title: ImplicitQueryBuilderCall parent: Custom Issues nav_order: 10

ImplicitQueryBuilderCall

Opt-in. Emitted when a query builder or local scope method is invoked directly on an Eloquent model, statically (User::where(...), User::active()) or on an instance ($user->where(...)), instead of through an explicit query() entry point.

This issue is disabled by default. Enable it with <reportImplicitQueryBuilderCalls value="true" /> (see Configuration).

Why this is a problem

Calls like User::where(...), User::find(...), or User::active() do not exist on the model. Laravel forwards them through the __callStatic / __call magic methods to a freshly created query builder. Teams that prefer to minimise this magic enable this rule to require the explicit User::query()->... form, which keeps the entry point concrete and the call chain easy to follow for both readers and tooling.

What is flagged

• Query builder methods, both Eloquent Builder methods (where, find, create, first, get) and Query\Builder methods (orderBy, whereIn), plus resolvable dynamic where{Column}() clauses.
• Custom builder methods, declared on a model's dedicated Eloquent builder (registered via newEloquentBuilder() or #[UseEloquentBuilder]).
• Local scopes, both legacy scopeActive() invoked by its forwarded bare name active(), and modern #[Scope] attribute methods.

A real method declared on the framework Model base (save(), all(), with(), query(), destroy(), ...) and any real user-defined method are left alone, since they are genuine methods rather than magic forwarding. A genuinely undefined method is reported as UndefinedMagicMethod rather than mislabelled by this rule.

Examples

// Bad — forwarded through magic to a new query builder
$users = User::where('active', 1)->get();
$user  = User::find($id);
$recent = User::active()->latest()->get();

// Good — explicit query() entry point
$users = User::query()->where('active', 1)->get();
$user  = User::query()->find($id);
$recent = User::query()->active()->latest()->get();

How to fix

Route the call through Model::query() (static) or $model->newQuery() (instance) before the builder or scope method.

Known limitation

A public #[Scope] method is accessible from every call site, so its forwarded form cannot be distinguished from a legitimate direct call by visibility alone, and is therefore not flagged. Laravel's convention wants scopes protected (which this rule does flag when forwarded); a public #[Scope] is independently reported as PublicModelScope.