Boost Configuration

This page documents boost.json: what it is, where it comes from, and what each of its fields controls. This file is the persistent record of choices made during the boost:install command and is read by the Laravel Boost framework to understand which features are active in the project.

For details on the installation process that generates this file, see Configuration Generation. For the MCP-specific configuration file that boost.json indirectly controls, see MCP Configuration File.

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What Is boost.json?

boost.json is a JSON file placed at the root of your project. It is written by the boost:install Artisan command and records the feature flags and agent/skill selections that were made during installation. The Laravel Boost framework reads this file to determine which agents, skills, and integrations should be active.

The file in this repository itself serves as an example of a fully configured project:

boost.json1-13

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File Structure

The file has a flat structure with two array fields and several boolean flags.

Schema overview:

Field	Type	Description
agents	string[]	AI agents that have been configured
skills	string[]	Agent skill sets that have been installed
guidelines	boolean	Whether AI guideline files are installed
mcp	boolean	Whether the Boost MCP server configuration is active
herd_mcp	boolean	Whether Laravel Herd's MCP integration is enabled
nightwatch_mcp	boolean	Whether the Nightwatch MCP integration is enabled
sail	boolean	Whether the project uses Laravel Sail

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Field Reference

agents

An array of string identifiers for the AI agent integrations that were selected during boost:install. Each entry corresponds to a registered agent in the Laravel Boost ecosystem.

For this package, the value is "copilot-cli". This key is the same identifier used when the CopilotCliServiceProvider registers the agent via Boost::registerAgent(). See Service Provider Integration for details on that registration.

skills

An array of string identifiers for agent skill sets that have been installed. Skills are collections of guidelines and examples that teach the AI agent how to perform specific tasks.

The only skill shipped with this package is "pest-testing". When selected, it installs the file .github/skills/pest-testing/SKILL.md. See Pest Testing Skill for full documentation of what the skill covers.

guidelines

When true, the AI guidelines file .github/instructions/laravel-boost.instructions.md has been installed. This file gives Copilot CLI instructions about Laravel conventions. When false, that file is not present or was not selected during installation.

See Guidelines and Instructions for details on the contents and sync behavior of this file.

mcp

When true, the Boost MCP server configuration file .github/mcp-config.json has been installed. This is the primary file that connects Copilot CLI to the running Laravel application through the Model Context Protocol server.

See MCP Configuration File for the full structure of this file.

herd_mcp

When true, an integration for Laravel Herd's built-in MCP server is active. In the repository's own boost.json, this is set to false.

nightwatch_mcp

When true, an integration for the Nightwatch MCP server is active. In the repository's own boost.json, this is set to false.

sail

When true, the project uses Laravel Sail and the generated mcp-config.json will use ./vendor/bin/sail artisan boost:mcp as the MCP server command instead of php artisan boost:mcp.

See Environment-Specific Setup and Environment Detection and Adaptation for how this flag affects the MCP command resolution.

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Relationship to Generated Files

The following diagram shows how each boost.json flag maps to the files it controls.

Diagram: boost.json Flags and Generated Artifacts

Sources: boost.json1-13

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Example: Repository's Own Configuration

The repository ships with its own boost.json because the package itself uses Laravel Boost during development (via Orchestra Testbench). The file at boost.json1-13 declares:

• Agent: copilot-cli
• Skill: pest-testing
• Guidelines: enabled
• MCP server: enabled
• Sail: disabled (standard php command)
• Herd MCP: disabled
• Nightwatch MCP: disabled

This is a representative example of a typical configuration for a Laravel project that is not using Sail.

Diagram: boost.json to Runtime Configuration Path

Sources: boost.json1-13 README.md42-53