Sequel
Product Analytics

Signup funnel drop-off analysis

Find the step where the most users abandon signup or onboarding, and how that varies by segment.

Install into your agent
  • Where do users drop off during signup?
  • How many people who signed up finished onboarding?
  • Which step in the funnel is leaking?

The playbook

Use whichever product analytics source is connected — the shape of the analysis is the same, only the call differs. Do not query all three and merge; they define sessions and users differently and the numbers will not reconcile.

Steps

  1. Establish the real step sequence. Don't assume it. List the available events first:

    • PostHog: posthog.list_events
    • Mixpanel: mixpanel.list_events
    • Amplitude: amplitude.list_events Confirm the ordered step names with the user if they're ambiguous. A funnel built on guessed event names produces confidently wrong output.

  2. Run the funnel.

    • Amplitude: amplitude.funnel_report with the ordered events array and an explicit conversion_window_seconds.
    • Mixpanel: mixpanel.list_funnels first, then mixpanel.funnel_report with the funnel_id. Mixpanel funnels are saved objects — you generally cannot define an ad-hoc one here.
    • PostHog: posthog.query with a HogQL query over the events table, or posthog.list_insights to find an existing saved funnel.

  3. Compute step-to-step conversion, not just overall. The largest single drop between adjacent steps is the finding. Overall conversion tells you there's a problem; step-to-step tells you where.

  4. Segment the worst step. Re-run split by a meaningful dimension (group_by on Amplitude, on for Mixpanel, a GROUP BY in HogQL) — device, plan, signup source, or country. Drop-off is rarely uniform, and a step that's fine on desktop but collapses on mobile is a much sharper finding than the average.

  5. Report. A step-by-step table: step name, users entering, users continuing, step conversion rate, drop-off count. Call out the worst step, quantify what fixing it to parity would be worth in absolute users, and note the segment where it's worst.

Gotchas

  • The conversion window drives the result. A 1-hour window and a 7-day window on the same funnel give very different answers. State the window you used; if the product has a long consideration cycle, a short window manufactures drop-off that isn't real.
  • Funnels are ordered. Users completing steps out of order may be excluded entirely depending on the tool's mode. Check whether the funnel is strict or any-order before interpreting.
  • Instrumentation gaps look exactly like user drop-off. If a step shows near-total loss, verify the event is actually firing before concluding the UI is broken.
  • mixpanel.export_events is expensive — it streams raw events. Use mixpanel.segmentation or a saved funnel unless raw rows are genuinely required.
  • Don't compare funnel numbers across tools. If two are connected, pick one, and say which.

Sequel CLI

Install Sequel skills into your agent

One command connects your agent to Sequel and installs the Sequel skill, so it knows this playbook exists and reads it when a question matches. The CLI signs you in, provisions a scoped API key and writes the config for you.

Already have an MCP client?

https://api.sequel.sh/mcp

Point it at this URL and sign in when prompted, or send an API key from Settings as a Bearer token. Skills come with it; nothing else to install. Manual setup per client

  1. 1

    Install the Sequel CLI

    One line installs the latest CLI with whatever package manager you have.

    curl -fsSL https://sequel.sh/install | sh
  2. 2

    Sign in

    Authenticate in your browser and pick an organization.

    sequel login
  3. 3

    Install into your agent

    Writes the MCP config and installs the Sequel skill file for agents that support skills. Pick an agent from the list, or target one directly by its slug.

    sequel install
    • Claude Code
      sequel install claude-code
    • Claude
      sequel install claude
    • Cursor
      sequel install cursor
    • VS Code
      sequel install vscode
    • Windsurf
      sequel install windsurf
    • Zed
      sequel install zed
    • Codex
      sequel install codex
    • OpenClaw
      sequel install openclaw
    • Hermes
      sequel install hermes

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is signup funnel drop-off analysis?
Identifying which steps in your signup or conversion flow lose the most users and why. For each step, you measure how many users entered and how many proceeded to the next, then investigate the largest drop-offs with session data to find whether the cause is friction, confusion, or a technical issue.
How do I set up a funnel in GA4?
Use Explorations in GA4 and select the Funnel exploration template. Define each step by the event or page view that represents it. GA4 shows open and closed funnels: closed only counts users who completed every step in order; open counts anyone who reached that step.
What is a normal signup conversion rate?
It varies enormously by product, audience, and funnel length. A freemium B2C tool might convert 40% of visitors who reach the signup page. A complex B2B demo request form might convert 5%. Benchmark against your own historical data before comparing to industry averages.
How do I investigate why users drop off at a specific step?
Watch session replays for users who dropped at that step. Check for form errors in GA4 error events. Check page load time for the step. Look at the form fields required: each additional required field reduces completion rates. Test the step on mobile yourself.
Can an AI agent analyze signup funnel drop-off?
Yes. With GA4 connected, the agent defines the funnel steps, computes drop-off rates at each, and returns the biggest friction points with hypotheses for each. Sequel provides the GA4 connection over MCP and the signup-funnel-drop-off playbook.

Put this playbook to work

Connect a source, ask the question, and the agent follows these steps. Free to start.

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