Boost Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Setup

1. Installation:

   composer require laravel/boost
   

   Run the publisher to publish the config file:

   php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Laravel\Boost\BoostServiceProvider"
   

2. Configure AI Provider: Edit config/boost.php to set your preferred AI provider (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, or local tools like codex or mcp).

3. First Use Case: Trigger Boost via Artisan:

   php artisan boost:assist
   

   Or use the Tinker-like interface:

   php artisan boost:tinker
   

Key Starting Points

• boost:assist: Invokes AI assistance for the current context (e.g., file, class, or command).
• boost:tinker: Interactive shell for querying AI about your project.
• boost:update: Updates installed skills (custom rules/guidelines).

Implementation Patterns

Daily Workflow Integration

1. Context-Aware Assistance:

   • Use boost:assist in your IDE terminal while focused on a file/class:

     php artisan boost:assist --file=app/Http/Controllers/UserController.php
     

   • Specify a class or method:

     php artisan boost:assist --class=App\Models\User
     

2. Skill-Based Guidance:

   • Leverage built-in skills (e.g., livewire, pest, migrations) or add custom ones:

     php artisan boost:add-skill gitlab.com/your-skill-repo
     

   • Example: Generate a Livewire component:

     php artisan boost:assist --skill=livewire --prompt="Create a CRUD component for posts."
     

3. Interactive Debugging:

   • Use boost:tinker to ask AI about your project’s structure, logs, or edge cases:

     php artisan boost:tinker
     > Explain why this query is slow: SELECT * FROM users WHERE created_at > NOW() - INTERVAL '1 day';
     

4. Testing Assistance:

   • Generate or debug Pest tests:

     php artisan boost:assist --file=tests/Feature/UserTest.php --prompt="Add a test for failed login."
     

5. Monorepo Support:

   • Configure mcp_config_path in boost.php for multi-package projects:

     'mcp_config_path' => base_path('mcp.config.json'),
     

Integration Tips

• IDE Shortcuts: Bind boost:assist to a keyboard shortcut in your IDE (e.g., VSCode tasks or PHPStorm run configurations).
• Git Hooks: Trigger Boost pre-commit to review changes:

  php artisan boost:assist --file=app/Http/Controllers/$(git diff --name-only --diff-filter=ACM | head -1)
  

• CI/CD: Use Boost in pipelines to auto-generate docs or tests (e.g., on PRs):

  - name: Generate test cases
    run: php artisan boost:assist --prompt="Write tests for the new auth logic." --output=tests/Feature/AuthTest.php
  

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

1. Skill Discovery Issues:

   • If skills fail to load, ensure boost.json is in your project root and symlinks are resolved (use --discover flag):

     php artisan boost:update --discover
     

   • For monorepos, verify mcp_config_path points to the correct config file.

2. AI Provider Quirks:

   • Rate Limits: Monitor API usage (e.g., OpenAI tokens). Boost includes token counters in output.
   • Local Tools: If using codex or mcp, ensure the CLI tools are installed and in PATH.
   • HTML/Blade Escaping: Avoid pasting raw Blade templates into prompts; use --file or --class flags instead.

3. Configuration Conflicts:

   • Override default paths (e.g., app_path()) in boost.php if your project uses non-standard locations:

     'app_path' => base_path('custom_app_dir'),
     

4. Skill Template Errors:

   • Custom skills may break if they reference non-existent files. Validate templates with:

     php artisan boost:add-skill --dry-run
     

Debugging Tips

• Verbose Output: Enable debug mode in boost.php:

  'debug' => env('BOOST_DEBUG', false),
  

• Log Inspection: Check storage/logs/boost.log for tool execution errors.
• Skill Validation: Test skills in isolation:

  php artisan boost:skill-test gitlab.com/laravel/boost:livewire
  

Extension Points

1. Custom Skills:

   • Create a skill repository with a skill.json manifest and SKILL.blade.php template.
   • Example structure:

     /skills/my-skill/
     ├── skill.json          # Metadata (name, description, rules)
     └── SKILL.blade.php      # Blade template for AI prompts
     

2. Hooks:

   • Extend Boost’s lifecycle via events (e.g., Boost.Skill.Discovered):

     use Laravel\Boost\Events\SkillDiscovered;
     
     SkillDiscovered::listen(function (SkillDiscovered $event) {
         // Log or modify discovered skills
     });
     

3. Tool Integration:

   • Add custom tools to config/boost.php under tools:

     'tools' => [
         'custom' => [
             'class' => \App\Boost\CustomTool::class,
             'description' => 'Runs custom logic for my app.',
         ],
     ],
     

Performance Tips

• Token Efficiency: Use --concise flag to reduce AI response length:

  php artisan boost:assist --concise
  

• Caching: Disable caching for frequent updates:

  'cache_skills' => false,
  

• Parallelism: Boost supports parallel tool execution (enabled by default). Disable with:

  'parallel_tools' => false,