PostHog Integration

Connect PostHog to Brief to understand feature adoption and user behavior with analytics data.

Last updated: November 25, 2025

PostHog provides Brief with the highest-quality data source: actual user behavior. Analytics data is treated as the most confident signal about your product and users.

What data does Brief extract?

  • Event Data — User actions and behaviors
  • Feature Adoption — Which features are actually used
  • User Cohorts — Behavioral segments
  • Funnel Analysis — Conversion patterns

Why should I connect PostHog to Brief?

Persona Sizing

Use actual usage data to size your persona segments. This is the highest-confidence source (0.9) for understanding your users.

Feature Adoption

Know which features are actually used vs. just built. Brief can tell you "Authentication is used by 95% of users" based on real data.

High-Confidence Insights

Analytics data is the gold standard. It's what users actually do, not what they say or what you plan.

How do I set up this integration?

Setup time: 2-3 minutes
Initial sync: 1-2 minutes
Updates: Polling (no real-time webhooks)

Steps

Part 1: Create API Key in PostHog

  1. Go to PostHog API Keys
  2. Click "Create API Key"
  3. Select "MCP Server" scope preset (or manually add project:read permission)
  4. Copy the API key

Part 2: Connect in Brief

  1. Go to Integrations in Brief
  2. Find PostHog and click Connect
  3. Paste your API key in the first field
  4. Select your PostHog project from the dropdown
  5. Click Save
  6. Done!
Use the "MCP Server" scope preset when creating your API key. This gives Brief the right permissions automatically.

What happens after I connect?

After connecting:

  1. Initial sync — Brief fetches recent event data (1-2 minutes)
  2. Persona sizing — Analytics data enriches persona understanding
  3. Feature adoption — Brief calculates which features are used
  4. Polling updates — Brief checks for new data periodically
No webhooks: PostHog doesn't offer webhook events for all data types, so Brief polls for updates periodically. This is normal and doesn't affect data freshness significantly.

Common Issues

Why does it say "Invalid API key"?

Cause: API key doesn't have the right permissions Fix:

  1. Go back to PostHog → Settings → API Keys
  2. Ensure you selected "MCP Server" scope when creating the key
  3. Or manually add project:read permission
  4. Create a new key if needed and update in Brief

Why are no projects shown in the dropdown?

Cause: API key lacks project:read permission Fix: Recreate the API key in PostHog with correct permissions

Why aren't any events syncing?

Cause: PostHog project has no events in the selected time range Fix:

  • Ensure PostHog is actually tracking events
  • Check that events exist in PostHog dashboard
  • Verify you selected the correct project

What PostHog Data Powers

Personas

  • Segment sizing: "SMB users: 60% of traffic"
  • Behavioral patterns: What features each persona uses
  • Confidence boost: Analytics data pushes persona confidence to 0.9

Features

  • Adoption rates: "OAuth: 95% of users"
  • Usage patterns: When and how features are used
  • Drop-off points: Where users abandon flows

Product Understanding

  • Most used features
  • User journey patterns
  • Retention metrics

What's Next?

Now that PostHog is connected: