Expert Laravel development guidelines with Boost MCP integration, covering Laravel 12, Livewire 3, Filament 4, Pest testing, and modern PHP best practices for building high-quality Laravel applications.
Expert Laravel development assistant with Laravel Boost MCP integration, optimized for Laravel 12+ applications using modern PHP patterns, Livewire 3, Filament 4, and Pest testing.
Follow these foundational rules when working with Laravel applications:
You are an expert with the following Laravel ecosystem packages and versions:
Always adhere to version-specific syntax and features for these packages.
1. **Follow existing patterns**: Before creating or editing files, examine sibling files for structure, naming, and approach
2. **Use descriptive names**: Choose clear, intention-revealing names like `isRegisteredForDiscounts` instead of `discount()`
3. **Reuse components**: Check for existing components before writing new ones
4. **Maintain directory structure**: Don't create new base folders without approval
5. **Preserve dependencies**: Don't change application dependencies without approval
Laravel Boost provides powerful MCP tools designed specifically for this application. Use them proactively:
1. **`search-docs`**: Search version-specific documentation for Laravel ecosystem packages
- Use BEFORE making code changes to verify correct approach
- Pass multiple broad, simple queries: `['rate limiting', 'routing']`
- Don't include package names in queries (already filtered by version)
- Available for Laravel, Livewire, Filament, Pest, Tailwind, Inertia, etc.
2. **`list-artisan-commands`**: Check available Artisan commands and parameters before execution
3. **`get-absolute-url`**: Generate correct URLs with proper scheme, domain/IP, and port
4. **`tinker`**: Execute PHP for debugging or querying Eloquent models directly
5. **`database-query`**: Read from database without full Tinker session
6. **`browser-logs`**: Read browser logs, errors, and exceptions (recent logs only)
Always use explicit type declarations:
```php
protected function isAccessible(User $user, ?string $path = null): bool
{
// Implementation
}
```
Use PHP 8+ constructor property promotion:
```php
public function __construct(public GitHub $github) { }
```
Do NOT allow empty `__construct()` methods with zero parameters.
Always use curly braces, even for single-line statements:
```php
if ($condition) {
doSomething();
}
```
Use TitleCase for enum keys: `FavoritePerson`, `BestLake`, `Monthly`
Laravel 12 uses a simplified file structure:
Use `php artisan make:` commands with `--no-interaction`:
```bash
php artisan make:model Post --factory --seed --no-interaction
php artisan make:controller PostController --no-interaction
php artisan make:livewire Posts\\CreatePost --no-interaction
php artisan make:test PostTest --pest --no-interaction
```
1. **Prefer Eloquent over raw queries**: Use `Model::query()` instead of `DB::`
2. **Prevent N+1 queries**: Always eager load relationships
3. **Use proper relationships**: Define return types on relationship methods
4. **Migration modifications**: Include ALL previous attributes when modifying columns
Example eager loading with limits (Laravel 11+):
```php
Post::with(['comments' => fn($query) => $query->latest()->limit(10)])->get();
```
Use `casts()` method instead of `$casts` property (follow existing convention):
```php
protected function casts(): array
{
return [
'published_at' => 'datetime',
'is_featured' => 'boolean',
];
}
```
Always create Form Request classes instead of inline validation:
```php
php artisan make:request StorePostRequest --no-interaction
```
Include both rules and custom error messages. Check sibling Form Requests for array vs. string validation style.
Prefer named routes:
```php
route('posts.show', $post)
```
1. **Single root element**: Livewire components require one root element
2. **Add wire:key in loops**:
```blade
@foreach ($items as $item)
<div wire:key="item-{{ $item->id }}">
{{ $item->name }}
</div>
@endforeach
```
3. **Use lifecycle hooks**:
```php
public function mount(User $user)
{
$this->user = $user;
}
public function updatedSearch()
{
$this->resetPage();
}
```
4. **Use loading states**: `wire:loading`, `wire:dirty`, `wire:offline`, `wire:target`
```php
Livewire::test(Counter::class)
->assertSet('count', 0)
->call('increment')
->assertSet('count', 1)
->assertSee(1)
->assertStatus(200);
// Test component exists on page
$this->get('/posts/create')
->assertSeeLivewire(CreatePost::class);
```
All tests MUST use Pest syntax:
```php
it('creates a post successfully', function () {
$post = Post::factory()->create();
expect($post->title)->toBeString();
expect($post->published_at)->toBeNull();
});
```
Run minimal tests with filters:
```bash
php artisan test
php artisan test tests/Feature/PostTest.php
php artisan test --filter=testCreatesPost
```
After changes pass, ask user if they want full test suite run.
Use specific assertion methods:
```php
$response->assertSuccessful(); // NOT assertStatus(200)
$response->assertNotFound(); // NOT assertStatus(404)
$response->assertForbidden(); // NOT assertStatus(403)
```
Import mock function explicitly:
```php
use function Pest\Laravel\mock;
mock(ExternalService::class)
->shouldReceive('fetch')
->andReturn(['data']);
```
Do NOT delete tests or test files without approval. They are core to the application.
Always run Pint before finalizing changes:
```bash
vendor/bin/pint --dirty
```
Do NOT use `--test` flag, just run `pint` to auto-fix formatting.
If frontend changes aren't reflected, the user may need to run:
```bash
npm run build
npm run dev
composer run dev
```
Ask them to run the appropriate command.
Use Laravel's built-in features:
Use `ShouldQueue` interface for time-consuming operations:
```php
class ProcessPodcast implements ShouldQueue
{
use Queueable;
// Implementation
}
```
When implementing a new feature:
1. **Search documentation**: Use `search-docs` tool for relevant packages
2. **Check conventions**: Review sibling files for patterns
3. **Use Artisan**: Generate files with `make:` commands
4. **Write tests**: Create Pest tests for all paths
5. **Run tests**: Filter to relevant tests first
6. **Format code**: Run `vendor/bin/pint --dirty`
7. **Verify**: Confirm tests pass before finalizing
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