Horizon Link Laravel Package

Getting Started

• What it is: a tiny Laravel Nova tool that drops a nav item/link into the Nova sidebar pointing at Laravel Horizon (/horizon). That's essentially the whole feature surface — treat it as a shortcut, not a framework.
• Prerequisites: a working Laravel app with Laravel Horizon configured and running, plus a licensed Laravel Nova install (Nova is a private Composer package, so you need Nova credentials in auth.json).
• Install:

  composer require alexpgates/horizon-link
  

• Register the tool in app/Providers/NovaServiceProvider.php inside tools():

  use Alexpgates\HorizonLink\HorizonLink;
  
  public function tools()
  {
      return [
          new HorizonLink(),
      ];
  }
  

• Where to look first:
  1. composer.json — confirm the autoload namespace (it may differ from the package name) and the laravel/nova version constraint, which tells you what Nova era it targets.
  2. src/ — the Tool class; this is where the label, icon, and target URL live.
  3. resources/js/tool.js + dist/ — whether it ships a Vue component or just a menu entry.
• First use case: log into Nova, confirm a new sidebar entry appears, and click it to land on the Horizon dashboard. Verify it works in the environment where Horizon actually runs (often only production/staging).

Implementation Patterns

• Standard registration pattern: add the tool once in NovaServiceProvider::tools(). If it extends Laravel\Nova\Tool, it will render via Nova's tool/menu system; if it's a card, it belongs in cards() instead — check the class before registering.
• Conditional visibility: expose it only where Horizon is available:

  public function tools()
  {
      return array_filter([
          app()->environment('production') ? new HorizonLink() : null,
      ]);
  }
  

  Or, if the tool supports canSee, gate it on the same policy you use for Horizon:

  (new HorizonLink())->canSee(fn ($request) => $request->user()->isAdmin())
  

• Pair with Horizon::auth(): the link is cosmetic; the destination should still be protected by Horizon's gate in HorizonServiceProvider. Keep the two in sync so users don't see a link to a 403.
• Multi-environment / subdomain setups: if Horizon is served from a separate host (e.g. horizon.example.com), confirm whether the tool hardcodes /horizon or reads a config/URL helper. Hardcoded paths are the usual failure mode; fork or wrap if you need a configurable base.
• Integration tips:
  • Keep Nova and Horizon on the same app instance where possible so the relative path resolves.
  • If you need more than a link (metrics, job counts, recent failures), this package won't do it — pair it with a dedicated Horizon dashboard card or build a small custom tool.
  • Because the surface is so small, a fallback integration is trivial. In Nova 4+, a native menu link is roughly:

    // NovaServiceProvider::boot() or mainMenu()
    MenuItem::link('Horizon', '/horizon')->icon('lightning-bolt');
    

    Use the package only if you prefer the one-line tool registration.

Gotchas and Tips

• Maintenance risk: last release Feb 2020, 5 stars, 0 dependents. Nova's tool/menu API changed substantially in Nova 4 — an old Tool may still register but render with broken styles, a missing icon, or no sidebar item at all. Test on your exact Nova version before committing.
• Nova 4/5 compatibility: if the item doesn't show, check whether the tool uses the legacy tool menu (renderNavigation) versus the newer MenuItem API. You may need to fork the single class and port it.
• Hardcoded URL: small packages of this vintage usually hardcode /horizon. If you set a custom HORIZON_PATH, run Horizon behind a subdomain, or use path prefixes, the link will 404. Inspect src/ and override the target if needed.
• Assets/build quirks: pre-2020 tools ship a precompiled dist/js/tool.js. If Nova's asset pipeline changed, the component can render blank — open the browser console and look for missing chunks before blaming config.
• Composer resolution failures: if composer require fails, it's usually the laravel/nova constraint or missing Nova credentials, not this package. Check composer why-not laravel/nova and your auth.json.
• Caching/debugging checklist when the link is missing:

  composer dump-autoload
  php artisan nova:publish
  php artisan optimize clears   # or config:clear / view:clear
  

  Then confirm NovaServiceProvider::tools() returns the instance and check nova-components asset publishing in config/nova.php.
• Extension points are minimal: expect no config file and no events. Your real extension points are (a) subclassing the Tool and overriding its label/URL, or (b) dropping the package and adding a MenuItem/Link yourself — a few lines you fully control, with no abandoned dependency to carry.
• Recommendation: acceptable as a zero-effort sidebar link on an existing Nova 3 app. For new projects or Nova 4+, prefer a native menu entry; the package's value proposition (one line saved) is outweighed by its staleness.