Getting started: setup a Laravel project, connect AI, and start containers
SpinApp setup selects a Laravel project, runs a wizard, configures MCP for AI, and starts containers.
Overview
SpinApp is a product that helps you get a Laravel development environment running with Docker containers and AI assistant support. This getting started guide follows SpinApp’s described four-step flow.
Step 1: Open or select your Laravel project
SpinApp starts with opening or selecting a Laravel project. SpinApp supports monolith or API projects and detects whether the repo includes a Vue or React frontend.
Step 2: Run the setup wizard
In the setup wizard, SpinApp chooses:
- PHP version
- database
- Redis
- queue driver
- how to serve frontend assets
SpinApp can also read composer.json from the repository to detect PHP version and queue driver settings.
Step 3: Connect your AI assistant (MCP)
SpinApp supports connecting AI assistants where one click configures MCP for Cursor and Claude Desktop with project rules included. SpinApp also supports any MCP client through the bundled MCP server.
Use “Setup AI” to write project rules and provide the assistant the correct container context.
Step 4: Start containers and access the app
SpinApp starts containers where:
- the database provisions
- the app is accessible at my-app.local
- npm run dev is ready