Command Reference

This document provides a comprehensive reference for all commands available in the laravel-boost-copilot-cli package, including Artisan commands, Composer scripts, and Copilot CLI invocations. Commands are organized by category and include environment-specific variations for standard Laravel, Laravel Sail, and Orchestra Testbench environments.

For configuration file details, see Configuration Files Reference. For troubleshooting command issues, see Troubleshooting.

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Artisan Commands

boost:install

Installs Laravel Boost configuration files, including MCP server configuration, AI guidelines, and agent skills.

Standard Laravel:

Laravel Sail:

Orchestra Testbench:

Interactive Prompts:

• Which Boost features would you like to configure?

  • AI Guidelines - Installs .github/instructions/laravel-boost.instructions.md
  • Agent Skills - Installs .github/skills/ directory
  • Boost MCP Server Configuration - Installs .github/mcp-config.json

• Which AI agents would you like to configure?

  • GitHub Copilot CLI - Configures CopilotCli agent

Non-Interactive Usage:

The --no-interaction flag is required when running in CI/CD or automated scripts. The CopilotCliServiceProvider automatically detects the environment and generates appropriate command configurations src/CopilotCliServiceProvider.php

Sources: README.md43-53 docs/testbench.md55-59 composer.json62

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boost:update

Updates existing Laravel Boost configuration files without overwriting manual customizations.

Standard Laravel:

Orchestra Testbench:

The CopilotCliServiceProvider listens for CommandStarting events and applies Testbench-specific path adaptations when this command runs src/CopilotCliServiceProvider.php

Sources: src/CopilotCliServiceProvider.php

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boost:mcp

Spawns the Laravel Boost MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that exposes tools to GitHub Copilot CLI. This command runs as a long-lived subprocess and should not be invoked directly—it is automatically spawned by Copilot CLI when configured in .github/mcp-config.json.

The command and args values in mcp-config.json are generated by CopilotCli::mcpServerConfig(), which calls convertCommandToPhpPath() to select the correct binary based on environment detection.

Command Syntax by Environment:

Environment	Command	Arguments
Standard Laravel	php	["artisan", "boost:mcp"]
Laravel Sail	./vendor/bin/sail	["artisan", "boost:mcp"]
Orchestra Testbench	./vendor/bin/testbench	["boost:mcp"]
WSL	php (resolved via getPhpPath())	["artisan", "boost:mcp"]

Note: In Testbench environments, artisan is not included in the arguments array because the testbench binary handles command routing internally. All other environments require ["artisan", "boost:mcp"] src/CopilotCli.php

MCP Configuration Example (Testbench):

Sources: docs/testbench.md62-78 src/CopilotCli.php .github/instructions/laravel-boost.instructions.md23-24

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workbench Commands (Testbench Only)

workbench:install

Creates the workbench directory structure required for package development with Laravel Boost.

This command generates the workbench skeleton and automatically adds a build script to composer.json docs/testbench.md10-16

workbench:build

Builds the workbench environment, including creating the SQLite database file required for Laravel Boost's default cache driver.

This command is typically run automatically via Composer's post-autoload-dump hook composer.json70

Sources: docs/testbench.md10-29 composer.json70

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Command Flow Diagram

Sources: README.md43-71 docs/testbench.md55-86 src/Agents/CopilotCli.php78-92

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Composer Scripts

The package defines several Composer scripts for testing, code quality, and workbench management composer.json53-76

Testing Scripts

composer test

Runs the Pest test suite in compact mode.

Executes: pest --compact composer.json54

composer test:coverage

Runs tests with code coverage reporting, generating a Clover XML report.

Executes: pest --compact --coverage --coverage-clover build/logs/clover.xml composer.json55

Sources: composer.json54-55

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Code Quality Scripts

composer lint

Runs Laravel Pint to automatically fix code style issues.

Executes: pint composer.json56-58

composer test:lint

Tests code style without making changes, useful for CI/CD validation.

Executes: pint --test composer.json59-61

Sources: composer.json56-61

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Package Development Scripts

composer boost

Runs boost:install in the Testbench environment with no interaction.

Executes: vendor/bin/testbench boost:install --no-interaction --ansi composer.json62

composer clear

Clears the Testbench skeleton directory structure.

Executes: @php vendor/bin/testbench package:purge-skeleton --ansi composer.json68

composer prepare

Discovers packages in the Testbench environment.

Executes: @php vendor/bin/testbench package:discover --ansi composer.json69

composer build

Builds the workbench environment, creating necessary files and directories.

Executes: @php vendor/bin/testbench workbench:build --ansi composer.json70

composer serve

Starts the Testbench development server with disabled process timeout.

Executes:

1. Composer\Config::disableProcessTimeout
2. @build
3. @php vendor/bin/testbench serve --ansi

composer.json71-75

Sources: composer.json62-75

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Automated Scripts

post-autoload-dump

Automatically runs after Composer updates dependencies.

Executes in sequence:

1. @clear - Purges skeleton
2. @prepare - Discovers packages
3. @build - Builds workbench

composer.json63-67

Sources: composer.json63-67

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Composer Scripts Workflow Diagram

Sources: composer.json53-76

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Copilot CLI Commands

Basic Invocation

The --additional-mcp-config flag is required for every Copilot CLI session to access Laravel Boost MCP tools README.md55-59

Expected Output:

Configured MCP servers: laravel-boost

If this message appears, the MCP server loaded successfully README.md61

Sources: README.md55-61 .github/instructions/laravel-boost.instructions.md8-13

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Combined with Other Options

The --additional-mcp-config flag can be combined with any other Copilot CLI options.

Resume Previous Session

Continue Current Session

Sources: README.md63-71

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Autoloading MCP Configuration

To avoid typing --additional-mcp-config every time, define a shell function that automatically loads configuration files if they exist in the current directory.

Bash/Zsh Function:

Add to .bashrc or .zshrc:

Usage After Configuration:

The function automatically detects and loads both .github/mcp-config.json and .github/mcp-config.local.json if present README.md73-99

Sources: README.md73-99

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Local MCP Configuration

For MCP servers requiring sensitive credentials, create .github/mcp-config.local.json for local-only settings.

Add to .gitignore:

Example Local Configuration:

The copilot_mcp function automatically loads this file if it exists README.md101-124

Sources: README.md101-124

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Environment-Specific Command Reference Table

Command	Standard Laravel	Laravel Sail	Orchestra Testbench	WSL
Install Boost	php artisan boost:install	./vendor/bin/sail artisan boost:install	./vendor/bin/testbench boost:install	php artisan boost:install
Update Boost	php artisan boost:update	./vendor/bin/sail artisan boost:update	./vendor/bin/testbench boost:update	php artisan boost:update
MCP Server	php artisan boost:mcp	./vendor/bin/sail artisan boost:mcp	./vendor/bin/testbench boost:mcp	php artisan boost:mcp
Run Tests	php artisan test	./vendor/bin/sail artisan test	./vendor/bin/testbench test	php artisan test
Workbench Install	N/A	N/A	./vendor/bin/testbench workbench:install	N/A
Workbench Build	N/A	N/A	./vendor/bin/testbench workbench:build	N/A

Detection Logic:

The CopilotCli::convertCommandToPhpPath() method uses the following priority for environment detection src/CopilotCli.php:

1. Testbench — Checks whether TESTBENCH_CORE is defined (defined('TESTBENCH_CORE'))
2. WSL — Calls isRunningInsideWsl() (checks WSL_DISTRO_NAME or IS_WSL env vars)
3. Sail — Checks if the detected command string ends with sail
4. Standard — Uses the command as-is (typically php)

Sources: src/CopilotCli.php README.md27-29 docs/testbench.md55-59

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Command Environment Detection Diagram

This diagram maps the convertCommandToPhpPath() decision logic in src/CopilotCli.php to the resulting mcp-config.json output written by mcpServerConfig().

Sources: src/CopilotCli.php

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MCP Configuration Command Mapping

This diagram shows how CopilotCli class methods in src/CopilotCli.php map to the fields written into .github/mcp-config.json by boost:install.

Sources: src/CopilotCli.php docs/testbench.md62-78

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Special Considerations

Testbench Argument Structure

In Testbench environments, the args array in mcp-config.json contains only ["boost:mcp"] without artisan because the vendor/bin/testbench binary handles command routing internally. All other environments require ["artisan", "boost:mcp"]. This distinction is encoded in convertCommandToPhpPath() in src/CopilotCli.php src/CopilotCli.php

Incorrect (will fail in Testbench):

Correct:

Sources: src/CopilotCli.php docs/testbench.md62-78

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Non-Interactive Mode Requirement

When running commands in CI/CD pipelines or automated scripts, always include the --no-interaction flag to prevent prompts README.md52

The --ansi flag ensures proper output formatting in automated environments composer.json62

Sources: README.md52 composer.json62

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Sail Prerequisites

Before using Laravel Boost with Sail, ensure the Sail environment is running:

The copilot command runs outside of Sail, but the MCP server spawned by Copilot CLI runs inside the Sail container README.md27-29

Sources: README.md27-29