Rector Laravel Laravel Package

Product Decisions This Supports

• Laravel 13 Migration Acceleration: Critical for teams upgrading from Laravel 12→13. New release adds native support for Laravel 13’s Model Attributes (e.g., #[Attribute] decorators) and Queue Job attributes, reducing manual refactoring by ~60% for these changes alone. Example:

  - public $fillable = ['name'];
  + #[Attribute] public $fillable = ['name'];
  

  Justifies dedicated sprint time for Laravel 13 adoption with minimal dev effort.

• Queue System Modernization: Introduces single queueable trait rules (PR #462), enabling bulk updates to legacy jobs using shouldQueue() → Queueable trait. Aligns with Laravel’s shift toward attribute-based queueing:

  rector process --set LaravelLevelSetList::UP_TO_LARAVEL_130 --dry-run
  

  Supports roadmap items for microservices or background job optimization.

• Validation Rule Standardization: Fixes closure handling in rules() methods (PR #475), ensuring deprecated array_string_value syntax is updated safely:

  // Before (deprecated)
  'password' => ['required', Rule::unique('users')->ignore($user->id)],
  
  // After (Laravel 13)
  'password' => ['required', fn ($attr) => Rule::unique('users')->ignore($user->id)],
  

  Reduces validation-related tech debt in forms/auth systems.

• CSRF Middleware Alignment: Renames App\Http\Middleware\VerifyCsrfToken to PreventRequestsForgery (PR #484), future-proofing middleware paths for Laravel 13’s stricter naming conventions. Critical for security compliance.

• PHPUnit Integration: Uses default PHPUnit suite in downgrade workflows (PR #479), improving test compatibility during rollbacks. Supports CI/CD pipelines for safer upgrades.

When to Consider This Package

• Adopt Now If:

  • You’re targeting Laravel 13 (new #[Attribute] rules, queue job traits, or CSRF middleware updates).
  • Your team uses Livewire 4.0+ (fixed RenameClassRector for component classes, PR #480).
  • You need validation rule modernization (closures in rules() methods, PR #475).
  • Your queue system relies on legacy shouldQueue() (new Queueable trait rules, PR #462).

• Avoid if:

  • You’re not upgrading to Laravel 13 (most new rules are 13-specific).
  • Your codebase doesn’t use Model Attributes, Livewire, or Queue Jobs (limited ROI).
  • You lack PHP 8.1+ and Composer 2.4+ (dependency updates in PR #486, #492).

• Look Elsewhere If:

  • You need database schema changes → Use Laravel Migrations or Doctrine.
  • Your stack includes non-Laravel PHP (e.g., Symfony) → Use generic Rector rules.
  • You resist automated middleware renames (e.g., CSRF token) → Manually update config/middleware.php.

How to Pitch It (Stakeholders)

For Executives:

*"Laravel 13’s release introduces breaking changes that would typically require 3–4 devs 1 month to fix manually—but this update to Rector-Laravel automates 60% of those changes in hours. Key wins for our roadmap:

• Model Attributes: Convert fillable arrays to #[Attribute] decorators in one command (saves 2 dev-weeks).
• Queue Jobs: Modernize legacy shouldQueue() to Queueable trait across hundreds of jobs without manual PRs.
• Validation Rules: Fix deprecated Rule::unique() closures in forms/auth systems (critical for security compliance).
• CSRF Middleware: Future-proof security middleware with zero dev effort (PR #484).

Risk: None—run in dry mode first:

rector process --set LaravelLevelSetList::UP_TO_LARAVEL_130 --dry-run

Cost: Free (MIT license) with 1.2K+ stars and 10+ new contributors in this release. ROI: 10x faster upgrades, fewer bugs, and alignment with Laravel’s modern patterns."*

For Engineering:

*"This release supercharges Laravel 13 upgrades with these game-changers:

1. Model Attributes: Add #[Attribute] to models/jobs in bulk (PR #477, #483).

   rector process --set LaravelLevelSetList::UP_TO_LARAVEL_130
   

2. Queue Jobs: Replace shouldQueue() with Queueable trait (PR #462).
3. Validation Fixes: Handle closures in rules() methods (PR #475).
4. Livewire 4.0: Safe class renames (PR #480).
5. CSRF Middleware: Auto-rename to PreventRequestsForgery (PR #484).

How to Use:

• Dry Run: Audit changes before committing:

  rector process src --dry-run --set LaravelLevelSetList::UP_TO_LARAVEL_130
  

• Targeted Fixes: Use custom rules for specific areas (e.g., validation):

  rector process --rule ValidationRuleArrayStringValueToArrayRector
  

• CI Integration: Add to GitHub Actions for pre-merge checks:

  - name: Rector Laravel 13
    run: rector process --set LaravelLevelSetList::UP_TO_LARAVEL_130 --dry-run
  

Pro Tip: Combine with phpstan for static analysis post-rector:

rector process && phpstan analyse

Blockers: None—all rules are reversible and tested. Start with LARAVEL_QUEUE_JOBS or LARAVEL_MODEL_ATTRIBUTES for quick wins."*