Laravel Engineering

Laravel Engineering

Cross-cutting implementation rules for Laravel changes. Use this skill with the specialist skill that owns the boundary: laravel-rest-api, laravel-eloquent, laravel-async, laravel-patterns or laravel-testing.

When to Apply

• Implementing, debugging, refactoring or reviewing a Laravel change
• A request mentions reuse, readability, root cause, errors, dead code, documentation or verification
• A local patch could affect callers, configuration, persistence, authorization or queued effects

Pick the Rule

Before You Write Code

1. Read the local contract: instructions, implementation, callers, configuration and relevant tests.
2. Trace the value and effects through its actual boundary before choosing a fix.
3. Reuse a present contract or write the smallest direct code that owns the decision.
4. Preserve failure and verify the risk-bearing path after the change.

Security, authorization and data-consistency guarantees override a convenience or simplicity preference. Project-specific conventions win when they are documented and the reason is clear.

Rule Sections by Priority

Quick Reference

1. Context and Contracts (CRITICAL)

• context-read-contract-before-change — Read instructions, callers, configuration and proof before editing
• context-trace-data-and-effects — Trace data through validation, state and effects

2. Design and Reuse (HIGH)

• design-reuse-before-abstraction — Reuse a present contract before adding a seam
• design-simple-readable-code — Keep one-off policy visible at its decision

3. Correctness and Failure (CRITICAL)

• correct-fix-causes-and-fail-loudly — Fix the cause and never write after a failed operation
• correct-read-back-through-the-consumer-shape — Return the explicit shape the consumer reads

4. Hygiene and Verification (HIGH)

• hygiene-no-comments-or-dead-code — Avoid redundant implementation comments; preserve type and context annotations
• hygiene-verify-critical-paths-and-docs — Prove the risk-bearing path and synchronize docs

How to Use

Load this index, then one rule that matches the decision. Read the specialist skill only for the boundary involved; do not load generated AGENTS.md when rule files are reachable.

Related Skills

• laravel-patterns — placement, reuse boundaries and configuration seams
• laravel-eloquent — persistence, transactions and response query shape
• laravel-rest-api — authorization, request and response boundaries
• laravel-async — queued effects and failure handling
• laravel-testing — proportionate proof for the affected layer