Managing path cleaning rules

Path cleaning rules normalize $pathname and $entry_pathname so that pages sharing the same template (/users/123/profile, /users/456/profile, …) collapse into one row (/users/<id>/profile) in Web analytics tiles, Paths insights, and any HogQL query that calls apply_path_cleaning. They are the right answer when a breakdown is fragmented across thousands of near-identical URLs.

This skill teaches you how to:

• recognize when path cleaning is the right tool
• inspect real paths to find what needs cleaning
• write regex + alias rules in re2 syntax with the project's placeholder convention
• test rules before saving them
• order rules so specific patterns aren't swallowed by generic ones
• apply the rules via MCP

Data model