About integration-javascript_node
A skill that guides adding PostHog analytics to JavaScript Node applications. It provides an ordered integration workflow and Node-specific guidance for event tracking, user identification, error capture, and configuration.
Key features
- 01Ordered setup and revision workflow
- 02Node.js SDK guidance
- 03Event tracking in route handlers
- 04User identification patterns
- 05Exception capture guidance
- 06Environment-variable key handling
Use cases
- 01Adding PostHog to a Node.js application
- 02Tracking create, update, and delete routes
- 03Identifying users during login or signup
- 04Adding error tracking at API boundaries
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
npx skills add https:/ / github.com/ posthog/ skills --skill integration-javascript_nodeAfter installing, type/integration-javascript_nodein Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Bundled files
References and scripts installed along with SKILL.md.
references/basic-integration-1.0-begin.mdbasic-integration-1.3-conclude.mdbasic-integration-1.2-revise.mdbasic-integration-1.1-edit.mdidentify-users.mdposthog-node.mdnode.mdDetails
From the project READMEPostHog integration for JavaScript Node
This skill helps you add PostHog analytics to JavaScript Node applications.
Workflow
Follow these steps in order to complete the integration:
basic-integration-1.0-begin.md- PostHog Setup - Begin ← Start herebasic-integration-1.1-edit.md- PostHog Setup - Editbasic-integration-1.2-revise.md- PostHog Setup - Revisebasic-integration-1.3-conclude.md- PostHog Setup - Conclusion
Reference files
references/node.md- Node.js - docsreferences/posthog-node.md- PostHog Node.js SDKreferences/identify-users.md- Identify users - docsreferences/basic-integration-1.0-begin.md- PostHog setup - beginreferences/basic-integration-1.1-edit.md- PostHog setup - editreferences/basic-integration-1.2-revise.md- PostHog setup - revisereferences/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
- posthog-node is the Node.js server-side SDK package name – do NOT use posthog-js on the server
- Include enableExceptionAutocapture: true in the PostHog constructor options
- Add posthog.capture() calls in route handlers for meaningful user actions – every route that creates, updates, or deletes data should track an event with contextual properties
- Add posthog.captureException(err, distinctId) in the application's error handler (e.g., Express error middleware, Fastify setErrorHandler, Koa app.on('error'))
- In long-running servers, the SDK batches events automatically – do NOT set flushAt or flushInterval unless you have a specific reason to
- For short-lived processes (scripts, CLIs, serverless), set flushAt to 1 and flushInterval to 0 to send events immediately
- Reverse proxy is NOT needed for server-side Node.js – only client-side JavaScript needs a proxy to avoid ad blockers
- Remember that source code is available in the node_modules directory
- Check package.json for type checking or build scripts to validate changes
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.