CLI Tooling

The zero executable provides a command-line interface for common development tasks. Each command is implemented as a class under core/libraries/Console/Commands/ and dispatched by Application.php.

php zero <command> [options...]
php zero --help              # list all commands
php zero <command> --help    # show usage for one command

Installation

The script ships with the repository; ensure it is executable:

chmod +x zero

Command index

Commands

Serve the Application

php zero serve [--host=127.0.0.1] [--port=8000] [--root=public] [--watch] [--franken] [--swolee]

• --host, --port, and --root mirror PHP's built-in server options (defaults fall back to the HOST, PORT, and DOCROOT environment variables when present).
• --watch enables a basic file watcher that restarts the server on changes.
• --franken and --swolee expose experimental server backends.

Generate a Controller

php zero make:controller PostsController

Creates app/controllers/PostsController.php with a simple index action. Append --force to overwrite an existing file. The generator will add the Controller suffix automatically if it is not present.

Generate a Service

php zero make:service Billing/Invoice

Creates app/services/Billing/Invoice.php, keeping the provided name intact and creating nested directories on demand. Use --force to overwrite an existing class. Both forward slashes and backslashes are accepted in the name.

Generate a Helper

php zero make:helper randomText

Creates app/helpers/RandomText.php with a helper skeleton that exposes a default signature derived from the class name. Register the helper in app/helpers/Helper.php so it becomes available globally (for example, random_text(10)). Use --force to overwrite an existing helper.

Generate a Console Command

php zero make:command HealthCheck --signature=app:health

Creates app/console/Commands/HealthCheck.php implementing the CommandInterface. The generator also ensures app/console/Commands/Command.php exists and appends the new command to its registration list so it is immediately available to the CLI. Provide --description="..." to customise the help text and --force to overwrite an existing command class.

Generate a Logger

php zero make:logger SlackLogger

Creates app/loggers/SlackLogger.php implementing Zero\Lib\Log\LogHandlerInterface. Use it to add custom destinations (Slack webhooks, third-party services, files) for the framework's logging facade. Pass --force to overwrite an existing logger class.

Generate a Model

php zero make:model Post

Creates app/models/Post.php extending the base Zero\Lib\Model. Use --force to regenerate an existing model class.

Generate a Migration

php zero make:migration create_users_table

Creates a timestamped file in database/migrations. Each migration returns an anonymous class that extends Zero\Lib\DB\Migration with up() and down() methods. See migrations.md for the full schema-builder reference.

Run Migrations

php zero migrate

Apply every outstanding migration in order. Each batch is recorded so it can be rolled back independently.

Rollback Migrations

php zero migrate:rollback        # last batch only
php zero migrate:rollback 3      # last 3 batches

Refresh Migrations

php zero migrate:refresh

Roll back every migration batch and re-run them — useful when iterating on schema changes during development.

Fresh Migrations

php zero migrate:fresh

Drop every table in the database (ignoring individual down() methods) and run all migrations from scratch. Faster than migrate:refresh when downs are slow or missing.

Migrations leverage the lightweight schema builder:

use Zero\Lib\DB\Schema;
use Zero\Lib\DB\Blueprint;

Schema::create('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->id();
    $table->string('name');
    $table->timestamps();
});

You can chain fluent modifiers on column definitions (e.g., $table->string('email')->nullable()->unique();).

Pass a number to migrate:rollback to reverse multiple batches, e.g. php zero migrate:rollback 2.

Modify tables with Schema::table:

Schema::table('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->string('nickname', 50)->nullable();
    $table->dropColumn('legacy_field');
});

Generate a Seeder

php zero make:seeder UsersTableSeeder

Seeders extend Zero\Lib\DB\Seeder and live in database/seeders.

Run a Seeder

php zero db:seed                                          # runs DatabaseSeeder by default
php zero db:seed Database\\Seeders\\UsersTableSeeder      # explicit FQCN

The default DatabaseSeeder is expected at database/seeders/DatabaseSeeder.php — call sub-seeders from its run() method to chain multiple seed scripts.

Generate a Middleware

php zero make:middleware EnsureAdmin

Creates app/middlewares/EnsureAdminMiddleware.php with a handle() stub ready for authentication or authorization logic. Use --force to overwrite an existing file.

Link Storage

php zero storage:link

Creates symbolic links defined in config/storage.php (by default linking public/storage to the public disk). The command skips existing links and reports missing targets.

Clear Log Files

php zero log:clear [--channel=file] [--path=/absolute/log/path]

Removes *.log files from the target directory. When --path is omitted the command resolves the directory from config/logging.php (defaulting to storage/framework/logs). Only log files are deleted—placeholder files (such as .gitignore) remain.

Dump the Database

php zero db:dump [--connection=mysql] [--file=storage/database/dumps/backup.sql]

Exports the configured database to an SQL dump. Provide --file to choose the destination path (relative paths are resolved against the current working directory); otherwise the dump is written to storage/database/dumps/<connection>-<timestamp>.sql. The command supports MySQL (mysqldump), PostgreSQL (pg_dump), and SQLite (just copies the database file).

Restore the Database

php zero db:restore [--connection=mysql] [--file=storage/database/dumps/backup.sql]

Restores an SQL dump back into the configured database. When --file is omitted the most recent dump in storage/database/dumps is used; specify an explicit path to restore a custom dump. The command supports MySQL (mysql), PostgreSQL (psql), and SQLite.

Inspect Registered Routes

php zero route:list

Bootstraps routes/web.php and prints a table with the HTTP method, URI, route name (when available), controller action, and attached middleware stack. Use it to confirm route bindings after adding groups, name prefixes, or new controllers.

Generate App Key

php zero key:generate

Generates a base64-encoded random key and writes it to .env as APP_KEY=base64:.... The key is used for password hashing, JWT signing, and cookie encryption — keep it stable across deploys but never commit it to git. Re-running the command rotates the key (existing JWT cookies/sessions become invalid).

Run Scheduled Tasks

php zero schedule:run

Bootstraps routes/cron.php and executes every task whose cron expression matches the current minute. Wire it into your system's crontab once a minute:

* * * * * cd /var/www/app && php zero schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

See cron.md for task definitions.

Update to Latest Release

• Fetches a JSON manifest from the URL configured via UPDATE_MANIFEST_URL.
• Displays the target version and files that will be updated before applying changes.
• Downloads each file securely (with optional SHA-256 verification when provided in the manifest).
• Prompts for confirmation unless --yes is supplied.

After updating, review release notes, clear caches, and run migrations as needed.

Customising Stubs

Stub templates live under core/templates. Adjust controller.tmpl, service.tmpl, or model.tmpl (or add new files) to change the generated skeletons.

Extending the CLI

Custom commands live under app/console/Commands/. The fastest path is php zero make:command, which generates a stub and registers it automatically:

php zero make:command HealthCheck --signature=app:health --description="Probe service health"

The generated class implements CommandInterface:

namespace App\Console\Commands;

use Zero\Lib\Console\Contracts\CommandInterface;

class HealthCheck implements CommandInterface
{
    public function getName(): string         { return 'app:health'; }
    public function getDescription(): string  { return 'Probe service health'; }
    public function getUsage(): string        { return 'php zero app:health'; }

    public function execute(array $argv): int
    {
        // ... your logic ...
        return 0;
    }
}

app/console/Commands/Command.php (generated on first use) lists every custom command. The framework merges it with the built-in command set when the CLI boots.