Adding Inbox Sources

Adding a Self-driving Inbox source

The Self-driving Inbox connects a PostHog data-warehouse source (GitHub, Linear, Zendesk, pganalyze, Jira today), syncs one "actionable records" table (issues / tickets / conversations), and a server-side signals scout in posthog/posthog watches new rows and emits findings/reports into the Code Inbox.

Adding a source touches three surfaces. The scout is not generic over arbitrary tables — it is driven by a static registry keyed on (source_type, table). The first two surfaces are mandatory (without them the source can't emit signals or be toggled in the app); the third is what makes the CLI self-driving wizard offer the source during onboarding.

This skill lives in posthog/posthog; the UI lives in the separate posthog/code repo; the wizard's onboarding script lives in PostHog/context-mill:

Backend work in posthog/posthog should be done in a git worktree (see "Worktree setup" below). Merges in both repos go through the Trunk merge queue — see the merging-prs skill.

Deploy ordering (do not skip)

The backend SignalSourceProduct choice must ship before the Code UI surfaces the toggle. The Code toggle calls createSignalSourceConfig({ source_product }), and the Django model rejects a source_product that isn't in its choices → 400.

So: land the posthog/posthog PR(s) first (or at least the enum migration), then the posthog/code PR. When opening both together, note the dependency in the Code PR description.

The setup form: use the dynamic renderer, don't hardcode

Do not hand-code a per-source setup form. PostHog Cloud serves each source's connect-form field schema over HTTP, and the app renders it generically via DynamicSourceSetup (packages/ui/src/features/inbox/components/DynamicSourceSetup.tsx). A new credential-based source needs zero form code — just route its DataSourceSetup switch case to DynamicSourceSetup with the capitalized sourceType and the schemas to sync.

• Endpoint: GET /api/environments/{projectId}/external_data_sources/wizard/?source_type=<Type> → Record<string, SourceConfig>. Client method: PostHogAPIClient.getExternalDataSourceConfigs. Hook: useSourceConfig(sourceType).
• SourceConfig.fields is a union: input (text/email/password/url/number/…), select, switch-group, oauth, oauth-account-select, ssh-tunnel, file-upload. DynamicSourceSetup renders input/select/switch-group and oauth/oauth-account-select generically, and builds the createExternalDataSource payload from field names. The backend is the single source of truth for field names/labels/required/secret, so forms never drift.
• The field names become the payload keys — so you no longer hand-maintain them. (Jira → subdomain, email, api_token; all secret:false except the token.)

OAuth sources need NO bespoke form. DynamicSourceSetup renders the oauth field (a connect button that starts the flow by kind and polls getIntegrationsForProject for the new integration, writing its id into payload[<name>]) and the oauth-account-select field (a server-side-searched picker over the integration's resources) generically. The connect flow is started by the generic, kind-parameterized integration tRPC router (packages/host-router/src/routers/integration.router.ts → IntegrationService), so any provider in OauthIntegration.supported_kinds works with no per-kind service or router. So an OAuth source (Intercom, HubSpot, Salesforce, …) is the same one-registry-entry change as a credential source — route its DataSourceSetup case to DynamicSourceSetup.

Only two field types still lack a generic renderer (disable submit): ssh-tunnel and file-upload. Route those to a bespoke form. Resource pickers that must run after OAuth (GitHub's repo picker) are handled by oauth-account-select; the old GitHubSetup/ZendeskSetup /PgAnalyzeSetup hardcoded forms remain only for historical reasons — leave them or migrate to DynamicSourceSetup opportunistically; don't add new ones.

Supported OAuth kind values (posthog OauthIntegration.supported_kinds, posthog/models/integration/oauth.py): slack, salesforce, hubspot, google-ads, google-analytics, google-search-console, google-sheets, snapchat, linkedin-ads, reddit-ads, tiktok-ads, bing-ads, meta-ads, intercom, linear, clickup, jira, pinterest-ads, stripe (+ github via App install). A source not in this list must use the API-key form — its warehouse connector takes credentials directly, independent of the OAuth integration list. (Note: even Jira's warehouse source uses an API token, not the OAuth kind=jira.)

Source catalog (Tier-1)

source_type = the capitalized DWH type string passed to createExternalDataSource. Verify exact source_type + payload key names against the posthog external_data_sources serializer / the source's source.py at implementation time.

(Zendesk tickets, GitHub issues, Linear issues, pganalyze issues+servers, and Jira issues are already shipped — copy them, don't re-add. The Jira row above stays as the canonical worked example for payload keys and the JSON-blob emitter gotcha below.)

posthog/code checklist (per source)

Product key is the lowercase source_product (e.g. "jira"). Grep the repo for "zendesk" (case-insensitive) inside packages/ — every hit that is source-list-relevant is a place you must add the new product. The canonical list:

Type gates (every source)

1. packages/shared/src/inbox-types.ts — add "jira" to the SourceProduct union.
2. packages/api-client/src/posthog-client.ts — add to SignalSourceConfig.source_product union; add a new source_type value only if the record type isn't already issue/ticket.

Live UI path (every source)

3. packages/ui/src/features/inbox/hooks/useSignalSourceToggles.ts — SetupSourceProduct, SOURCE_TYPE_MAP, SOURCE_LABELS, DATA_WAREHOUSE_SOURCES ({ dwSourceType, requiredTable }), ALL_SOURCE_PRODUCTS, and the computeValues initializer object.
4. packages/ui/src/features/inbox/components/SignalSourceToggles.tsx — SignalSourceValues field, a toggleX/setupX callback, and a <SignalSourceToggleCard> in the "External connections" column (icon/label/description + requiresSetup/onSetup/loading/syncStatus).
5. packages/ui/src/features/inbox/components/DataSourceSetup.tsx — DataSourceType, REQUIRED_SCHEMAS, and the switch case. For a credential source, route the case to <DynamicSourceSetup sourceType="Jira" title="Connect Jira" schemas={schemasPayload("jira")} … /> — no new form component. Only OAuth/resource-picker sources need a bespoke XSetup.
6. packages/ui/src/features/inbox/components/utils/source-product-icons.tsx — SOURCE_PRODUCT_META entry (Icon, color, label). Add an inline SVG icon file (copy PgAnalyzeIcon.tsx) if no Phosphor icon fits.
7. packages/ui/src/features/inbox/filterOptions.tsx — INBOX_SOURCE_OPTIONS entry (source-filter dropdown).

Core mirror (keep in sync — SignalSourceService/DataSourceService mirror the maps; not on the live UI path today but keep them consistent)

8. packages/core/src/inbox/signalSourceService.ts — mirror SOURCE_TYPE_MAP, DATA_WAREHOUSE_SOURCES, ALL_SOURCE_PRODUCTS, computeSourceValues init, plus WarehouseSourceProduct/SignalSourceValues.
9. packages/core/src/inbox/dataSourceService.ts — DataSourceType, REQUIRED_SCHEMAS, a createXDataSource method.

OAuth plumbing — NOT needed per source anymore

There is now a generic, kind-parameterized integration flow: IntegrationService (packages/core/src/integrations/integration.ts) + the integration tRPC router (packages/host-router/src/routers/integration.router.ts). DynamicSourceSetup starts any OAuth flow through it via the field's kind. So a new OAuth source needs no per-kind service, symbol, or router — do not clone linear.ts/linear-integration.router.ts per source. (The old per-kind linear/slack/github routers still exist for other callers; leave them.)

Setup-form specifics

• Credential source: route the DataSourceSetup switch case to DynamicSourceSetup. Nothing else — the fields come from the wizard endpoint.
• OAuth source: also just route to DynamicSourceSetup. Its connect-form schema carries the oauth field (and, if the provider needs a resource picked, an oauth-account-select field), which DynamicSourceSetup renders generically — connect button + integration polling + account picker, all by kind. No bespoke form. The provider must be in OauthIntegration.supported_kinds.
• Issues sources (github/linear/jira) force issues to full_refresh in ensureRequiredTableSyncing (useSignalSourceToggles.ts) — add the new product to that condition if it syncs an issues table (issues get edited/closed, so incremental append would miss updates). Ticket/conversation sources only force should_sync=true.

Verify

• pnpm --filter @posthog/shared build after touching inbox-types.ts (it's a published type).
• pnpm typecheck (whole repo — the unions are consumed across packages).
• biome lint packages/core packages/ui — zero noRestrictedImports, imports ordered.

posthog/posthog checklist (per source)

Scout lives in products/signals/backend/. The warehouse→signals handoff is generic; only the per-source emitter + registry entry are new.

1. Enum — products/signals/backend/enums.py: add a SignalSourceProduct value + a SIGNAL_SOURCE_PRODUCT_LABELS entry. This regenerates SIGNAL_SOURCE_PRODUCT_CHOICES used by the model.

2. SourceType — products/signals/backend/models.py SignalSourceConfig.SourceType: only add if the record type isn't already ISSUE/TICKET.

3. Migration — python manage.py makemigrations signals → NNNN_alter_signalsourceconfig_source_product. Batch all new enum values into ONE migration when doing several sources — parallel PRs each adding a migration to this model collide in the merge queue.

4. Emitter — new module products/signals/backend/emission/<source>_<table>.py exporting a SignalSourceTableConfig: partition_field (incremental cursor column), fields (columns to SELECT), optional where_clause, partition_field_is_datetime_string, an emitter(row) -> SignalEmitterOutput(source_product, source_type, source_id, description, weight, extra), and optional LLM actionability_prompt/summarization_prompt. Copy github_issues.py and adapt to the warehouse table's columns (read the source's settings.py/canonical_descriptions.py under products/warehouse_sources/backend/temporal/data_imports/sources/<name>/ for exact column names).

   ⚠️ Not every source stores flat columns. GitHub/Linear expose title/body/created_at as top-level columns, so the generic data_warehouse_record_fetcher (SELECT {fields} FROM {table} WHERE {partition_field} > cursor) works directly. Others do not: e.g. Jira's issues table has only id, key, self, fields (a nested JSON blob), expand — summary/description/status/created all live inside fields. For such sources you must SELECT fields and JSONExtractString(fields, '…') in the emitter, and the partition_field must be a JSON expression (JSONExtractString(fields, 'created'), partition_field_is_datetime_string=True). Verify the generic fetcher accepts a JSON-expression partition_field (it interpolates it into HogQL WHERE) before assuming a clone works — this is the single most likely thing to be subtly wrong, and it can only be confirmed by running a sync, not by reading code. Inspect the real column shape via the source's canonical_descriptions.py first.

5. Register — products/signals/backend/emission/registry.py _register_all_emitters(): register((ExternalDataSourceType.X, "<table>"), <config>).

6. Contract — products/signals/backend/contracts.py: add a Literal[SignalSourceProduct.X] variant.

7. The generic fetcher (emission/fetchers/data_warehouse.py), the gate (emission/gate.py), and the warehouse hook plumbing need no changes.

Verify

• Migration applies cleanly; python manage.py makemigrations --check is clean afterward.
• The ExternalDataSourceType member exists in products/warehouse_sources/backend/types.py.

The self-driving wizard surface (PostHog/context-mill) — optional

The two surfaces above make a source work in the app. They do not make the CLI npx @posthog/wizard self-driving onboarding offer it. That flow is an AI agent driven by a skill in the separate PostHog/context-mill repo, and its connected-tool list is hardcoded — it is not read dynamically from the wizard endpoint. So a new source is invisible to self-driving onboarding until you add it there.

Edit context/skills/self-driving/references/5-connected-tools.md (plus the source-list mentions in 4-sources.md, 2-read-context.md, and description.md):

1. Add the tool to the step-5 wizard_ask multi-select options ({ label, value }).
2. Add its responder mapping — the same source_product / source_type pair as the posthog emitter (e.g. Jira → jira / issue).
3. Add its DWH source_type to the "already connected" detection list.
4. Classify how the run connects it:
   • Credential source (API key/token — Jira, Zendesk, pganalyze): the run can't collect credentials in-flight, so it never sends the user to the UI. Group it with Zendesk — arm the dormant responder and record a follow-up. No connector file.
   • One-click OAuth source (Linear-style, kind=<source> integration): add a dedicated connector reference (5X-<source>.md, clone 5b-linear.md) that hands over the authorize link and creates the source from the integration id.

dist/ is gitignored (built in CI), but run node scripts/build.js (Node ≥20) once to confirm the skill bundles; the build validates structure.

created_via attribution

ExternalDataSource.created_via records how a source was created and is derived server-side from the request transport (get_event_source in posthog/event_usage.py, keyed on the user-agent) — an API caller cannot set it directly, which is deliberate (otherwise any client could self-label). A new source inherits this for free; there is nothing per-source to wire. For reference, the machine value mcp is upgraded based on the caller:

The upgrade lives in _create_external_data_source in products/warehouse_sources/backend/presentation/views/external_data_source.py.

Worktree setup (posthog/posthog backend work)

# from your local posthog/posthog clone
git fetch origin
git worktree add ../worktrees/inbox-<source> -b <your-branch-prefix>/inbox-<source>-source origin/master

If the agent sandbox has no GPG signing key configured, disable signing for the commit (git -c commit.gpgsign=false commit) so it doesn't fail on a missing key. Do not reflexively add --no-verify: the pre-commit/pre-push hooks run lint, type-check, and ci:preflight, and skipping them lets breakage reach CI. Only bypass a specific hook if it genuinely can't run in the worktree, and run the Verify steps above by hand first. Open PRs ready for review (not draft). Use semantic commit prefix feat(data-warehouse): for anything touching warehouse sources / signals. Clean up the worktree when merged: git worktree remove ../worktrees/inbox-<source>.

PR conventions

• One PR per source per repo (per the request). Title: feat(data-warehouse): add <Source> as a self-driving inbox source.
• Base the PR body on the repo's PR template.
• Backend PRs first (or the shared enum migration first); Code PR references the backend PR and the deploy-ordering dependency.
• Migration hygiene: if opening several backend PRs, put all new SignalSourceProduct values in ONE prep PR's migration, and have the per-source emitter PRs carry no migration — otherwise they conflict.
• Follow the merging-prs skill to land each PR through the Trunk queue.

Gotchas

• source_type (DWH, capitalized e.g. "Jira") ≠ source_product (lowercase e.g. "jira") ≠ SourceType record kind ("issue"). Three distinct fields.
• DATA_WAREHOUSE_SOURCES matches an existing external source by source_type.toLowerCase() — so dwSourceType must equal the real DWH type string.
• The exact payload keys are the real risk. They must match the posthog serializer for that source_type. Confirm against source.py before shipping.
• Keep SOURCE_PRODUCT_META and INBOX_SOURCE_OPTIONS covered for every product (the inbox CLAUDE.md calls this out) or findings render without an icon/filter.
• Do not confuse this with packages/core/src/onboarding/githubConnectService.ts — that's repo-access (clone/branch/PR), unrelated to warehouse sources.