Build production-grade Laravel REST APIs. Covers general best practices (code quality, DI, events, auth, exceptions, testing, database) AND essa/api-tool-kit specific patterns (ApiResponse, QueryFilters, dynamicPaginate, EnumHelpers). Use when creating or reviewing any Laravel API code in a project that has essa/api-tool-kit installed.
php artisan boost:add-skill essa/api-tool-kit
Save this content to: .claude/skills/laravel-api-tool-kit/SKILL.md
# Laravel API Tool Kit Skill
This project uses the `essa/api-tool-kit` package. All API code MUST follow the standards in this skill — both the general Laravel best practices and the package-specific patterns.
## Assumed Setup
- `essa/api-tool-kit` is installed via Composer
- Base `Controller` already uses the `ApiResponse` trait
- The `dateTimeFormat()` global helper is available
- `dynamicPaginate()` macro is registered on the query builder
## Project Defaults
**Fill these in when installing the skill.** The AI reads this section to match existing project conventions.
- **Primary key type**: `ulid` ← change to `id` if this project uses auto-increment
- **Auth guard**: `sanctum` ← change if different (e.g. `api`)
- **Test class**: `Tests\TestCase` ← change if the project uses a custom base
## Structure Mapping & Customization
The rules in the `rules/` directory are **pattern-based**. While examples use standard Laravel paths (e.g., `app/Models`), they are designed to be mapped to any structure.
### DDD / Domain-Driven Design
If the project uses a DDD structure, the rules apply to the corresponding domain folders. **Folder naming may vary by project** (e.g., `Repository` vs `Repositories`). Examples include:
- **Models**: `app/Domain/{Domain}/Models/`
- **Actions**: `app/Domain/{Domain}/Actions/`
- **Repositories**: `app/Domain/{Domain}/Repository/` (or `Repositories/`)
- **DTOs**: `app/Domain/{Domain}/DTO/` (or `DTOs/`)
- **Filters**: `app/Domain/{Domain}/Filters/`
**Note for AI**: Always run `ls app/Domain/` to identify the project's specific naming conventions before creating new files. Priority is always: **Project Patterns > Global Rules**.
### Project-Specific Rules
If a specific project requires overrides (e.g., "We use `id` instead of `ulid`" or "We return raw arrays instead of DTOs"), **do not modify these global rules**. Instead:
1. Add the override to your project's AI instructions file (e.g. `AGENTS.md`, `CLAUDE.md`, or `.claude/rules/` for Claude Code).
2. The AI will prioritize project-level instructions over these global patterns.
## Baseline — Applies to Every File
Before reading anything else, these rules apply universally:
- Every PHP file MUST start with `declare(strict_types=1);`
- Every method MUST have parameter types and a return type
- Constructor dependencies MUST use `private readonly` promotion
- User-facing strings MUST use `trans()` — never hardcoded
See `rules/code-quality.md` for the full baseline.
## Component Map
When working on a specific concern, read the corresponding rule file:
### General Standards (applies everywhere)
| Task | Read |
|------|------|
| Code style, types, naming, constants | `rules/code-quality.md` |
| Injecting dependencies | `rules/dependency-injection.md` |
| Events and listeners | `rules/events.md` |
| Standalone queued jobs | `rules/jobs.md` |
| Authorization and policies | `rules/authorization.md` |
| Error and exception handling | `rules/exceptions.md` |
| Writing feature tests | `rules/testing.md` |
| Database patterns, ULIDs, transactions, bulk ops | `rules/database.md` |
| External 3rd-party integrations | `rules/services.md` |
| DDD structure, domain boundaries, cross-domain rules | `rules/ddd.md` |
### Package-Specific Patterns
| Task | Read |
|------|------|
| Return a JSON response | `rules/responses.md` |
| Add filtering / sorting / search to an endpoint | `rules/filters.md` |
| Create a new Action class | `rules/actions.md` |
| Create a DTO for an Action or Service | `rules/dtos.md` |
| Write or review a Controller | `rules/controllers.md` |
| Write a FormRequest | `rules/requests.md` |
| Write an API Resource | `rules/resources.md` |
| Create or update a Model | `rules/models.md` |
| Create or update a Repository | `rules/repositories.md` |
| Create an Enum | `rules/enums.md` |
| Add pagination | `rules/pagination.md` |
### Always Check First
| Task | Read |
|------|------|
| Before writing any code | `rules/anti-patterns.md` |
## Building a New Endpoint
Follow `workflows/new-endpoint.md` for the full step-by-step process.
The order is always:
**Model → Migration → Filter → Enum → Requests → Resource → Policy → Action (if needed) → Controller → Language file → Route → Test**
## Available Workflows
### Building
- `workflows/new-endpoint.md` — add a complete CRUD resource from scratch
- `workflows/add-filter.md` — add filtering to an existing model
- `workflows/write-tests.md` — write tests for any feature (decides test type, structure, actors, edge cases)
### Reviewing
- `workflows/code-review.md` — multi-phase code review (structural + defense + scope discipline)
### Debugging
- `workflows/investigate.md` — structured debugging (data-first, multi-source, 15-min checkpoint)
- `workflows/curl-test.md` — test an endpoint with curl and cross-reference response vs DB
### Knowledge Management
- `workflows/update-knowledge.md` — save learnings into rules or knowledge files
- `workflows/organize-knowledge.md` — consolidate scattered docs into one-file-per-feature
- `workflows/create-workflow.md` — capture a discovered process as a reusable workflow
## Knowledge Base
Per-feature accumulated knowledge lives in a `knowledge/` directory. The exact location depends on your AI tool:
- **Claude Code**: `.claude/knowledge/[feature].md`
- **Antigravity**: `.agent/knowledge/[feature].md`
- **Cursor / Copilot**: `knowledge/[feature].md` (project root)
Each file contains:
- Past issues and their confirmed root causes
- Reusable diagnostic queries (with placeholder variables)
- DB/data gotchas specific to this project
- Lessons that don't fit into general rules
When investigating a bug, **check `knowledge/` first**. When confirming a root cause, **update `knowledge/` before closing the session**.
This project uses the essa/api-tool-kit package. All API code MUST follow the standards in this skill — both the general Laravel best practices and the package-specific patterns.
essa/api-tool-kit is installed via ComposerController already uses the ApiResponse traitdateTimeFormat() global helper is availabledynamicPaginate() macro is registered on the query builderFill these in when installing the skill. The AI reads this section to match existing project conventions.
ulid ← change to id if this project uses auto-incrementsanctum ← change if different (e.g. api)Tests\TestCase ← change if the project uses a custom baseThe rules in the rules/ directory are pattern-based. While examples use standard Laravel paths (e.g., app/Models), they are designed to be mapped to any structure.
If the project uses a DDD structure, the rules apply to the corresponding domain folders. Folder naming may vary by project (e.g., Repository vs Repositories). Examples include:
app/Domain/{Domain}/Models/app/Domain/{Domain}/Actions/app/Domain/{Domain}/Repository/ (or Repositories/)app/Domain/{Domain}/DTO/ (or DTOs/)app/Domain/{Domain}/Filters/Note for AI: Always run ls app/Domain/ to identify the project's specific naming conventions before creating new files. Priority is always: Project Patterns > Global Rules.
If a specific project requires overrides (e.g., "We use id instead of ulid" or "We return raw arrays instead of DTOs"), do not modify these global rules. Instead:
AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, or .claude/rules/ for Claude Code).Before reading anything else, these rules apply universally:
declare(strict_types=1);private readonly promotiontrans() — never hardcodedSee rules/code-quality.md for the full baseline.
When working on a specific concern, read the corresponding rule file:
| Task | Read |
|---|---|
| Code style, types, naming, constants | rules/code-quality.md |
| Injecting dependencies | rules/dependency-injection.md |
| Events and listeners | rules/events.md |
| Standalone queued jobs | rules/jobs.md |
| Authorization and policies | rules/authorization.md |
| Error and exception handling | rules/exceptions.md |
| Writing feature tests | rules/testing.md |
| Database patterns, ULIDs, transactions, bulk ops | rules/database.md |
| External 3rd-party integrations | rules/services.md |
| DDD structure, domain boundaries, cross-domain rules | rules/ddd.md |
| Task | Read |
|---|---|
| Return a JSON response | rules/responses.md |
| Add filtering / sorting / search to an endpoint | rules/filters.md |
| Create a new Action class | rules/actions.md |
| Create a DTO for an Action or Service | rules/dtos.md |
| Write or review a Controller | rules/controllers.md |
| Write a FormRequest | rules/requests.md |
| Write an API Resource | rules/resources.md |
| Create or update a Model | rules/models.md |
| Create or update a Repository | rules/repositories.md |
| Create an Enum | rules/enums.md |
| Add pagination | rules/pagination.md |
| Task | Read |
|---|---|
| Before writing any code | rules/anti-patterns.md |
Follow workflows/new-endpoint.md for the full step-by-step process.
The order is always: Model → Migration → Filter → Enum → Requests → Resource → Policy → Action (if needed) → Controller → Language file → Route → Test
workflows/new-endpoint.md — add a complete CRUD resource from scratchworkflows/add-filter.md — add filtering to an existing modelworkflows/write-tests.md — write tests for any feature (decides test type, structure, actors, edge cases)workflows/code-review.md — multi-phase code review (structural + defense + scope discipline)workflows/investigate.md — structured debugging (data-first, multi-source, 15-min checkpoint)workflows/curl-test.md — test an endpoint with curl and cross-reference response vs DBworkflows/update-knowledge.md — save learnings into rules or knowledge filesworkflows/organize-knowledge.md — consolidate scattered docs into one-file-per-featureworkflows/create-workflow.md — capture a discovered process as a reusable workflowPer-feature accumulated knowledge lives in a knowledge/ directory. The exact location depends on your AI tool:
.claude/knowledge/[feature].md.agent/knowledge/[feature].mdknowledge/[feature].md (project root)Each file contains:
When investigating a bug, check knowledge/ first. When confirming a root cause, update knowledge/ before closing the session.
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