Download the PHP package millancore/ladoc without Composer

Laravel Documentation for Console

Ladoc allows you to search and browse Laravel documentation in all its versions.

[!TIP] Unlike Laravel Boost, Ladoc supports versions prior to 10.x — all the way back to 4.x — making it perfect for maintaining older Laravel projects.

Ladoc itself needs PHP 8.2 to run, but that's independent of your project: you can browse Laravel 4.x docs while maintaining an app stuck on an old PHP version. If your machine only has an older PHP, use the Docker image instead.

Index

• Use with AI tools
  • MCP Server
  • Agent Skill (CLI)
• Installation
• Usage
  • Search
  • List all sections
  • Filter Main List
  • Navigation System
  • Using the search with index
  • Versions
• Working with legacy Laravel versions

Use with AI tools

Ladoc can be used by AI coding agents (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.) to look up accurate, version-specific Laravel documentation. There are two ways to connect it.

Both require ladoc to be installed first — see Installation.

MCP Server

Ladoc ships with an MCP server (ladoc-mcp, stdio transport) that exposes three tools:

All tools accept an optional version (e.g. "12.x", defaults to the latest).

Claude Code

Cursor, Windsurf, and other MCP clients

For project scope, add a .mcp.json to the project root (Claude Code reads this file, and it is what --scope project generates):

The same block works in each client's own configuration file, e.g. .cursor/mcp.json (project scope) or ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) for Cursor.

ladoc-mcp is installed by composer global require millancore/ladoc. If your composer global bin directory is not in PATH, use the full path, e.g. ~/.config/composer/vendor/bin/ladoc-mcp.

Using Docker

The Docker image includes ladoc-mcp, so you don't need PHP on the host. Keep a named container running (the downloaded doc indexes are reused between sessions):

Then point your MCP client at it:

Use -i, never -t: MCP communicates over stdin/stdout and a TTY corrupts the stream. A throwaway container also works (docker run --rm -i millancore/ladoc ladoc-mcp as the command), but it re-downloads the docs on the first search of each session.

Agent Skill (CLI)

Any agent that can run shell commands can use the ladoc CLI directly — output is plain text (no ANSI codes) when piped. A ready-made skill for Claude Code is included in skills/laravel-docs; install it with:

Installation

Using Composer

Requires PHP 8.2

or Using Docker

Uses:

Usage

Tip: To make it easier to use, create an alias, I usually use zz.

Search

ladoc <section> <query>

List all sections

simply execute the command without parameters, you will see a list of all the sections (in brackets).

Result:

Filter Main List

To simplify the navigation you can filter main list with '--letter' or -l and initial letter.

Result:

Navigation System

You can navigate through all sections using the indexes in the list.

Result:

and continue in that way

Result:

Using the search with index

You can search directly in a section using its index. ladoc 4 @once it's equal to ladoc blade @once.

Versions

Ladoc allows you to search all versions of Laravel, just use --branch or -b to define the version you want to use.

If no version is set, use the latest one.

Working with legacy Laravel versions

Ladoc covers every Laravel version back to 4.0, so you can maintain old projects with the documentation that actually matches them.

1. Find the project's Laravel version

Check laravel/framework in the project's composer.json:

2. Pass it to ladoc with -b

Versions 6 and later use the Nx branch format; versions 4 and 5 use the exact minor:

The first search on a version downloads and indexes its docs; after that it's instant. Each version keeps its own index, so you can switch between projects freely.

[!NOTE] Old versions organize the docs differently — for example, Laravel 4.x has templates instead of blade. Run ladoc -b4.2 (no query) to list the sections that exist in that version, and if you search a section that doesn't exist, ladoc suggests the closest match.

3. With AI tools

Agents using the MCP server pass the version as the version argument of each tool; with the skill, they read the constraint from composer.json and add -b automatically. Either way, the agent gets answers for the version your project actually runs.

Ladoc itself requires PHP 8.2, no matter which Laravel version you're consulting — if the legacy machine can't provide it, use the Docker image.

Ladoc is an open-sourced software licensed under the MIT license.