Implementing AI Agent Skills with Laravel Boost v2.0

Prerequisites

To follow this guide, you should have a baseline understanding of the Laravel framework and terminal-based development. You will need a Laravel project (ideally version 11+) and an active installation of an AI coding agent. Familiarity with markdown-based configuration files and the PHP artisan command-line interface is essential for executing the setup and updates.

Key Libraries & Tools

• Laravel Boost v2.0: The primary CLI tool for managing AI guidelines and skills.
• Claude Code: An AI agent by Anthropic that interprets the .claudemd instructions.
• Codeex: A specialized AI coding tool that utilizes the agents.md configuration.
• PEST: A testing framework often paired with Boost skills for automated test execution.

Code Walkthrough

1. Installation and Skill Activation

To begin, run the boost installer within your project root. The installer now prompts for both general guidelines and specific agent skills.

php artisan boost:install

During this process, select the providers relevant to your stack, such as Livewire or Filament. The tool generates a specialized directory structure under .claudecode/skills/ where each skill contains its own skill.md file.

2. Manual Skill Triggering

While agents should theoretically detect skills via descriptions, manual activation remains the most reliable method. Use a specific trigger phrase in your prompt to ensure the agent loads the relevant logic.

Activate skill "pest-testing" to help with generating 
feature tests for the Post model.

3. Creating Custom Skills

Package creators can define their own skills by placing a boost-skill.md file in their repository. For local custom skills, use the following command:

php artisan boost:add-skill custom-logic

Syntax Notes

Boost v2.0 utilizes a specific naming and description convention for skill discovery. Each skill folder must contain a skill.md that defines the Name and Description at the top. This metadata allows the LLM to scan available skills without loading their full content into the initial system prompt, preserving the context window.

Practical Examples

In a real-world scenario, a developer working on a complex Filament admin panel might have 400 lines of general guidelines. By moving Tailwind CSS rules into a dedicated skill, the AI only processes those CSS-specific instructions when the developer is actively styling a component. This prevents the agent from hallucinating CSS rules while performing unrelated backend migrations.

Tips & Gotchas

• Context Pollution: Even with version 2.0, the main claude.md file can grow to hundreds of lines. Keep foundational rules lean and move everything else to skills.
• Reliability: LLMs do not always "proactively" call skills even when instructed by the system prompt. If the agent ignores a skill, explicitly use the word "Activate" followed by the skill name in your prompt.
• Token Savings: Moving from integrated guidelines to skills can save thousands of tokens per request, which is critical for long-running sessions in agents like Claude Code.