

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Attribution and licence

Created by

PostHog

Publisher

PostHog (Official)

Source

PostHog/skills · skills/omnibus/instrument-integration · commit a5d30e7

Licence

MIT License (redistribution allowed)

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

Synced

2026-11-09

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 instrument-integration.zip