Instrument Logs

PostHogOfficialCreated by PostHog

Skill
Tool integration
Data and AI
MIT
Low risk

From the author

Add PostHog log capture to track application logs. Use after implementing features or reviewing PRs to ensure meaningful log events are captured with structured properties. Also handles initial OTLP exporter setup if not yet configured.

— the description by PostHog

AutoGineer summary

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

This skill guides the integration of PostHog log capture into various application stacks. It automates the setup of OTLP exporters and provides instructions for adding structured logging alongside existing application logs. The skill ensures that log events are captured with meaningful properties, facilitating better observability and debugging within the PostHog platform.

What it does

Detects the application platform and existing logging infrastructure.
Configures the OpenTelemetry (OTLP) exporter for PostHog ingestion.
Integrates PostHog log capture without replacing existing logging handlers.
Ensures logs are captured with structured key-value properties.
Manages environment variable configuration for API tokens and host URLs.
Provides platform-specific guidance for SDK-native log capture.

When to use it

After implementing new features that require observability.
During code reviews when you identify a need for better log coverage.
When setting up initial log export for a new project.
When migrating from standard logging to structured, centralized log management.

Advantages

Maintains existing logging architecture without disruptive changes.
Supports a wide range of languages and frameworks via OpenTelemetry.
Enables structured logging for improved search and filtering in PostHog.
Automates the configuration of environment variables and ingestion endpoints.

Usage examples

“Add PostHog log capture to my Node.js application.”: The agent will analyze your package.json, install necessary OpenTelemetry dependencies, configure the OTLP exporter, and guide you through adding PostHog logging calls to your code.
“I need to start tracking logs in my Android app using PostHog.”: The agent will verify your Android SDK setup, configure the PostHogAndroidConfig for logs, and show you how to use PostHog.logger to capture structured events.

Install

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

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

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

Documentation by PostHog

Add PostHog log capture

Use this skill to add PostHog log capture for new or changed code. Use it after implementing features or reviewing PRs to ensure meaningful log events are captured with structured properties. If PostHog log export is not yet configured, this skill also covers initial OTLP exporter setup. Supports any platform or language.

Supported platforms: Next.js, Node.js, Python, Go, Java, Datadog, Android, React Native, iOS, and any language via OpenTelemetry.

Instructions

Follow these steps IN ORDER:

STEP 1: Analyze the codebase and detect the platform.

Detect the language, framework, and existing logging setup.
Look for dependency files and project files (package.json, Podfile, Package.swift, requirements.txt, go.mod, pom.xml, etc.).
Look for log libraries (winston, pino, logging module, logrus, log4j, serilog, os_log, Logger, etc.).
Look for lockfiles (pnpm-lock.yaml, package-lock.json, yarn.lock, bun.lockb, go.sum, Podfile.lock, Package.resolved, etc.) to determine the package manager.
Check for existing PostHog log export setup. If the OTLP exporter is already configured, skip to STEP 5 to add log capture for new code.

STEP 2: Research log capture. (Skip if PostHog log export is already configured.) 2.1. Find the reference file below that matches the detected platform — it is the source of truth for OTLP exporter configuration and integration with existing logging. Read it now. 2.2. If no reference matches, use the "Other Languages" reference as a fallback — it covers the generic OpenTelemetry approach.

STEP 3: Install dependencies. (Skip if PostHog log export is already configured.)

Install the OpenTelemetry SDK and OTLP exporter packages for the detected platform.
Do not manually edit dependency files — use the package manager's install command.

STEP 4: Configure the OTLP exporter. (Skip if PostHog log export is already configured.)

PostHog logs use the OpenTelemetry protocol. Set up an OTLP exporter pointed at PostHog's ingest endpoint.
For SDK-native log support such as Android, React Native, and iOS, follow the platform reference instead of adding a separate OTLP exporter.
Follow the platform-specific reference for the exact configuration.

STEP 5: Integrate with existing logging.

Add the PostHog log exporter alongside existing logging. Don't replace existing log handlers or outputs.
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 6: Add structured properties.

Ensure logs include structured key-value properties for filtering and search in PostHog.
Prefer structured log formats with key-value properties over plain text messages.

STEP 7: 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.
For the OpenTelemetry endpoint, use https://us.i.posthog.com/v1 (US) or https://eu.i.posthog.com/v1 (EU), matching the region determined above.
Write these values to the appropriate env file using the framework's naming convention.
Reference these environment variables in code instead of hardcoding them.

Reference files

references/nextjs.md - Next.js logs installation
references/nodejs.md - Node.js logs installation
references/python.md - Python logs installation
references/go.md - Go logs installation
references/java.md - Java logs installation
references/datadog.md - Datadog logs installation
references/android.md - Android logs installation
references/react-native.md - React native logs installation
references/ios.md - Ios logs installation
references/flutter.md - Flutter logs installation
references/other.md - Other languages logs installation
references/start-here.md - Getting started with logs
references/search.md - Search logs
references/best-practices.md - Logging best practices
references/troubleshooting.md - Logs troubleshooting
references/link-session-replay.md - Link session replay
references/mcp.md - Use logs over PostHog mcp
references/COMMANDMENTS.md - Framework-specific rules the integration must follow

Each platform reference contains specific OTLP configuration, SDK setup, and integration patterns. Find the one matching the user's stack.

Key principles

Environment variables: Always use environment variables for PostHog keys and OpenTelemetry endpoints. Never hardcode them.
Minimal changes: Add log export alongside existing logging. Don't replace or restructure existing logging code.
OpenTelemetry: PostHog logs use the OpenTelemetry protocol. Configure an OTLP exporter pointed at PostHog's ingest endpoint unless the platform SDK provides native log capture.
SDK-native logs: For Android, React Native, and iOS, use the SDK logger/capture APIs from the platform reference instead of adding a separate OTLP exporter.
Structured logging: Prefer structured log formats with key-value properties over plain text messages.

Files

ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer931 B
LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer1.0 KiB
SKILL.md6.1 KiB
references/COMMANDMENTS.md1.5 KiB
references/android.md9.2 KiB
references/best-practices.md25.2 KiB
references/datadog.md3.8 KiB
references/flutter.md20.4 KiB
references/go.md4.9 KiB
references/ios.md11.1 KiB
references/java.md4.7 KiB
references/link-session-replay.md6.4 KiB
references/mcp.md4.1 KiB
references/nextjs.md6.9 KiB
references/nodejs.md4.8 KiB
references/other.md3.5 KiB
references/python.md4.7 KiB
references/react-native.md10.8 KiB
references/search.md8.0 KiB
references/start-here.md10.2 KiB
references/troubleshooting.md6.5 KiB

references/mcp.md

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

Use Logs over PostHog MCP

Canonical URL: https://posthog.com/docs/logs/surfaces/mcp

Before you start

Set up Logs – send them to PostHog with an OpenTelemetry client so there's something to read.
Connect the MCP server – install it in your AI tool and give it access to your project.

What you can do here

Through MCP tools, your agent can:

Query and count logs – filter by severity, service, time range, and free text, and pull counts or sparklines to see how a problem is trending.
Discover what's available – list log attributes and their values, and list the services sending logs with their volume and error rate, so it can build a targeted query instead of guessing.
Break counts down by facet – group matching logs by any attribute to see where a spike is concentrated.
Mine and diff patterns – group similar log lines into templates, and compare two time ranges to see which patterns are new or spiking.
Manage alerts – create, read, update, and delete log alerts, attach or remove Slack, webhook, and Teams destinations, read an alert's event history, and simulate a threshold against historical logs before committing to it.

Saved views, sampling rules, and metric rules aren't exposed over MCP – manage those in the web app or with the Logs API.

For the full list of tools and how to scope a session to a subset, see the MCP tools reference.

Example prompts

Goal	Ask your agent
Triage	`Show me all error logs from the last hour`
Narrow by service	`What services are logging errors? Search for error logs from the payments service`
Follow a request	`Find logs related to trace ID abc123`
Explore the schema	`What log attributes are available? Show me the values for service.name`
Spot what changed	`Compare log patterns from today against yesterday and show me what's new`
Cut noise	`Show me warning and error logs from the last 24 hours, excluding debug noise`

Because your agent has both your codebase and your logs in one session, it can connect a log line to the exact code path that emitted it and draft the fix.

A useful order of operations: list attributes and their values to learn the schema, count matching logs to check the result set is a sane size, then query. Log records carry trace and span IDs, so your agent can follow a single request across services.

Set up

Connect the PostHog MCP server to your AI tool of choice, then grant it access to your project. The MCP overview covers install and authentication for each client.

To browse logs visually, mine patterns interactively, or watch the session replay behind a log line, use the web app.

Browse and pivot through logs in the web app.
Script the same operations with the Logs API.
Learn what your agent is creating in Set up log alerts.
See how templates are built in Log patterns.

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-logs · 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-logs.zip