- How do I install elfsundae/laravel-bearychat in a Laravel app?
- Run composer require elfsundae/laravel-bearychat, publish the package config, and add your BearyChat webhook URL or robot token to .env. On Laravel 5.5 through 5.8 the service provider and facade are auto-discovered, so a happy-path send is realistic in under a day. On newer Laravel versions, expect Composer constraint conflicts before you write any application code.
- Does laravel-bearychat support Laravel 10 or 11 and PHP 8.1+?
- No. The package targets Laravel 5.x and PHP 7.x, so Composer resolution typically fails against Laravel 10 or 11 and PHP 8.1+ on illuminate/* constraints or a pinned Guzzle major. Installing with --ignore-platform-reqs is not acceptable for production without an explicit decision record. Plan for a fork or a first-party replacement instead.
- How do I configure the BearyChat webhook URL or robot token?
- Publish the config file with vendor:publish and set the webhook URL or robot token through environment variables rather than committing credentials. Keep the token scoped per workspace or channel and document who owns rotation. Confirm whether the package wraps the stateless incoming webhook or the robot/RTM API, because token lifecycle and reconnect behavior differ.
- Can I use this package as a Laravel notification channel?
- The integration is facade-oriented, so check the source to see whether it registers a Laravel notification channel before designing routing around it. If no channel exists, a small custom BearyChatChannel is usually cheaper than wrapping the facade inside one. That decision also determines whether existing via() notification arrays can reuse it.
- Is elfsundae/laravel-bearychat still maintained?
- It is archived with roughly 73 stars and a single-maintainer profile, so expect no security patches, PHP 8 fixes, or response to BearyChat API changes. The repository field is unconfirmed, meaning CI status and maintainer identity cannot be verified from metadata alone. Treat it as a legacy dependency until you inspect the composer.json source and dist URLs.
- How do I send rich text, attachments, or @-mentions to BearyChat?
- The message builders cover plain text, Markdown-style rich text, attachments, and notification-style payloads, but feature coverage varies sharply. Validate @-mentions, threaded replies, and attachment schemas against current BearyChat documentation, which is primarily Chinese-language. Test each payload shape against a real channel before relying on it for production alerts.
- How can I test BearyChat notifications without hitting the real webhook?
- Because the facade hides the HTTP client, faking transport is awkward; a custom channel built on Laravel's Http facade lets you use Http::fake and assert the payload. With the existing package, point the config at a local stub endpoint or a disposable test channel. Always assert the request body and error handling, not just the absence of exceptions.
- What are the alternatives to laravel-bearychat for sending BearyChat alerts?
- The recommended alternative is a roughly 60-line BearyChatChannel built on Laravel's Http facade, giving full control over timeout, retry, and payload with no third-party dependency. Forking the package and constraining illuminate/* and Guzzle versions is viable if you must preserve the facade API. Check for a maintained community fork and how far it has diverged before choosing.
- How do I make BearyChat alerts reliable in production?
- BearyChat webhook endpoints commonly return HTTP 200 while silently dropping a message, so add delivery verification or a heartbeat alert. Set explicit timeouts, push sends onto a queue, and allow-list BearyChat endpoints in your firewall. Also review data-residency requirements for message content leaving your network, and monitor for missing notifications.
- How do I migrate an existing BearyChat integration off this package?
- Map each BearyChat::send call to a channel or small service class that posts the same JSON payload through the Http facade, then test the payload shape and error handling. Remove the package and its abandoned transitive dependencies so composer audit stays clean. Record the decision to drop the facade so future developers do not reintroduce it.