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Nova Devtool Laravel Package
laravel/nova-devtool
A dev tool for building Laravel Nova components. Scaffold a Nova workbench via Orchestra, install Axios, Lodash, Tailwind or Vue, toggle Vue DevTool on or off, and migrate from Nova 4's per-component nova.mix.js to a single shared config.
Devtool for Laravel Nova Development
Frequently asked questions about Nova Devtool
- What is laravel/nova-devtool used for?
- It is a development-only Composer package for teams building Laravel Nova extensions such as cards, tools, fields, resource tools, and metrics as distributable packages. It scaffolds an Orchestra Workbench app so you can serve and test a Nova component in isolation, installs frontend dependencies, toggles Vue DevTools, and provides a shared nova.mix.js config for Nova 5+ components. It does not add runtime functionality to your application.
- Do I need laravel/nova-devtool if I only use Nova in my application?
- No. If you only consume Nova by installing third-party cards or configuring resources inside an existing app, the package offers little value because its setup command bootstraps a throwaway workbench for package authors. It is intended for teams that author and publish Nova extension packages, not for normal Nova application development.
- How do I install laravel/nova-devtool?
- Install it as a Composer dev dependency with composer require --dev laravel/nova-devtool, then add the matching NPM dev dependency with npm install --save-dev @laravel/nova-devtool. There is no service provider to register and no config file to publish. Verify the package name against the installed package, since some README snippets still reference the older laravel-nova-devtool name.
- Which Laravel and Nova versions does laravel/nova-devtool support?
- Recent releases explicitly support Laravel 10 through 13 and Nova 5.1 through 5.11, with releases frequently tracking individual Nova patch versions. Because the devtool version is effectively pinned to your Nova version, check the Composer constraints before upgrading either artifact. Treat Nova and devtool upgrades as a paired change.
- How do I set up a Nova workbench to develop a component package?
- Run php vendor/bin/testbench nova:devtool setup to scaffold a basic Nova installation in the workbench directory via Orchestra Workbench. After setup completes, run composer run serve to serve Nova and see your component render. You can also run php vendor/bin/testbench nova:devtool install to add Axios, Lodash, Tailwind CSS, or Vue to the workbench.
- How do I automatically log in the default user in the Nova workbench?
- Add a user entry under workbench in testbench.yaml, for example user: [email protected] underneath the start: /nova line. The workbench will then authenticate that user automatically, so you skip the manual login step on every session. This is useful for repeatable local testing and demo environments.
- How do I enable or disable Vue DevTools for Laravel Nova?
- Run php vendor/bin/testbench nova:devtool enable-vue-devtool to patch Nova's production-compiled assets so Vue DevTools can inspect your components. Reverse it with php vendor/bin/testbench nova:devtool disable-vue-devtool. The toggle is reversible, which makes it low risk to try.
- How do I migrate a Nova 4 component from nova.mix.js to the shared config?
- In your component's webpack.mix.js, remove require('./nova.mix') and replace it with mix.extend('nova', new require('laravel-nova-devtool')), then delete the old nova.mix.js from the component root. Nova Devtool ships one generic nova.mix.js instead of publishing a copy per component. Note that the actual NPM package is @laravel/nova-devtool, so confirm the require path against your installed package rather than trusting older README snippets.
- Is laravel/nova-devtool a production dependency, and can I use it in CI?
- No, it is a development-only package installed with composer require --dev; it ships no runtime code, service provider, middleware, or migrations. Its commands are coarse-grained and scriptable, so setup, install, and the Vue DevTools toggles can run in CI scripts. Keep in mind that enabling Vue DevTools modifies Nova's vendor assets, so CI steps should rerun the enable command after any composer install or update.
- Why does Vue DevTools stop working after composer install or update?
- Enabling Vue DevTools patches Nova's shipped production-compiled assets in the vendor directory. Any composer install or composer update that restores Nova's dist files silently discards that patch, so DevTools appears broken with no error message. Rerun php vendor/bin/testbench nova:devtool enable-vue-devtool after dependency changes, and consider adding that step to your setup scripts.
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