level-up-development

name	level-up-development
description	Build and work with cjmellor/level-up features, including XP, levels, tiers, achievements, streaks, multipliers, leaderboards, and auditing.

When to use this skill

Use this skill when working with gamification features — adding experience points, levels, tiers, achievements, streaks, multipliers, leaderboards, or auditing — using cjmellor/level-up.

Core Concepts

• XP and Levels — Users earn experience points (XP) and automatically progress through a defined level structure.
• Tiers — Named status brackets (e.g. Bronze, Silver, Gold) based on XP thresholds, independent of numeric levels.
• Achievements — Unlockable rewards, optionally with progress tracking, optionally gated by tier.
• Streaks — Track consecutive daily activities with freeze support.
• Multipliers — Database-backed point modifiers with scoping, scheduling, and configurable stacking strategies.
• Leaderboard — Rank users by XP, optionally scoped to a tier.
• Auditing — Automatic history of all XP changes, level-ups, and tier changes.

Setup

Install

composer require cjmellor/level-up
php artisan vendor:publish --tag="level-up-migrations"
php artisan migrate
php artisan vendor:publish --tag="level-up-config"

Add Traits to the User Model

Add only the traits you need:

use LevelUp\Experience\Concerns\GiveExperience;
use LevelUp\Experience\Concerns\HasAchievements;
use LevelUp\Experience\Concerns\HasChallenges;
use LevelUp\Experience\Concerns\HasStreaks;
use LevelUp\Experience\Concerns\HasTiers;

class User extends Authenticatable
{
    use GiveExperience;     // Required — XP and levels
    use HasAchievements;    // Optional — achievements
    use HasStreaks;          // Optional — streaks
    use HasTiers;           // Optional — tiers
    use HasChallenges;      // Optional — challenges
}

GiveExperience is the foundation. The others are opt-in.

Levels

Define Levels

use LevelUp\Experience\Models\Level;

Level::add(
    ['level' => 1, 'next_level_experience' => null],
    ['level' => 2, 'next_level_experience' => 100],
    ['level' => 3, 'next_level_experience' => 250],
    ['level' => 4, 'next_level_experience' => 500],
    ['level' => 5, 'next_level_experience' => 1000],
);

Level 1 must have next_level_experience set to null — it is the default starting point. Users level up automatically when their XP reaches the threshold. Throws LevelExistsException if a level number already exists.

Level Queries

$user->getLevel();       // Current level number (int), 0 if no experience
$user->getPoints();      // Current XP total (int), 0 if no experience
$user->nextLevelAt();    // XP remaining until next level (int)
$user->nextLevelAt(checkAgainst: 5); // XP remaining until level 5
$user->nextLevelAt(showAsPercentage: true); // Progress as 0-100 percentage

Manual Level Up

$user->levelUp(to: 5); // Jump to level 5

Throws InvalidArgumentException if the level does not exist. Fires UserLevelledUp for each intermediate level gained. Respects the level cap.

Level Cap

Configured in config/level-up.php:

'level_cap' => [
    'enabled' => env('LEVEL_CAP_ENABLED', true),
    'level' => env('LEVEL_CAP', 100),
    'points_continue' => env('LEVEL_CAP_POINTS_CONTINUE', true),
],

When the cap is reached, the user stops levelling. If points_continue is true, XP still accumulates. If false, XP stops accumulating too.

Experience Points (XP)

Add Points

$user->addPoints(50);
$user->addPoints(50, reason: 'Completed tutorial');
$user->addPoints(50, multiplier: 2);
$user->addPoints(50, type: AuditType::Add->value, reason: 'Bonus');

Creates an experience record if none exists, otherwise increments. Automatically levels up if the threshold is crossed. Throws if the amount exceeds the highest level's next_level_experience.

Deduct Points

$user->deductPoints(30);
$user->deductPoints(30, reason: 'Penalty');

Throws Exception if the user has no experience record.

Set Points

$user->setPoints(500);

Directly overwrites the XP total. Throws Exception if the user has no experience record.

Get Points

$user->getPoints(); // int, returns 0 if no experience record

Multipliers

Multipliers are database-backed records that modify point calculations. They can be scoped to specific users or tiers, scheduled with time windows, and configured to stack using different strategies.

Create Multipliers

use LevelUp\Experience\Models\Multiplier;

Multiplier::create([
    'name' => 'Weekend Bonus',
    'multiplier' => 2.0,
    'is_active' => true,
    'starts_at' => now()->startOfWeekend(),
    'expires_at' => now()->endOfWeekend(),
]);

Active multipliers are automatically applied when addPoints() is called. The multiplier value must be at least 0.01. If both starts_at and expires_at are set, starts_at must be before expires_at.

Scope Multipliers

Multipliers with no scopes apply to all users. Use scopeTo() to restrict:

$multiplier->scopeTo($user);           // Specific user only
$multiplier->scopeTo($goldTier);       // Gold tier users only
$multiplier->scopeTo($user, $tier);    // Multiple scopes (variadic)

scopeTo() is idempotent — calling it twice with the same model does not create duplicates.

Inline Multiplier

$user->addPoints(amount: 10, multiplier: 3); // 30 points

Inline multipliers stack with DB multipliers according to the configured strategy.

Stacking Strategies

Configure in config/level-up.php:

'multiplier' => [
    'enabled' => env('MULTIPLIER_ENABLED', true),
    'stack_strategy' => env('MULTIPLIER_STACK', 'compound'),
    // 'compound'  — multipliers multiply each other: 2 × 5 = 10x
    // 'additive'  — multipliers sum:              2 + 5 = 7x
    // 'highest'   — only the largest applies:  max(2, 5) = 5x
],

Query Multipliers

Multiplier::active()->get();                    // Currently active
Multiplier::active()->forUser($user)->get();    // Active for a specific user
Multiplier::scheduled()->get();                 // Future (starts_at > now)
Multiplier::expired()->get();                   // Past (expires_at < now)

MultiplierApplied Event

Fires when multipliers modify a point calculation. Properties: Model $user, Collection $multipliers, int $originalAmount, int $finalAmount, string $strategy.

Tiers

Define Tiers

use LevelUp\Experience\Models\Tier;

Tier::add(
    ['name' => 'Bronze', 'experience' => 0],
    ['name' => 'Silver', 'experience' => 500],
    ['name' => 'Gold', 'experience' => 2000],
    ['name' => 'Platinum', 'experience' => 5000, 'metadata' => ['color' => '#E5E4E2', 'icon' => 'crown']],
);

Tier names and experience values must be unique. Throws TierExistsException on duplicates. The metadata column is a flexible JSON field for any extra data (colours, icons, descriptions). The entire add() call is wrapped in a database transaction — if any tier fails, none are created.

Automatic Tier Promotion

Tiers update automatically when XP changes. When addPoints() causes the user to cross a tier threshold, experience.tier_id is updated and a UserTierUpdated event fires with TierDirection::Promoted.

Query Tiers

$user->getTier();                    // Current Tier model or null
$user->getNextTier();                // Next tier above current (Tier or null)
$user->tierProgress();               // Percentage 0-100 through current bracket
$user->nextTierAt();                 // XP remaining until next tier
$user->isAtTier('Gold');             // Exact match (bool)
$user->isAtOrAboveTier('Silver');    // At or above (bool)

getTier() returns null if the user has no experience record or tiers are disabled.

Demotion

By default, tiers use a high-water mark — once earned, they persist even if points decrease. Enable demotion to allow tier drops:

TIER_DEMOTION=true

When enabled, deductPoints() checks if the user should drop and fires UserTierUpdated with TierDirection::Demoted. The newTier property is nullable — it will be null if the user drops below all tier thresholds.

Tier-Scoped Multipliers

Create a multiplier and scope it to a tier so it only applies to users at that tier:

$multiplier = Multiplier::create([
    'name' => 'Gold Bonus',
    'multiplier' => 2.0,
    'is_active' => true,
]);

$goldTier = Tier::where('name', 'Gold')->first();
$multiplier->scopeTo($goldTier);

When a Gold-tier user calls addPoints(), this multiplier is automatically included.

Tier-Gated Achievements

Restrict achievements so only users at a certain tier can earn them:

$goldTier = Tier::where('name', 'Gold')->first();

Achievement::create([
    'name' => 'Golden Streak',
    'tier_id' => $goldTier->id,
]);

Attempting to grant to a user below Gold throws TierRequirementNotMet.

Tier-Scaled Streak Freezes

Higher tiers get longer freeze durations:

// config/level-up.php
'tiers' => [
    'streak_freeze_days' => [
        'Bronze' => 1,
        'Silver' => 2,
        'Gold' => 3,
        'Platinum' => 7,
    ],
],

Falls back to the global freeze_duration if the tier is not listed or tiers are disabled.

Tier-Scoped Leaderboards

use LevelUp\Experience\Facades\Leaderboard;

Leaderboard::forTier('Gold')->generate();
Leaderboard::forTier($tierModel)->generate();

Tier Config

'tiers' => [
    'enabled' => env('TIERS_ENABLED', true),
    'demotion' => env('TIER_DEMOTION', false),
    'streak_freeze_days' => [],
],

Achievements

Create Achievements

use LevelUp\Experience\Models\Achievement;

Achievement::create([
    'name' => 'First Login',
    'is_secret' => false,
    'description' => 'Log in for the first time',
    'image' => 'storage/app/achievements/first-login.png',
]);

// Secret achievement (hidden until earned)
Achievement::create([
    'name' => 'Hidden Gem',
    'is_secret' => true,
]);

// Tier-gated achievement
Achievement::create([
    'name' => 'Gold Member Badge',
    'tier_id' => $goldTier->id,
]);

Grant Achievement

$user->grantAchievement($achievement);

// With progress (0-100)
$user->grantAchievement($achievement, progress: 50);

Throws Exception if progress exceeds 100, or if the user already has the achievement. Throws TierRequirementNotMet if tier-gated and user does not meet the tier requirement. AchievementAwarded event fires only when progress is null or 100.

Revoke Achievement

$user->revokeAchievement($achievement);

Throws Exception if the user does not have the achievement.

Achievement Progress

$newProgress = $user->incrementAchievementProgress($achievement, amount: 10);

$user->achievementsWithProgress()->get();
$user->achievementsWithSpecificProgress(75)->get();

incrementAchievementProgress() throws Exception if the user does not have the achievement. Grant it first. Progress is capped at 100.

Query Achievements

$user->achievements;               // Non-secret achievements
$user->secretAchievements;          // Secret achievements only
$user->allAchievements;            // Both
$user->getUserAchievements();      // Same as $user->achievements

Streaks

Create Activities

use LevelUp\Experience\Models\Activity;

Activity::create(['name' => 'daily-login', 'description' => 'User logs in']);

Record a Streak

$activity = Activity::where('name', 'daily-login')->first();

$user->recordStreak($activity);

• First call: creates streak (count = 1), fires StreakStarted
• Same day: no-op
• Next consecutive day: increments count, fires StreakIncreased
• Skipped a day: resets to 1, fires StreakBroken (archives if enabled)
• Streak frozen: no-op until freeze expires

Query Streaks

$user->getCurrentStreakCount($activity); // int (0 if no streak)
$user->hasStreakToday($activity);        // bool
$user->streaks;                          // HasMany relationship

Reset / Freeze / Unfreeze

$user->resetStreak($activity);
$user->freezeStreak($activity);               // Uses config or tier-scaled duration
$user->freezeStreak($activity, days: 5);       // Custom duration
$user->unFreezeStreak($activity);
$user->isStreakFrozen($activity);              // bool

Streak History

When a streak breaks, it is archived automatically (if enabled):

use LevelUp\Experience\Models\StreakHistory;

$histories = StreakHistory::where('user_id', $user->id)->get();

Streak Config

'archive_streak_history' => [
    'enabled' => env('ARCHIVE_STREAK_HISTORY_ENABLED', true),
],
'freeze_duration' => env('STREAK_FREEZE_DURATION', 1),

Challenges

Challenges are multi-condition goals that users enroll in and complete for rewards. Conditions are evaluated automatically when relevant events fire (points earned, level reached, achievement granted, streak recorded, tier changed).

Create a Challenge

use LevelUp\Experience\Models\Challenge;

Challenge::create([
    'name' => 'Getting Started',
    'conditions' => [
        ['type' => 'points_earned', 'amount' => 100],
        ['type' => 'level_reached', 'level' => 3],
    ],
    'rewards' => [
        ['type' => 'points', 'amount' => 50],
    ],
    'auto_enroll' => true,
    'is_repeatable' => false,
]);

Condition Types

Type	Required Keys	What it checks
points_earned	amount	Points earned since enrollment (baseline delta)
level_reached	level	User's current level >= value
achievement_earned	achievement_id	User has the achievement
streak_count	activity, count	Current streak count for activity >= value
tier_reached	tier	User is at or above the named tier
custom	class	Class implementing ChallengeCondition interface

Reward Types

Type	Required Keys	What it does
points	amount	Awards XP via addPoints()
achievement	achievement_id	Grants the achievement

Enrollment

$user->enrollInChallenge($challenge);
$user->unenrollFromChallenge($challenge);

Throws if: challenge not started yet, expired, already enrolled, or completed and not repeatable. Completed repeatable challenges can be re-enrolled.

Auto-enroll challenges (auto_enroll: true) automatically enroll users when a relevant event fires.

Query Progress

$user->getChallengeProgress($challenge);              // Array of condition statuses
$user->getChallengeCompletionPercentage($challenge);  // 0.0 - 100.0
$user->activeChallenges;                              // Enrolled, not completed
$user->completedChallenges;                           // Completed

Temporal Constraints

Challenges support optional starts_at and expires_at fields. If both are set, starts_at must be before expires_at. Expired challenges are not evaluated.

Custom Conditions

Implement the ChallengeCondition interface:

use LevelUp\Experience\Contracts\ChallengeCondition;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;

class HasVerifiedEmail implements ChallengeCondition
{
    public function check(Model $user, array $condition): bool
    {
        return $user->hasVerifiedEmail();
    }
}

Reference it in the condition: ['type' => 'custom', 'class' => HasVerifiedEmail::class].

Challenge Config

'challenges' => [
    'enabled' => env('CHALLENGES_ENABLED', true),
],

Leaderboard

use LevelUp\Experience\Facades\Leaderboard;

Leaderboard::generate();                        // All users by XP
Leaderboard::generate(paginate: true);          // Paginated
Leaderboard::generate(limit: 10);              // Top 10
Leaderboard::forTier('Gold')->generate();       // Gold tier only

Returns User models with experience relationship eager-loaded, ordered by XP descending.

Auditing

Enable in config:

'audit' => [
    'enabled' => env('AUDIT_POINTS', false),
],

When enabled, every addPoints(), deductPoints(), levelUp(), and tier change creates an experience_audits record.

$user->experienceHistory;   // HasMany to ExperienceAudit

Audit types use the AuditType enum:

use LevelUp\Experience\Enums\AuditType;

AuditType::Add;      // 'add'
AuditType::Remove;   // 'remove'
AuditType::Reset;    // 'reset'
AuditType::LevelUp;  // 'level_up'
AuditType::TierUp;   // 'tier_up'
AuditType::TierDown; // 'tier_down'

Events

Event	Properties	When
PointsIncreased	int $pointsAdded, int $totalPoints, string $type, ?string $reason, Model $user, ?array $multipliers	Points added
PointsDecreased	int $pointsDecreasedBy, int $totalPoints, ?string $reason, Model $user	Points deducted
MultiplierApplied	Model $user, Collection $multipliers, int $originalAmount, int $finalAmount, string $strategy	Multipliers modified point calculation
UserLevelledUp	Model $user, int $level	Level gained (fires per level)
UserTierUpdated	Model $user, ?Tier $previousTier, ?Tier $newTier, TierDirection $direction	Tier promotion or demotion
AchievementAwarded	Achievement $achievement, Model $user	Achievement granted at 100%
AchievementRevoked	Achievement $achievement, Model $user	Achievement revoked
AchievementProgressionIncreased	Achievement $achievement, Model $user, int $amount	Progress incremented
StreakStarted	Model $user, Activity $activity, Streak $streak	First streak record
StreakIncreased	Model $user, Activity $activity, Streak $streak	Consecutive day
StreakBroken	Model $user, Activity $activity, Streak $streak	Streak reset
StreakFrozen	int $frozenStreakLength, Carbon $frozenUntil	Streak frozen
StreakUnfroze	(none)	Streak unfrozen
ChallengeCompleted	Challenge $challenge, Model $user	Challenge conditions met, rewards dispatched
ChallengeEnrolled	Challenge $challenge, Model $user	User enrolled in challenge
ChallengeUnenrolled	Challenge $challenge, Model $user	User unenrolled from challenge

Common Patterns

User Profile with Level and Tier

$user = User::with(['experience.status', 'experience.tier'])->find($id);

$data = [
    'level' => $user->getLevel(),
    'points' => $user->getPoints(),
    'next_level_in' => $user->nextLevelAt(),
    'level_progress' => $user->nextLevelAt(showAsPercentage: true),
    'tier' => $user->getTier()?->name,
    'tier_progress' => $user->tierProgress(),
    'next_tier_in' => $user->nextTierAt(),
];

Level-Up Reward via Event

use LevelUp\Experience\Events\UserLevelledUp;

Event::listen(UserLevelledUp::class, function (UserLevelledUp $event) {
    if ($event->level === 10) {
        $achievement = Achievement::where('name', 'Hit Level 10')->first();
        if ($achievement) {
            $event->user->grantAchievement($achievement);
        }
    }
});

Seeding Levels and Tiers

class GamificationSeeder extends Seeder
{
    public function run(): void
    {
        Level::add(
            ['level' => 1, 'next_level_experience' => null],
            ['level' => 2, 'next_level_experience' => 100],
            ['level' => 3, 'next_level_experience' => 250],
        );

        Tier::add(
            ['name' => 'Bronze', 'experience' => 0],
            ['name' => 'Silver', 'experience' => 500],
            ['name' => 'Gold', 'experience' => 2000],
        );

        Activity::create(['name' => 'daily-login']);
    }
}

Config Reference

All model classes in the models config array can be overridden to use custom models. The user.foreign_key defaults to user_id and can be customised for non-standard setups.

return [
    'models' => [
        'achievement' => LevelUp\Experience\Models\Achievement::class,
        'activity' => LevelUp\Experience\Models\Activity::class,
        'experience' => LevelUp\Experience\Models\Experience::class,
        'experience_audit' => LevelUp\Experience\Models\ExperienceAudit::class,
        'level' => LevelUp\Experience\Models\Level::class,
        'streak' => LevelUp\Experience\Models\Streak::class,
        'streak_history' => LevelUp\Experience\Models\StreakHistory::class,
        'achievement_user' => LevelUp\Experience\Models\Pivots\AchievementUser::class,
        'tier' => LevelUp\Experience\Models\Tier::class,
        'multiplier' => LevelUp\Experience\Models\Multiplier::class,
        'multiplier_scope' => LevelUp\Experience\Models\MultiplierScope::class,
        'challenge' => LevelUp\Experience\Models\Challenge::class,
        'challenge_user' => LevelUp\Experience\Models\Pivots\ChallengeUser::class,
    ],
    'user' => [
        'foreign_key' => 'user_id',
        'model' => App\Models\User::class,
        'users_table' => 'users',
    ],
    'table' => 'experiences',
    'starting_level' => 1,
    'multiplier' => [
        'enabled' => env('MULTIPLIER_ENABLED', true),
        'stack_strategy' => env('MULTIPLIER_STACK', 'compound'),
    ],
    'level_cap' => [
        'enabled' => env('LEVEL_CAP_ENABLED', true),
        'level' => env('LEVEL_CAP', 100),
        'points_continue' => env('LEVEL_CAP_POINTS_CONTINUE', true),
    ],
    'audit' => [
        'enabled' => env('AUDIT_POINTS', false),
    ],
    'archive_streak_history' => [
        'enabled' => env('ARCHIVE_STREAK_HISTORY_ENABLED', true),
    ],
    'freeze_duration' => env('STREAK_FREEZE_DURATION', 1),
    'tiers' => [
        'enabled' => env('TIERS_ENABLED', true),
        'demotion' => env('TIER_DEMOTION', false),
        'streak_freeze_days' => [],
    ],
    'challenges' => [
        'enabled' => env('CHALLENGES_ENABLED', true),
    ],
];