Claude Dev

Overview: Why Your AI Agent Needs a Boost AI models like Claude and GPT-4 are powerful, but they arrive at your codebase as strangers. They possess a massive, static library of internet-scale training data, but they lack the specific, real-time context of your unique Laravel application. This gap often leads to what developers call "hallucinations"—code that looks correct but fails to follow your team's conventions or uses deprecated patterns. Laravel Boost is designed to solve this context deficiency. It acts as a bridge, packaging your application's routes, configuration, and coding standards into a format that AI agents can ingest and act upon. With the release of Boost 2.0, the focus has shifted from merely providing static instructions to implementing dynamic **Skills** and the **Model Context Protocol (MCP)**. This evolution allows developers to manage the "Context Window"—the finite memory of an AI model—with surgical precision, ensuring the agent only sees what it needs to see to complete a specific task. Prerequisites: Setting the Stage To effectively implement Laravel Boost 2.0, you should have a baseline understanding of the following: * **Modern PHP & Laravel**: Familiarity with PHP 8.2 and Laravel 12 is essential, as Boost 2.0 has moved away from supporting older versions to utilize the latest framework features. * **AI Coding Tools**: You should be using an AI-capable editor or agent such as Claude Dev, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, or Windsurf. * **Command Line Basics**: You will need to interact with the terminal to run Artisan commands for installation and synchronization. Key Libraries & Tools * **Laravel Boost**: The core package that manages guidelines, skills, and the MCP server for AI integration. * **Laravel MCP**: A foundational package that implements the Model Context Protocol, allowing external systems (like your app) to communicate with AI models. * **Composer**: Used for managing dependencies and third-party AI skills. * **MCP Inspector**: A utility for debugging the connection between your editor and the MCP server. Code Walkthrough: Installation and Configuration Setting up Laravel Boost 2.0 is a methodical process. It begins with a standard installation and moves into configuring how the AI interacts with your files. Step 1: Installation Run the following command in your project root: ```bash composer require laravel/boost --dev php artisan boost:install ``` During installation, the CLI will prompt you to select which AI agents you are using (e.g., Cursor, Claude). This is critical because each agent looks for context in different locations—Cursor uses `.cursorrules`, while others might look for `agents.md`. Step 2: Synchronizing Skills and Guidelines Whenever you update your configuration or add custom rules, you must run the update command to rebuild the context files that the AI reads: ```bash php artisan boost:update ``` This command scans your `AI/guidelines` and `AI/skills` directories, composing a unified markdown file (like `claudedev.md`) that represents the current state of your project's rules. Step 3: Customizing Business Logic One of the most powerful features of Boost 2.0 is the ability to inject custom business context. You can publish the configuration file to unlock this: ```bash php artisan vendor:publish --tag=boost-config ``` Inside `config/boost.php`, you can add a `purpose` key. This is where you tell the AI exactly what the app does—for example, "This project is a logistics platform for tracking international shipping containers." ```php return [ 'purpose' => 'A financial dashboard for tracking cryptocurrency tax compliance.', 'coding_style' => 'Spatie', // ... other config ]; ``` Syntax Notes: The Architecture of a Skill A **Skill** in Boost 2.0 is a specialized markdown file that the AI can "invoke" only when needed. This prevents the context window from being cluttered with irrelevant information. The syntax follows a specific pattern: ```markdown Name: Inertia Vue Development Description: Use this skill when building or modifying Vue components within the Inertia.js stack. Implementation Guidelines - Always use the <script setup> syntax. - Utilize Tailwind CSS for all styling. - Ensure all components are stored in the resources/js/Pages directory. ``` The AI reads the `# Description` to decide if the skill is relevant to your current prompt. If you ask to fix a CSS bug, it will pull in the **Tailwind Skill** but ignore the **Database Skill**, saving thousands of tokens. Practical Examples: Real-World Agent Workflows Automated Refactoring with Verification Don't just ask an AI to refactor code; ask it to verify its work using the tools provided by Laravel Boost. A high-level prompt might look like this: "Refactor the `OrderController@store` method to use a Form Request. Use the **Laravel Skill** for validation patterns. Once completed, use the **Tinker Tool** via MCP to create a test order and ensure the database record is created correctly." Documentation Ingestion If you are using a new package that the AI hasn't been trained on, you can use the `search_docs` tool provided by the Boost MCP server. The agent can query the latest Laravel documentation in real-time to find the correct syntax for Laravel 12 features like Pest integration or the newest Inertia helpers. Tips & Gotchas: Navigating the AI Frontier * **The Context Trap**: Be careful not to put too much in your `guidelines`. If your `agents.md` file becomes 10,000 lines long, the AI will lose the thread of your conversation. Move specific package logic into **Skills** so they are only loaded on demand. * **Plan Mode First**: Always use "Plan Mode" in your AI editor before letting it write code. This allows the agent to outline its approach based on the Boost guidelines before it commits to a file structure. * **Sync Often**: If you change a route name or a config value, run `php artisan boost:update`. If you don't, the AI will be working from a "ghost" version of your app's previous state. * **Override Wisely**: Boost comes with sensible defaults for Tailwind and Pest. However, if your team has a unique way of writing tests, create a custom file in `AI/skills/pest.md` to override the default Laravel Boost behavior.