finding-experiments

---
name: finding-experiments
description: Resolves a PostHog experiment reference from natural language to a concrete experiment ID by browsing `experiment-list` (not feature-flag tools), with disambiguation when multiple experiments match. Use when the user names or quotes an experiment ("split test demo", "the File engagement boost experiment", "onboarding retention test", "landing page hero experiment", "pricing experiment"), describes it loosely ("the signup experiment", "my pricing test", "the one with the new checkout"), uses a relative reference ("latest", "most recent", "the one I created yesterday"), filters by status (running, draft, paused, exposure frozen, stopped, archived), or otherwise refers to an experiment by anything other than its concrete ID.
---

# Finding experiments

Users refer to experiments by name, description, or relative references — not by ID.
This skill resolves natural language references to concrete experiment IDs.

## How to find an experiment

Use the **experiment-list** tool from the Posthog-local MCP server.

IMPORTANT: Do NOT use `feature-flag-get-all` or any feature flag tool to find
experiments. Use the dedicated experiment list tool: `experiment-list`.

This tool returns experiments with their id, name, status, feature_flag_key,
start_date, end_date, and created_at. Browse the returned list to find the
experiment matching the user's reference:

- **By name**: scan the `name` field for matches
- **By recency**: results are ordered newest first by default
- **By status**: match the `status` field (draft, running, paused, exposure_frozen, stopped)
- **By flag key**: skip the list and call `experiment-get-by-flag-key` with the key. It returns the
  full experiment, or `found: false` with a `reason`. `no_flag` and `no_experiment` mean the key is
  free, so this is also the existence check to run before `experiment-create`. `ambiguous` means
  several experiments share the flag and none is the single live one: show the `candidates` and
  pick one with `experiment-get` rather than creating another.
- **By partial flag key**: call `experiment-list` with `search` set to the fragment. `search` matches
  substrings of the experiment name and the flag key, ignoring case.

## After finding matches

- **Exactly one match**: Use it. Confirm with the user by name before destructive actions (delete, ship, end).
- **Multiple matches**: List them with name, status, and creation date. Ask the user to pick.
- **No matches**: Tell the user. Suggest checking archived experiments or different terms.

## Get full details if needed

After resolving to an ID, call `experiment-get` for the full object (metrics, flag details, parameters).

## Examples

```text
User: "pause my signup experiment"

Agent:
1. Calls experiment-list
2. Scans results, finds "New signup process" (ID: 1371, status: running)
3. Proceeds to pause experiment 1371
```

## When NOT to search

- You already have the experiment ID from earlier in the conversation
- The user just created the experiment — you have the ID from the create response
- The user provided the ID directly

## Related skills

- **`managing-experiment-lifecycle`** — act on the experiment once you've resolved its ID
- **`diagnosing-experiment-health`** — investigate the experiment you found

From posthog/posthog at 244c70d, shown as plain text under its license: MIT (permissive). The license text is in LICENSE.

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