Dead Code Detector Laravel Package

Getting Started

1. Install with composer require --dev shipmonk/dead-code-detector.
2. Enable in PHPStan by adding vendor/shipmonk/dead-code-detector/rules.neon to your includes in phpstan.neon.dist.
3. Run analysis on all source and test files — analysis scope must be complete to avoid false positives: vendor/bin/phpstan analyse src tests.
4. First real-world use: run on a small submodule to see what gets flagged; adjust detect config if needed (e.g. enable deadProperties or deadEnumCases only after verifying false positives).

Implementation Patterns

• Adopt incrementally: enable in CI with failing threshold (e.g. --error-format checkstyle | grep -c "dead"), fix top-level dead methods first.
• Library integrations are automatic: no extra config needed for Symfony/Doctrine/PHPUnit — just ensure required PHPStan extensions (e.g. phpstan-symfony) are installed and configured.
• Leverage auto-removal for low-risk cleanup: vendor/bin/phpstan analyse --error-format removeDeadCode after review, especially after refactors or migrations.
• Custom usage providers when magic patterns exist:
  • Use ReflectionBasedMemberUsageProvider for simple reflection-based needs (e.g. dynamic calls on known marker interfaces).
  • Use full MemberUsageProvider for AST-based detection (e.g. custom deserialization or CLI argument binding).
• Exclude test-only usages for strict src coverage: enable usageExcluders.tests to distinguish dead in prod vs dead in codebase — useful for maintenance-heavy codebases where tests may lag behind.

Gotchas and Tips

• Scope matters: missing tests in analysis = many methods falsely flagged as dead; always run over full scope.
• usageOverMixed pitfalls: disabling mixed-based magic calls ($obj->$method) reduces false positives in strict codebases — use usageExcluders.usageOverMixed to opt out.
• Enum and property detection is off by default — enable only after verifying custom deserializers or hydrators aren’t introducing false positives.
• Dead cycles & transitivity: initial report shows first dead member; toggle reportTransitivelyDeadMethodAsSeparateError for granular visibility — helpful for large refactors.
• IDE links in removal mode: set editorUrl (e.g. vscode://file/%path%:%line%) to jump directly to excluded test usages in removal output.
• Debug with -vvv: to diagnose why a method is considered used, run analysis with verbosity to see usage origins (e.g., "Used via #[AsCommand] from App\Command\MyCommand").
• Version warning: interfaces and tags changed in v0.7 — if stuck with PHPStan 1.x, pin to compatible release (e.g. ^0.5.0).