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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

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/posthog/instrument-integration/download
  2. 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

references/vue-js.md

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

Vue.js

Canonical URL: https://posthog.com/docs/libraries/vue-js

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://us.posthog.com or https://app.posthog.com (app host for links).

On this page

  • Install with the wizard

  • Prerequisites

  • Setting up PostHog

  • Identifying users

  • Capturing custom events, using feature flags, and more

  • Next steps

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

This guide walks you through integrating PostHog into your app for both Vue 2 and Vue 3. We'll use the JavaScript Web SDK for this.

For integrating PostHog into a Nuxt.js app, see our Nuxt guide.

Install with the wizard

Run this command in your project directory to add PostHog to your Vue 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.

Prerequisites

To follow this guide along, you need:

  1. A PostHog account

  2. A running Vue.js app

Setting up PostHog

Start by installing posthog-js using your package manager:

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

If your site sets a Content-Security-Policy, it needs to allow PostHog. This applies to the snippet and to package installs alike: the SDK lazy-loads extra bundles (session replay, surveys) from PostHog's CDN, and sends events to the ingestion host. PostHog serves from subdomains of posthog.com that change over time, so allow the wildcard:

script-src 'self' https://*.posthog.com;
connect-src 'self' https://*.posthog.com;
worker-src 'self' blob: data:;

script-src covers the snippet and the lazy-loaded bundles, connect-src covers event ingestion and feature flags, and worker-src covers session replay. The toolbar needs a few more, or use a reverse proxy so everything is first-party. Failing to do so causes silent failures where capture and identify calls never send, so the integration looks complete while zero events arrive. Remember connect-src falls back to default-src, so default-src 'self' blocks event delivery even when the script itself is bundled.

Next, depending on your Vue version, we recommend initializing PostHog using the composition API or as a plugin.

Vue 3: Composition API

We use the Composition API as it provides better accessibility, maintainability, and type safety.

PostHog initializes as a singleton, so you can initialize it in your main.ts file before you mount your app. This ensures PostHog is initialized before any other code runs.

src/main.ts

// src/main.ts
import { createApp } from 'vue'
import { createPinia } from 'pinia'

import App from './App.vue'
import router from './router'
import posthog from "posthog-js";

const app = createApp(App);

posthog.init(import.meta.env.VITE_POSTHOG_PROJECT_TOKEN || '<ph_project_token>', {
  api_host: import.meta.env.VITE_POSTHOG_HOST || 'https://us.i.posthog.com',
  defaults: '2026-08-30',
});

app.use(createPinia())
app.use(router)

app.config.errorHandler = (err, instance, info) => {
  posthog.captureException(err)
}

app.mount('#app')

Then, you can access PostHog throughout your app just by importing it from posthog-js.

// src/App.vue
<script setup>
import posthog from 'posthog-js'

const handleClick = () => {
  posthog.capture('button_clicked')
}
</script>

Once done, PostHog will begin autocapturing events and pageviews (if enabled) and is ready to use throughout your app.

Vue 2: Plugins

Start by creating a plugins folder and adding a posthog.js file to that folder. In posthog.js, initialize PostHog using the install method with your project token and host. You can find these in your project settings.

// src/plugins/posthog.js
import posthog from 'posthog-js'

export default {
  install(Vue) {
    posthog.init('<ph_project_token>', {
      api_host: 'https://us.i.posthog.com',
      defaults: '2026-08-30'
    })

    Vue.prototype.$posthog = posthog
  }
}

Next, in main.js, import and use the plugin.

// src/main.js
import Vue from 'vue'
import App from './App.vue'
import PosthogPlugin from './plugins/posthog'

Vue.config.productionTip = false
Vue.use(PosthogPlugin)

new Vue({
  render: h => h(App),
}).$mount('#app')

This makes PostHog available as this.$posthog in any Vue component.

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.

Use a stable ID from your auth system when possible, not an email or display name. Send those as person properties instead. If your app has no other stable key, email works as a fallback if they are unique. Never a shared literal like "anonymous" or "user", which pools many people onto one person and corrupts their data. When no ID is available at all, skip the identify and retain the anonymous distinct ID that's automatically assigned.

Call posthog.reset() on logout, so the next person to use the browser doesn't inherit the last one's identity.

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

If your app calls your own backend, tracing_headers adds X-POSTHOG-DISTINCT-ID and X-POSTHOG-SESSION-ID to matching fetch and XMLHttpRequest requests. This lets server-side SDKs link backend events, errors, and LLM traces back to frontend sessions and replays. Use hostnames only, without protocols or paths.

posthog.init('<ph_project_token>', {
  api_host: 'https://us.i.posthog.com',
  // Optional: send PostHog session/user context to your backend
  tracing_headers: ['api.example.com'],
})

This works in local development too, but match on the hostname alone: use 'localhost', not 'localhost:3000'. Ports are never part of a hostname, so a value with one in it never matches anything. localhost and 127.0.0.1 are also different hostnames — use whichever your app actually calls.

Tracing headers help you attribute events across front and backend consistently. When this isn't available, use your server-side stable IDs to deduce the matching distinctId, and pass it in when capturing the event.

Capturing custom events, using feature flags, and more

Once you have PostHog initialized, there is a lot more you can do with it beyond autocapture, pageviews, and pageleaves. You can find the full details in our JavaScript SDK docs, but we'll cover a few examples here.

Vue 3: Composition API

To capture custom events, evaluate feature flags, and use any of the other PostHog features, you can use the posthog object returned from the usePostHog composable like this:

// src/App.vue
<script setup>
import { RouterView } from 'vue-router'
import { usePostHog } from './composables/usePostHog'

const { posthog } = usePostHog()

const handleClick = () => {
  posthog.capture('button_clicked', { location: 'homepage' })
}
</script>

<template>
  <div>
    <button @click="handleClick">Click me!</button>
  </div>

  <RouterView />
</template>
Feature flags with reactive updates

When using feature flags on pages that users navigate to directly, the flags may not be loaded when the component first renders. To ensure your UI updates reactively when flags load, create a composable that returns a reactive ref:

// src/composables/usePostHogFeatureFlag.ts
import { ref, type Ref } from 'vue'
import { usePostHog } from './usePostHog'

export function usePostHogFeatureFlag(
  feature: string,
): Ref<string | boolean | undefined> {
  const { posthog } = usePostHog()
  const flag = ref(posthog.getFeatureFlag(feature))

  posthog.onFeatureFlags(() => {
    flag.value = posthog.getFeatureFlag(feature)
  })

  return flag
}

Then use it in your components:

// src/App.vue
<script setup>
import { RouterView } from 'vue-router'
import { usePostHog } from './composables/usePostHog'
import { usePostHogFeatureFlag } from './composables/usePostHogFeatureFlag'

const { posthog } = usePostHog()
const isFeatureEnabled = usePostHogFeatureFlag('test-flag')

const handleClick = () => {
  posthog.capture('button_clicked', { location: 'homepage' })
}
</script>

<template>
  <div>
    <button @click="handleClick">Click me!</button>
    <p>Is feature flag enabled? {{ isFeatureEnabled ? 'Yes' : 'No' }}</p>
  </div>

  <RouterView />
</template>

This ensures your component will automatically update when feature flags load, even if the page is accessed directly.

Vue 2: Plugins

To capture custom events, evaluate feature flags, and use any of the other PostHog features, you can use the $posthog object returned from the plugin like this:

// src/components/AboutPage.vue
<template>
  <div class="about">
    <h1>About Page</h1>
    <button @click="handleClick">Test PostHog</button>
    <router-link to="/">Go to Home</router-link>
    <p>Feature enabled? {{ isFeatureEnabled ? 'Yes' : 'No' }}</p>
  </div>
</template>

<script>
export default {
  name: 'AboutPage',
  data() {
    return {
      isFeatureEnabled: false
    }
  },
  created() {
    this.isFeatureEnabled = this.$posthog.isFeatureEnabled('test-flag')
  },
  methods: {
    handleClick() {
      this.$posthog.capture('button_clicked')
    }
  }
}
</script>

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.

PostHog captures heatmap screenshots using Browserless, which has its own IP addresses. Browserless publishes the current list here.

An allowlist does not help when your app has a private address. For apps on an internal network, see internal and intranet applications.

Next steps

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

Alternatively, the following tutorials can help you get started:

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-integration · commit a5d30e7
Licence
MIT License (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
Synced

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Download ZIP

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