Getting Started

Confirm your app meets the new baseline: Laravel 10 and Nova 4. v4.0.0 is primarily a compatibility release, so the first step is checking composer.json constraints before upgrading.
Install/upgrade with composer require <vendor>/<package>:^4.0. If you are coming from a Nova 3 release, expect to re-publish assets and possibly re-register the tool.
Look first at the package’s README, config/ file (if publishable), and src/ service provider. For Nova packages, the key integration point is usually NovaServiceProvider::tools() or a custom Tool/Card/Field registration.
First use case: register the package’s Nova tool or component in app/Providers/NovaServiceProvider.php, then load the Nova admin panel and confirm the asset bundle loads under Nova 4’s Vite-based asset pipeline.

Implementation Patterns

Tool/Card/Field registration – Most Nova packages expose a class you add to NovaServiceProvider. Use conditional registration if the package is environment-specific:
```
public function tools()
{
    return [
        new \Vendor\Package\YourTool(),
    ];
}
```
Asset publishing – Nova 4 uses Vite. Run php artisan vendor:publish --tag=<package>-assets if the package provides assets, then rebuild Nova assets if required by your setup.
Policy and authorization integration – Wire the package’s resources or tools into your existing Nova policies. This is the most common day-to-day lever: restrict visibility per user/role using canSee/canRun callbacks.
Dashboard composition – If the package provides cards or metrics, compose them into NovaServiceProvider::cards() or a custom dashboard. Keep dashboards lean by gating cards behind feature flags or roles.
Testing – Use Nova’s testing helpers (Nova::actingAs, Nova::assertToolExists) in feature tests. Compatibility releases often change registration internals, so a small smoke test around tool registration is worthwhile.
Upgrade workflow – Treat v4.0.0 as a coordinated upgrade: bump Laravel to 10, bump Nova to 4, then bump this package. Run composer update in a branch and verify the Nova panel locally before deploying.

Nova 4 asset pipeline – Nova 4 moved to Vite. If the package still ships Mix-built assets, you may need to rebuild or wait for a patch. Check the package’s dist/ or resources/js output after upgrading.
Laravel 10 PHP requirement – Laravel 10 requires PHP 8.1+. Ensure CI and production runtimes match before upgrading.
Version constraints – v4.0.0 likely requires laravel/nova:^4.0 and laravel/framework:^10.0. Mixing Nova 3 and this package version will fail at composer resolution, not at runtime, so read the conflict messages carefully.
Re-publish config – Compatibility releases sometimes add config keys. Run vendor:publish --force only after diffing the package config against your published copy.
Cache clearing – After upgrading, run php artisan optimize:clear and php artisan nova:publish (if applicable). Stale Nova manifests are a common source of “tool not found” errors.
Extension points – Look for package events, macros, or Nova::script/Nova::style hooks. These are typically the safest customization points across major versions; avoid overriding package views directly.
Debugging registration – If the tool does not appear, check NovaServiceProvider registration first, then composer show <vendor>/<package> to confirm v4.0.0 is actually installed. Nova silently ignores tools whose canSee returns false, so add a temporary return true while debugging.