Agent skill

posthog-local-dev-loop

Configure PostHog local development with mocking, debug mode, and testing. Use when setting up a development environment, mocking PostHog for tests, or establishing a fast iteration cycle with posthog-js or posthog-node. Trigger: "posthog dev setup", "posthog local development", "posthog dev environment", "mock posthog", "test posthog".

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Install this agent skill to your Project

npx add-skill https://github.com/jeremylongshore/claude-code-plugins-plus-skills/tree/main/plugins/saas-packs/posthog-pack/skills/posthog-local-dev-loop

SKILL.md

PostHog Local Dev Loop

Overview

Set up a fast local development workflow for PostHog integrations. Covers debug mode for event inspection, mocking posthog-node for unit tests, and a dev/test PostHog project to avoid polluting production data.

Prerequisites

  • Completed posthog-install-auth setup
  • Node.js 20+ with npm/pnpm
  • Vitest or Jest for testing
  • Separate PostHog project for development (recommended)

Instructions

Step 1: Project Structure

my-posthog-app/
├── src/
│   ├── analytics/
│   │   ├── posthog.ts         # Singleton client
│   │   ├── events.ts          # Event taxonomy (typed constants)
│   │   └── flags.ts           # Feature flag keys
│   └── index.ts
├── tests/
│   ├── analytics.test.ts      # Unit tests with mocked PostHog
│   └── integration.test.ts    # Integration tests (real PostHog dev project)
├── .env.local                 # Dev keys (git-ignored)
├── .env.example               # Template: NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_KEY=phc_...
└── package.json

Step 2: PostHog Client with Dev Mode

typescript
// src/analytics/posthog.ts
import { PostHog } from 'posthog-node';

let client: PostHog | null = null;

export function getPostHog(): PostHog {
  if (!client) {
    client = new PostHog(process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_KEY!, {
      host: process.env.POSTHOG_HOST || 'https://us.i.posthog.com',
      flushAt: process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development' ? 1 : 20,
      flushInterval: process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development' ? 0 : 10000,
      // In dev, flush immediately so events appear instantly in dashboard
    });
  }
  return client;
}

export async function shutdown() {
  if (client) {
    await client.shutdown();
    client = null;
  }
}

Step 3: Browser Debug Mode

typescript
// Enable PostHog debug mode in development
import posthog from 'posthog-js';

posthog.init(process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_KEY!, {
  api_host: 'https://us.i.posthog.com',
  loaded: (ph) => {
    if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development') {
      ph.debug();
      // All events logged to browser console:
      // [PostHog.js] Sending event: {"event":"$pageview","properties":{...}}
    }
  },
});

// Disable capture entirely in test environments
if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'test') {
  posthog.opt_out_capturing();
}

Step 4: Mock PostHog for Unit Tests

typescript
// tests/analytics.test.ts
import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach } from 'vitest';

// Mock posthog-node
vi.mock('posthog-node', () => {
  const mockCapture = vi.fn();
  const mockIdentify = vi.fn();
  const mockGetFeatureFlag = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(true);
  const mockShutdown = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined);
  const mockFlush = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined);

  return {
    PostHog: vi.fn().mockImplementation(() => ({
      capture: mockCapture,
      identify: mockIdentify,
      getFeatureFlag: mockGetFeatureFlag,
      getAllFlags: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ 'new-feature': true }),
      shutdown: mockShutdown,
      flush: mockFlush,
    })),
  };
});

import { PostHog } from 'posthog-node';

describe('Analytics', () => {
  let ph: InstanceType<typeof PostHog>;

  beforeEach(() => {
    vi.clearAllMocks();
    ph = new PostHog('phc_test_key');
  });

  it('captures events with correct properties', () => {
    ph.capture({
      distinctId: 'user-1',
      event: 'button_clicked',
      properties: { button: 'signup' },
    });

    expect(ph.capture).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
      distinctId: 'user-1',
      event: 'button_clicked',
      properties: { button: 'signup' },
    });
  });

  it('evaluates feature flags', async () => {
    const result = await ph.getFeatureFlag('new-feature', 'user-1');
    expect(result).toBe(true);
  });
});

Step 5: Integration Test with Real Dev Project

typescript
// tests/integration.test.ts
import { describe, it, expect, afterAll } from 'vitest';
import { PostHog } from 'posthog-node';

const POSTHOG_KEY = process.env.POSTHOG_TEST_KEY;

describe.skipIf(!POSTHOG_KEY)('PostHog Integration', () => {
  const ph = new PostHog(POSTHOG_KEY!, {
    host: 'https://us.i.posthog.com',
    flushAt: 1,
    flushInterval: 0,
  });

  afterAll(async () => {
    await ph.shutdown();
  });

  it('should capture and flush an event', async () => {
    ph.capture({
      distinctId: `test-${Date.now()}`,
      event: 'integration_test',
      properties: { test: true },
    });
    // Flush returns successfully if network is reachable
    await expect(ph.flush()).resolves.not.toThrow();
  });

  it('should evaluate feature flags', async () => {
    const flags = await ph.getAllFlags(`test-${Date.now()}`);
    expect(typeof flags).toBe('object');
  });
});

Step 6: Package Scripts

json
{
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "tsx watch src/index.ts",
    "test": "vitest run",
    "test:watch": "vitest --watch",
    "test:integration": "POSTHOG_TEST_KEY=$NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_KEY vitest run tests/integration"
  }
}

Error Handling

Error Cause Solution
Events not in dev dashboard Wrong project key Verify .env.local has dev project phc_ key
Mock not intercepting Wrong import path Ensure vi.mock path matches actual import
Integration test timeout PostHog unreachable Check network, increase vitest timeout
Debug mode too noisy ph.debug() in prod Guard with NODE_ENV === 'development'

Output

  • Development PostHog client with instant flush
  • Browser debug mode for event inspection
  • Mocked posthog-node for unit tests
  • Integration test suite for real PostHog connectivity

Resources

Next Steps

See posthog-sdk-patterns for production-ready code patterns.

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