title: PublicModelScope parent: Custom Issues nav_order: 8

PublicModelScope

A public #[Scope]-attributed Eloquent query scope. Laravel's convention is protected. Enabled by default; see How to disable.

Why it matters

A public #[Scope] is a runtime hazard, not just a convention slip. A static call such as Post::published() fatals, because PHP resolves the accessible non-static method before __callStatic can forward it to the query builder (see #634 and vimeo/psalm#11876). Keeping it protected leaves the static call routed to the builder.

Reported as an error at project error levels 1 to 4, the range most analysis-serious codebases use; downgraded at looser levels (5 to 8). A scope whose visibility is forced by a contract (an interface method, a parent override, or an abstract trait method) is not reported, since it cannot be narrowed.

Legacy scopeXxx() scopes are not reported at all: public is Laravel's documented idiom for them, and their $builder->active() dispatch is unaffected by visibility, so there is nothing to flag. Only the #[Scope] form, whose static call is a genuine runtime fatal, is checked.

Example

class Post extends Model
{
    #[Scope]
    protected function published(Builder $query): Builder // public here would be reported
    {
        return $query->whereNotNull('published_at');
    }
}

How to fix

Change public to protected. Call sites are unaffected.

How to disable

<issueHandlers>
    <PluginIssue name="PublicModelScope" errorLevel="suppress" />
</issueHandlers>

private is intentionally not flagged; a private #[Scope] is rejected by Laravel and surfaces elsewhere.