Hookshelper Laravel Package

Product Decisions This Supports

• Accelerating UI/UX iteration: Enables rapid testing and debugging of Filament admin panel layouts by dynamically toggling render hooks (e.g., sidebars, headers, or custom widgets) without redeploying code. Critical for teams prioritizing agile development cycles.
• Developer tooling roadmap: Justifies investment in internal tooling for frontend/UX engineers by reducing context-switching between frontend and backend systems. Aligns with a "build vs. buy" decision to avoid reinventing hook visualization tools.
• Debugging workflows: Supports a "shift-left" approach to debugging by providing real-time visibility into Filament’s hook system, reducing reliance on manual inspection or logging. Useful for teams adopting Filament for the first time or migrating from legacy systems.
• Customization flexibility: Enables non-technical stakeholders (e.g., designers) to experiment with UI components by toggling hooks via a visual interface, reducing dependency on backend developers for minor layout adjustments.
• Performance testing: Allows teams to evaluate the impact of hooks on page load times by toggling them dynamically, informing decisions about feature prioritization or architecture changes.

When to Consider This Package

• Avoid if:

  • Your team uses Filament v2+ with built-in hook inspection tools (e.g., Filament’s native debug bar or third-party extensions like spatie/laravel-filament-resources).
  • You require programmatic hook control (e.g., API-driven toggling) rather than a UI-based solution. This package is not designed for runtime hook manipulation via code.
  • Your project has strict security constraints (e.g., admin panels exposed to untrusted users), as the toggle UI may introduce unintended visibility into hooks.
  • You’re using Laravel beyond Filament (this package is Filament-specific).
  • Your team lacks Filament expertise—this tool assumes familiarity with Filament’s hook system (before, after, render, etc.).

• Consider if:

  • You’re building a Filament-based admin panel and need a lightweight, visual way to debug or prototype hook-based layouts.
  • Your team frequently iterates on UI components (e.g., dashboards, forms) and wants to avoid redeploying for minor changes.
  • You lack internal tooling for hook inspection and want a low-code solution (no custom PHP development required).
  • Your roadmap includes A/B testing UI variants where hooks are the primary differentiator.

How to Pitch It (Stakeholders)

For Executives:

"This package lets our Filament admin panel team toggle UI components (like sidebars or headers) in real-time—no code changes or redeploys needed. It’s like a ‘debug mode’ for layouts, which will cut the time spent fixing UI issues by 30%+ and let designers test changes faster. For a one-time composer install, it’s a no-brainer for teams building custom admin tools."

Key Outcomes:

• Faster iteration on admin panel UX.
• Reduced developer bottlenecks for frontend tweaks.
• Lower risk of misaligned stakeholder expectations (designers can "see" hooks live).

For Engineering Leaders:

*"The agencetwogether/hookshelper package provides a visual toggle for Filament’s render hooks, which is a game-changer for debugging and prototyping. It’s MIT-licensed, actively maintained (last release: March 2026), and integrates seamlessly with Filament’s ecosystem. Here’s why it’s worth adopting:

• Zero custom dev work: Plug-and-play solution for hook inspection.
• Performance-safe: Toggle hooks without affecting production builds.
• Scalable: Works across all Filament resources (pages, widgets, etc.).

Tradeoff: It’s UI-only (no API control), but for most teams, that’s acceptable. If we need programmatic hooks later, we can build on top of this."*

Engineering Asks:

• Add to the Filament dev toolkit as a local-only dependency (not production).
• Pair with Filament’s native debug bar for comprehensive coverage.
• Document how to extend the toggle UI for custom hooks if needed.

For Developers:

*"This package adds a toggle button to your Filament panel that lists all available render hooks for the current page. Click to enable/disable them instantly—no cache clears, no redeploys. Perfect for:

• Debugging why a widget isn’t rendering.
• Quickly testing hook-based layouts (e.g., ‘What if we move the sidebar here?’).
• Onboarding new devs to Filament’s hook system.

How to use:

1. Install via Composer: composer require agencetwogether/hookshelper.
2. Publish the config: php artisan vendor:publish --tag="hookshelper-config".
3. Add the toggle to your Filament panel (5-minute setup).

Pro tip: Use the minify-toggle option to hide the UI in production."*