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Fix feature flag 401 errors causing HTTP request storm #422

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Merged
dustinbyrne merged 2 commits into from
Feb 4, 2026
Merged

Fix feature flag 401 errors causing HTTP request storm #422

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fb036fe
Fix feature flag 401 errors causing HTTP request storm
GabiGrin Feb 4, 2026
9066fb1
Clear flag_cache, group_type_mapping, cohorts on 401
GabiGrin Feb 4, 2026
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7 changes: 7 additions & 0 deletions posthog/client.py
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -1335,6 +1335,13 @@ def _fetch_feature_flags_from_api(self):
self.log.error(
"[FEATURE FLAGS] Error loading feature flags: To use feature flags, please set a valid personal_api_key. More information: https://posthog.com/docs/api/overview"
)
self.feature_flags = []
self.group_type_mapping = {}
self.cohorts = {}

if self.flag_cache:
self.flag_cache.clear()

if self.debug:
raise APIError(
status=401,
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14 changes: 14 additions & 0 deletions posthog/test/test_client.py
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Expand Up @@ -479,6 +479,20 @@ def test_load_feature_flags_quota_limited(self, patch_get):
self.assertEqual(client.cohorts, {})
self.assertIn("PostHog feature flags quota limited", logs.output[0])

@mock.patch("posthog.client.get")
def test_load_feature_flags_unauthorized(self, patch_get):
patch_get.side_effect = APIError(401, "Unauthorized")

client = Client(FAKE_TEST_API_KEY, personal_api_key="test")
with self.assertLogs("posthog", level="ERROR") as logs:
client._load_feature_flags()

self.assertEqual(client.feature_flags, [])
self.assertEqual(client.feature_flags_by_key, {})
self.assertEqual(client.group_type_mapping, {})
self.assertEqual(client.cohorts, {})
self.assertIn("please set a valid personal_api_key", logs.output[0])

@mock.patch("posthog.client.flags")
def test_dont_override_capture_with_local_flags(self, patch_flags):
patch_flags.return_value = {"featureFlags": {"beta-feature": "random-variant"}}
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