Getting Started

Laravel Model Explorer is a zero-config developer tool that gives you a browser-based UI for exploring your Eloquent models. No vendor:publish, no frontend tooling required in your app.

Requirements

• PHP 8.3+
• Laravel 11, 12, or 13

Installation

Install the package via Composer:

composer require --dev onelearningcommunity/laravel-model-explorer

The package auto-discovers and registers itself. No service provider needs to be added manually.

Accessing the UI

Once installed, visit /_model-explorer in your browser:

https://your-app.test/_model-explorer

Authorization

By default, Model Explorer is only accessible in local environments (app.env === 'local'). This is enforced by a viewModelExplorer gate that is registered automatically.

To grant access in other environments, define the gate in your AppServiceProvider:

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Gate;

Gate::define('viewModelExplorer', function ($user) {
    return in_array($user->email, [
        'you@example.com',
    ]);
});

WARNING

Never open Model Explorer to unauthenticated users in a production environment. Always restrict access via the gate or the enabled config option.

Next Steps

• Configuration — change the URL path, add middleware, or restrict model paths
• Model List — what you see when you first open the UI