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Integration React Tanstack Router Code Based

PostHogOfficialCreated by PostHog

  • Skill
  • Tool integration
  • Data and AI
  • MIT
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From the author

PostHog integration for React applications using TanStack Router with code-based routing
— the description by PostHog

AutoGineer summary

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

This skill provides a systematic, multi-step workflow for developers to integrate PostHog into React applications that utilize TanStack Router's code-based routing pattern. It emphasizes best practices such as using environment variables, avoiding redundant useEffect hooks, and implementing proper user identification and error tracking. The skill includes a defined workflow, reference examples, and specific guidelines for maintaining clean, performant integration within the React ecosystem.

What it does

  • Provides a step-by-step workflow for PostHog integration
  • Offers patterns for user identification and error tracking
  • Defines best practices for event tracking in React
  • Includes reference examples for code-based routing configurations
  • Guides developers on using PostHogProvider in root components

When to use it

  • When adding PostHog analytics to a new React project using TanStack Router
  • When migrating or updating analytics implementation in a code-based routing setup
  • When needing to ensure consistent user identification and error tracking patterns
  • When looking for standardized implementation patterns for PostHog hooks

Advantages

  • Ensures consistent implementation across the application
  • Promotes clean code by discouraging anti-patterns like excessive useEffect usage
  • Provides clear, actionable steps for complex integrations
  • Reduces configuration errors by providing verified reference patterns

Usage examples

“How do I initialize PostHog in my TanStack Router code-based app?”
The agent will guide you through wrapping your root route component with the PostHogProvider using your project token and host configuration.
“Where should I place my event tracking code for user actions?”
The agent will advise placing capture calls directly within event handlers rather than using useEffect, ensuring accurate event attribution.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/posthog/integration-react-tanstack-router-code-based/download

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

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip integration-react-tanstack-router-code-based.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by PostHog

PostHog integration for React with TanStack Router (code-based)

This skill helps you add PostHog analytics to React with TanStack Router (code-based) applications.

Workflow

Follow these steps in order to complete the integration:

  1. basic-integration-1.0-begin.md - PostHog Setup - Begin ← Start here

  2. basic-integration-1.1-edit.md - PostHog Setup - Edit

  3. basic-integration-1.2-revise.md - PostHog Setup - Revise

  4. basic-integration-1.3-conclude.md - PostHog Setup - Conclusion

Reference files

  • references/EXAMPLE.md - React with TanStack Router (code-based) example project code

  • references/tanstack-start.md - Tanstack start - docs

  • references/identify-users.md - Identify users - docs

  • references/basic-integration-1.0-begin.md - PostHog setup - begin

  • references/basic-integration-1.1-edit.md - PostHog setup - edit

  • references/basic-integration-1.2-revise.md - PostHog setup - revise

  • references/basic-integration-1.3-conclude.md - PostHog setup - conclusion

The example project shows the target implementation pattern. Consult the documentation for API details.

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.

Framework guidelines

  • 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)

  • Use TanStack Router's built-in navigation events for pageview tracking instead of useEffect

  • Use PostHogProvider in the root component defined in either the file-based convention (__root.tsx) or code-based convention (wherever createRootRoute() is called) so all child routes have access to the PostHog client

Identifying users

Identify users during login and signup events. Refer to the example code and documentation for the correct identify pattern for this framework. If both frontend and backend code exist, pass the client-side session and distinct ID using X-POSTHOG-DISTINCT-ID and X-POSTHOG-SESSION-ID headers to maintain correlation.

Error tracking

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

Files

references/tanstack-start.md

TanStack Start - Docs

This tutorial shows how to integrate PostHog with a TanStack Start app for both client-side and server-side analytics.

Installation

Install the required packages:

Terminal

PostHog AI

npm install @posthog/react posthog-node

  • @posthog/react - React package for our JS Web SDK for client-side usage

  • posthog-node - PostHog Node.js SDK for server-side event capture

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.

Initialize PostHog on the client

Wrap your app with PostHogProvider in your root route with your project token, host, and other options.

src/routes/__root.tsx

PostHog AI

// src/routes/__root.tsx
import { HeadContent, Scripts, createRootRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router'
import { PostHogProvider } from '@posthog/react'
export const Route = createRootRoute({
  head: () => ({
    meta: [
      { charSet: 'utf-8' },
      { name: 'viewport', content: 'width=device-width, initial-scale=1' },
    ],
  }),
  shellComponent: RootDocument,
})
function RootDocument({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return (
    <html lang="en">
      <head>
        <HeadContent />
      </head>
      <body>
        <PostHogProvider
          apiKey="<ph_project_token>"
          options={{
            api_host: 'https://us.i.posthog.com',
            defaults: '2026-01-30',
            capture_exceptions: true
          }}
        >
          {children}
        </PostHogProvider>
        <Scripts />
      </body>
    </html>
  )
}

Once the provider is in place, PostHog automatically captures pageviews, sessions, and web vitals.

Capture events on the client

Use the usePostHog hook from @posthog/react in any component to capture custom events:

src/routes/checkout.tsx

PostHog AI

import { usePostHog } from '@posthog/react'
function CheckoutButton({ orderId, total }: { orderId: string; total: number }) {
  const posthog = usePostHog()
  const handleClick = () => {
    posthog.capture('checkout_started', {
      order_id: orderId,
      total: total,
    })
  }
  return <button onClick={handleClick}>Checkout</button>
}
Identify users

Call posthog.identify() when a user logs in to link their events to a user ID:

TSX

PostHog AI

import { usePostHog } from '@posthog/react'
function LoginForm() {
  const posthog = usePostHog()
  const handleLogin = async (userId: string, email: string) => {
    // ... your login logic
    posthog.identify(userId, {
      email: email,
    })
    posthog.capture('user_logged_in')
  }
}

Call posthog.reset() on logout to clear the identified user.

Initialize PostHog on the server

Create a server-side PostHog client using posthog-node. Use a singleton pattern so you reuse the same client across requests:

src/utils/posthog-server.ts

PostHog AI

// src/utils/posthog-server.ts
import { PostHog } from 'posthog-node'
let posthogClient: PostHog | null = null
export function getPostHogClient() {
  if (!posthogClient) {
    posthogClient = new PostHog(
      '<ph_project_token>',
      {
        host: 'https://us.i.posthog.com',
        flushAt: 1,
        flushInterval: 0,
      },
    )
  }
  return posthogClient
}

Capture events on the server

Use the server client in TanStack Start API routes to capture events server-side. Server-side capture is useful for tracking events that shouldn't be spoofable from the client, like purchases or authentication:

src/routes/api/checkout.ts

PostHog AI

// src/routes/api/checkout.ts
import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router'
import { json } from '@tanstack/react-start'
import { getPostHogClient } from '../../utils/posthog-server'
export const Route = createFileRoute('/api/checkout')({
  server: {
    handlers: {
      POST: async ({ request }) => {
        const body = await request.json()
        const posthog = getPostHogClient()
        posthog.capture({
          distinctId: body.userId,
          event: 'item_purchased',
          properties: {
            item_id: body.itemId,
            price: body.price,
            source: 'api',
          },
        })
        return json({ success: true })
      },
    },
  },
})

The server-side capture call requires a distinctId (the user identifier), an event name, and optional properties.

Next steps

Installing the JS Web SDK and Node SDK means all of their functionality is available in your TanStack Start project. To learn more about this, have a look at our JS Web SDK docs and Node SDK docs.

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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/integration/skills/react-tanstack-router-code-based · 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

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download integration-react-tanstack-router-code-based.zip