Laravel PAO brings AI-optimized output when some PHP tools are being run by an AI agent

Laravel has introduced Laravel PAO, a PHP agent-optimized output system designed to reshape the way AI agents interact with popular PHP development tools. When tools such as PHPUnit, Pest, Paratest, PHPStan, Rector, or Laravel Artisan are invoked by an AI agent, Laravel PAO provides structured JSON or streamlined output. This approach replaces typical decorated console output, reducing noise and improving clarity for machine processing.

Following this release, all new Laravel applications will include PAO as a development dependency by default. For testing frameworks like PHPUnit, Pest, and Paratest, PAO delivers compact JSON summaries. These include counts of tests, durations, details of failures or errors, and additional segments such as code coverage or profiling, presented without standard terminal formatting.

In addition, for static analysis with PHPStan, PAO normalizes output into JSON, focusing on total errors and per-file details relevant for automated fixes. Rector output is also adapted, with structured reporting of changed files, code differences, and applied rectors. Artisan command output is cleaned of decorative elements but maintains informational content in its standard format. Notably, local developer workflows remain unaffected, as PAO only activates when a compatible agent is detected.