Laravel 13.37: strict Rule::numeric(), queue filters and JPEG XL

You typed 42 into a JSON API and Laravel accepted "42" as numeric. Your failed_jobs table is a mess of queues you cannot filter. And you still cannot ask withWhereHas('items:id,order_id,sku', …) without a RelationNotFoundException. Laravel 13.37 fixes each of those, and none of them change behaviour until you opt in.

What’s new at a glance#

Strict Rule::numeric()#

Laravel already had Rule::numeric() as a fluent builder (->min(), ->max(), ->integer(), …). What it could not say was the strict mode that rejects numeric strings. In 13.37, pass strict: true:

public function rules(): array
{
    return [
        'amount' => ['required', 'numeric:strict', 'min:0.01'],
    ];
}

use Illuminate\Validation\Rule;

public function rules(): array
{
    return [
        'amount' => [
            'required',
            Rule::numeric(strict: true)->min(0.01), 
        ],
    ];
}

(string) Rule::numeric(strict: true) is numeric:strict. We ran it on 13.37:

Use strict mode on JSON APIs where you want the client to send real numbers, not quoted ones. Keep the loose rule when forms (or query strings) always arrive as strings.

Filter failed jobs by queue#

queue:failed listed every failed job. On a busy app that mixes emails, default and horizon, that table is noisy. 13.37 adds --queue:

php artisan queue:failed --queue=emails
php artisan queue:failed --queue=emails --json

Only rows whose queue column matches are shown. We checked the command signature on 13.37: the option is there and filters with ->where('queue', $queue).

Forget several failed jobs at once#

Before, queue:forget took a single ID. Clearing a bad deploy meant a loop. Now the id argument is an array:

php artisan queue:forget 12 45 91

Each ID is forgotten in turn. Missing IDs print an error and the command exits with failure so scripts can detect a partial clear.

JPEG XL in the Image API#

HEIC and AVIF already had helpers. JPEG XL gets the same treatment:

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Image;

$path = Image::fromStorage('avatars/photo.jpg', 'public')
    ->cover(400, 400)
    ->toJxl()
    ->quality(80)
    ->storePublicly('avatars', 'public');

toJxl() sets the output format to jxl (Intervention’s JxlEncoder under the hood). Your Imagick/GD build must actually support JXL encoding; we confirmed the method exists on Illuminate\Image\Image in 13.37 but did not run an encode on this box.

withWhereHas column selection with a callback#

with('items:id,order_id,sku') has worked for years. withWhereHas accepted the same column list without a callback, but threw when you passed both:

// Before 13.37 — RelationNotFoundException:
// Call to undefined relationship [items:id,order_id,sku]
Order::withWhereHas('items:id,order_id,sku', function ($query) {
    $query->where('status', 'backordered');
})->get();

#62039 parses the column list the same way with() does, so the snippet above loads only those columns on matching items. Use it when you want the constraint and a lean eager load in one call.

SFTP/FTP mime type from the path#

On SFTP and FTP disks, Storage::mimeType($path) used to download the file into memory so Flysystem could sniff bytes. For big assets that is expensive. 13.37 adds an opt-in config flag:

'sftp' => [
    'driver' => 'sftp',
    // ...
    'detect_mime_type_using_path' => true, 
],

When true, Flysystem guesses from the extension/path instead of reading the body. Default stays false, so existing apps are unchanged. Same key works on the ftp driver and via Storage::build([...]).

RedirectResponse implements Responsable#

Controllers typed as returning Responsable|Renderable could return a view, but redirect()->back() failed the type check because RedirectResponse was not Responsable. Now it is:

use Illuminate\Contracts\Support\Renderable;
use Illuminate\Contracts\Support\Responsable;

class WelcomeController
{
    public function __invoke(): Responsable|Renderable
    {
        if (! auth()->check()) {
            return redirect()->route('login');
        }

        return view('welcome');
    }
}

We asserted redirect('/dashboard') instanceof Responsable and that toResponse() still produces a redirect. Your Vue/Inertia apps are unaffected; this is a PHP typing win for classic controllers and action classes.

Smaller changes worth knowing#

Upgrade notes#

Run composer update laravel/framework (13.37.0 or later). Everything above is opt-in: loose numeric still accepts strings, queue:failed without --queue lists everything, JXL is only used when you call toJxl(), and detect_mime_type_using_path defaults to false.

Two fixes can change behaviour you might have been living with: encrypted object/collection casts stop looking dirty when unchanged, and skipped migrations no longer show as pending in migrate:status. Both match what the APIs already promised.

php artisan tinker --execute="
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Validator;
use Illuminate\Validation\Rule;
dump(Validator::make(['n' => '42'], ['n' => Rule::numeric(strict: true)])->fails());
dump((string) Rule::numeric(strict: true)->min(1));
"

You should see true (the string failed) and numeric:strict|min:1.

Recap#

• Rule::numeric(strict: true) is the typed form of numeric:strict; string numbers fail, real ints/floats pass.
• queue:failed --queue=… filters the failed list; queue:forget 1 2 3 clears several IDs at once.
• Image API gains toJxl()->quality(…), same shape as HEIC/AVIF.
• withWhereHas('rel:cols', fn) works; SFTP/FTP can sniff mime from the path; RedirectResponse is Responsable.
• Plenty of solid fixes: unique lock release, encrypted dirty tracking, cursor memory, soft-delete restore with joins, and more.

FAQ#

Next steps#

• Laravel 13.36: validation rule builders, olap() and sticky queues: last week’s release.
• Form Requests with Inertia and Vue: where strict Rule::numeric() belongs.
• Run a queued job and show its progress in Vue: put the queue CLI improvements to work.
• Laravel validation docs

Sources#

• Laravel v13.37.0 release notes
• PR #62031: strict option on Rule::numeric()
• PR #62030: Stringable in Rule::when / unless
• PR #61971: queue:failed —queue
• PR #61901: queue:forget multiple IDs
• PR #62019: JPEG XL in the Image API
• PR #62039: withWhereHas column selection with callback
• PR #61972: detect_mime_type_using_path for SFTP/FTP
• PR #62036: RedirectResponse implements Responsable
• PR #61970: ScheduledTaskFailed runtime
• PR #62047: improve exception reporting