Getting Started

Minimal Setup

Installation:
```
composer require laravel/boost
php artisan boost:install
```
This installs the MCP server and configures Laravel-specific AI context.
First Use Case: Open your IDE (VSCode, PHPStorm, or Zed) and start typing Laravel code. Boost automatically injects relevant context (routes, models, config) into your AI agent's prompts.
Key Files to Review:
- config/boost.php (core configuration)
- .boost/skills/ (custom skill definitions)
- app/Providers/BoostServiceProvider.php (service binding)

Initial Configuration

Edit config/boost.php to:

Set your preferred AI agent (e.g., google/antigravity, openai/chatgpt)
Configure enforce_tests (default: true)
Adjust mcp_config_path for monorepos

First Command

php artisan boost:skills

Lists available skills (e.g., laravel, livewire, pest) to enable/disable.

Implementation Patterns

Daily Workflow Integration

Context-Aware Coding:
- Models: Define a model (php artisan make:model User), then ask Boost to generate migrations, factories, or seeders.
- Routes: Type /route in your IDE, and Boost suggests relevant route logic.
- Blade: Write @component or @slot and let Boost auto-complete the component structure.
Skill-Based Workflows:
```
php artisan boost:skill enable livewire
php artisan boost:skill enable pest
```
- Livewire: Boost injects Livewire-specific guidelines (e.g., property typing, wire:model).
- Pest: Suggests test structures matching your project’s tests/ conventions.
IDE-Specific Patterns:
- VSCode: Use the boost:context command in the command palette to refresh context.
- Zed/PHPStorm: Configure the boost tool in your editor’s AI integration settings.
Testing Integration:
```
php artisan boost:test "generate feature test for UserController@store"
```
Generates a Pest test file with assertions for your controller method.

Advanced Patterns

Custom Skills: Create a skill in .boost/skills/custom/your-skill.php:

return [
    'name' => 'Custom Skill',
    'description' => 'Handles XYZ logic',
    'rules' => [
        'use Custom\Namespace;',
        'extend BaseClass { ... }',
    ],
];

php artisan boost:skill register custom/your-skill

Agent-Specific Prompts: Override agent prompts in config/boost.php:

'agents' => [
    'google/antigravity' => [
        'prompt_template' => '@include("boost::prompts.antigravity")',
    ],
],

Monorepo Support: Set mcp_config_path in config/boost.php to point to your monorepo’s root MCP config:
```
'mcp_config_path' => base_path('../mcp.config.json'),
```
CI/CD Integration: Use boost:validate in your pipeline to enforce guidelines:
```
php artisan boost:validate --fix
```

Gotchas and Tips

Common Pitfalls

Agent Detection Issues:
- Symptom: Boost fails to detect your IDE/agent.
- Fix: Manually specify the agent in config/boost.php:
```
'agent' => 'zed', // or 'vscode', 'phpstorm', 'cli'
```
- Zed-Specific: Ensure the binary is named zed or zeditor (see PR #846).
Skill Conflicts:
- Symptom: Overlapping rules between enabled skills (e.g., laravel and livewire).
- Fix: Use boost:skill disable to temporarily disable conflicting skills or adjust rule precedence in .boost/skills/.
Context Refresh Delays:
- Symptom: Outdated context in AI responses.
- Fix: Manually trigger a context refresh:
```
php artisan boost:context
```
- Automate: Add a post-update-cmd hook in composer.json:
```
"scripts": {
    "post-update-cmd": "php artisan boost:context"
}
```
MCP Configuration Quirks:
- Symptom: Boost ignores your .boost/mcp.config.json.
- Fix: Ensure the file exists and is valid JSON. Use:
```
php artisan boost:config:generate
```
- Monorepo Note: Set mcp_config_path to the root config file (see PR #729).
Test Enforcement:
- Symptom: enforce_tests blocks code generation.
- Fix: Temporarily disable via:
```
php artisan boost:config:set enforce_tests=false
```
- Override: Use the --no-tests flag:
```
php artisan boost:generate --no-tests
```

Debugging Tips

Log Level: Enable debug logs in config/boost.php:
```
'logging' => [
    'level' => 'debug',
],
```
Check logs at storage/logs/boost.log.
Skill Validation: Validate a skill’s syntax:
```
php artisan boost:skill:validate livewire
```
Agent Communication: Test agent connectivity:
```
php artisan boost:agent:test
```
Context Inspection: Dump the current context:
```
php artisan boost:context:dump
```

Extension Points

Custom Prompt Templates: Override templates in resources/views/boost/prompts/. Example:

@extends('boost::prompts.base')
@section('context')
    {{ $context->models->take(5) }}
    {{ $context->routes->take(3) }}
@endsection

Event Listeners: Listen for Boost events in EventServiceProvider:

protected $listen = [
    \Laravel\Boost\Events\GuidelinesGenerated::class => [
        \App\Listeners\LogGuidelines::class,
    ],
];

MCP Tool Extensions: Add custom MCP tools by publishing the config:

php artisan vendor:publish --tag="boost-config"

Then extend config/boost.php:

'tools' => [
    'custom' => [
        'description' => 'Runs custom logic',
        'command' => 'php artisan custom:logic',
    ],
],

Livewire Integration: For Livewire v4+ compatibility, ensure your SKILL.blade.php uses:

'livewire' => [
    'paths' => [
        app_path('Http/Livewire'),
        resource_path('js/Components'),
    ],
],

(See PR #736.)

Pro Tips

Skill Chaining: Combine skills for complex workflows:
```
php artisan boost:skill enable livewire,pest,style
```
Agent-Specific Shortcuts:
- Antigravity: Use !!boost in Zed to trigger Boost.
- CLI: Pipe commands to Boost:
```
php artisan make:model User | php artisan boost:generate
```

Performance: Exclude large files from context:

'context' => [
    'exclude' => [
        'storage/*',
        'node_modules/*',
    ],
],

Upgrade Notes:
- Laravel v13+: Check for upsert breaking changes (see PR #761).
- Livewire v4+: Update paths in SKILL.blade.php (see PR #736).
Security:
- Restrict AI access to sensitive files by configuring exclude in config/boost.php.
- Use boost:validate in pre-commit hooks to catch guideline violations early.

Boost Laravel Package