adopting-generated-api-types

name

adopting-generated-api-types

description

Use when migrating frontend code from manual API client calls (`api.get`, `api.create`, `api.surveys.get`, `api.dashboards.list`, `new ApiRequest()`) and handwritten TypeScript interfaces to generated API functions and types. Triggers on files importing from `lib/api`, files with `api.get<`, `api.create<`, `api.<entity>.<method>`, manual interface definitions that duplicate backend serializers, or any frontend file that constructs API URLs by hand. Covers the full replacement workflow — finding the generated equivalent, swapping imports, adapting call sites, and removing dead manual types.

Adopting generated API types

Overview

PostHog generates TypeScript API client functions and types from Django serializers via the OpenAPI pipeline:

Django serializer → drf-spectacular → OpenAPI JSON → Orval → TypeScript (api.ts + api.schemas.ts + api.zod.ts)

Generated files live in:

• Core: frontend/src/generated/core/api.ts, api.schemas.ts, and api.zod.ts
• Products: products/<product>/frontend/generated/api.ts, api.schemas.ts, and api.zod.ts

Generated types use the Api suffix (DashboardApi, SurveyApi). Handwritten types never do.

This skill guides replacing manual API calls and handwritten types with generated equivalents.

The three manual patterns to migrate

The legacy frontend/src/lib/api.ts (~6000 lines) has three layers, all migration targets:

1. High-level object API (most common)

Domain-specific convenience methods on the api object:

api.surveys.get(id)
api.surveys.create(data)
api.dashboards.list()
api.cohorts.update(id, data)
api.actions.create(data)

These are the most widely used pattern — every entity has its own namespace with CRUD plus custom methods (e.g., api.surveys.getResponsesCount(), api.dashboards.streamTiles()).

2. Raw HTTP methods with manual URLs

api.get<SomeType>(`api/projects/${id}/surveys/`)
api.create<SomeType>(`api/projects/${id}/surveys/`, data)
api.update<SomeType>(url, data)
api.put<SomeType>(url, data)
api.delete(url)

3. ApiRequest builder (fluent URL construction)

const url = new ApiRequest().surveys().assembleFullUrl()
const response = await api.get(url)

// or directly:
await new ApiRequest().survey(surveyId).withAction('summarize_responses').create({ data })

All three patterns should be replaced with generated functions where available.

When to use

• Touching a file that calls api.<entity>.<method>() (e.g., api.surveys.get())
• Touching a file that calls api.get<T>(...), api.create<T>(...), etc.
• Touching a file that uses new ApiRequest() to build URLs
• Touching a file that imports handwritten interfaces from ~/types for API response shapes
• Cleaning up frontend code after backend serializer improvements

Step-by-step workflow

1. Identify what the manual call does

Look at the existing call and extract:

• HTTP method — GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE
• Entity and action — what resource, what operation
• Type parameter — the handwritten type used for the response

2. Find the generated equivalent

Generated function names follow the {resource}{Action} convention:

surveysList          — GET    /api/projects/{id}/surveys/
surveysCreate        — POST   /api/projects/{id}/surveys/
surveysRetrieve      — GET    /api/projects/{id}/surveys/{id}/
surveysPartialUpdate — PATCH  /api/projects/{id}/surveys/{id}/
surveysDestroy       — DELETE /api/projects/{id}/surveys/{id}/

Where to search:

• Core endpoints: frontend/src/generated/core/api.ts
• Product endpoints: products/<product>/frontend/generated/api.ts

Search strategies:

1. Grep for the entity name in the generated api.ts files
2. Search by the get*Url helper functions — every generated function has a URL builder above it
3. Search api.schemas.ts for the type name with Api suffix

If no generated function exists, the backend endpoint may lack @extend_schema or @validated_request. Fix the backend first using the improving-drf-endpoints skill, then run hogli build:openapi.

Custom actions (like api.surveys.summarize_responses()) may not have generated equivalents if the backend @action lacks @extend_schema. Check generated files first; if missing, fix the backend.

3. Check type compatibility

Compare the handwritten type with the generated Api type. Key differences:

• readonly modifiers — generated types mark read-only fields
• Optional vs required — generated types reflect required= precisely
• Nullability — null types are explicit
• Extra fields — generated types may include fields the handwritten type omits

See type-compatibility.md for details.

4. Replace the call

See migration-patterns.md for detailed before/after examples covering:

• High-level object API (api.surveys.get() → surveysRetrieve())
• Raw HTTP methods (api.get<T>(url) → generated function)
• ApiRequest builder → generated function
• Paginated list calls
• Create/update with request bodies
• Delete calls
• Kea logic loaders and listeners
• Calls with abort signals

5. Replace the type at usage sites

Update downstream references from the handwritten type to the generated one:

// Before
function renderSurvey(survey: Survey): JSX.Element { ... }

// After
function renderSurvey(survey: SurveyApi): JSX.Element { ... }

6. Clean up dead types

After migrating all usages of a handwritten type:

1. Remove the type definition from ~/types or the local file
2. Remove unused imports
3. Run pnpm --filter=@posthog/frontend typescript:check to verify no breakage

Decision guide

Scenario	Action
Generated function exists	Replace manual call with generated function
Generated type exists but function doesn't	Use the generated type as the generic parameter on the manual call, file a follow-up to add @extend_schema
Neither exists	Keep the manual pattern, fix the backend serializer/viewset first
Custom action without generated equivalent	Keep the api.<entity>.<method>() call, fix the backend @action annotation first
Generated type has different shape than handwritten	Adapt call sites to the generated shape — the serializer is the source of truth
Code mutates the response object	Use a local mutable copy: const mutable = { ...response } and mutate that
Need both read and write types	Use FooApi for reads, derive write types via Parameters<typeof fooCreate>[1] or use PatchedFooApi

Import conventions

// Core generated functions — import from api.ts
import { domainsList, domainsCreate, domainsRetrieve } from '~/generated/core/api'

// Core generated types — import type from api.schemas.ts
import type { OrganizationDomainApi } from '~/generated/core/api.schemas'

// Core generated Zod schemas — import from api.zod.ts
import { DomainsCreateBody } from '~/generated/core/api.zod'

// Product generated functions — NO tilde prefix, use 'products/' path
import { surveysList, surveysRetrieve } from 'products/surveys/frontend/generated/api'
import type { SurveyApi } from 'products/surveys/frontend/generated/api.schemas'
import { SurveysCreateBody } from 'products/surveys/frontend/generated/api.zod'

// Within a product, relative imports also work
import { logsAlertsCreate } from '../generated/api'
import type { LogsAlertConfigurationApi } from '../generated/api.schemas'
import { LogsAlertsCreateBody } from '../generated/api.zod'

Path rules:

• Core: ~/generated/core/... (tilde prefix)
• Products from outside: products/<product>/frontend/generated/... (no tilde)
• Products from inside: relative ../generated/... or ./generated/...

Use import type for types to enable proper tree-shaking.

How generated functions work under the hood

Generated functions wrap the same api module via api-orval-mutator.ts:

surveysList(projectId, params)
  → apiMutator(url, { method: 'GET' })
    → api.get(url)

Switching to generated functions does not change HTTP behavior — same cookies, same CSRF, same error handling. The only difference is type safety and URL construction.

Verifying the migration

1. TypeScript check: pnpm --filter=@posthog/frontend typescript:check
2. Grep for leftover manual types: search for the old type name across the codebase
3. Run relevant tests: hogli test <test_file>

Related

• Backend side: use improving-drf-endpoints to fix serializers that produce poor types
• Type system docs: docs/published/handbook/engineering/type-system.md
• API mutator: frontend/src/lib/api-orval-mutator.ts
• Regenerate types: hogli build:openapi