# Install Laravel Boost on a Vue starter kit

> Add Laravel Boost to a Vue and Inertia app so Cursor or Claude follows the Inertia Vue guidelines for the versions you have installed.

- URL: https://laravel-vuejs.space/laravel-boost-vue
- Author: Anass Ez-zouaine (https://laravel-vuejs.space/author/anass-ez-zouaine)
- Published: 2026-10-11
- Topics: Laravel, VueJs, Inertia, Tooling

Your coding agent keeps writing Vue 2 options, Ziggy `route()` calls and Breeze layouts into a 2026 starter kit. Laravel Boost fixes that by teaching the agent the versions you actually installed. Here is the install, what it should know, and what it won’t do.

> **TL;DR**
>
> -   `composer require laravel/boost --dev` + `php artisan boost:install`, then restart the agent.
> -   Boost = an MCP server, version-matched guidelines (incl. `inertia-vue-development`) and doc search.
> -   Run `php artisan boost:update` after upgrading Inertia, Tailwind or Laravel.
> -   It is a dev tool: not npm, not production, not your users’ AI feature.
>
> **What you'll learn**
>
> -   What Laravel Boost is (and is not)
> -   How to install and update it
> -   How to check the agent actually loaded it
>
> **Who it's for:** Laravel + Vue developers coding with AI agents
>
> **Applies to:** Laravel 10–13 · PHP 8.1+ · Laravel Boost · Inertia 3 · Vue starter kit

“Laravel Boost” is the search behind a lot of Vue starter-kit questions this year. Boost is not a chat window and it is not the [AI SDK](https://laravel-vuejs.space/laravel-ai-sdk-vue). It is a dev dependency that teaches Cursor, Claude Code, Copilot, and the other agents you select how this app is built. The [Boost docs](https://laravel.com/docs/13.x/boost) describe three pieces: an MCP server that can inspect the app, guidelines picked from the packages in `composer.json`, and a documentation search aimed at those versions.

> **Heads up: dev only**
>
> Install it on the app you are coding. Do not add it to a production image as a feature for visitors.

## Install

Boost supports Laravel 10, 11, 12, and 13 on PHP 8.1 or newer. A current Vue starter kit is already in that range.

```shell
composer require laravel/boost --dev
php artisan boost:install
```

> **Tip: generated files**
>
> The installer asks which agents to configure. It writes an MCP file such as `.mcp.json`, guideline files such as `AGENTS.md` or `CLAUDE.md`, and `boost.json`. The docs say those files are regenerated by `boost:install` and `boost:update`, so you can gitignore them. Read the diff once before you do. A teammate who has not run the installer yet needs a way to generate the same files.

Restart the agent after the install so it loads the new MCP server. In an editor that keeps a tool list, enable the Laravel Boost server and confirm it is connected.

## What it should know about Vue

On a Vue starter kit the guidelines include Inertia Vue, matching the major version in your lockfile, plus Wayfinder, Tailwind CSS, and Pest when those packages are installed. The skill to activate for pages and forms is `inertia-vue-development`. The agent is told to use the documentation search for version-specific Inertia examples instead of guessing from an older tutorial.

That is the point of the package. An agent without it still writes Vue 2 options, `route()` from Ziggy, or a Breeze layout. The Vue starter kit uses `<script setup>`, Inertia 3, and Wayfinder. Boost’s guidelines are supposed to follow what is installed, including the Inertia Vue line for 1.x, 2.x, and 3.x.

After you upgrade Inertia, Tailwind, or Laravel, run:

```shell
php artisan boost:update
```

> **Gotcha: stale guidelines**
>
> Otherwise the agent keeps the previous guideline set.

## What to ask it

Point the agent at a page that already exists. A useful first prompt names the constraint the kit already has:

> **A first prompt that proves it loaded**
>
> `prompt`
> ```text
> Add a note field to the existing post form.
> Use the Inertia Vue form helper.
> Do not install Vue Router.
> Do not install Ziggy.
> Do not add a second layout around the page.
> ```

> **Gotcha: signs the guidelines did not load**
>
> Boost can look up the installed version, list routes, and read the last error. It should not need a pasted tutorial from 2023. If the reply imports `vue-router` or calls `ZiggyVue`, the guidelines did not load. Run `boost:install` again and restart the agent before you correct the code by hand.

## What Boost will not do

Boost does not answer your users. A reply shown on a Vue page still goes through the [AI SDK](https://laravel-vuejs.space/laravel-ai-sdk-vue), with the provider key in `.env`. Boost never sees that key, and the SDK never configures your editor.

> **Gotcha: not npm, no keys**
>
> Do not install Boost inside the Vue app with npm. There is no Boost component to mount. Do not commit API keys into `boost.json`. The file is configuration for the installer, not a place for provider credentials.

The kit itself is still created the way the [setup guide](https://laravel-vuejs.space/application-setup) describes. The stack choice is the one in [Laravel and Vue in 2026](https://laravel-vuejs.space/laravel-vue-in-2026). Boost sits on top of that app. It does not pick Inertia, a SPA, or Nuxt for you.

## Recap

- Boost is a dev dependency for your coding agent.
- Install, pick agents, restart, confirm the MCP server.
- Update after every framework upgrade.
- User-facing AI is the AI SDK, not Boost.

## FAQ

**Q: What is Laravel Boost?**

A dev dependency that gives coding agents an MCP server for your app, guidelines matched to your installed packages, and version-aware documentation search.

**Q: Is Laravel Boost an npm package?**

No. Install it with Composer as a dev dependency. There is no Vue component.

**Q: Should I commit the files boost:install writes?**

The docs say they are regenerated by `boost:install` and `boost:update`, so you can gitignore them. Make sure teammates know to run the installer.

**Q: What is the difference between Laravel Boost and the AI SDK?**

Boost helps your coding agent build the app. The AI SDK powers AI features your users see.

## Next steps

- [Use the Boost skill for Inertia Vue](https://laravel-vuejs.space/boost-inertia-vue-skill)
- [Update Laravel Boost after you upgrade](https://laravel-vuejs.space/laravel-boost-update-vue)
- [Laravel AI SDK with Vue](https://laravel-vuejs.space/laravel-ai-sdk-vue)

## Sources

- [Laravel 13: Boost](https://laravel.com/docs/13.x/boost)
- [laravel/boost on GitHub](https://github.com/laravel/boost)