Laravel API tool kit

Introduction

Build production-grade Laravel APIs with standardized responses, dynamic pagination, advanced filtering, and built-in AI architectural rules that teach your coding assistant to follow your standards from the first draft.

Installation

composer require essa/api-tool-kit

🤖 AI Skill — Teach Your AI Assistant Your Architecture

Ship production-grade APIs faster by giving your AI coding assistant a shared understanding of your architecture. One command installs 21 rule files and 8 guided workflows that ensure every AI-generated file fits your codebase from the first draft — no manual corrections needed.

Supports Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and Antigravity.

Full experience — slash commands, auto-loaded rules, per-tool native configuration:

php artisan api-skill:install [tool]

Supported tools: claude, cursor, copilot, antigravity. The installer copies rules and workflows to the correct location for your tool — e.g. /investigate, /code-review, /new-endpoint become real slash commands in Claude Code.

Quick setup via Laravel Boost — agent-agnostic, works with all AI tools:

php artisan boost:add-skill ahmedesa/laravel-api-tool-kit

Installs to .ai/skills/laravel-api-tool-kit/ — a universal location Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, Antigravity, and Gemini all read from on demand. No slash commands, but zero configuration.

[!TIP] In non-interactive environments (Docker/CI), bypass the selection prompt with: php artisan boost:add-skill ahmedesa/laravel-api-tool-kit --skill=laravel-api-tool-kit

What's included

[!TIP] The AI Skill is the recommended way to generate code for projects using this package. It replaces the need for scaffolding generators by teaching your AI assistant the full architecture.

Read the full AI Skill documentation →

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Why Choose the Laravel API Toolkit?

🤖 Built for AI-Assisted Development

The built-in AI Skill teaches your coding assistant to generate code that follows your architecture out of the box — no more fixing AI output to match your standards.

Consistent Responses, Less Hassle

The API Response feature simplifies generating consistent JSON responses. It provides a standardized format for your API responses:

{
  "message": "your resource successfully",
  "data": [
    ...
  ]
}

Pagination Done Right

Don't fuss over managing the number of results per page. The dynamic pagination feature adapts effortlessly to your needs, giving you control without complications.

$users = User::dynamicPaginate();

Simplified Filtering

Refine query results with simplicity. The powerful filtering system lets you filter, sort, search, and even include relationships with ease.

Car::useFilters()->get();

Logic Made Clear

Tackle complex business logic with Actions. These gems follow the command pattern, boosting readability and maintenance for your code.

class CarController extends Controller
{
    public function __construct(
        private readonly CreateCarAction $createCar,
    ) {}

    public function store(CreateCarRequest $request): JsonResponse
    {
        $car = $this->createCar->execute($request->validated());
        return $this->responseCreated(trans('car.created'), new CarResource($car));
    }
}

Media? Handled.

Handle file uploads and deletions like a pro. The Media Helper streamlines media management, leaving you with clean and organized file handling.

$filePath = MediaHelper::uploadFile($file, $path);

Enums for Clarity

The Enum class provides a way to work with enumerations, eliminating hardcoded values in your code:

enum UserType: string
{
    case ADMIN = 'admin';
    case STUDENT = 'student';
}

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API Generator

The API Generator automates file setup, creating key files from migrations to controllers. Use one command to kickstart your API development.

[!NOTE] For AI-assisted development, the AI Skill is the recommended approach. It teaches your AI assistant the full architecture so generated code fits your project from the start. The API Generator remains available for developers who prefer traditional scaffolding.

php artisan api:generate ModelName --all

:film_strip: Video Tour

If you'd prefer a more visual review of this package, please watch this video on Laravel Package Tutorial.

Official Documentation

Access our documentation to unlock the full potential of the Laravel API Toolkit:

Explore the Documentation

Contributing

We welcome your contributions to help make this package even better. Please refer to our CONTRIBUTING.md file for contribution guidelines.

License

By contributing to the Laravel API Toolkit, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the project's MIT License.