Skip to main content
Kodelyth ECC
Skill

laravel-plugin-discovery

Discover and evaluate Laravel packages via LaraPlugins.io MCP. Use when the user wants to find plugins, check package health, or assess Laravel/PHP compatibility.

Invoke via:use laravel-plugin-discovery
Origin:ECC

Laravel Plugin Discovery

Find, evaluate, and choose healthy Laravel packages using the LaraPlugins.io MCP server.

When to Use

  • User wants to find Laravel packages for a specific feature (e.g. "auth", "permissions", "admin panel")
  • User asks "what package should I use for..." or "is there a Laravel package for..."
  • User wants to check if a package is actively maintained
  • User needs to verify Laravel version compatibility
  • User wants to assess package health before adding to a project

MCP Requirement

LaraPlugins MCP server must be configured. Add to your ~/.claude.json mcpServers:

"laraplugins": {
  "type": "http",
  "url": "https://laraplugins.io/mcp/plugins"
}

No API key required — the server is free for the Laravel community.

MCP Tools

The LaraPlugins MCP provides two primary tools:

SearchPluginTool

Search packages by keyword, health score, vendor, and version compatibility.

Parameters:

  • text_search (string, optional): Keyword to search (e.g. "permission", "admin", "api")
  • health_score (string, optional): Filter by health band — Healthy, Medium, Unhealthy, or Unrated
  • laravel_compatibility (string, optional): Filter by Laravel version — "5", "6", "7", "8", "9", "10", "11", "12", "13"
  • php_compatibility (string, optional): Filter by PHP version — "7.4", "8.0", "8.1", "8.2", "8.3", "8.4", "8.5"
  • vendor_filter (string, optional): Filter by vendor name (e.g. "spatie", "laravel")
  • page (number, optional): Page number for pagination

GetPluginDetailsTool

Fetch detailed metrics, readme content, and version history for a specific package.

Parameters:

  • package (string, required): Full Composer package name (e.g. "spatie/laravel-permission")
  • include_versions (boolean, optional): Include version history in response

How It Works

Finding Packages

When the user wants to discover packages for a feature:

  • Use SearchPluginTool with relevant keywords
  • Apply filters for health score, Laravel version, or PHP version
  • Review the results with package names, descriptions, and health indicators

Evaluating Packages

When the user wants to assess a specific package:

  • Use GetPluginDetailsTool with the package name
  • Review health score, last updated date, Laravel version support
  • Check vendor reputation and risk indicators

Checking Compatibility

When the user needs Laravel or PHP version compatibility:

  • Search with laravel_compatibility filter set to their version
  • Or get details on a specific package to see its supported versions

Examples

Example: Find Authentication Packages

SearchPluginTool({
  text_search: "authentication",
  health_score: "Healthy"
})

Returns packages matching "authentication" with healthy status:

  • spatie/laravel-permission
  • laravel/breeze
  • laravel/passport
  • etc.

Example: Find Laravel 12 Compatible Packages

SearchPluginTool({
  text_search: "admin panel",
  laravel_compatibility: "12"
})

Returns packages compatible with Laravel 12.

Example: Get Package Details

GetPluginDetailsTool({
  package: "spatie/laravel-permission",
  include_versions: true
})

Returns:

  • Health score and last activity
  • Laravel/PHP version support
  • Vendor reputation (risk score)
  • Version history
  • Brief description

Example: Find Packages by Vendor

SearchPluginTool({
  vendor_filter: "spatie",
  health_score: "Healthy"
})

Returns all healthy packages from vendor "spatie".

Filtering Best Practices

By Health Score

| Health Band | Meaning | |-------------|---------| | Healthy | Active maintenance, recent updates | | Medium | Occasional updates, may need attention | | Unhealthy | Abandoned or infrequently maintained | | Unrated | Not yet assessed |

Recommendation: Prefer Healthy packages for production applications.

By Laravel Version

| Version | Notes | |---------|-------| | 13 | Latest Laravel | | 12 | Current stable | | 11 | Still widely used | | 10 | Legacy but common | | 5-9 | Deprecated |

Recommendation: Match the target project's Laravel version.

Combining Filters

// Find healthy, Laravel 12 compatible packages for permissions
SearchPluginTool({
  text_search: "permission",
  health_score: "Healthy",
  laravel_compatibility: "12"
})

Response Interpretation

Search Results

Each result includes:

  • Package name (e.g. spatie/laravel-permission)
  • Brief description
  • Health status indicator
  • Laravel version support badges

Package Details

The detailed response includes:

  • Health Score: Numeric or band indicator
  • Last Activity: When the package was last updated
  • Laravel Support: Version compatibility matrix
  • PHP Support: PHP version compatibility
  • Risk Score: Vendor trust indicators
  • Version History: Recent release timeline

Common Use Cases

| Scenario | Recommended Approach | |----------|---------------------| | "What package for auth?" | Search "auth" with healthy filter | | "Is spatie/package still maintained?" | Get details, check health score | | "Need Laravel 12 packages" | Search with laravel_compatibility: "12" | | "Find admin panel packages" | Search "admin panel", review results | | "Check vendor reputation" | Search by vendor, check details |

Best Practices

  • Always filter by health — Use health_score: "Healthy" for production projects
  • Match Laravel version — Always check laravel_compatibility matches the target project
  • Check vendor reputation — Prefer packages from known vendors (spatie, laravel, etc.)
  • Review before recommending — Use GetPluginDetailsTool for a comprehensive assessment
  • No API key needed — The MCP is free, no authentication required

Related Skills

  • laravel-patterns — Laravel architecture and patterns
  • laravel-tdd — Test-driven development for Laravel
  • laravel-security — Laravel security best practices
  • documentation-lookup — General library documentation lookup (Context7)

← All skills