PostHog Query

Run SQL queries against PostHog product analytics data using the PostHog CLI. Use when checking pageviews, event counts, trends, or any analytics data from PostHog.

PostHog Query Skill

Run HogQL (ClickHouse-compatible SQL) queries against PostHog via the CLI.

One-Time Setup

posthog-cli login  # authenticate interactively; stores token in ~/.posthog/credentials.json

Requires API key scope: query:read.

Command

posthog-cli exp query run "<SQL>"

Results are printed as JSON lines to stdout. The CLI reads auth from ~/.posthog/credentials.json (set up via posthog-cli login).

Property Access Syntax

Use bracket notation for event properties — dot notation with quoted keys does not work:

-- ✅ Correct
properties['$current_url']
properties['$browser']

-- ❌ Wrong
properties.'$current_url'

Examples

Count all pageviews:

posthog-cli exp query run "SELECT count() as pageviews FROM events WHERE event = '\$pageview'"

Filter by URL:

posthog-cli exp query run "SELECT count() as pageviews FROM events WHERE event = '\$pageview' AND properties['\$current_url'] LIKE 'https://example.com/%'"

7-day daily trend:

posthog-cli exp query run "SELECT toDate(timestamp) as date, count() as pageviews FROM events WHERE event = '\$pageview' AND timestamp >= now() - INTERVAL 7 DAY GROUP BY date ORDER BY date"

Recent events:

posthog-cli exp query run "SELECT event, timestamp FROM events ORDER BY timestamp DESC LIMIT 10"

Other Subcommands

• posthog-cli exp query editor — interactive query editor
• posthog-cli exp query check "<SQL>" — syntax/type check without running
• Append --debug to run to get the full JSON response (columns, types, cache info)

Notes

• HogQL is ClickHouse-compatible SQL — standard ClickHouse functions apply
• Shell-escape $ in event names: '\$pageview' or use double quotes carefully
• The --debug flag returns full metadata including column types and cache status