diff --git a/packages/api/package.json b/packages/api/package.json
index 0631570ed..70fa43d9e 100644
--- a/packages/api/package.json
+++ b/packages/api/package.json
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@
     "dot-case": "^3.0.4",
     "dotenv": "^8.2.0",
     "express": "^4.17.1",
+    "express-http-context": "^1.2.4",
     "express-rate-limit": "^6.3.0",
     "firebase-admin": "^10.0.2",
     "googleapis": "^105.0.0",
diff --git a/packages/api/src/server.ts b/packages/api/src/server.ts
index 62dbc8d40..2efb4e765 100755
--- a/packages/api/src/server.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/server.ts
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ import rateLimit from 'express-rate-limit'
 import { webhooksServiceRouter } from './routers/svc/webhooks'
 import { integrationsServiceRouter } from './routers/svc/integrations'
 import { textToSpeechRouter } from './routers/text_to_speech'
+import * as httpContext from 'express-http-context'
 
 const PORT = process.env.PORT || 4000
 
@@ -104,6 +105,16 @@ export const createApp = (): {
     app.use('/api/', apiLimiter)
   }
 
+  // set client info in the request context
+  app.use(httpContext.middleware)
+  app.use('/api/', (req, res, next) => {
+    const client = req.header('X-OmnivoreClient')
+    if (client) {
+      httpContext.set('client', client)
+    }
+    next()
+  })
+
   // respond healthy to auto-scaler.
   app.get('/_ah/health', (req, res) => res.sendStatus(200))
 
diff --git a/packages/api/src/services/popular_reads.ts b/packages/api/src/services/popular_reads.ts
index 67748516b..db2933c3d 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/services/popular_reads.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/services/popular_reads.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { PageType } from '../generated/graphql'
 import { generateSlug, stringToHash } from '../utils/helpers'
 import { readFileSync } from 'fs'
 import path from 'path'
+import * as httpContext from 'express-http-context'
 
 type PopularRead = {
   url: string
@@ -113,8 +114,7 @@ const addPopularReads = async (
 }
 
 export const addPopularReadsForNewUser = async (
-  userId: string,
-  client = 'web'
+  userId: string
 ): Promise<void> => {
   const defaultReads = [
     'omnivore_get_started',
@@ -122,6 +122,9 @@ export const addPopularReadsForNewUser = async (
     'omnivore_organize',
   ]
 
+  // get client from request context
+  const client = httpContext.get('client') as string | undefined
+
   switch (client) {
     case 'web':
       defaultReads.push('omnivore_web')
diff --git a/packages/api/test/routers/auth.test.ts b/packages/api/test/routers/auth.test.ts
index aedee397e..09ee056ae 100644
--- a/packages/api/test/routers/auth.test.ts
+++ b/packages/api/test/routers/auth.test.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import sinonChai from 'sinon-chai'
 import chai, { expect } from 'chai'
 import { searchPages } from '../../src/elastic/pages'
 import { createPendingUserToken } from '../../src/routers/auth/jwt_helpers'
+import { AuthProvider } from '../../src/routers/auth/auth_types'
 
 chai.use(sinonChai)
 
@@ -554,10 +555,12 @@ describe('auth router', () => {
       bio: string,
       name: string,
       username: string,
-      pendingUserAuth: string
+      pendingUserAuth: string,
+      client: string
     ): supertest.Test => {
       return request
         .post(`${route}/create-account`)
+        .set('X-OmnivoreClient', client)
         .set('Cookie', [`pendingUserAuth=${pendingUserAuth}`])
         .send({
           name,
@@ -572,6 +575,7 @@ describe('auth router', () => {
       let sourceUserId = 'test_source_user_id'
       let email = 'test_user@omnivore.app'
       let bio = 'test_bio'
+      let provider: AuthProvider = 'EMAIL'
 
       afterEach(async () => {
         await deleteTestUser(username)
@@ -581,7 +585,7 @@ describe('auth router', () => {
         const pendingUserToken = await createPendingUserToken({
           sourceUserId,
           email,
-          provider: 'EMAIL',
+          provider,
           name,
           username,
         })
@@ -589,7 +593,8 @@ describe('auth router', () => {
           bio,
           name,
           username,
-          pendingUserToken!
+          pendingUserToken!,
+          'web'
         ).expect(200)
         const user = await getRepository(User).findOneBy({ name })
         const [popularReads, count] = (await searchPages({}, user?.id!)) || [
@@ -604,7 +609,7 @@ describe('auth router', () => {
         const pendingUserToken = await createPendingUserToken({
           sourceUserId,
           email,
-          provider: 'APPLE',
+          provider,
           name,
           username,
         })
@@ -612,7 +617,8 @@ describe('auth router', () => {
           bio,
           name,
           username,
-          pendingUserToken!
+          pendingUserToken!,
+          'ios'
         ).expect(200)
         const user = await getRepository(User).findOneBy({ name })
         const [popularReads, count] = (await searchPages({}, user?.id!)) || [
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index ebf984f5a..272f859a8 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -7557,6 +7557,13 @@
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/chai/-/chai-4.2.21.tgz#9f35a5643129df132cf3b5c1ec64046ea1af0650"
   integrity sha512-yd+9qKmJxm496BOV9CMNaey8TWsikaZOwMRwPHQIjcOJM9oV+fi9ZMNw3JsVnbEEbo2gRTDnGEBv8pjyn67hNg==
 
+"@types/cls-hooked@^4.2.1":
+  version "4.3.3"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/cls-hooked/-/cls-hooked-4.3.3.tgz#c09e2f8dc62198522eaa18a5b6b873053154bd00"
+  integrity sha512-gNstDTb/ty5h6gJd6YpSPgsLX9LmRpaKJqGFp7MRlYxhwp4vXXKlJ9+bt1TZ9KbVNXE+Mbxy2AYXcpY21DDtJw==
+  dependencies:
+    "@types/node" "*"
+
 "@types/color-convert@^2.0.0":
   version "2.0.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/color-convert/-/color-convert-2.0.0.tgz#8f5ee6b9e863dcbee5703f5a517ffb13d3ea4e22"
@@ -7680,6 +7687,16 @@
     "@types/qs" "*"
     "@types/serve-static" "*"
 
+"@types/express@^4.16.0":
+  version "4.17.14"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/express/-/express-4.17.14.tgz#143ea0557249bc1b3b54f15db4c81c3d4eb3569c"
+  integrity sha512-TEbt+vaPFQ+xpxFLFssxUDXj5cWCxZJjIcB7Yg0k0GMHGtgtQgpvx/MUQUeAkNbA9AAGrwkAsoeItdTgS7FMyg==
+  dependencies:
+    "@types/body-parser" "*"
+    "@types/express-serve-static-core" "^4.17.18"
+    "@types/qs" "*"
+    "@types/serve-static" "*"
+
 "@types/fined@*":
   version "1.1.3"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/fined/-/fined-1.1.3.tgz#83f03e8f0a8d3673dfcafb18fce3571f6250e1bc"
@@ -9559,6 +9576,13 @@ async-each@^1.0.1:
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/async-each/-/async-each-1.0.3.tgz#b727dbf87d7651602f06f4d4ac387f47d91b0cbf"
   integrity sha512-z/WhQ5FPySLdvREByI2vZiTWwCnF0moMJ1hK9YQwDTHKh6I7/uSckMetoRGb5UBZPC1z0jlw+n/XCgjeH7y1AQ==
 
+async-hook-jl@^1.7.6:
+  version "1.7.6"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/async-hook-jl/-/async-hook-jl-1.7.6.tgz#4fd25c2f864dbaf279c610d73bf97b1b28595e68"
+  integrity sha512-gFaHkFfSxTjvoxDMYqDuGHlcRyUuamF8s+ZTtJdDzqjws4mCt7v0vuV79/E2Wr2/riMQgtG4/yUtXWs1gZ7JMg==
+  dependencies:
+    stack-chain "^1.3.7"
+
 async-retry@^1.2.1, async-retry@^1.3.3:
   version "1.3.3"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/async-retry/-/async-retry-1.3.3.tgz#0e7f36c04d8478e7a58bdbed80cedf977785f280"
@@ -11011,6 +11035,15 @@ cloudevents@^6.0.0:
     util "^0.12.4"
     uuid "^8.3.2"
 
+cls-hooked@^4.2.2:
+  version "4.2.2"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/cls-hooked/-/cls-hooked-4.2.2.tgz#ad2e9a4092680cdaffeb2d3551da0e225eae1908"
+  integrity sha512-J4Xj5f5wq/4jAvcdgoGsL3G103BtWpZrMo8NEinRltN+xpTZdI+M38pyQqhuFU/P792xkMFvnKSf+Lm81U1bxw==
+  dependencies:
+    async-hook-jl "^1.7.6"
+    emitter-listener "^1.0.1"
+    semver "^5.4.1"
+
 clsx@^1.1.1:
   version "1.1.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/clsx/-/clsx-1.1.1.tgz#98b3134f9abbdf23b2663491ace13c5c03a73188"
@@ -12732,6 +12765,13 @@ elliptic@^6.5.3:
     minimalistic-assert "^1.0.1"
     minimalistic-crypto-utils "^1.0.1"
 
+emitter-listener@^1.0.1:
+  version "1.1.2"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/emitter-listener/-/emitter-listener-1.1.2.tgz#56b140e8f6992375b3d7cb2cab1cc7432d9632e8"
+  integrity sha512-Bt1sBAGFHY9DKY+4/2cV6izcKJUf5T7/gkdmkxzX/qv9CcGH8xSwVRW5mtX03SWJtRTWSOpzCuWN9rBFYZepZQ==
+  dependencies:
+    shimmer "^1.2.0"
+
 emittery@^0.8.1:
   version "0.8.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/emittery/-/emittery-0.8.1.tgz#bb23cc86d03b30aa75a7f734819dee2e1ba70860"
@@ -13473,6 +13513,15 @@ expect@^27.5.1:
     jest-matcher-utils "^27.5.1"
     jest-message-util "^27.5.1"
 
+express-http-context@^1.2.4:
+  version "1.2.4"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/express-http-context/-/express-http-context-1.2.4.tgz#49769d0e260836278996e728d9a3e7f3735f0531"
+  integrity sha512-jPpBbF1MWWdRcUU1rxsX0CPnA8ueEj8xgWvpRGHoXWGI4l5KqhPY4Bq+Gt6s2IhqHQQ0g0wIvJ3jFfbUuJJycQ==
+  dependencies:
+    "@types/cls-hooked" "^4.2.1"
+    "@types/express" "^4.16.0"
+    cls-hooked "^4.2.2"
+
 express-rate-limit@^6.3.0:
   version "6.3.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/express-rate-limit/-/express-rate-limit-6.3.0.tgz#253387ce4d36c9c2cc77c7c676068deb36cc0821"
@@ -22804,7 +22853,7 @@ shebang-regex@^3.0.0:
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/shebang-regex/-/shebang-regex-3.0.0.tgz#ae16f1644d873ecad843b0307b143362d4c42172"
   integrity sha512-7++dFhtcx3353uBaq8DDR4NuxBetBzC7ZQOhmTQInHEd6bSrXdiEyzCvG07Z44UYdLShWUyXt5M/yhz8ekcb1A==
 
-shimmer@^1.2.1:
+shimmer@^1.2.0, shimmer@^1.2.1:
   version "1.2.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/shimmer/-/shimmer-1.2.1.tgz#610859f7de327b587efebf501fb43117f9aff337"
   integrity sha512-sQTKC1Re/rM6XyFM6fIAGHRPVGvyXfgzIDvzoq608vM+jeyVD0Tu1E6Np0Kc2zAIFWIj963V2800iF/9LPieQw==
@@ -23251,6 +23300,11 @@ stable@^0.1.8:
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/stable/-/stable-0.1.8.tgz#836eb3c8382fe2936feaf544631017ce7d47a3cf"
   integrity sha512-ji9qxRnOVfcuLDySj9qzhGSEFVobyt1kIOSkj1qZzYLzq7Tos/oUUWvotUPQLlrsidqsK6tBH89Bc9kL5zHA6w==
 
+stack-chain@^1.3.7:
+  version "1.3.7"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/stack-chain/-/stack-chain-1.3.7.tgz#d192c9ff4ea6a22c94c4dd459171e3f00cea1285"
+  integrity sha512-D8cWtWVdIe/jBA7v5p5Hwl5yOSOrmZPWDPe2KxQ5UAGD+nxbxU0lKXA4h85Ta6+qgdKVL3vUxsbIZjc1kBG7ug==
+
 stack-trace@0.0.x:
   version "0.0.10"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/stack-trace/-/stack-trace-0.0.10.tgz#547c70b347e8d32b4e108ea1a2a159e5fdde19c0"