account usage flatlined: feature adoption dropped to zero troubleshooting
Fixes an account that flatlined with feature adoption at zero by tracing which feature events vanished and whether the feature flag, event name, or rollup changed. Use when adoption, not logins, is zero. Not for a feature that was sunset.
TL;DR
Logins continuing while feature adoption reads zero means people arrive and the feature events never register. Check the flag state for the account, the exact event name the current build emits, and the adoption rollup filter. One of the three almost always changed while the others stayed put.
account usage flatlined: feature adoption dropped to zero troubleshootingUse this when
- Login and session events are normal but feature events are zero
- Adoption dropped for one feature, not the whole product
- A release or flag change shipped near the flatline
Not for this skill when
- The feature was removed or paywalled for this plan
- All event types stopped, which points at ingestion instead
Steps
- Pull raw events for the account and count by event name for 14 days. Verify: the missing events are named and the surviving events prove ingestion works
- Check the feature flag and entitlement state for this account and plan tier. Verify: the account is confirmed eligible, or the flag change that cut it off is found
- Compare the event name and properties in the current build against the rollup definition. Verify: any rename, namespacing, or property change is pinpointed
- Patch the rollup or instrumentation, fire the feature once as a test user, and trace that event. Verify: the test event reaches the adoption table with the right account id
- Recompute adoption for the gap window and annotate the flatline as an instrumentation break. Verify: the corrected adoption series no longer shows a false zero
Variant phrasings
feature adoption zero but logins normal
A related phrasing for the same underlying problem.
feature events missing from rollup
A related phrasing for the same underlying problem.
adoption metric flatlined after release
A related phrasing for the same underlying problem.
Compatibility: Compatibility: feature-flag systems and event analytics (LaunchDarkly-style flags, Mixpanel or Amplitude adoption reports, warehouse rollups), current versions.
Why it happens
Adoption is a derived metric with three moving parts: eligibility, instrumentation, and aggregation. A flatline in only one feature while sessions stay healthy rules out churn and rules in one of those three parts. Testing them in that order finds it fastest.
Edge cases / pitfalls
- A zero can be a sampling artifact in client-side analytics if the feature moved behind a consent or ad-block-heavy surface. Cross-check server logs.
- Renamed events sometimes keep flowing under the new name, so search by property values, not only by event name.
- Do not backfill adoption from session data. Sessions prove presence, not feature use.
Provenance
Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstp5-ub-H7934Gep_688aVQ