Suggesting data imports
This skill helps identify when data the user needs lives outside PostHog and guides them toward importing it via the data warehouse. The key insight is recognizing the gap — then connecting it to the right source type.
What PostHog collects natively
PostHog collects product analytics events, persons, sessions, and groups via its SDKs. Additional products are available but must be enabled: session replay, feature flags, experiments, surveys, web analytics, error tracking, AI observability, conversations, logs, revenue analytics, workflows, CDP destinations, and batch exports. PostHog does not collect external business data like payments, subscriptions, CRM records, support tickets from other systems, or production database tables — that data must be imported via the data warehouse.
When to use this skill
- A HogQL query fails because a table doesn't exist
- The user asks about data from an external system (Stripe, Hubspot, Salesforce, etc.)
- The user wants to correlate PostHog analytics with business data (revenue, support tickets, CRM records, etc)
- The user asks "how do I get my X data into PostHog?"
- Analysis requires joining PostHog events with external data
- The user asks about exporting PostHog data for comparison elsewhere (in a google sheet, external warehouse, etc)
Workflow
1. Understand what data is missing
Listen for signals that the user needs external data:
- They mention a specific tool or system (Stripe, Hubspot, Zendesk, their production database, etc.)
- A query references a table that doesn't exist in PostHog
- They want to analyze something PostHog doesn't track natively (revenue, support tickets, CRM deals, etc.)
If a query failed, check the error — if it's "table not found" or similar, the data likely needs to be imported.
2. Check what's already connected
Call posthog:external-data-sources-list to see existing sources. The data might already be imported but the user doesn't know the table name or prefix.
If a source exists for the system they're asking about, call posthog:external-data-schemas-list to show the available tables. The data might be there but under a different name or prefix.
Also call posthog:read-data-warehouse-schema to see all queryable tables — the data might already be available as a view or joined table.
3. Identify the right source type
If the data isn't imported yet, call posthog:external-data-sources-wizard to see available source types. Match the user's need to a source:
Common patterns:
| User wants |
Source type |
Key tables |
| Revenue / payment data |
Stripe, Chargebee, Shopify |
charges, subscriptions, invoices, customers |
| CRM / sales pipeline |
Hubspot, Salesforce, Attio |
contacts, deals, companies |
| Support tickets |
Zendesk |
tickets, users, organizations |
| Product data from their DB |
Postgres, MySQL, BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift |
user's own tables |
| Marketing / ads |
Google Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, TikTok Ads |
campaigns, ad_groups, ads |
| Email marketing |
Mailchimp, Klaviyo |
campaigns, lists, subscribers |
| Project management |
Linear |
issues, projects |
| Error tracking (external) |
Sentry |
issues, events |
4. Suggest the import
Present the recommendation concisely:
- What source type to connect
- What tables would become available
- How this enables the analysis they want
Example: "Your Stripe data isn't in PostHog yet. If you connect a Stripe source, you'll get tables like charges, subscriptions, and customers that you can join with PostHog events to analyze revenue by user behavior."
5. Offer to set up the source
If the user wants to proceed, hand off to the setting-up-a-data-warehouse-source skill — it covers the full
three-step flow (wizard → db-schema → create), sync-type selection, webhook registration, and prefix guidance.
Do not duplicate that workflow here.
6. Show what's possible after import
Once connected, help the user write their first query joining PostHog data with the imported data. Use posthog:execute-sql to demonstrate.
Common join patterns:
- Join Stripe customers with PostHog persons on email:
SELECT * FROM stripe_customers sc JOIN persons p ON sc.email = p.properties.$email
- Join CRM deals with events: correlate product usage with sales outcomes
- Join support tickets with session recordings: find recordings for users who filed tickets
Important notes
- Don't guess table names. Always check
posthog:read-data-warehouse-schema and posthog:external-data-schemas-list before saying data doesn't exist.
- Check prefixes. Imported tables are often prefixed (e.g.
stripe_charges not charges). The user might not know the prefix.
- OAuth sources require the UI. Some sources (Google Ads, Meta Ads, Hubspot with OAuth) require browser-based OAuth flows. You can't complete these via MCP — direct the user to the PostHog UI at
/data-warehouse/new.
- Not all systems are supported. If the user's system isn't in the wizard list, suggest using Postgres/MySQL as a bridge if they can export to a database, or mention that custom sources can be requested.
Related tools
posthog:external-data-sources-list: Check existing source connectionsposthog:external-data-schemas-list: Check what tables are already importedposthog:read-data-warehouse-schema: See all queryable tables including viewsposthog:external-data-sources-wizard: Get available source typesposthog:execute-sql: Run queries to demonstrate what's possible
Related skills
setting-up-a-data-warehouse-source: Full source creation workflow — hand off here once the user decides to connect a source
1---2name: cursor-plugin-posthog-suggesting-data-imports3description: Use when the user asks about revenue, payments, subscriptions, billing, CRM deals, support tickets, production database tables, or other data that PostHog does not collect natively. Also use when a query fails because a table does not exist or returns no results for expected external data. The data warehouse can import from SaaS tools (Stripe, Hubspot, etc.), production databases (Postgres, MySQL,4---56# Suggesting data imports78This skill helps identify when data the user needs lives outside PostHog and guides them toward importing it via the data warehouse. The key insight is recognizing the gap — then connecting it to the right source type.910## What PostHog collects natively1112PostHog collects product analytics events, persons, sessions, and groups via its SDKs. Additional products are available but must be enabled: session replay, feature flags, experiments, surveys, web analytics, error tracking, AI observability, conversations, logs, revenue analytics, workflows, CDP destinations, and batch exports. PostHog does **not** collect external business data like payments, subscriptions, CRM records, support tickets from other systems, or production database tables — that data must be imported via the data warehouse.1314## When to use this skill1516- A HogQL query fails because a table doesn't exist17- The user asks about data from an external system (Stripe, Hubspot, Salesforce, etc.)18- The user wants to correlate PostHog analytics with business data (revenue, support tickets, CRM records, etc)19- The user asks "how do I get my X data into PostHog?"20- Analysis requires joining PostHog events with external data21- The user asks about exporting PostHog data for comparison elsewhere (in a google sheet, external warehouse, etc)2223## Workflow2425### 1. Understand what data is missing2627Listen for signals that the user needs external data:2829- They mention a specific tool or system (Stripe, Hubspot, Zendesk, their production database, etc.)30- A query references a table that doesn't exist in PostHog31- They want to analyze something PostHog doesn't track natively (revenue, support tickets, CRM deals, etc.)3233If a query failed, check the error — if it's "table not found" or similar, the data likely needs to be imported.3435### 2. Check what's already connected3637Call `posthog:external-data-sources-list` to see existing sources. The data might already be imported but the user doesn't know the table name or prefix.3839If a source exists for the system they're asking about, call `posthog:external-data-schemas-list` to show the available tables. The data might be there but under a different name or prefix.4041Also call `posthog:read-data-warehouse-schema` to see all queryable tables — the data might already be available as a view or joined table.4243### 3. Identify the right source type4445If the data isn't imported yet, call `posthog:external-data-sources-wizard` to see available source types. Match the user's need to a source:4647**Common patterns:**4849| User wants | Source type | Key tables |50| -------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |51| Revenue / payment data | Stripe, Chargebee, Shopify | charges, subscriptions, invoices, customers |52| CRM / sales pipeline | Hubspot, Salesforce, Attio | contacts, deals, companies |53| Support tickets | Zendesk | tickets, users, organizations |54| Product data from their DB | Postgres, MySQL, BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift | user's own tables |55| Marketing / ads | Google Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, TikTok Ads | campaigns, ad_groups, ads |56| Email marketing | Mailchimp, Klaviyo | campaigns, lists, subscribers |57| Project management | Linear | issues, projects |58| Error tracking (external) | Sentry | issues, events |5960### 4. Suggest the import6162Present the recommendation concisely:6364- What source type to connect65- What tables would become available66- How this enables the analysis they want6768Example: "Your Stripe data isn't in PostHog yet. If you connect a Stripe source, you'll get tables like `charges`, `subscriptions`, and `customers` that you can join with PostHog events to analyze revenue by user behavior."6970### 5. Offer to set up the source7172If the user wants to proceed, hand off to the **`setting-up-a-data-warehouse-source`** skill — it covers the full73three-step flow (wizard → db-schema → create), sync-type selection, webhook registration, and prefix guidance.74Do not duplicate that workflow here.7576### 6. Show what's possible after import7778Once connected, help the user write their first query joining PostHog data with the imported data. Use `posthog:execute-sql` to demonstrate.7980Common join patterns:8182- Join Stripe customers with PostHog persons on email: `SELECT * FROM stripe_customers sc JOIN persons p ON sc.email = p.properties.$email`83- Join CRM deals with events: correlate product usage with sales outcomes84- Join support tickets with session recordings: find recordings for users who filed tickets8586## Important notes8788- **Don't guess table names.** Always check `posthog:read-data-warehouse-schema` and `posthog:external-data-schemas-list` before saying data doesn't exist.89- **Check prefixes.** Imported tables are often prefixed (e.g. `stripe_charges` not `charges`). The user might not know the prefix.90- **OAuth sources require the UI.** Some sources (Google Ads, Meta Ads, Hubspot with OAuth) require browser-based OAuth flows. You can't complete these via MCP — direct the user to the PostHog UI at `/data-warehouse/new`.91- **Not all systems are supported.** If the user's system isn't in the wizard list, suggest using Postgres/MySQL as a bridge if they can export to a database, or mention that custom sources can be requested.9293## Related tools9495- `posthog:external-data-sources-list`: Check existing source connections96- `posthog:external-data-schemas-list`: Check what tables are already imported97- `posthog:read-data-warehouse-schema`: See all queryable tables including views98- `posthog:external-data-sources-wizard`: Get available source types99- `posthog:execute-sql`: Run queries to demonstrate what's possible100101## Related skills102103- **`setting-up-a-data-warehouse-source`**: Full source creation workflow — hand off here once the user decides to connect a source
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