Laravel Boost MCP via MCPorter

Access Laravel Boost MCP through mcporter to interact with Laravel applications for development tasks, debugging, and code exploration.

Prerequisites

•mcporter CLI installed (npm install -g mcporter)
•Laravel Boost MCP configured in mcporter (php artisan boost:mcp)
•Working Laravel application with Laravel Boost package installed

Verify laravel-boost is available:

bash

mcporter list

Configuration

Ensure Laravel Boost MCP is configured in your project's config/mcporter.json:

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "laravel-boost": {
      "description": "Laravel Boost MCP - Laravel-specific tools for development",
      "command": "php",
      "args": ["../artisan", "boost:mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Note: MCPorter resolves paths relative to the config file's location. Since this config is in config/mcporter.json, the path to artisan (at project root) is ../artisan.

Quick Reference

Tool	Purpose	Example
`application-info`	Get app info (PHP/Laravel versions, packages, models)	`mcporter call laravel-boost.application-info`
`browser-logs`	Read browser/JS logs for frontend debugging	`mcporter call laravel-boost.browser-logs entries:10`
`database-connections`	List database connection names	`mcporter call laravel-boost.database-connections`
`database-query`	Execute read-only SQL queries	`mcporter call laravel-boost.database-query query:"SELECT * FROM users"`
`database-schema`	Read database schema (tables, columns, indexes, foreign keys)	`mcporter call laravel-boost.database-schema filter:users`
`get-absolute-url`	Get absolute URL for path or named route	`mcporter call laravel-boost.get-absolute-url path:/dashboard`
`get-config`	Get config value by key	`mcporter call laravel-boost.get-config key:app.name`
`last-error`	Get last backend error/exception	`mcporter call laravel-boost.last-error`
`list-artisan-commands`	List all Artisan commands	`mcporter call laravel-boost.list-artisan-commands`
`list-available-config-keys`	List all config keys	`mcporter call laravel-boost.list-available-config-keys`
`list-available-env-vars`	List env variables from .env	`mcporter call laravel-boost.list-available-env-vars`
`list-routes`	List all routes (incl. Folio)	`mcporter call laravel-boost.list-routes path:blog`
`read-log-entries`	Read last N app log entries	`mcporter call laravel-boost.read-log-entries entries:20`
`search-docs`	Search Laravel ecosystem docs	`mcporter call 'laravel-boost.search-docs(queries: ["livewire", "volt"])'`
`tinker`	Execute PHP code in Laravel context	`mcporter call laravel-boost.tinker code:"User::count()"`

Usage

MCPorter Syntax Options

Flag style (shell-friendly):

bash

mcporter call laravel-boost.application-info
mcporter call laravel-boost.get-config key:app.name
mcporter call laravel-boost.database-query query:"SELECT COUNT(*) FROM users"

Function-call style (better for complex args/arrays):

bash

mcporter call 'laravel-boost.search-docs(queries: ["livewire", "volt"], token_limit: 2000)'
mcporter call 'laravel-boost.database-query(query: "SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 10")'

Shorthand (auto-infers call):

bash

mcporter laravel-boost.application-info
mcporter laravel-boost.list-routes method:GET

1. Application Information

Get comprehensive application info including PHP version, Laravel version, database engine, and installed packages:

bash

mcporter call laravel-boost.application-info

Response includes:

•PHP version
•Laravel version
•Database engine (mysql, postgresql, sqlite, etc.)
•All installed packages with versions
•All Eloquent models in the application

2. Database Operations

Get Database Schema

bash

# Get schema for all tables
mcporter call laravel-boost.database-schema

# Get schema for specific table
mcporter call laravel-boost.database-schema filter:users

# Get schema for specific database connection
mcporter call laravel-boost.database-schema database:tenant_main

Execute Read-Only Queries

bash

mcporter call laravel-boost.database-query query:"SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 10"

mcporter call laravel-boost.database-query query:"SELECT COUNT(*) FROM posts"

mcporter call laravel-boost.database-query query:"SHOW TABLES"

List Database Connections

bash

mcporter call laravel-boost.database-connections

3. Routes & URLs

List All Routes

bash

# List all routes
mcporter call laravel-boost.list-routes

# Filter by path pattern
mcporter call laravel-boost.list-routes path:admin

# Filter by HTTP method
mcporter call laravel-boost.list-routes method:POST

# Filter by route name
mcporter call laravel-boost.list-routes name:dashboard

# Exclude vendor routes
mcporter call laravel-boost.list-routes except_vendor:true

# Only show vendor routes
mcporter call laravel-boost.list-routes only_vendor:true

Generate Absolute URLs

bash

# For a path
mcporter call laravel-boost.get-absolute-url path:/dashboard

# For a named route
mcporter call laravel-boost.get-absolute-url route:home

# Default (returns "/")
mcporter call laravel-boost.get-absolute-url

4. Configuration & Environment

Get Config Value

bash

mcporter call laravel-boost.get-config key:app.name
mcporter call laravel-boost.get-config key:database.default
mcporter call laravel-boost.get-config key:services.postmark.token

List Available Config Keys

bash

mcporter call laravel-boost.list-available-config-keys

List Environment Variables

bash

# From default .env file
mcporter call laravel-boost.list-available-env-vars

# From specific file
mcporter call laravel-boost.list-available-env-vars filename:.env.example

5. Documentation Search

Search Laravel ecosystem documentation (version-specific to your installed packages):

bash

# Single query
mcporter call 'laravel-boost.search-docs(queries: ["rate limiting"])'

# Multiple queries (any match returns results)
mcporter call 'laravel-boost.search-docs(queries: ["middleware", "rate limiting", "throttling"])'

# Limit to specific packages
mcporter call 'laravel-boost.search-docs(queries: ["volt component"], packages: ["livewire/volt"])'

# Increase token limit for more complete results
mcporter call 'laravel-boost.search-docs(queries: ["livewire lifecycle"], token_limit: 5000)'

Supported packages (automatically detected from your app):

•Laravel Framework (10.x, 11.x, 12.x)
•Livewire (1.x, 2.x, 3.x, 4.x)
•Volt
•Filament (2.x, 3.x, 4.x, 5.x)
•Inertia (1.x, 2.x)
•Pest (3.x, 4.x)
•Nova (4.x, 5.x)
•Tailwind CSS (3.x, 4.x)
•And more Laravel ecosystem packages

6. Tinker (PHP Code Execution)

Execute PHP code in the Laravel application context:

bash

# Simple expression
mcporter call laravel-boost.tinker code:"echo 'Hello World';"

# Query data
mcporter call laravel-boost.tinker code:"return User::count();"

# Test functions
mcporter call laravel-boost.tinker code:"return app()->environment();"

# Multi-line code
mcporter call laravel-boost.tinker code:'
$users = User::where("active", true)->limit(5)->get();
return $users->pluck("email");
'

Important:

•Use for debugging, testing code snippets, and checking if functions exist
•Prefer existing Artisan commands over custom tinker code
•Do not create models directly without explicit user approval
•Prefer Unit/Feature tests using factories for functionality testing

7. Debugging & Logs

Get Last Backend Error

bash

mcporter call laravel-boost.last-error

Read Application Logs

bash

# Read last 20 log entries (default)
mcporter call laravel-boost.read-log-entries entries:20

# Read last 50 log entries
mcporter call laravel-boost.read-log-entries entries:50

Read Browser Logs

bash

# For frontend/JS debugging
mcporter call laravel-boost.browser-logs entries:10

8. Artisan Commands

List All Artisan Commands

bash

mcporter call laravel-boost.list-artisan-commands

Workflow Patterns

Pattern 1: Database Schema Exploration

•List database connections
•Get schema for specific tables
•Query data to understand relationships

bash

# Step 1: Check connections
mcporter call laravel-boost.database-connections

# Step 2: Get user table schema
mcporter call laravel-boost.database-schema filter:users

# Step 3: Query sample data
mcporter call laravel-boost.database-query query:"SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 5"

# Step 4: Test relationships with tinker
mcporter call laravel-boost.tinker code:"return User::first()->posts;"

Pattern 2: Route & URL Investigation

•List routes matching a pattern
•Get absolute URLs for testing
•Check route config/middleware

bash

# Step 1: Find admin routes
mcporter call laravel-boost.list-routes path:admin

# Step 2: Generate URL for named route
mcporter call laravel-boost.get-absolute-url route:admin.dashboard

# Step 3: Check config affecting routing
mcporter call laravel-boost.get-config key:app.url

Pattern 3: Documentation-First Development

•Search for version-specific documentation
•Verify package versions
•Apply recommended patterns

bash

# Step 1: Check installed packages
mcporter call laravel-boost.application-info

# Step 2: Search for specific feature docs
mcporter call 'laravel-boost.search-docs(queries: ["livewire lifecycle", "mount method"])'

# Step 3: Test pattern with tinker
mcporter call laravel-boost.tinker code:"return (new class { use Livewire\Concerns\InteractsWithProperties; });"

Pattern 4: Debugging

•Check last backend error
•Read application logs
•Check browser logs for frontend issues
•Use tinker to test hypotheses

bash

# Step 1: Check last error
mcporter call laravel-boost.last-error

# Step 2: Read logs
mcporter call laravel-boost.read-log-entries entries:50

# Step 3: Check browser logs
mcporter call laravel-boost.browser-logs entries:20

# Step 4: Test code
mcporter call laravel-boost.tinker code:"return config('queue.default');"

Pattern 5: Environment & Config Audit

•List all available config keys
•List all environment variables
•Check specific config values
•Verify environment-specific settings

bash

# Step 1: List config keys
mcporter call laravel-boost.list-available-config-keys

# Step 2: List env vars
mcporter call laravel-boost.list-available-env-vars

# Step 3: Check key settings
mcporter call laravel-boost.get-config key:app.env
mcporter call laravel-boost.get-config key:database.connections.mysql.host

# Step 4: Verify application info
mcporter call laravel-boost.application-info

Advanced Usage

Function-Call Syntax for Complex Parameters

When using tools with object/array parameters, use the function-call syntax:

bash

# Search with multiple queries and token limit
mcporter call 'laravel-boost.search-docs(queries: ["rate limiting", "throttling", "middleware"], token_limit: 5000)'

# Database query with specific connection
mcporter call 'laravel-boost.database-query(query: "SELECT * FROM users", database: "tenant_main")'

# List routes with multiple filters
mcporter call 'laravel-boost.list-routes(method: "POST", path: "api", except_vendor: true)'

When to Use

•Database Exploration: Understanding schema, querying data without touching the database directly
•Route Investigation: Finding routes, generating URLs, understanding route structure
•Config Debugging: Checking config values, listing available keys, environment variables
•Documentation Research: Searching version-specific Laravel ecosystem documentation
•Quick Testing: Using tinker to test PHP snippets without creating files
•Debugging: Reading logs, checking errors, browser logs
•Application Audit: Getting comprehensive application info, package versions, models

Best Practices

•Start with application-info: Understand the Laravel version, database engine, and installed packages first
•Use search-docs before implementing: Search for version-specific documentation before writing code
•Prefer database-query over direct DB access: Use read-only queries instead of connecting to the database
•Use tinker for quick tests: Test PHP snippets quickly without creating test files
•Check logs when debugging: Use read-log-entries, browser-logs, and last-error together
•Use function-call syntax for arrays: When passing arrays or multiple parameters, use the function-call syntax

Output Format

JSON responses for most tools with structured data:

•application-info: Returns object with php_version, laravel_version, packages, models
•database-schema: Returns object with tables, columns, indexes, foreign_keys
•database-query: Returns query results as array of rows
•get-config: Returns object with key and value
•search-docs: Returns formatted documentation results with context

Complete Example: New Feature Development

bash

# 1. Understand the application
mcporter call laravel-boost.application-info

# 2. Search for relevant documentation
mcporter call 'laravel-boost.search-docs(queries: ["livewire forms", "validation"])'

# 3. Check database schema
mcporter call laravel-boost.database-schema filter:posts

# 4. List routes for the feature area
mcporter call laravel-boost.list-routes path:posts

# 5. Test code with tinker
mcporter call laravel-boost.tinker code:'
$post = \App\Models\Post::factory()->make();
return $post->toArray();
'

# 6. Verify URLs
mcporter call laravel-boost.get-absolute-url route:posts.index

# 7. Check config
mcporter call laravel-boost.get-config key:filesystems.default

Important Notes

•All database queries are read-only (SELECT, SHOW, EXPLAIN, DESCRIBE)
•Tinker execution has a 180-second timeout by default
•Search docs returns version-specific results based on installed packages
•Logs are correctly handled for multi-line PSR-3 formatted logs
•Route listings include Folio routes when applicable
•All operations respect Laravel's configuration and environment