Code Quality

Code Quality Toolchain

Static analysis, code style enforcement, automated refactoring, and CI quality gates for Laravel projects. Built on top of Laravel Kickoff's existing PHPStan, Pint, Rector, and GitHub Actions configuration.

Command Reference

| Command | Description | |---|---| | /quality check | Run Larastan analysis, interpret errors, suggest fixes | | /quality fix | Auto-fix Pint violations with explanations of what changed | | /quality baseline | Generate or update PHPStan baseline for legacy code | | /quality rector | Suggest and apply Rector rules for code modernisation | | /quality ci | Extend GitHub Actions CI with custom quality gates |

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Kickoff Baseline

Laravel Kickoff projects ship with these tools pre-configured:

| Tool | Config File | Purpose | |---|---|---| | PHPStan / Larastan | phpstan.neon | Static analysis | | Laravel Pint | pint.json | Code style (PSR-12 / Laravel preset) | | Rector | rector.php | Automated refactoring | | GitHub Actions | .github/workflows/ci.yml | CI pipeline |

This skill extends that baseline — it does not replace it. Always read the existing config files before suggesting changes. Never overwrite without confirming with the user.

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1. /quality check — Larastan Analysis

Step 1: Run Analysis

./vendor/bin/phpstan analyse --memory-limit=512M

If a baseline exists (phpstan-baseline.neon), PHPStan automatically excludes baselined errors. Only new errors are reported.

Step 2: Interpret Errors

For each error, explain:

1. What the error means in plain language
2. Why PHPStan flags it (type safety, missing return, undefined method, etc.)
3. How to fix it with a concrete code change

Common Error Patterns

| Error Pattern | Meaning | Fix | |---|---|---| | Parameter #1 $x expects string, int given | Type mismatch in function call | Cast or validate the input type | | Call to an undefined method | Method does not exist on the resolved type | Add @method PHPDoc or fix the class reference | | Property $x has no type declaration | Missing property type | Add typed property: public string $x; | | Method should return X but returns Y | Return type mismatch | Fix return value or widen the return type | | Access to an undefined property | Property not declared on the class | Declare the property or add @property PHPDoc | | Dead catch — Throwable is never thrown | Catching an exception that cannot occur | Remove the dead catch or fix the try block | | If condition is always true/false | Redundant conditional logic | Simplify the condition or remove dead code |

Step 3: Suggest Fixes

Present fixes grouped by file. For each fix:

File: app/Services/PaymentService.php:42
Error: Parameter #1 $amount expects int, string given

Current:
    $this->charge($request->input('amount'));

Fix:
    $this->charge((int) $request->input('amount'));

Explanation: Request input returns string|null. Cast to int before passing
to charge() which expects an integer parameter.

Error Levels

Refer to references/larastan-rules.md for the full error level breakdown (0-9). Recommend the user start at level 5 for existing projects and work up incrementally.

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2. /quality fix — Pint Code Style

Step 1: Preview Changes

./vendor/bin/pint --test

This shows what would change without modifying files.

Step 2: Apply Fixes

./vendor/bin/pint

Step 3: Explain Changes

After fixing, explain the most impactful changes. Group by rule:

Pint fixed 23 files:

Spacing & Alignment (14 files):
  - binary_operator_spaces: aligned = and => operators
  - no_extra_blank_lines: removed double blank lines

Imports (6 files):
  - ordered_imports: sorted use statements alphabetically
  - no_unused_imports: removed 4 unused imports

Type Declarations (3 files):
  - fully_qualified_strict_types: converted FQCN to imports

Step 4: Preset Recommendations

If the user has no pint.json or uses the default preset, recommend a preset based on project context. Refer to references/pint-presets.md for preset details and common rule customisations.

| Context | Recommended Preset | |---|---| | New Laravel project | laravel (default) | | Open-source package | psr12 | | Strict team standards | per with custom rules | | Symfony-influenced | symfony |

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3. /quality baseline — PHPStan Baseline Management

When to Use

• Legacy codebase with hundreds of existing errors
• Upgrading PHPStan level (e.g., 5 to 6) without fixing all errors immediately
• Onboarding a team — prevent new errors while gradually fixing old ones

Step 1: Generate Baseline

./vendor/bin/phpstan analyse --generate-baseline

This creates phpstan-baseline.neon containing all current errors as "accepted" — future runs only flag new code.

Step 2: Include Baseline in Config

Verify phpstan.neon includes the baseline:

includes:
    - phpstan-baseline.neon
    - vendor/larastan/larastan/extension.neon

Step 3: Baseline Maintenance Plan

Present a reduction plan:

Current baseline: 142 errors

Recommended reduction plan:
  Week 1-2:  Fix "missing return type" errors (38 occurrences)
  Week 3-4:  Fix "undefined property" errors (27 occurrences)
  Week 5-6:  Fix "type mismatch" errors (44 occurrences)
  Week 7-8:  Fix remaining 33 errors

After each batch: regenerate baseline to lock in progress.

Step 4: Regenerate After Fixes

After the user fixes a batch:

./vendor/bin/phpstan analyse --generate-baseline

Compare the before/after counts. Celebrate progress.

Baseline Anti-Patterns

| Anti-Pattern | Why It's Bad | Instead | |---|---|---| | Baseline everything and forget | Errors accumulate silently | Schedule regular reduction sprints | | Never baseline, fix everything now | Blocks feature work for days | Baseline and reduce incrementally | | Baseline + lower the level | Hides problems at two layers | Keep level, use baseline only | | Committing baseline changes without review | May silently accept new errors | Require PR review for baseline changes |

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4. /quality rector — Code Modernisation

Step 1: Audit Current Config

Read rector.php and identify which rule sets are active. Refer to references/rector-sets.md for the full catalogue.

Step 2: Suggest Rules

Based on the project's PHP version and codebase patterns, suggest relevant rule sets:

// rector.php
use Rector\Config\RectorConfig;

return RectorConfig::configure()
    ->withPaths([
        __DIR__ . '/app',
        __DIR__ . '/config',
        __DIR__ . '/database',
        __DIR__ . '/routes',
        __DIR__ . '/tests',
    ])
    ->withPhpSets(php83: true)
    ->withPreparedSets(
        deadCode: true,
        codeQuality: true,
        typeDeclarations: true,
        earlyReturn: true,
    );

Step 3: Dry Run

Always dry-run first:

./vendor/bin/rector process --dry-run

Present the proposed changes grouped by rule:

Rector would apply 47 changes:

Dead Code Removal (12 changes):
  - RemoveUnusedPrivateMethodRector: 5 methods
  - RemoveDeadConditionAboveReturnRector: 4 conditions
  - RemoveUnusedConstructorParamRector: 3 params

Type Declarations (18 changes):
  - AddReturnTypeDeclarationBasedOnParentClassMethodRector: 8 methods
  - TypedPropertyFromAssignsRector: 10 properties

Early Return (9 changes):
  - ChangeAndIfToEarlyReturnRector: 9 occurrences

Code Quality (8 changes):
  - SimplifyIfReturnBoolRector: 5 occurrences
  - CombinedAssignRector: 3 occurrences

Step 4: Apply

After user confirms:

./vendor/bin/rector process

Then immediately run Pint to fix any style issues Rector may introduce:

./vendor/bin/pint

And verify with PHPStan:

./vendor/bin/phpstan analyse

Step 5: Review Key Changes

Highlight the most impactful transformations with before/after examples:

Before (app/Services/OrderService.php:67):
    public function isComplete($order)
    {
        if ($order->status === 'complete') {
            return true;
        }
        return false;
    }

After:
    public function isComplete(Order $order): bool
    {
        return $order->status === 'complete';
    }

Rules applied:
  - AddReturnTypeDeclarationBasedOnParentClassMethodRector
  - SimplifyIfReturnBoolRector
  - TypedPropertyFromAssignsRector

---

5. /quality ci — GitHub Actions Quality Gates

Step 1: Audit Existing CI

Read .github/workflows/ci.yml (Kickoff ships one). Identify what's already there and what's missing.

Step 2: Extend with Quality Gates

Suggest adding dedicated quality jobs. Present as a diff against the existing workflow:

# Add to .github/workflows/ci.yml

  phpstan:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Setup PHP
        uses: shivammathur/setup-php@v2
        with:
          php-version: '8.3'
          coverage: none
      - name: Install dependencies
        run: composer install --no-interaction --prefer-dist
      - name: Run PHPStan
        run: ./vendor/bin/phpstan analyse --memory-limit=512M --error-format=github

  pint:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Setup PHP
        uses: shivammathur/setup-php@v2
        with:
          php-version: '8.3'
          coverage: none
      - name: Install dependencies
        run: composer install --no-interaction --prefer-dist
      - name: Check code style
        run: ./vendor/bin/pint --test

  rector:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Setup PHP
        uses: shivammathur/setup-php@v2
        with:
          php-version: '8.3'
          coverage: none
      - name: Install dependencies
        run: composer install --no-interaction --prefer-dist
      - name: Check Rector
        run: ./vendor/bin/rector process --dry-run

Step 3: Error Format for GitHub

PHPStan supports --error-format=github which creates inline annotations on PRs. Always recommend this format for CI:

./vendor/bin/phpstan analyse --error-format=github

Step 4: Branch Protection Rules

Recommend branch protection settings:

Branch: main
  - Require status checks to pass:
    - phpstan
    - pint
    - rector
    - tests
  - Require PR reviews: 1
  - Dismiss stale reviews on new pushes

Step 5: Caching Strategy

Add Composer cache to speed up CI runs:

      - name: Get Composer cache directory
        id: composer-cache
        run: echo "dir=$(composer config cache-files-dir)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
      - uses: actions/cache@v4
        with:
          path: ${{ steps.composer-cache.outputs.dir }}
          key: ${{ runner.os }}-composer-${{ hashFiles('**/composer.lock') }}
          restore-keys: ${{ runner.os }}-composer-

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Workflow: Full Quality Pass

When the user asks for a complete quality check, run all tools in sequence:

1. Pint — fix style first (cleanest diffs for subsequent tools)
2. Rector — modernise code (may change structure)
3. Pint again — clean up anything Rector introduced
4. PHPStan — analyse the final state
5. Report — summarise all changes and remaining issues

./vendor/bin/pint
./vendor/bin/rector process
./vendor/bin/pint
./vendor/bin/phpstan analyse --memory-limit=512M

Present a summary:

Quality Pass Complete
=====================

Pint:     Fixed 23 files (style violations)
Rector:   Applied 47 changes (modernisation)
Pint:     Fixed 3 files (post-Rector cleanup)
PHPStan:  0 errors (level 5)

Status: All quality gates passing

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Reference Files

| File | Read When | |---|---| | references/larastan-rules.md | Interpreting PHPStan errors, choosing error levels, custom rule patterns | | references/pint-presets.md | Configuring Pint presets, customising rules, .pint.json examples | | references/rector-sets.md | Choosing Rector rule sets, PHP migration rules, Laravel-specific rules |

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: nasrulhazim
• Source: nasrulhazim/agent-skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.