Laravel Boost MCP Tinker tool caches class definitions and doesn't reflect code changes

[cieplik206]

Laravel Package Version

1.6.1

Laravel Version

12.21

PHP Version

8.4.11

System Info

macOS 14.1 (M3) with Herd

Description

Problem Description

When using the Laravel Boost MCP server's tinker tool, changes made to PHP classes are not reflected in subsequent tinker executions. The tinker instance appears to be initialized once when the MCP server starts and
keeps the original class definitions in memory, ignoring any file modifications.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Start Laravel Boost MCP server
2. Create or modify a model method, for example:

// app/Models/Report.php
public function getAggregatedData(): array
{
    // Original implementation
    return [
        'average' => 100,
        'count' => 5
    ];
}

3. Execute the method via MCP tinker tool:

$report = Report::first();
$report->getAggregatedData();
// Returns ['average' => 100, 'count' => 5]

4. Modify the method to add new fields:

public function getAggregatedData(): array
{
    // Updated implementation
    return [
        'average' => 100,
        'count' => 5,
        'total' => 500,      // New field added
        'minimum' => 50      // New field added
    ];
}

5. Execute the method again via MCP tinker tool:

$report = Report::first();
$report->getAggregatedData();
// Still returns ['average' => 100, 'count' => 5] without new fields

Expected Behavior

The tinker tool should reflect the current state of the code files, showing updated method implementations and class definitions.

Actual Behavior

The tinker tool continues to use the cached/original version of the class that was loaded when the MCP server started, ignoring any file changes.

Workaround

Using php artisan tinker directly via Bash creates a fresh instance and correctly loads the updated code:

php artisan tinker --execute="
\$report = Report::first();
\$report->getAggregatedData();
"
# Correctly returns all fields including 'total' and 'minimum'

Attempted Solutions That Don't Work

• php artisan optimize:clear
• opcache_reset()
• $model->refresh()
• \Illuminate\Support\Facades\Cache::flush()
• php artisan cache:clear
• php artisan config:clear

Suggested Fix

The MCP tinker tool should either:

1. Create a fresh tinker instance for each execution, or
2. Provide a way to reload/refresh the class definitions, or
3. Implement file watching to automatically reload changed classes
4. Add a --fresh flag to force reload of all classes

Impact

This issue significantly impacts development workflow as developers need to:

• Restart the entire MCP server to see code changes reflected in tinker
• Resort to using bash commands instead of the convenient MCP tinker tool
• Lose time debugging "phantom" bugs that are actually just cached code

Environment Details

• Using Claude Desktop with Laravel Boost MCP integration
• Laravel application served via Herd
• OPcache enabled in PHP configuration

Steps To Reproduce

In Description

[andreilungeanu]

I tested myself and I can confirm this bug, but #184 solve this issue too because isolation will use a fresh process.

[arukompas]

I can confirm this happening. AI agent begins to spin in circles trying to clear out cache, not understanding why Tinker does not reflect new code changes, clearing cache again, and again.

Claude Code 1.90, MacOS, PHP 8.3, Laravel 12.

[thejamescollins]

I've seen this issue too.

I think it's the same as #130

[ashleyhindle]

This should now work beautifully with v1.0.20 👌