Laravel Feature Management System (FMS)

A standalone Laravel package for flexible feature access control and management. FMS provides simple, intuitive ways to control feature access using multiple strategies: Gates/Policies, config-based, registry-based, and database lookups.

Features

• Multiple Access Control Strategies: Gates/Policies, config files, feature registry, or database
• Boolean & Resource Features: Support for simple on/off features and metered resource features
• Feature Groups: Bundle features into reusable groups (Pro plan, Enterprise, AI Beta cohort, etc.) and assign them polymorphically to any model
• Middleware Protection: Protect routes based on feature access
• Facade & Helpers: Clean API via facade and global helper functions
• Standalone Package: Zero dependencies on other packages
• Configurable schema: Override the feature_usages / subscriptions / product_features table names without forking
• Laravel 13 Compatible: Built for Laravel 11+, 12+, and 13+

Installation

composer require particle-academy/laravel-fms

The package will auto-discover and register its service provider.

Configuration

Publish the configuration file:

php artisan vendor:publish --tag=fms-config

Define your features in config/fms.php:

return [
    'features' => [
        // Simple boolean feature
        'use-mcp' => [
            'name' => 'Use MCP',
            'description' => 'Access to MCP-powered assistants and tools.',
            'type' => 'boolean',
            'enabled' => true, // or callable: fn($user) => $user->isPremium()
        ],

        // Resource feature with limit
        'ai-tokens' => [
            'name' => 'AI Tokens',
            'description' => 'Metered AI token usage per billing period.',
            'type' => 'resource',
            'limit' => 10000, // or callable: fn($user, $context) => ...
            'usage' => fn($user, $context) => $user->getTokenUsage(), // optional
        ],
    ],
];

Usage

Using the Facade

use ParticleAcademy\Fms\Facades\FMS;

// Check if feature is accessible
if (FMS::canAccess('use-mcp')) {
    // Feature is enabled
}

// Check if feature is enabled (alias)
if (FMS::isEnabled('use-mcp')) {
    // Feature is enabled
}

// Check if user has feature
if (FMS::hasFeature('use-mcp', $user)) {
    // User has access
}

// Get remaining quantity for resource features
$remaining = FMS::remaining('ai-tokens', $user);
if ($remaining > 0) {
    // Allow action
}

// Get all enabled features
$enabled = FMS::enabled($user);

Using Helper Functions

// Get feature manager or check feature
if (feature('use-mcp')) {
    // Feature is enabled
}

// Check feature access
if (can_access_feature('use-mcp', $user)) {
    // User has access
}

// Check if feature is enabled
if (feature_enabled('use-mcp')) {
    // Feature is enabled
}

// Get remaining quantity
$remaining = feature_remaining('ai-tokens', $user);

// Get all enabled features
$enabled = enabled_features($user);

Feature Groups

Big apps grow lots of features, and remembering which to flip on for which plan/tier becomes tedious. Feature groups bundle features under a single key, and any model that uses the HasFeatureGroups trait can be polymorphically assigned to one or more groups.

Define groups in config/fms.php

'groups' => [
    'pro-plan' => [
        'name' => 'Pro Plan',
        'features' => ['use-mcp', 'ai-tokens', 'team-sharing'],
        'overrides' => [
            'ai-tokens' => ['limit' => 50000],   // lift the base limit
        ],
    ],

    'enterprise' => [
        'name' => 'Enterprise',
        'extends' => ['pro-plan'],               // one level deep
        'features' => ['sso', 'audit-log'],
        'overrides' => [
            'ai-tokens' => ['limit' => 250000],
        ],
    ],

    'ai-beta' => [
        'name' => 'AI Beta cohort',
        'features' => ['experimental-llm'],
        'enabled' => fn ($user) => $user?->in_ai_beta === true,   // callable gate, no pivot needed
    ],
],

Make a model assignable

use ParticleAcademy\Fms\Concerns\HasFeatureGroups;

class User extends Authenticatable
{
    use HasFeatureGroups;
}

Assign + check

$user->attachFeatureGroup('pro-plan');
$user->attachFeatureGroup('enterprise');

FMS::canAccess('use-mcp', $user);     // true (via pro-plan)
FMS::remaining('ai-tokens', $user);    // 250000 (max of all enabled groups)
FMS::enabledGroupsFor($user);          // ['pro-plan', 'enterprise']
FMS::explain('use-mcp', $user);        // ['source' => 'group', 'detail' => ['groups' => ['pro-plan', 'enterprise'], ...]]

Resolution semantics

A feature is enabled if any of these returns true:

1. Gate::has($feature) is defined and grants access (Gate is authoritative — also the only path that can DENY)
2. The feature's registry definition has enabled: true or its check returns true
3. Any enabled feature group containing this feature (NEW)
4. The config file has enabled: true for this feature

For resource features, the limit is the MAX across:

• All enabled groups providing an override for this feature
• The base feature's own limit

So a "Pro" plan with ai-tokens.limit = 50000 lifts the base config's 1000 to 50000 for users in that group, while users not in any group still see the base limit.

Catalog integration

LaravelCatalog\Models\Product uses HasFeatureGroups, so a Stripe Product can be tagged with feature groups directly:

$product->attachFeatureGroup('pro-plan');

The implication: a user subscribed to that product gets every feature in the group (assuming your subscription resolution layer reads Product::featureGroups()).

Debugging tools

Two artisan commands make "why is this on/off?" trivial:

php artisan fms:groups                          # list all registered groups
php artisan fms:groups pro-plan                 # inspect one group (resolved features + overrides)
php artisan fms:resolve 42                      # explain every feature for User #42
php artisan fms:resolve 42 --feature=use-mcp    # explain a single feature
php artisan fms:resolve org-7 --type=App\\Models\\Org   # any HasFeatureGroups model

fms:resolve walks every feature and reports which source resolved it (gate / registry / group / config / none) plus the structured detail (matching groups, limit overrides, etc.).

Using Middleware

Protect routes with feature requirements:

use ParticleAcademy\Fms\Http\Middleware\RequireFeature;

Route::middleware(['auth', RequireFeature::class . ':use-mcp'])->group(function () {
    Route::get('/mcp', [McpController::class, 'index']);
});

// Multiple features (OR logic - user needs at least one)
Route::middleware(['auth', RequireFeature::class . ':feature1,feature2'])->group(function () {
    // Route protected by feature1 OR feature2
});

Using Gates/Policies

FMS automatically checks Laravel Gates if they exist:

// In AuthServiceProvider
Gate::define('use-mcp', function ($user) {
    return $user->subscription->plan === 'pro';
});

// FMS will automatically use this gate
if (FMS::canAccess('use-mcp')) {
    // Gate check passed
}

Feature Registry

Register features programmatically:

use ParticleAcademy\Fms\Services\FmsFeatureRegistry;

app(FmsFeatureRegistry::class)->register('custom-feature', [
    'name' => 'Custom Feature',
    'type' => 'boolean',
    'enabled' => fn($user) => $user->hasPermission('custom'),
]);

Access Control Strategies

FMS checks features in this order:

0. Pre-strategies (app-registered) - Run before Gate; first non-null verdict wins
1. Gates/Policies - If a Gate exists with the feature name, it's checked first
2. Feature Registry - Checks registered features via FmsFeatureRegistry
3. Feature Groups - Any enabled group containing the feature flips it on
4. Config File - Checks config/fms.features.{feature}
5. Database - If FeatureUsage model exists, checks database (extensible)

Pre-strategies (v0.6.0+)

When you need an external system — a billing service, a remote entitlements provider, a feature flag platform — to be authoritative about access (even over a Gate), register a pre-strategy. Strategies receive (feature, user, context) and return ?bool:

• true — granted, no further checks
• false — denied, no further checks
• null — "I don't know", fall through to the next strategy / chain

use ParticleAcademy\Fms\Services\FeatureManager;

// In an app service provider's boot():
app(FeatureManager::class)->registerPreStrategy('subscription', function ($feature, $user, $context): ?bool {
    if (! $user) return null;
    $sub = app(BillingService::class)->subscriptionFor($user);
    if (! $sub) return null;                       // no subscription -> fall through
    return $sub->allowsFeature($feature);          // authoritative when subscription exists
});

Strategies run in registration order, and explain() will report source: 'pre-strategy' with the strategy name so devtools can show "blocked by subscription" etc.

For resource features, register a ?int counterpart that answers remaining():

app(FeatureManager::class)->registerPreRemainingStrategy('subscription-quota', function ($feature, $user, $context): ?int {
    $sub = app(BillingService::class)->subscriptionFor($user);
    return $sub?->remainingFor($feature);          // null falls through
});

Re-registering the same name replaces the strategy. unregisterPreStrategy('subscription') and unregisterPreRemainingStrategy('subscription-quota') undo it (useful in tests).

Resource Features

Resource features support metered usage:

'api-calls' => [
    'type' => 'resource',
    'limit' => 1000,
    'usage' => fn($user, $context) => $user->apiCalls()->thisMonth()->count(),
    'remaining' => fn($user, $context) => 1000 - $user->apiCalls()->thisMonth()->count(), // optional
],

Every definition callback receives ($user, $context) — check, enabled, limit, usage and remaining alike. The feature key is not passed, because the callback is defined inside features.<key> and the key is already known where you write it.

Changed in 0.8.0. usage and remaining used to receive ($feature, $user, $context), with the key first, which never matched these docs. A callback declaring three parameters still gets the old order and raises a deprecation, so nothing breaks silently — but move it to ($user, $context); the old order goes away at 1.0.

Custom table names (v0.7.0+)

The feature_usages table and the two tables its foreign keys point at are config-driven, so you don't have to fork the package or hand-edit a published migration when your schema differs. Override any of them in config/fms.php:

'tables' => [
    'feature_usages'   => 'fms_feature_usages',        // prefixed schema
    'subscriptions'    => 'subscriptions',             // your billing table
    'product_features' => 'catalog_product_features',  // laravel-catalog's table
],

Both the FeatureUsage model (getTable()) and the create migration read these values, so model and schema stay in sync from one change.

The create migration also self-skips (no error) when:

• the feature_usages table already exists (e.g. created by an older fork under a different name), or
• either FK target table (subscriptions / product_features) is missing at apply time.

The second guard means the migration can sit harmlessly early in your chronological migration order — if your subscription / product-feature tables are created later, FMS just defers, and you can build the real usages table in your own migration if you prefer.

Requirements

• PHP 8.2+
• Laravel 11+, 12+, or 13+

Testing

Run tests using Pest:

pkg laravel-fms php vendor/bin/pest

Integration with Laravel Catalog

FMS integrates seamlessly with Laravel Catalog for feature-based product management. When both packages are installed, Catalog automatically configures FMS to use Catalog's ProductFeature model.

Quick Integration Setup

1. Install both packages:

composer require particle-academy/laravel-fms
composer require particle-academy/laravel-catalog

2. Configure FMS features in config/fms.php:

return [
    'features' => [
        'manage-products' => [
            'name' => 'Manage Products',
            'type' => 'boolean',
            'enabled' => fn($user) => $user->hasRole('admin'),
        ],
    ],
];

3. Use FMS in your Catalog controllers:

use ParticleAcademy\Fms\Facades\FMS;
use LaravelCatalog\Models\Product;

class ProductController extends Controller
{
    public function store(Request $request)
    {
        if (!FMS::canAccess('manage-products')) {
            abort(403);
        }
        
        $product = Product::create($request->validated());
        // ...
    }
}

Product Features Integration

Catalog's ProductFeature model works with FMS to provide feature-based access control:

use LaravelCatalog\Models\Product;
use LaravelCatalog\Models\ProductFeature;

// Attach features to products
$product = Product::find($productId);
$feature = ProductFeature::where('key', 'advanced-editing')->first();

$product->productFeatures()->attach($feature->id, [
    'enabled' => true,
    'included_quantity' => 100,
]);

// Check feature access for user's subscription
if (FMS::canAccess('advanced-editing', $user)) {
    // User has access via their subscription
}

Subscription-Based Feature Access

When integrated with Catalog, you can check feature access based on user subscriptions:

use ParticleAcademy\Fms\Facades\FMS;

// Check if user's subscription includes a feature
$user = auth()->user();
$subscription = $user->subscriptions()->active()->first();

if ($subscription) {
    $product = $subscription->product();
    
    // Check if product has feature and user has access
    foreach ($product->productFeatures as $feature) {
        if (FMS::canAccess($feature->key, $user)) {
            // Feature is available
        }
    }
}

Example: Feature-Gated Product Actions

use ParticleAcademy\Fms\Facades\FMS;
use LaravelCatalog\Facades\Catalog;

class ProductController extends Controller
{
    public function sync(Product $product)
    {
        // Check if user can sync products
        if (!FMS::canAccess('sync-products', auth()->user())) {
            abort(403, 'You do not have permission to sync products.');
        }
        
        Catalog::syncProductAndPrices($product);
        
        return redirect()->back()->with('success', 'Product synced.');
    }
    
    public function create()
    {
        // Check remaining product creations
        $remaining = FMS::remaining('product-creations', auth()->user());
        
        if ($remaining <= 0) {
            return redirect()->back()
                ->with('error', 'Product creation limit reached.');
        }
        
        return view('admin.products.create');
    }
}

Protecting Catalog Routes

Use FMS middleware to protect catalog admin routes:

use ParticleAcademy\Fms\Http\Middleware\RequireFeature;

Route::prefix('admin')->middleware([
    'auth',
    RequireFeature::class . ':manage-products'
])->group(function () {
    Route::resource('products', ProductController::class);
});

For more detailed integration examples and patterns, see INTEGRATION.md.

License

MIT

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🤖 Note to agents

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