PHP Specialist

Overview

Write modern, type-safe, and maintainable PHP 8.x code adhering to PSR standards and SOLID principles. This skill covers the full modern PHP toolchain: language features introduced in PHP 8.0 through 8.4, PSR interoperability standards, Composer dependency management, static analysis with PHPStan and Psalm, coding style enforcement with PHP CS Fixer and Pint, and architectural patterns that leverage the type system for correctness at compile time rather than runtime.

Apply this skill whenever PHP code is being written, reviewed, or refactored in any framework or standalone context.

Multi-Phase Process

Phase 1: Environment Assessment

1. Identify PHP version from composer.json -> require.php
2. Review composer.json for autoloading strategy (PSR-4 namespaces)
3. Check for static analysis configuration (phpstan.neon, psalm.xml)
4. Identify coding standard tool (pint.json, .php-cs-fixer.php)
5. Catalog existing patterns: enums, DTOs, value objects, interfaces

STOP — Do NOT write code without knowing the PHP version and autoloading strategy.