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Informations about the package composer-link

### **devkit-composer-link** Local packages. Fewer emotional incidents. [![PHP](https://img.shields.io/badge/PHP-8.5%2B-777BB4?logo=php&logoColor=white)](https://www.php.net/) [![Packagist](https://img.shields.io/packagist/v/devkit/composer-link?label=packagist&color=f28d1a&logo=packagist&logoColor=white)](https://packagist.org/packages/devkit/composer-link) [![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-22c55e)](LICENSE) [![Tests](https://github.com/stuarttodd-dev/devkit-composer-link/actions/workflows/php-ci.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/stuarttodd-dev/devkit-composer-link/actions) Package: **`devkit/composer-link`**

Table of Contents

Why this exists

You know the dance.

You need to change a package. You open the app’s composer.json, add a path repository, force a constraint, run Composer, test the thing, then carefully undo everything so main doesn’t ship ../Desktop/my-fork forever.

It’s fine once. It’s miserable every day.

Composer Link exists so you can point dependencies at real folders without hand-editing the committed manifest like it’s 2004 — and come back tomorrow with the same setup still waiting for you.

How it works

Composer Link is a Composer plugin installed in your app. It keeps two worlds separate:

Shared with the team Yours only (gitignore these)
composer.json packages-local.json — link state
composer.lock composer.local.json — local manifest with path repos
composer.local.lock — lock for that local manifest

Commands like link / add write to the local files. CI and teammates keep using the committed baseline. Locally you run composer local-install (or set COMPOSER=composer.local.json) so vendor/ matches your checkout.

When you’re done experimenting, unlink or promote puts things back on a published constraint — without the archaeology.

Run everything from your application root (where the committed composer.json lives). The plugin only registers when devkit/composer-link is installed as a dependency of that app.

Use case — test a package without wrecking main

Imagine your app depends on your-vendor/payments: ^1.5. You’ve got a local checkout with a bugfix. You want to prove it in the real app before you tag.

Need @dev because the local branch doesn’t satisfy ^1.5?

Bootstrapping something that isn’t in the committed manifest yet?

Later, when it’s on Packagist:

A whole folder of checkouts? Scan them:

Prerequisites

Requirement Version
PHP 8.5+
Composer 2.2+ (plugin allow-list)

Install

Install in the consuming application (not inside the library you’re editing):

Allow the plugin (Composer 2.2+):

Then:

Commands at a glance

Command In one sentence
link Override an existing dependency to a local path.
add Bootstrap a local package that isn’t in the committed manifest yet.
unlink Drop local override state; restore or remove the requirement.
promote Switch a locally managed package to a published constraint.
linked List everything Composer Link is currently managing.
refresh Rebuild managed path repos from packages-local.json.
link-doctor Check ignore rules, paths, and managed repositories.
local-bootstrap Copy committed manifest/lock into local files.
local-install composer install via composer.local.json.
link-scan Discover matching packages in a directory and link / add them.
link-help Terminal cheat sheet for arguments and options.

Configuration

Optional settings live under extra.composer-link in the app’s root composer.json:

Key Role
overrides_file Local state file (packages, paths, mode, constraints).
local_composer_json Local Composer manifest used for path installs.

Files and folders

Legacy note: if packages-local.json is missing/empty, composer.local-packages.json is still read as a fallback; the next write saves to packages-local.json.

Commands

Use composer help <command> for full flag docs.

link — override an existing dependency

add — bootstrap a new local dependency

unlink — stop managing a package locally

promote — move to a published constraint

linked — show managed packages

refresh — rebuild managed path repos

link-doctor — validate setup

Checks ignore rules, linked path existence, and managed path-repo count.

local-bootstrap — create local manifest files

local-install — install via local manifest

Equivalent to:

link-scan — discover and link a directory of checkouts

Each matching package is linked if it’s already in the committed manifest, or added as require-dev if it isn’t. The host project itself is skipped.

link-help — command summary in terminal

Typical workflows

Override a released package

Bootstrap before Packagist

Day-to-day local loop

Version control and safety

Commit the shared baseline. Keep local override artifacts out of Git.

packages-local.json is Composer Link state only — Composer itself reads whichever manifest COMPOSER points at.

Before merging release work, align committed composer.json / composer.lock with the published constraints the team should install (promote, unlink, or normal edits).

Support

If this project saves you time (and a few Friday-afternoon incidents):

Buy Me a Coffee

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for release notes by tag.

License

MIT

All versions of composer-link with dependencies

PHP Build Version
Package Version
Requires php Version ^8.5
composer-plugin-api Version ^2.2
composer/semver Version ^3.4
symfony/console Version ^6.4|^7.0
symfony/filesystem Version ^6.4|^7.0
symfony/process Version ^6.4|^7.0
Composer command for our command line client (download client) This client runs in each environment. You don't need a specific PHP version etc. The first 20 API calls are free. Standard composer command

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