Introduction
Last week, I watched a junior developer on my team ask ChatGPT to "build a complete REST API for user management in Laravel." Three minutes later, he had controllers, routes, models, and even validation rules. He was ecstatic.
Then he tried to run it.
"Target class [App\Repositories\UserRepository] does not exist." Followed by N+1 query warnings. Then a SQL injection vulnerability flagged during code review. What should have been a quick win turned into a two-day debugging nightmare.
Here's the thing: AI code assistants like ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, and Cursor are incredible productivity boosters. They can scaffold boilerplate, suggest patterns, and help you move faster. But they're dangerous weapons in the hands of developers who don't understand Laravel's fundamentals.
AI will confidently generate code that looks correct but breaks in production. It doesn't know your database schema, your authentication context, or whether you've configured queues. It can't debug your logs or understand why that middleware isn't firing.
If you don't know Laravel's core concepts, you won't know when the AI is leading you astray. You'll copy-paste code you don't understand, ship fragile applications, and spend more time debugging than if you'd written it yourself.
This article covers the essential Laravel fundamentals every developer must master before trusting AI-generated code. Learn these first, automate later.
1. Laravel Request Lifecycle
Every Laravel request follows a predictable journey: it enters through public/index.php, boots the application kernel, passes through middleware layers, hits your controller, and returns a response. Understanding this flow is fundamental to debugging anything in Laravel.
Here's a simple route:
Route::get('/users', [UserController::class, 'index']);
Looks innocent, right? AI will generate this without hesitation. But do you know what happens between the HTTP request hitting your server and your controller method executing?
The request passes through:
- The HTTP kernel
- Global middleware (like
EncryptCookies,VerifyCsrfToken) - Route middleware (like
auth,throttle) - Middleware groups (
weborapi) - Finally, your controller
When AI generates a route that "doesn't work," it's often because you don't understand which middleware is interfering, or why your session data isn't available in an API route (hint: API routes don't use the web middleware group).
I've seen developers spend hours debugging "why isn't my CSRF token working" on an API endpoint, when the real issue is that API routes explicitly exclude CSRF protection by default. AI won't explain this context. It assumes you know.
Takeaway: If you can't mentally trace a request from entry to exit, you can't debug AI code effectively.
2. Service Container & Dependency Injection
The Service Container is Laravel's most powerful feature, and it's completely invisible until something breaks. AI loves to use dependency injection because it looks clean:
class UserController extends Controller
{
public function __construct(UserRepository $repo)
{
$this->repo = $repo;
}
public function index()
{
return $this->repo->all();
}
}
AI will generate this pattern constantly. But when you see "Target class [App\Repositories\UserRepository] does not exist," do you know why?
Laravel's Service Container automatically resolves dependencies, but only if it knows how to build them. Interfaces need to be bound to concrete implementations. Here's what AI often forgets to tell you:
// In App\Providers\AppServiceProvider
public function register()
{
$this->app->bind(
UserRepositoryInterface::class,
EloquentUserRepository::class
);
}
Without this binding, Laravel doesn't know which implementation to inject when your controller asks for UserRepositoryInterface.
I've also seen AI suggest using app()->make(SomeClass::class) everywhere instead of proper dependency injection. That defeats the entire purpose of Laravel's container and makes your code harder to test.
Takeaway: If you don't understand how Laravel resolves dependencies, you'll constantly fight "class not found" errors that make no sense.
3. Eloquent ORM Fundamentals
AI is really good at generating Eloquent models with relationships. Too good, actually. It'll create hasMany, belongsTo, and belongsToMany relationships without explaining the performance implications.
Consider this AI-generated code:
public function index()
{
$users = User::all();
foreach ($users as $user) {
echo $user->posts->count();
}
}
Looks fine, right? This is the classic N+1 query problem. For 100 users, you just made 101 database queries (1 for users, then 1 per user for their posts).
The correct version uses eager loading:
$users = User::with('posts')->get();
AI will generate this too—if you ask. But if you don't know about the N+1 problem, you won't know to ask.
Relationships get even trickier:
// Many-to-Many relationship
class User extends Model
{
public function roles()
{
return $this->belongsToMany(Role::class)
->withPivot('assigned_at')
->withTimestamps();
}
}
AI might create the relationship but forget withPivot() or withTimestamps(), leaving you confused about why pivot data isn't saving.
Model events are another blind spot:
class User extends Model
{
protected static function boot()
{
parent::boot();
static::creating(function ($user) {
$user->uuid = Str::uuid();
});
}
}
If you don't know model events exist, you won't understand why AI-generated code sometimes includes them and sometimes doesn't.
Takeaway: AI generates Eloquent code that works today and crashes under load tomorrow. You need to know what to look for.
4. Query Builder & Database Layer
Here's where AI gets dangerous. It'll happily generate SQL injection vulnerabilities if you don't know better:
// AI might generate this
$email = $_GET['email'];
DB::select("SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = '$email'");
Anyone who understands SQL injection can see the problem immediately. But if you're blindly trusting AI, you just shipped a critical security flaw.
The correct version uses parameter binding:
$email = request('email');
DB::select("SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = ?", [$email]);
// Or better yet, use Eloquent
User::where('email', $email)->first();
Laravel's Query Builder automatically handles parameterization, but only if you use it correctly.
Transactions are another area where AI falls short:
DB::transaction(function () {
$user = User::create([...]);
$user->profile()->create([...]);
$user->assignRole('customer');
});
If any operation fails, everything rolls back. AI might generate multi-step operations without wrapping them in transactions, leaving your database in an inconsistent state.
Takeaway: AI doesn't think about security or data integrity. You must.
5. Validation & Form Requests
I've reviewed countless AI-generated controllers that do validation like this:
public function store(Request $request)
{
$validated = $request->validate([
'email' => 'required|email',
'password' => 'required|min:8'
]);
User::create($validated);
}
It works, but it's poor practice. Validation logic doesn't belong in controllers. Laravel has Form Requests for a reason:
php artisan make:request StoreUserRequest
class StoreUserRequest extends FormRequest
{
public function authorize()
{
return true; // or implement authorization logic
}
public function rules()
{
return [
'email' => 'required|email|unique:users,email',
'password' => 'required|min:8|confirmed',
'name' => 'required|string|max:255'
];
}
public function messages()
{
return [
'email.unique' => 'This email is already registered.',
'password.confirmed' => 'Password confirmation does not match.'
];
}
}
Now your controller is clean:
public function store(StoreUserRequest $request)
{
User::create($request->validated());
}
AI often takes shortcuts because it's optimizing for brevity, not maintainability. If you don't know the proper pattern, you'll accept the shortcut.
Takeaway: Validation is non-negotiable. Know the right way before letting AI suggest the easy way.
6. Authentication & Authorization
AI loves to generate authentication code, but it rarely understands your security requirements. Here's a typical AI response:
public function login(Request $request)
{
if (Auth::attempt($request->only('email', 'password'))) {
return redirect('/dashboard');
}
return back()->withErrors(['email' => 'Invalid credentials']);
}
For a traditional web app, this works. But what if you're building an API? You need token-based authentication:
// API authentication with Sanctum
public function login(Request $request)
{
if (!Auth::attempt($request->only('email', 'password'))) {
return response()->json(['message' => 'Invalid credentials'], 401);
}
$user = Auth::user();
$token = $user->createToken('api-token')->plainTextToken;
return response()->json(['token' => $token]);
}
AI might generate the first version when you need the second, or vice versa, because it doesn't know your application context.
Authorization is even trickier. Policies are Laravel's way to organize authorization logic:
// In UserPolicy
public function update(User $authUser, User $user)
{
return $authUser->id === $user->id || $authUser->isAdmin();
}
// In Controller
public function update(Request $request, User $user)
{
$this->authorize('update', $user);
// ... update logic
}
AI might skip policies entirely and put authorization checks directly in controllers, scattering security logic across your codebase.
Takeaway: Security isn't something you can afford to get wrong. Understand guards, gates, and policies before trusting AI with authentication.
7. Error Handling & Debugging
When AI-generated code fails, you need to know how to debug it. Laravel's exception handling is your first line of defense:
try {
$user = User::findOrFail($id);
return response()->json($user);
} catch (ModelNotFoundException $e) {
return response()->json(['error' => 'User not found'], 404);
}
AI might generate code that throws uncaught exceptions, leaving users with generic 500 errors.
You should also know about Laravel's global exception handler in App\Exceptions\Handler.php:
public function register()
{
$this->reportable(function (Throwable $e) {
// Custom logging logic
});
$this->renderable(function (NotFoundHttpException $e, $request) {
if ($request->is('api/*')) {
return response()->json(['error' => 'Resource not found'], 404);
}
});
}
When things break, check storage/logs/laravel.log. AI can't read your logs. You need to know what to look for: stack traces, query logs, and error messages.
Takeaway: AI generates code that works in ideal conditions. Real apps need error handling. That's your job.
8. Configuration, Environment & Security
Here's a mistake I see constantly in AI-generated code:
$apiKey = env('API_KEY'); // In a controller or model
Never call env() outside of config files. After running php artisan config:cache, environment variables aren't available. The correct approach:
// In config/services.php
return [
'external_api' => [
'key' => env('API_KEY'),
'url' => env('API_URL'),
],
];
// In your code
$apiKey = config('services.external_api.key');
AI doesn't know if you're running in production with cached configs. You do.
Security basics that AI might overlook:
// CSRF protection is automatic in web routes
<form method="POST" action="/users">
@csrf
<!-- form fields -->
</form>
// XSS protection through Blade
{{ $userInput }} // escaped automatically
{!! $trustedHtml !!} // unescaped - use sparingly
// Mass assignment protection
class User extends Model
{
protected $fillable = ['name', 'email'];
// or
protected $guarded = ['id', 'is_admin'];
}
AI might generate models without mass assignment protection, opening the door to security vulnerabilities.
Takeaway: Configuration and security require understanding your deployment environment. AI works in a vacuum.
9. The Right Way to Use AI with Laravel
After everything I've said, you might think I'm anti-AI. I'm not. AI is an incredible tool—when used correctly.
Here's my approach:
1. Learn first, accelerate later
Master Laravel fundamentals through the official documentation, Laracasts, and building real projects. Once you can build without AI, use it to speed up the boring parts.
2. Treat AI as a pair programmer, not a replacement
Ask it to explain why something works, not just how. When ChatGPT suggests a pattern, ask: "Why did you use dependency injection here instead of a facade?" The conversation is where learning happens.
3. Always review AI-generated code critically
Check for:
- Security vulnerabilities (SQL injection, XSS, mass assignment)
- Performance issues (N+1 queries, missing indexes)
- Laravel best practices (Form Requests, Policies, Jobs)
- Edge cases and error handling
4. Use AI for scaffolding, not architecture
Let AI generate CRUD boilerplate, but you design the service layer, choose the architecture, and make strategic decisions.
5. Combine AI with official resources
When AI suggests something unfamiliar, check the Laravel docs. If it recommends a package, read its documentation. AI is a starting point, not the finish line.
6. Understand every line before committing
If you can't explain what the code does, you don't understand it well enough to maintain it. Ask AI to explain, then verify against documentation.
7. Test AI-generated code thoroughly
Write tests. Run them. AI-generated code often works for happy paths but fails on edge cases.
Conclusion
AI code assistants are transforming how we build Laravel applications, but they're amplifiers, not replacements. They amplify your knowledge when you understand Laravel deeply. They amplify your mistakes when you don't.
The junior developer I mentioned at the beginning? After two days of debugging, I sat with him and walked through each Laravel concept his AI code had violated. A week later, he asked ChatGPT the same question again—but this time, he immediately spotted the missing service binding, the N+1 query, and the validation shortcut.
He still uses AI every day. But now he's in control.
Master the fundamentals. Understand the request lifecycle, service container, Eloquent, validation, and security. Learn how Laravel thinks. Read the documentation cover to cover at least once.
Then—and only then—unleash AI to supercharge your productivity.
Because the best Laravel developers don't just write code faster with AI. They write better code, avoid pitfalls, ship secure applications, and know exactly when to override what the AI suggests.
Learn first. Automate later. Your future self (and your codebase) will thank you.
Orginal Post : https://medium.com/@kalamahmed714/laravel-core-things-you-must-know-before-using-any-ai-code-assistant-f9dd8abb2dbd
What Laravel fundamental do you wish you'd understood better before using AI assistants? Share your experience in the comments.
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