Generated banner for Omnibus Instrument Product Analytics
Generated logo for Omnibus Instrument Product Analytics

Omnibus Instrument Product Analytics

PostHogOfficialCreated by PostHog

  • Skill
  • Tool integration
  • Data and AI
  • MIT
  • Low risk

From the author

Add PostHog product analytics events to track user behavior. Use after implementing new features or reviewing PRs to ensure meaningful user actions are captured. Also handles initial PostHog SDK setup if not yet installed.
— the description by PostHog

AutoGineer summary

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

This skill provides a structured, step-by-step procedure for integrating PostHog product analytics into a wide variety of web, mobile, and backend frameworks. It handles the full lifecycle of the integration, from detecting the project's technology stack and installing the necessary SDKs to implementing event tracking, user identification, and error monitoring. The skill emphasizes non-intrusive changes, ensuring that new analytics code is added alongside existing logic without disrupting the project's architecture.

What it does

  • Detects the project framework and language to determine the correct PostHog SDK.
  • Installs the required PostHog SDK package automatically.
  • Initializes the PostHog instance according to framework-specific best practices.
  • Implements targeted event tracking for key user actions and business logic.
  • Configures user identification flows for login and signup events.
  • Sets up environment variables for secure API key and host management.

When to use it

  • After implementing new features that require tracking for user engagement analysis.
  • When reviewing pull requests to ensure critical user behaviors are being captured.
  • When setting up product analytics for a new project from scratch.
  • When migrating or adding analytics to an existing application.

Advantages

  • Supports a broad range of modern frontend, backend, and mobile frameworks.
  • Ensures consistent event naming and property capture across the codebase.
  • Maintains architectural integrity by requiring minimal, targeted code additions.
  • Automates the tedious aspects of SDK initialization and environment configuration.

Usage examples

“Add PostHog analytics to my Next.js project.”
The agent will detect the Next.js environment, install the PostHog SDK, initialize it in the appropriate root file, and guide you through adding capture calls to key user flows.
“I need to track user signups in my Django application using PostHog.”
The agent will identify the Django setup, configure the PostHog Python SDK, and implement identify calls within your authentication logic.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/posthog/omnibus-instrument-product-analytics/download
  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip omnibus-instrument-product-analytics.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by PostHog

Add PostHog product analytics events

Use this skill to add product analytics events (capture calls) that track meaningful user actions in new or changed code. Use it after implementing features or reviewing PRs to ensure key user behaviors are captured. If PostHog is not yet installed, this skill also covers initial SDK setup. Supports any framework or language.

Supported frameworks: Next.js, React Router, Nuxt, Vue, TanStack Start, SvelteKit, Astro, Angular, Django, Flask, FastAPI, Laravel, Ruby on Rails, Android, iOS, React Native, Expo, and more.

Instructions

Follow these steps IN ORDER:

STEP 1: Analyze the codebase and detect the platform.

  • Look for dependency files (package.json, requirements.txt, Gemfile, composer.json, go.mod, etc.) to determine the framework and language.

  • Look for lockfiles (pnpm-lock.yaml, package-lock.json, yarn.lock, bun.lockb) to determine the package manager.

  • Check for existing PostHog setup. If PostHog is already installed and initialized, skip to STEP 5.

STEP 2: Research integration. (Skip if PostHog is already set up.) 2.1. Find the reference file below that matches the detected framework — it is the source of truth for SDK initialization, provider setup, and event capture 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. (Skip if PostHog is already set up.)

  • Add the PostHog SDK package for the detected platform. Do not manually edit package.json — use the package manager's install command.

  • Always install packages as a background task. Don't await completion; proceed with other work immediately after starting the installation.

STEP 4: Initialize PostHog. (Skip if PostHog is already set up.)

  • 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).

STEP 5: Plan event tracking.

  • From the project's file list, select between 10 and 15 files that might have interesting business value for event tracking, especially conversion and churn events.

  • Also look for files related to login that could be used for identifying users, along with error handling.

  • Find any existing posthog.capture() code. Make note of event name formatting. Don't duplicate existing events; supplement them.

  • Track actions only, not pageviews (those can be captured automatically). Exceptions can be made for "viewed"-type events at the top of a conversion funnel.

  • Server-side events are REQUIRED if the project includes any instrumentable server-side code (API routes, server actions, webhook handlers, payment/checkout completion, authentication endpoints).

STEP 6: Implement event capture.

  • For each planned event, add posthog.capture() calls with useful properties.

  • If a file already has existing integration code for other tools or services, don't overwrite or remove that code. Place PostHog code below it.

  • 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 7: Identify users.

  • Add PostHog identify() calls on the client side during login and signup events. Use the contents of login and signup forms to identify users on submit.

  • 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. On the server side, make sure events have a matching distinct ID.

STEP 8: Add error tracking.

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

STEP 9: Set up environment variables.

  • If an env-file-tools MCP server is connected, use check_env_keys to see which keys already exist, then use set_env_values to create or update the PostHog API key and host.

  • Reference these environment variables in code instead of hardcoding them.

STEP 10: 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.

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-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-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-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 - docs

  • references/react-router-v6.md - React router v6 - docs

  • references/react-router-v7-framework-mode.md - React router v7 framework mode (remix v3) - docs

  • references/react-router-v7-data-mode.md - React router v7 data mode - docs

  • references/react-router-v7-declarative-mode.md - React router v7 declarative mode - docs

  • references/nuxt-js-3-6.md - Nuxt.js (v3.0 to v3.6) - docs

  • references/nuxt-js.md - Nuxt.js - docs

  • references/vue-js.md - Vue.js - docs

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

  • references/svelte.md - Svelte - docs

  • references/astro.md - Astro - docs

  • references/angular.md - Angular - docs

  • references/django.md - Django - docs

  • references/flask.md - Flask - docs

  • references/python.md - Python - docs

  • references/posthog-python.md - PostHog python SDK

  • references/laravel.md - Laravel - docs

  • references/ruby-on-rails.md - Ruby on rails - docs

  • references/ruby.md - Ruby - docs

  • references/android.md - Android - docs

  • references/ios.md - Ios - docs

  • references/react-native.md - React native - docs

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

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 docs: Follow the framework reference's initialization and capture patterns exactly.

Files

references/EXAMPLE-python.md

PostHog python Example Project

Repository: https://github.com/PostHog/context-mill Path: basics/python


README.md

PostHog Python Example - CLI Todo App

A simple command-line todo application built with plain Python (no frameworks) demonstrating PostHog integration for CLIs, scripts, data pipelines, and non-web Python applications.

Purpose

This example serves as:

  • Verification that the context-mill wizard works for plain Python projects

  • Reference implementation of PostHog best practices for non-framework Python code

  • Working example you can run and modify

Features Demonstrated

  • Instance-based API - Uses Posthog(...) class instead of module-level API

  • Exception autocapture - Automatic tracking of unhandled exceptions

  • Proper shutdown - Uses shutdown() to flush events before exit

  • Event tracking - Captures user actions with distinct_id and properties

  • User identification - Sets properties on users via identify(), and updates them later with set() and setOnce()

  • Error handling - Manual exception capture for handled errors

Quick Start

1. Install Dependencies
# Create virtual environment (recommended)
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt
2. Configure PostHog
# Copy environment template
cp .env.example .env

# Edit .env and add your PostHog project token
# POSTHOG_PROJECT_TOKEN=phc_your_project_token_here
# POSTHOG_HOST=https://us.i.posthog.com
3. Run the App
# Add a todo
python todo.py add "Buy groceries"

# List all todos
python todo.py list

# Complete a todo
python todo.py complete 1

# Delete a todo
python todo.py delete 1

# Show statistics
python todo.py stats

What Gets Tracked

The app tracks these events in PostHog:

EventPropertiesPurpose
todo_addedtodo_id, todo_length, total_todosWhen user adds a new todo
todos_viewedtotal_todos, completed_todosWhen user lists todos
todo_completedtodo_id, time_to_complete_hoursWhen user completes a todo
todo_deletedtodo_id, was_completedWhen user deletes a todo
stats_viewedtotal_todos, completed_todos, pending_todosWhen user views stats

Code Structure

basics/python/
├── todo.py              # Main CLI application
├── requirements.txt     # Python dependencies
├── .env.example        # Environment variable template
├── .gitignore          # Git ignore rules
└── README.md           # This file

Key Implementation Patterns

1. Instance-Based Initialization
from posthog import Posthog

posthog = Posthog(
    api_key,
    host='https://us.i.posthog.com',
    enable_exception_autocapture=True  # Automatically capture exceptions
)
2. Event Tracking Pattern
# Track events with distinct_id
posthog_client.capture(
    distinct_id="user_123",
    event="event_name",
    properties={"key": "value"}
)
3. Proper Shutdown
try:
    # Your application code
    pass
finally:
    # Always call shutdown() to flush events and close connections
    posthog.shutdown()
4. Identifying Users
# Set person properties on a user profile
posthog_client.set(
    distinct_id="user_123",
    properties={"email": "[email protected]", "plan": "pro"}
)
5. Exception Handling
try:
    # Code that might fail
    risky_operation()
except Exception as e:
    # Manually capture handled errors you want to track
    posthog_client.capture_exception(e, distinct_id="user_123")

Running Without PostHog

The app works fine without PostHog configured - it simply won't track analytics. You'll see a warning message but the app continues to function normally.

Next Steps

  • Modify todo.py to experiment with PostHog tracking

  • Add new commands and track their usage

  • Explore feature flags: posthog.feature_enabled('flag-name', user_id)

  • Check your PostHog dashboard to see tracked events

Learn More


.env.example

# PostHog Configuration
POSTHOG_PROJECT_TOKEN=phc_your_project_token_here
POSTHOG_HOST=https://us.i.posthog.com

# Optional: Enable debug mode to see PostHog requests
# POSTHOG_DEBUG=true

requirements.txt

posthog>=3.0.0
python-dotenv>=1.0.0

todo.py

#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""Simple CLI Todo App with PostHog Analytics

A minimal plain Python CLI application demonstrating PostHog integration
for non-framework Python projects (CLIs, scripts, data pipelines, etc.).
"""

import argparse
import json
import os
import sys
from datetime import datetime
from pathlib import Path
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from posthog import Posthog

# Load environment variables
load_dotenv()

# Data file location
DATA_FILE = Path.home() / ".todo_app.json"


def initialize_posthog():
    """Initialize PostHog with instance-based API.

    Returns PostHog instance or None if project token not configured.
    """
    project_token = os.getenv('POSTHOG_PROJECT_TOKEN')

    if not project_token:
        print("WARNING: PostHog not configured (POSTHOG_PROJECT_TOKEN not set)")
        print("         App will work but analytics won't be tracked")
        return None

    # Create PostHog instance with opinionated defaults
    posthog = Posthog(
        project_token,
        host=os.getenv('POSTHOG_HOST', 'https://us.i.posthog.com'),
        debug=os.getenv('POSTHOG_DEBUG', 'False').lower() == 'true',
        enable_exception_autocapture=True  # Auto-capture unhandled exceptions
    )

    return posthog


def get_user_id():
    """Get or create a user ID for this installation.

    Uses a UUID stored in the data file to represent this user.
    In a real app, this would be your actual user ID.
    """
    import uuid

    if DATA_FILE.exists():
        data = json.loads(DATA_FILE.read_text())
        if 'user_id' in data:
            return data['user_id']

    # Create new user ID
    return f"user_{uuid.uuid4().hex[:8]}"


def load_todos():
    """Load todos from disk."""
    if not DATA_FILE.exists():
        return {"user_id": get_user_id(), "todos": []}

    return json.loads(DATA_FILE.read_text())


def save_todos(data):
    """Save todos to disk."""
    DATA_FILE.write_text(json.dumps(data, indent=2))


def track_event(posthog, event_name, properties=None):
    """Track an event with PostHog.

    Uses the real PostHog Python SDK API.
    """
    if not posthog:
        return

    posthog.capture(
        distinct_id=get_user_id(),
        event=event_name,
        properties=properties or {}
    )


def cmd_add(args, posthog):
    """Add a new todo item."""
    data = load_todos()

    todo = {
        "id": len(data["todos"]) + 1,
        "text": args.text,
        "completed": False,
        "created_at": datetime.now().isoformat()
    }

    data["todos"].append(todo)
    save_todos(data)

    print(f"Added todo #{todo['id']}: {todo['text']}")

    # Track the event
    track_event(posthog, "todo_added", {
        "todo_id": todo["id"],
        "todo_length": len(todo["text"]),
        "total_todos": len(data["todos"])
    })


def cmd_list(args, posthog):
    """List all todos."""
    data = load_todos()

    if not data["todos"]:
        print("No todos yet! Add one with: todo add 'Your task'")
        return

    print(f"\nYour Todos ({len(data['todos'])} total):\n")

    for todo in data["todos"]:
        status = "X" if todo["completed"] else " "
        print(f"  [{status}] #{todo['id']}: {todo['text']}")

    print()

    # Track the event
    track_event(posthog, "todos_viewed", {
        "total_todos": len(data["todos"]),
        "completed_todos": sum(1 for t in data["todos"] if t["completed"])
    })


def cmd_complete(args, posthog):
    """Mark a todo as completed."""
    data = load_todos()

    todo = next((t for t in data["todos"] if t["id"] == args.id), None)

    if not todo:
        print(f"ERROR: Todo #{args.id} not found")
        return

    if todo["completed"]:
        print(f"Todo #{args.id} is already completed")
        return

    todo["completed"] = True
    todo["completed_at"] = datetime.now().isoformat()
    save_todos(data)

    print(f"Completed todo #{todo['id']}: {todo['text']}")

    # Track the event
    track_event(posthog, "todo_completed", {
        "todo_id": todo["id"],
        "time_to_complete_hours": (
            datetime.fromisoformat(todo["completed_at"]) -
            datetime.fromisoformat(todo["created_at"])
        ).total_seconds() / 3600
    })


def cmd_delete(args, posthog):
    """Delete a todo."""
    data = load_todos()

    todo = next((t for t in data["todos"] if t["id"] == args.id), None)

    if not todo:
        print(f"ERROR: Todo #{args.id} not found")
        return

    data["todos"].remove(todo)
    save_todos(data)

    print(f"Deleted todo #{args.id}")

    # Track the event
    track_event(posthog, "todo_deleted", {
        "todo_id": todo["id"],
        "was_completed": todo["completed"]
    })


def cmd_stats(args, posthog):
    """Show usage statistics."""
    data = load_todos()

    total = len(data["todos"])
    completed = sum(1 for t in data["todos"] if t["completed"])
    pending = total - completed

    print(f"\nStats:\n")
    print(f"  Total todos:     {total}")
    print(f"  Completed:       {completed}")
    print(f"  Pending:         {pending}")
    print(f"  Completion rate: {(completed/total*100) if total > 0 else 0:.1f}%")
    print()

    # Track the event
    track_event(posthog, "stats_viewed", {
        "total_todos": total,
        "completed_todos": completed,
        "pending_todos": pending
    })


def main():
    """Main CLI entry point."""
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
        description="Simple todo app with PostHog analytics"
    )

    subparsers = parser.add_subparsers(dest="command", help="Available commands")

    # Add command
    add_parser = subparsers.add_parser("add", help="Add a new todo")
    add_parser.add_argument("text", help="Todo text")

    # List command
    subparsers.add_parser("list", help="List all todos")

    # Complete command
    complete_parser = subparsers.add_parser("complete", help="Mark todo as completed")
    complete_parser.add_argument("id", type=int, help="Todo ID")

    # Delete command
    delete_parser = subparsers.add_parser("delete", help="Delete a todo")
    delete_parser.add_argument("id", type=int, help="Todo ID")

    # Stats command
    subparsers.add_parser("stats", help="Show statistics")

    args = parser.parse_args()

    if not args.command:
        parser.print_help()
        return

    # Initialize PostHog
    posthog = initialize_posthog()

    try:
        # Route to appropriate command
        if args.command == "add":
            cmd_add(args, posthog)
        elif args.command == "list":
            cmd_list(args, posthog)
        elif args.command == "complete":
            cmd_complete(args, posthog)
        elif args.command == "delete":
            cmd_delete(args, posthog)
        elif args.command == "stats":
            cmd_stats(args, posthog)

    except Exception as e:
        print(f"ERROR: {e}")

        # Manually capture handled errors
        if posthog:
            posthog.capture_exception(e, get_user_id())

        sys.exit(1)

    finally:
        # IMPORTANT: Always shutdown PostHog to flush events
        if posthog:
            posthog.shutdown()


if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

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 an API key, 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/posthog/integration/skills/all · commit a5d30e7
Licence
MIT License (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
Synced
Also distributed in
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 omnibus-instrument-product-analytics.zip