php

name	php
description	PHP development: code quality, PSR standards, testing with PHPUnit.
user-invocable	false
context	fork
agent	php-general-engineer
routing	{"triggers":["php quality","php code review","PSR standards","phpstan","php-cs-fixer","php testing","phpunit","pest php","php mock"],"category":"php","pairs_with":["code-linting","test-driven-development"]}

PHP Skill

PHP code quality and testing: strict types, PSR-12 compliance, modern language features, framework idioms, static analysis tooling, and PHPUnit testing patterns.

Reference Loading Table

Signal	Reference	Size
union types, intersection types, DNF, enums, readonly, named arguments, match expression, null-safe operator, PHP 8.0, PHP 8.1, PHP 8.2	references/modern-php-features.md	~160 lines
Laravel, Eloquent, Collections, Service Container, Symfony, DI attributes, Event Dispatcher, framework	references/framework-idioms.md	~70 lines
PHP-CS-Fixer, PHPStan, Psalm, Rector, static analysis, CI, linting, code style, taint analysis	references/quality-tools.md	~60 lines
PHPUnit tests, data providers, mocks, stubs, database testing, HTTP testing, coverage	references/testing-patterns.md	~120 lines
quality review process, phases, PSR-12 enforcement	references/php-quality.md	~60 lines
test writing process, test doubles, Prophecy, database fixtures	references/php-testing.md	~50 lines

Load greedily. If the user's question touches any signal keyword, load the matching reference before responding. Multiple signals matching = load all matching references.

---

Core Rules (Always Apply)

Strict Types Declaration

Every PHP file must begin with declare(strict_types=1). This enforces scalar type coercion rules, catching type errors at call time instead of silently converting values. Omitting it is a code quality defect.

PSR-12 Coding Standard

PSR-12 extends PSR-1 and PSR-2 as the accepted PHP coding style:

• 4-space indentation, no trailing whitespace
• One class per file
• use statements after namespace with a blank line before and after
• Visibility required on all properties, methods, and constants
• Opening braces on same line for control structures
• Opening braces on next line for classes and methods

---

Phase 1: ASSESS

Determine what kind of PHP work is needed:

Request type	Load references	Action
Code review	quality refs + quality-tools	Full quality pass
Type system question	modern-php-features	Feature-specific guidance
Framework patterns	framework-idioms	Idiomatic pattern review
Tooling setup	quality-tools	Config and CI guidance
Write tests	testing-patterns + php-testing	PHPUnit test authoring
Test review	testing-patterns	Test quality review

Gate: Request classified and relevant references loaded.

---

Phase 2: EXECUTE

Apply loaded reference knowledge to the user's code or question.

For quality reviews, check:

1. declare(strict_types=1) present
2. PSR-12 compliance
3. Modern PHP features used where appropriate
4. Framework idioms followed (if applicable)
5. Quality tooling configured (if applicable)

For testing work:

1. Use PHPUnit TestCase with test prefix or @test annotation
2. Use @dataProvider for table-driven cases
3. Use createStub() for return values, createMock() for interaction assertions
4. Use DatabaseTransactions (Laravel) or KernelTestCase (Symfony) for database tests
5. Call parent::setUp() first in every setUp() method

Gate: Specific, reference-backed feedback or code provided.

---

Phase 3: VERIFY

Run the test suite and confirm:

./vendor/bin/phpunit
# For coverage enforcement:
XDEBUG_MODE=coverage ./vendor/bin/phpunit --coverage-text --coverage-min=80

Gate: All tests pass. Coverage threshold met if configured.